Capítulo 41: The Burden of Truth
Left alone on the doorstep of her home, Kimika couldn't gather her thoughts. All the recent events relentlessly replayed in her mind, like a broken record. Two bound people who had destroyed her life. Toga, who had pushed her into action.
And herself… The one who took the knife handed to her by Toga. Driven by anger and rage… Knowing what they had done, how they had killed, how they had ruined her life and the lives of so many others… she had attacked them.
And then… then everything became blurry, hazy, and chaotic. She could only remember the faces of those two, unable to move, their eyes filled with tears and fear. And all that remained for them was to await death.
Looking at her hands, which were trembling nervously, she saw that it was all her doing, not someone else's — because the dried bloodstains and marks from gripping the knife were still on her hands.
The realization that suddenly overwhelmed her — the realization that it was she, not anyone else, who had killed two people...
She had been the one who longed more than anything to become a heroine. And even when circumstances forced her to go against her dreams, she promised and swore to herself that she would never cross the line. But what did she see now? That she had finally crossed it to quell her anger?
All of this hit her like an avalanche, and she... laughed. She wanted to cry, to cry with all her heart, but she couldn't — all her tears had already been shed in that basement.
So all that was left for her was to slowly step into the house, with only one desire — to lie down and sleep. To sleep, to rest both mentally and physically. In sleep, where she could forget all of this, even for a few hours, to escape from it all, from this horrible world and from the horrible version of herself.
Slowly and quietly entering the house, Kimika felt as if she were in a fog, her thoughts tangled in chaos. Everything she had experienced today seemed so distant and unreal.
But the sudden sounds from the kitchen abruptly pulled her out of this trance. Her mother was always at work at this time... So who could it be?
Just as slowly, almost mechanically, moving closer to the kitchen, Kimika heard her mother talking to someone, whose voice seemed both familiar and foreign at the same time. Carefully peering into the room, she saw her mother happily preparing dough with a smile, while sitting on a chair was the one whose presence almost stopped her heart — Detective Tsukauchi. The one who hunted her and Toga, who wanted to send them to Tartarus. And here he was, in her house, calmly sipping tea and chatting with her mother.
Standing behind the wall, almost at the entrance to the room, she began to listen to their conversation, trying to calm her already restless mind and the heart trembling from fear and recent events. The man who had repeatedly stated that he wanted to send her to prison for life was now sitting in her living room, calmly talking to her mother as if nothing had happened.
At what she saw, questions began to form and overlap in her mind. Why was her mother home and not at work? Why was she so calm and happy, preparing food as if nothing was happening in their family? How was that possible when her father lay in a coma in the hospital? How could she just stand there and cook as if everything was normal? And why was the detective in their house? Did he know who she really was? Or maybe he suspected something? How was this possible? What should she do?
Kimika nervously swallowed, and her fingers trembled from the tension. She couldn't take a step back to escape, nor forward to appear before them. She was overwhelmed by an incredible sense of fear, but also a drop of curiosity — what were they talking about? Maybe she was just overthinking it? Perhaps he had come as a family friend, to support them in this difficult time?
"That's it... soon a wonderful apple pie will be ready. I hope Kimika will like it," Yukiko said gently as she placed the pie in the oven.
"I also think she'll like your pie. So, if you don't mind, let's continue our conversation. As you know, I've been actively working on the case concerning Tokima and Tsukima for several months now... And, as hard as it is for me to say, your daughter is one of the main suspects," Tsukauchi spoke carefully, aware from Takeshi that his wife could kill anyone — even a hero — for such words.
Hearing this, Yukiko abruptly turned to him, her eyes burning with fury. She desperately clenched her teeth, speaking sharply:
"Tsukauchi! How many times do I have to say it? She can't be one of those two!" she scolded with anger and harshness. "She's my little, gentle daughter, and I know for sure she has nothing to do with those two."
