radicalducati Page 17
Page 17
"I pity their misfortune and am angry at their lack of resistance. Let the person being bullied just be bullied. To think that you can change others or change the world is just an overabundance of self-awareness."
Hina stuffed popcorn into her mouth, pointing and gesturing arrogantly, which ignited Nina's anger.
"You mean Kira's problem?" Light Yagami chuckled, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to him.
"The teacher just goes through the motions without doing anything, and the bullied people don't dare to fight back. Calling the police is useless... If Kira had punished them faster, I wouldn't have come to Tokyo alone."
"The evidence was sent to Kira and it showed as read, yet they're only being punished now."
Indignant, Izayoi considers Light Yagami to be on his side and hopes to gain his support.
"..." Light Yagami held back.
"Is it possible that Kira needs to spend time investigating information before he can determine whether someone is alive or dead?"
Almost everyone's attention in the store is focused on this spot.
Topics involving Kira easily resonate with people.
"But I've already explained it in such detail... Is justice delayed still justice?" Jingqin Rencai, unconvinced, pulled out her private chat history from the website's backend, a very long post.
That's it.
"If you can determine a person's life or death based on just one side of the story, then I can fabricate a story about you bullying me, and even forge some pictures, and you can just wait to die."
Light Yagami scoffed. He found the little girl too naive, to the point of being foolish.
"But I have no reason to bully you, and many people know what she did."
"Among the many people you're referring to, is Kira among them? Is Kira an omniscient and omnipotent god? Even he would need time to investigate before deciding whether a person deserves to die, wouldn't he?"
“However, she has caused others to be hospitalized before because of bullying, and that can be verified,” Jing Qinrencai said defiantly.
But all of this seemed utterly ridiculous to Light Yagami.
"Is what you call 'being able to find out' the truth? Facts can be fabricated, murder cases can be wrongly convicted, people can be tortured into confessions, and crimes can be paid out to have someone take the blame..."
"Instead of complaining that Kira's belated justice forces you to stand up for justice, you should think about why you should be the one to stand up for justice in the first place."
Before you stop the bullying, have you thought about how your family and friends might be affected by it?
As if seeing his own reflection, Light Yagami berated Serina Ii, and also berated his own stubbornness.
"Why...why do you also deny me?" Jingqin Rencai was stunned. She used to listen to "Sora no Hako" on her phone, read the story of the song's creation, and learned about the Kulai Xiku band.
Light Yagami, who is both a guitarist and lead vocalist, not only likes to stop bullying, but has even written several songs to advocate against bullying.
“I’m not denying your actions, but have you considered the impact on your family and friends if you rashly provoke someone you can’t afford to offend? You’re not alone; you can’t risk everything to bring down the emperor.”
Lowering his voice, knowing Hina's predicament, Light Yagami tried to persuade this argumentative monster.
She lacked the power to uphold her own sense of justice.
"So you're just going to watch the bully get bullied and do nothing?" Izana stood up and clenched her fists. "Yes, I don't have your family background. I shouldn't stand up for others. I misjudged you."
Her almost clenched teeth tone revealed her disappointment and indignation.
The girl turned and left decisively, but she was stopped by Light Yagami after only a few steps.
She turned around and slapped Light Yagami across the face with her backhand.
The whooshing sound of the palm left red marks on his face.
Light Yagami did not dodge, letting the slap land on his face.
"My life is different from yours, so I will no longer listen to your songs."
Even after Jing Qinrencai ran out of the shop, there were still a few drops of her tears on the ground.
"Why didn't you dodge just now?" Hina pulled out a few wet wipes and stood on tiptoe to help wipe her face.
"Perhaps I have a bit of a masochistic tendency?" Light Yagami smiled casually, his face burning with pain.
Hailing from Kumamoto, this bear-like girl is never without her weapon when she gets into a fight.
He closed his eyes, and a tear fell.
"Huh...you're really strange. You held on tight, but then you let go, deliberately letting her go. I don't understand."
