CH 61

Chapter 61: Circle Crash (Physics)

TL: Akabane

***

Igarashi, who was still in my chest, began to sleep. Her sleeping face was peaceful and I was relieved. After stroking her cheek a little, I reach for the hairpin that ties her hair up. Then, with a little effort, I tore off the lily bud ornament attached to the hairpin and put it in my pocket. I apologize to Igarashi, but I had to do a little work on the hairpin this time. I put a wiretap transmitter inside the petals of the lily ornament and fashioned it into the shape of a bud before presenting it to her. I had to keep an eye on them so that I could deal with the Houjou faction at any time if they tried to do something. That is why I was able to take action before the worst happened. I took Igarashi in my arms and went to Mashiba's side, who was lying down. I let Igarashi lie quietly on her side, then took a pair of scissors from her vest and cut the duct tape that was restraining Mashiba and released her. At the same time, she took off her mask.

"Thank you. I owe you a big debt...I'm glad. I'm really glad. I'm so glad...."

Mashiba gently hugged Igarashi. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Igarashi with a tender face. To be honest, I was somewhat doubtful about Mashiba's friendship. I had thought that she was some kind of a watchdog sent by Hagiri for Igarashi. But it turns out that there really was friendship. Maybe my eyes are not as bright as they used to be.

"Now listen carefully to what I'm going to say."

"Eh? Please say it."

"I'll give you an alibi. You and Igarashi go to the city with Tsukasa. Pretend that you, Tsukasa, and I snuck out of the camp and drank until morning. Don't worry. Just act according to this memo. The people involved have been bought off."

I hand Mashiba the note and the money. In the note, I keep a private room in a tavern in the city that I bought. There are no surveillance cameras in that restaurant. The owner has been bought. I can testify. If I let Igarashi rest in the private room, she will eventually get off the drugs. With Tsukasa and Mashiba by her side, I can rest easy.

"Wait a minute. What are you doing?"

Mashiba was looking at me suspiciously. There's a hint of fear mixed in. I probably look scary. I am aware of that.

"Hmm? I'm going fishing. I can catch big fish in the sea at dawn...hahaha!"

I tie up the fallen men's arms and legs with a bandage. In addition, I tie Usui's hands and feet as well. Well, this kid's heart is already broken, so I don't think she'll put up any resistance. Just in case. Then I called Tsukasa on the phone. He came over with a rented car. I left Mashiba and Igarashi with Tsukasa and stayed at the cottage.

***Fishing is so nice, isn't it?***

There are people who are in need of money everywhere. I paid the money I had laundered to a fisherman in Hamamatsu City, who was having trouble getting out of debt, and rented a boat. I also have a marine license. I am skilled enough to navigate safely at night. And the boat reached the offshore. The horizon was 360 degrees. The sun is starting to rise and the sky is starting to lighten. I put my mask back on, and I stretch the cheeks of the men who are fainted, knocking them awake.

"Whoa? Huh? What the hell is this? I can't move my hands!"

"Damn! Don't think you can get away with this for free!"

"Please! Please don't shoot me again!"

Okuwa and the others were out of control. Conversely, Usui quietly sat on the deck, holding her knees quietly.

"Be quiet. The fish are still sleeping. If you want to sleep with them like this, just keep on making noise."

I said this in a slightly drugged voice, and the men fell silent.

"Well. You already know where we are, don't you? You guys crossed the line and tried to do something bad to Igarashi. I guess you're going to have to pay the price for that."

The men gulped and swallowed their spit. They looked at me with horrified eyes.

"When you kill someone, you usually have to deal with the corpse. But on the other hand, it is also easier than you might think to achieve the perfect crime if you can dispose of the corpse properly. For example, dumping them in the ocean."

This time, due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, we are not prepared enough. So I decided that dumping it in the ocean would be the surest and quickest way to do it.

"Oh, um...I heard that even if you dump the corpse in the ocean, it will float up with decomposing gases and will be washed ashore.... Haha. So I don't think you should dump us in the ocean... haha."

With a dry laugh, Okuwa begs me for mercy. But there's no point.

"Oh yeah. It's true that there is a chance that it will come up to the surface. But it doesn't matter for now. What's this?"

I take the plastic bag containing the white powder from my vest and show it to the guys.

"Eh...umm...sugar or salt...haha..."

"I'm sorry, but it ain't that boring. It's that thing. It's a so-called drug. Kukuku. I've decided to slip this in your luggage. Here's the scenario. You were high on the drugs you brought to the camp, having an orgy of fun, when you got carried away and jumped into the nearby ocean. You drowned and died. That's the scenario I'm going with. You guys are going to get high and then jump into the ocean. Even if you go missing, if the police find out that you were carrying drugs, they will treat it as just an accident, even if the bodies hit the beach. What do you think? It's compelling, isn't it?"