Pausing, she turned away from Tsukauchi, then added with tenderness and absolute certainty,
"My Kimika wants to be the number one hero. And I know well — she's not the type to ruin others' lives for her own gain, like those two. So stop with these ridiculous suspicions!"
Standing behind the wall, Kimika felt her chest tighten from her mother's words. She truly believed that her daughter was incapable of being a criminal, but Kimika knew that she was a criminal and a killer. It hurt her to realize that she had betrayed her mother's sincere beliefs. And it hurt even more to understand that, like everyone else, they saw her and Toga only as criminals who destroyed the lives of others.
She recalled her mother's words from childhood: "Not all criminals become that way out of anger or a desire to harm — often it's just the result of circumstances." Kimika hoped that her mother still remembered these words, and when the truth came out, she wouldn't turn away from her or reject her.
"I understand, but please, understand me. She's a suspect, and it's my job to investigate her..." - Tsukauchi murmured, barely audible.
"How many times do I have to say it! She can't be a criminal! Her character wouldn't even allow it! Takeshi and I raised her with all our love, so she has no reason for this! And like all other children and teenagers, she dreams of becoming a hero! She worked hard for it alongside Takeshi! And now he's in the hospital because of a criminal, and you think she's going to become one? I'd believe more that she'd become one of the vigilantes, or get even more motivated to become a hero and train every day! Which is probably what she's doing, disappearing with her friend from morning till night!" Yukiko burst out, her voice filled with emotion, and she almost screamed in desperation and pain.
"But, as you said, she disappears every day from morning till night! And with a friend who ran away from home! Your husband and I studied her profile! And she's unstable! She could easily have influenced your daughter to do this! Maybe for revenge or... or to make money! You can't even do that, no matter how hard you work every day! And she turned to criminal acts for this, all the crimes committed by Tokima and Tsukima are just the kind that pay well!" he said, almost shouting, even standing up from his chair. But realizing he was going too far and starting to speak in the heat of the moment, touching on a topic that Yukiko was barely holding back from kicking him, a family friend, out of the house, he immediately sat back down and tried to calm himself.
"I'm trying to help, Yukiko... Your husband and you... you're my friends, I don't want, if this really is true, and your daughter is a criminal... then let it be me who catches her, not someone else. I'll try to reason with her and make sure her sentence is softened. And, actually, Nezu, the principal of the Hero Academy, is helping me with this! He has his own plans for her: not Tartarus, not prison, but a rehabilitation program! You have to understand, I'm not your enemy, I'm trying to help! Because if someone else catches her, or, even worse, they kill her... then no one will be able to help her!" he said with determination, looking at Yukiko, hoping she would understand how serious the situation was.
"What's more, there are facts! Tokima also has heterochromia — one red eye, one blue. White hair, two horns, and there are even two witnesses who heard that her motivation is to save her father, and one of them is a hero! These are incredible similarities, and the chance that someone else in this city, even in this big city, or even in the whole country, has the same traits is minimal! And Nezu has known this for a long time, but for some reason, he hasn't done anything!" he said, raising his voice as if trying to convey the full importance of the situation.
"So it's only a matter of time before heroes come to your house. And they won't be as gentle as I am. They won't try to reason with you or understand why things turned out this way. They'll just come and catch her. Yes, maybe Nezu will start his rehabilitation program, but the question is, will she want it herself? And there will be no one, except the two of us, especially you, Yukiko, who can calmly and thoughtfully try to reason with her! You need to understand that!"
At these words, Yukiko didn't know what to say. She covered her face with her hands and felt her heart tighten with pain. With a heavy breath, barely holding back tears, she lowered her head and began to cry. Everything Tsukauchi had said — the facts, the similarities, the motivation, even the witnesses — it all seemed like the complete truth. And although she didn't want to believe it, everything pointed to her sweet daughter.
