"Let me call an ambulance," Kobayashi Satoru wasted no time and called for an ambulance, while his wife, who was still holding her unconscious daughter, called the police. There was no way they would let a dangerous man like Sunohara get away.

Gojima was wobbling on his feet. He had almost no strength left in his body. It was, however, not the time nor the place to pass away.

'Ubs, should I try to wake her up? She wouldn't go to coma or something, would she?'

There is not enough medical evidence to prove that a person with traumatic injury cannot be allowed to sleep, or they will go into coma. It is, however, important for her to receive immediate treatment. The more late we are, the more danger there is to her life.

So he just bent down, and lightly caressed the sleeping girl's forehead. He was not there when his daughter needed him the most. He would not let it happen for Ruri as well.

 

---

 

"Sayuri, wait!"

Sayuri did not pay attention to her husband, who was quite far behind her. Unlike her pajama that used elastic rubber, Satoshi's formal pants and belts took a little longer to fix.

Something terrible had happened, that was what her mind was telling her.

She reached the front door of Ruri's apartment, which was open, and entered inside—

"Ruri chan! Are you alri—?!"

Sayuri stopped, freezing on her tracks as she stood on the doorstep and noticed what happened inside.

A few seconds later, Satoshi also arrived. He, just like Sayuri, looked inside the room and froze.

It seemed like some sort of cyclone went through the room. The furnitures were scattered and the walls had fractures running through them. But that was not the most important thing.

"What in the wo—"

"Ruri chan!"

Sayuri ran inside and knelt beside the unconscious body of the 12 year old girl. There was also Mi chan with her mother, just as unconscious as Ruri. But she at least did not have blood and vomit coming out of her mouth! Even her head was bleeding! What had happened? And why...

Why was Sunohara also lying on the floor motionlessly in a far bloodier fashion? Did some robber or murderer come to their home?

"What happened? Ken kun, Koharu san, Kobayashi san?   Takeshi kun?! Why is Ruri chan covered in blood?!"

"It's Ruri's uncle," Takeshi muttered while rubbing Ruri's limbs to keep them warm, "he was trying to kill her! If it was not for Shishou, she probably would've..."

Sayuri could not believe what she heard. Ruri's uncle tried to kill her? But why?

She had always found that man to be a little weird, perhaps creepy too. She had always tried to avoid any possible meeting or conversation with that person. But even then she would not have thought that Sunohara could do something like this.

Her heart was breaking seeing Ruri lie unconsciously like that, all injured.

"Have you called an ambulance? We need to call one—" Sayuri reached for her phone, and she realized that she had left it at home.

"I have already done it. It should be arriving any moment," Satoru replied.

She was relieved to hear that. She looked at Gojima, who looked really tired for some reason. Was he sick? Did he eat anything properly in the morning? Should she have cooked something for him? They were going to the hospital anyway, so maybe she should have a doctor check up on him as well—

She was brought out of her thought as someone roughly pulled her arm.

"Um excuse me," Satoshi brought Sayuri to the corner of the room.

"W-What is it?"

"Look," Satoshi whispered, "I don't think this is a good idea to get involved. This is definitely a police case."

"Yeah? So what?"

"We might have to give statements and all! Why go through all this trouble? These people are there to help anyway."

"...What are you talking about? I cannot abandon Ruri chan like that!"

"Look, it's not about abandoning anyone! It's..."

Sayuri frowned. Was he really serious?

"It's what?"

"It's... it's not like you can do anything to help her anyway. Too many people will only create problems. So, let's do the sensible thing and get away. We can always check on her later."

At that moment, a siren was heard from below.

"Ah! It seems like the ambulance has arrived."

"Good gracious!"

Soon, a few people arrived with stretchers and tried to take both Sunohara and Ruri away.

"No, you will only take the girl," Gojima stopped the carriers.

"But—"

"That man is a criminal. He will be going in a different ambulance that will arrive with the police."

Everyone looked at Sunohara with disgust and contempt in their eyes. Did they really have to take this man to hospital as well? Couldn't they just—

But if he died like that, nobody would be able to save Gojima from going behind the bars for the rest of his life. So they had to treat him.

But that didn't mean they would be going to the same apartment.

"O-Okay."

The people from the hospital carried Ruri towards the ambulance, with curious people just standing and gazing from far, with no intention of getting involved.

Sayuri sighed. None of them cared.

And even Satoshi was one of them.

For the first time in her married life, she found herself to be absolutely disappointed with her husband. When did he change to become like that? Or was he always like that, and she never noticed?

Just as Ruri was about to be taken inside the ambulance, Sunohara woke up. His body hurt all over, and he was sure that some of his bones had definitely turned into powder. It hurt like hell.

 

Soon, there was sound of two other sirens.

"Oh, it seems the police and the 2nd ambulance had also arrived."

What, police?

Oh no... did they come for him?

What if they discovered everything he did?

Or rather, why did he expect that he would be able to escape unscratched?

Also, where did they take Ruri?

No...

He had to get rid of that filth!

If it was not for that bear—

Sunohara felt fear ingulfing him completely. He could still remember that bloodthirsty look. He would be dead before he managed to do anything. He subconsciously rejected that idea, deciding to project his hatred on the second most helpful person.

Takeshi.

It was his fault.

He dirtied his pure Ruri! If he was going down, he would also take that brat along with him!

He looked sideways and found one tablet lying around. That one could take away all of his pain, right?

"Wha?!"
"What?!"

Gojima whirled and saw Sunohara standing up like a maniac.

'He still got up?!'

"YOU BASTARDS CORRUPTED MY PURE RURI! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Gojima clenched his fist again. He lifted his leg—

and he fell to the side. He had no strength left.

'Wha—'

"Ken kun!"

Sunohara felt... amazing. That drug always did wonders. He could actually hear his bones creaking more and more, but he did not feel any pain.

He lunged towards Takeshi.

"Wha?!"

"Takeshi!"

Both Satoru and Koharu were too far from him. The closest to him was—

Sayuri immediately pulled the frozen boy to the side. Sunohara had a bit too momentum to stop at that moment.

He went through the front door and crashed into the railing of the front verandah.

"Halt! Police!"

Sunohara tried to get up using the railing, but he froze when he heard those words.

So... it was over?

He watched an ambulance using the front road to move further and further.

It was over, huh.

"Don't move! Surrender and do not make it any hard—"

The policeman stopped as he suddenly heard a creaking noise.

"Wha—"

The railing Sunohara was grabbing, the very same railing that Gojima used to acrobatically reach the upper floor, was already weakened due to that action. The building was old after all, and it barely managed to withstand his full weight and momentum. But Sunohara crashing into it? It was the nail in the coffin.

The railing detached from the wooden pillars it was attached to.

Before Sunohara realized, he was already seeing the sky.

He was falling on his back—along with the railing—from the third floor, directly to the ground.

The policemen and policewomen tried to grab him, but it was already too late.

Everyone, including the people inside Ruri's apartment watched dumbfoundedly at the scene, which was soon followed by a loud crashing sound.

They all came forward and looked down.

Sunohara was lying there motionlessly, with blood gushing out of his body. Those with good eyesight could clearly see his eyes: opened in shock, but unmoving.

Congratulations, Ken. You did manage to kill him, however indirectly. Good thing is that nobody will be able to connect the railing incident to you.

Gojima just stared at the ground without any emotion.

 

Sunohara Masaya was dead.

Killed in an 'accident.'