Chương 2: A Whistleblower

***BREAKING NEWS***

***SUSPECTS STILL NOT FOUND FOR R...* CRACK

The glass shattered from a television screen in a small apartment.

Yuri just woke up and could not forget what happened last night. He threw his breakfast plate at the tv out of frustration.

His apartment is small but decent having purchased it with the insurance he received from his parents. With a single-sized bed, a refrigerator, a small table, a chair, and formerly a working television, this was enough for Yuri as a place to live before moving to college.

Yuri sat back on his chair. He grabbed his hair with both his hands.

"Aaaarghh!" he grunted. "I can't think straight. I need to think right. Last night, I've been seeing things... Like a system message or something... I think I'm going crazy."

Yuri dropped to his knees on the cold tiled floor.

Bang*

He smashed his forehead on the hard-ceramic tiling.

Yuri stood up and a small stream of blood dripped from a small wound on his forehead.

He was going to find those bastards and this mission was too important for him to let his emotions get the better of him. A firm resolve to take things thoroughly and step by step had come to him.

He stood up and went to the bathroom to fix himself up.

"Ouch… Why did I do that? I'm such an idiot." Yuri said as he wiped the blood off of his face and put a bandage to stop the bleeding. He opened the faucet and washed his hands.

"Alright. Find the bastards and kill them. Find the bastards and kill them," Yuri repeated to himself, again and again.

He wiped his wet hands on his grey t-shirt and left his small single-serving bathroom.

Knock* Knock*

There was someone at the door.

Yuri took a knife from the kitchen and turned the doorknob slowly.

"Hey son, you forgot to lock the door, so I just came in," Akira said.

"Oh, it's you Akira."

"Are you alright, son? What happened?"

It was Akira. Though they are not related, Yuri treats Akira like family. He had managed the insurance for Yuri and had been watching over him ever since. He is an honest and ambitious 40-year-old man that wants to change Japan for the better.

"It's nothing…Ummm… so what brings you here Akira?"

"Well, anyway. You won't believe it. The police have a lead on the criminals. We're finally close to getting Gaia the justice she deserves."

"Really? Where are they? What is the lead?"

"The police have analyzed the surveillance footage and have identified the suspects. The police are close to finding them. If they are caught, they will surely be put behind bars for life," Akira said with a smile as he knew this progress would make Yuri happy. But it didn't.

"Can you tell me Japan's laws for capital punishment for minors again?" Yuri said.

"Depends, but minors aren't usually sentenced with capital punishment. Why do you ask, son?"

"Oh, I see. Well, the police better find them before I do?" he jokingly replied.

Akira had grown attached to Yuri even though he was just his lawyer. He had been there throughout the boy's life and he would already have been familiar with his mannerisms and such. And to him, Yuri looked a bit worried like something was bothering him about the news he had just told him.

"Hey! You know what? Why don't you come with me to court? I have a case going on and maybe some fresh air would help you out."

Yuri would have declined but a rumbling sound is heard coming from his stomach.

"Seems like I'm not the only one that thinks taking you outside is a good idea."

"Okay… I just can't think straight when I start to think about those bastards… and that they're still out there… breathing." Yuri said. He gestured to check the AI watch in his right hand.

"Well, look at the time, we better get going… And I'm so hungry too." Yuri hoped he can get it over quickly so he can get back to learn more about what happened to him last night.

They head down three levels of stairs and walk out the door of the apartment building. Akira had helped Yuri find a good place to stay before he had to leave the orphanage.

Although Akira had a lot of savings from his years of work, he was a very frugal man and his white Nissan Sylphy was already enough for him.

They both get in the car and headed down to the Tokyo District Court in Chiyoda. "You can get a bite at the cafeteria there. They cook some nice Miso soup there." Akira said.

Arriving at the court, Yuri looked up at the grey 12-story building of the Tokyo District Courthouse. "Japan really spends a lot of money for their Justice system, huh?" he said. "Must be a very lucrative business", he added.

"Now...now...Yuri. I know you have issues with the world... amplified by your angsty teen energy. But so you know, 99% of all convictions in Japan are guilty. If that isn't progress, what is?" Akira said with an obviously sarcastic tone.

"I guess... either all of them are guilty, or a lot of innocent people are on the receiving end of the law's iron fist just because a judge feels pressured by the system to conform."

Due to Akira's influence, Yuri had been exposed to a lot of books, and stuff like politics, philosophy, and such would often be the butts of their jokes. They headed inside and passed through security. "Nice. So the AI orb's hidden form is really undetectable." he thought.

"Alright, you head for the cafeteria, get something to eat, and head towards that big wooden door over there. That's the entrance to the district courtroom, the session is about to start."

"Yes, sir. Can I ask what case you are working on and what time it will end?"

"My firm was hired by a client who is being sued by a large casino and hotel corporation called 'Casanova Corp.' for alleged libel and defamation."

"What did your client say?" Yuri leaned in and crossed his arms.

Akira lowered his voice and said, "Well... my client is a whistleblower... had revealed information about a money-laundering scheme and an international tax-evasion ring in Japan and claims one of the heads of the hydra is this gambling corporation called Casanova Corp.

But looking at the current evidence, it's not looking good and will probably be dismissed at higher courts," Akira said.

"Damn! Is there any way you can turn this case around?" Yuri asked.

"I guess, if you had clear irrefutable caught red-handed evidence, then I'll be happy to take them off your hands." He jokingly replied. "But it's better to not kill yourself over these types of cases, after all, we're just human, and any Justice system's biggest flaw is human error. Even the perfect ones."

He patted Yuri on the shoulder and said, "Anyway, go get some food, son. So you won't miss the whole case."

Yuri wanted to do something about the case but he also wanted to get his revenge for Gaia as fast as he could.

He was torn but thought, "That whistleblower guy, he's probably a nobody. A pushover employee in the jaws of a black greedy company." He thought about Gaia.

"Gaia to stand up for what is right. She would want me to help. It's decided."

[New System Quest Received: Help Akira Prove the Whistleblower's Innocence]

"New quest? What the fu-!"

"Shhhhh! Watch your mouth, kid!" a security guard scolded him.

The system message appeared before Yuri. He rubbed his eyes, and it was still there.

"What the fuck is going on with me? I'm going fucking crazy... Seeing things... might be PTSD or something."

[Would you like to accept the new quest?]

Yuri couldn't believe it. He ran to the bathroom to get himself together, maybe wash his face or drown himself already since he was going straight to the sanitarium.