All those news reports about Tokima and Tsukima, where she heard about their activities, where the presenters constantly spoke about how soon they would be caught, even Tsukauchi himself sitting in front of her was speaking, confirming that they would be caught soon.
She had seen the videos posted online, where Tokima was constantly getting injured, and the realization that this criminal was her own daughter tore her apart. It was too painful for a mother's heart to bear.
Everyone at her work said that these two should be caught, punished, and locked up for life. Even Yukiko herself had thought it was right, that it was what needed to be done. But now, when she learned that it was her child, her world turned upside down.
She couldn't hide her fear and despair. It hurt her not only for herself, for her family, which seemed like it was about to fall apart, but also for her daughter, whom she had raised with all her love and hope that everything would turn out fine. How had it come to be that her own child had ended up in this nightmare?
"I thought... I thought this day would be... one of the best for our... family... I found... found those damn money! And I already paid for Takeshi's surgeries... And now this... But why did she need this? Why? I said I'd find the money! Why, why did she have to become a criminal?" she screamed, unable to hold back the pain. Her voice cracked with despair, and her tear-filled eyes bitterly blurred everything around her. She felt as if these words, like knives, were killing her from the inside.
Kímika, who had heard all these words and witnessed her mother's state, didn't know how to react. Her mind was in chaos, and her heart was overwhelmed with heavy emotions. She heard every word Tsukauchi had said — how he wanted to help her, that she wouldn't be sent to prison, but instead would go through a rehabilitation program, and after that, all her criminal activities would vanish like a terrible nightmare.
She looked at her mother, who, after hearing the horrifying truth about her, didn't scold her, didn't shout, didn't accuse her — she didn't even express hatred, but only continued to worry about her.
A feeling of hope flickered within Kímika, but it was just a tiny spark, barely shining in the darkness of her past. The light was so faint because she felt deep down that she didn't deserve it. She had killed two people, wounded many others, robbed — her hands were stained with blood, and even the thought of being given a chance weighed heavily on her.
She feared that when Tsukauchi learned the truth, when he realized that she was no longer just a criminal acting for money, but also a killer, it would change everything.
Yet, despite all her fears, she felt there was a chance for salvation, a chance that maybe all of this would end. Her heart beat heavily, and it seemed that with every beat, it made her want to step out of hiding and surrender to Tsukauchi.
But it was even harder to see her mother in tears. She saw how her mother tried to hold it together, how she was doing everything for her and for Takeshi, and Kímika couldn't even imagine how painful it was for her. And the worst part — she knew that it was because of her mistake, because of her decisions, that all of this had happened.
If she hadn't become a criminal in a surge of emotions and the desire to help, none of this would have happened. This day would have been the happiest in their family. She would have sat next to her mother, eaten apple pie together, laughed, and waited for the surgeries to be over, and then they would have visited her father in the hospital together.
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If you find any mistakes, please let me know! Even the smallest ones, because this chapter is supposed to evoke at least a little sadness and sympathy, and those small errors could ruin the whole atmosphere I've worked hard to create.
The author sincerely apologizes for these chapters, he apologizes for making everything so sad... instead of writing chapters with action scenes and similar content. He is ready for all the negative comments!
If it's not too much trouble... Please leave your feedback on these chapters, after all, this is my first fanfic and my first work in general... And I can say that I am learning from it, and I will continue writing according to the plan... even if it only appeals to me. Still, I am learning and testing the waters to see what works and how, so that future works will be better and free of mistakes. (Also, if there are a lot of comments, I might revise this chapter, making it less sad, if you want, although it's unlikely... but anything is possible.)
Want to see the continuation even faster than the next day? Or perhaps you want even more chapters? Head over to my Patreon — it's all there! But don't worry, sooner or later, it will be here too! patreon.com/Zoi4erom
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Zoi4erom
Zoi4erom The cat in the mask has written another sad chapter... but in the end, Kimika realized that she needs to step out and show herself, right? Everything will be fine from now on, right?
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