But the currents in this area flow is on the Pacific Ocean side. The body will definitely not make it to the mainland. That was the case in my previous world, after all. I'll make a small trick, but as long as there are no bodies, there is no doubt that the search will not be directed at me.

"Oh, no! No, no, no! Please help me!"

"Please! Please forgive me!"

"Please! I'll give you as much money as you want! Please help me!"

It's a terribly funny scene. To me, a person who is a shy person at heart, these guys are the real people who are enjoying their sparkling youth at university. And yet, they are sniveling and whimpering and begging for their lives.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I know what you guys are usually like. Reigning in the top caste is only possible through the assault of others. Do you ever hear the voices of those you usually oppress? You probably just dismissed them with words like "gross," "disgusting," and "don't get carried away," and trampled on them, didn't you? And the end result of that was the murderous act you just committed against Igarashi, right? Are you people worth living? You, who don't even listen to what others have to say?"

It hurts a little to hear that boomerang sticking out of me when I say it. After all, this is a man who didn't listen to his wife in the previous world. The result of that is punishment in the form of time leap. But even I can't forgive the scum.

"Let's stop making excuses."

Usui said.

"We were idiots, you know. Okuwa was clinging to the top of the circle, Kubodera was enjoying the delicious food with his goldfish, and Houjou was doing whatever he wanted to do with his parents' power. We were the first group of cool guys, but we were just trampling on the people around us. We are incompetent people who can only rise to the top by hurting someone else and can't enjoy life. That's why I envied Igarashi..."

Usui was quietly shedding tears. That's not a lie, in my opinion.

"I wish I had realized it long ago. Youth that can't enjoy life without hurting someone else is worthless. That's not my life! Mounting others, feeling safe, tormenting someone, kicking them out of your circle of friends, taking pleasure in it. Repeating such things over and over again will not fulfill anything! Ughhh!"

Usui looked pitiful as she continued to sob in a hoarse voice. I guess some kind of sexual relationship with Okuwa and Kubodera was just a way for this girl to get by. Usui's crying and regrets are genuine. And it's certainly conveyed to others. The guys start sobbing too. There must be many things that come to mind. From high school to college. Even sparkling youth is actually a luxury that can only be given to those who win a violent game of musical chairs. The only way to sparkle and shine is to keep perpetrating others.

"I see that you still have enough heart left to feel sorry for yourself and cry. Fine. I'll give you a chance."

I take my camera and tripod out of my vest backpack and start filming their confessions.

"Speak to the camera about the criminal acts you attempted to commit today. If you have any additional crimes, tell us about them too. If you do that, I'll spare your lives."

He looked down for a moment, thinking about something. But then he looked up and started to confess to the camera what he was going to do today and the mistakes he had made in the past.

He said that since his sophomore year, Okuwa had been getting women drunk at every drinking party and taking them to a hotel. One by one, he listed the names of his female victims. This was a clear act of rape.

Kubodera often harassed and violated his circle members. Furthermore, Kubodera often participated in the rapes committed by Okuwa. Perhaps the source of the mawashi rumor is the victim's accusation at the very least.

Houjou confessed to bullying behavior that has continued from the past. He also confessed to taking sleeping pills from Tsukasa. He was the very source of all this. I was disgusted.

And then there was Usui. She had not committed any crime, but she had been having an affair with some professors in order to get favors from them. I personally find this repulsive, but compared to the men, it's still better.

"Each of you must pay for your sins. Turn yourselves into the police, make restitution to the victims, or otherwise take responsibility for your own vices. But don't mention what you tried to do to Igarashi today. Pretend that the incident itself never happened. And don't forget about my existence. If you do, I'll kill you for sure this time. You understand?"

Okuwa and the others nodded quietly. As long as there is a video confession of their criminal acts, I can accuse them of any crime at any time. If they don't turn themselves in or try to make things right. I decided that this time I would use a more reliable method to wipe them off from the earth. I will kill them even if they talk about the attempted rape of Igarashi. Even if it was an attempt, if it was leaked to the public, those who would be unscrupulous enough to look at Igarashi with curiosity would come close to her. I want to avoid that. I want to protect Igarashi's honor. The eastern sky was getting brighter and brighter, and the sun was shining. The night would soon be over. I had done all I could do. I took the helm and started the boat toward land. And so we entered the fourth day of the camp.