Hina deliberately walked away a few steps with disgust, then grabbed his hand and ran outside.
They only let go when they reached a secluded spot.
"That place is too eye-catching. I don't want to be reported the next day that Diamond Dust's new lead singer and the eldest son of the Yagami family were spotted on the street, suspected of a love triangle."
The feeling of being led by the hand surprised him somewhat. Light Yagami shook his head: "No, no newspaper dares to report my information randomly. Even the champion's record can only be seen on the official website."
Public opinion has great power, so Light Yagami shut down these media reports and, like other scions of wealthy families, remained inconspicuous.
"What a wicked form of capitalism! If I had met you sooner, those local bullies in Kumamoto wouldn't have had the chance to be so arrogant."
Hina took Light Yagami to another shop and sat down inside. They had already paid for the previous shop.
"So you're not Kira, are you?" she typed to the person on the other end.
“My father is the police chief, so of course I know Kira’s style of doing things after he’s been around for so long.”
"So... then why did you choose me as the lead singer for Diamond Dust? Is it true, as the rumors say, that you like dating an entire girl band?"
"The guy who spread this kind of news can prepare to lose his job." Light Yagami said with an awkward but polite smile.
He did have close relationships with several girl bands and even helped them with some of their needs.
But that was in the past.
"Rock bands are all about smoking, drinking, and messing around with men."
"But what if you don't smoke or drink?"
"Three times as many men would be fine."
"Yili, I heard you have a boyfriend."
Recalling his experience of getting to know the band Link, Light Yagami's face darkened.
Chapter 30: Nina Wants to Apologize
When he was a child, after interacting with his older cousin Momoka Kawaragi, Light Yagami recalled a scene from the anime series called "The Empty Box," which lasted only one minute.
The song was composed from memory and was later completed by Momoka Kawaragi ten years later.
[Empty Box] is a collaborative work by the two of them; it is their song.
------
After Jing Qinrencai returned, she stayed there alone, deleting favorite songs and comments, and she still is now.
After reading Light Yagami's message, Momoka Kawahara turned around and said, "You're just angry. Light Yagami is on Hina's side, isn't he?"
Jingqin Rencai remained silent.
“I also think you’re wrong.” Glancing at Nina, Momoka Kawahara continued, “Do what you are capable of. Yue is the son of the police chief, and the Yagami family is one of the most prestigious families in Shuchiin. Even the Emperor’s children have been bullied there.”
“Standing up for others is a good thing, but the method is very important. You’ve messed with some kids from ordinary families. The school and teachers won’t give you face just because your father is a famous educator. That’s why your father didn’t stand by your side… Including the fact that he sent you back to Tokyo, do you think he just wanted to teach you a lesson?” An adult’s perspective can always see the hardships of an adult. Momoka Kawara bluntly stated, “Sooner or later, those families will find out that you were involved. In this world, it doesn’t take the rich any effort to bypass the law and punish someone without bloodshed.”
Jing Qinren raised her head, bewildered as she received information from a corner of the dark world.
"They have the resources to do this: pay someone to kill you, target your relative's job, trick you into signing a flawed contract, or even use the law to make your life unbearable by killing one hundred enemies while losing a thousand of their own."
“I only reported her bullying her classmates on the website. Isn’t it right that I got punished?” Jingqin Rencai paused, frightened by the consequences.
“There is no equality between people. The consequences of slapping you are different from those of slapping the Emperor. As the pinnacle of power, they do not care about the lives of ordinary people. If you provoke them, the retaliation they will give you will be unbearable.”
"But the law will protect me, and so will Kira..."
"You're thinking about Kira now? Kira might wait until you and the people you care about die before he brings his belated justice~" Kawara Momoka recalled what she had heard in the past. After years of struggling in society, she had seen a darker side of Nina than she had when she first entered the workforce.
“If you send someone to run a red light so that you can be hit and killed, you will be required to pay 10% humanitarian compensation. This is stipulated by law. They only need to pay a higher price to buy the lives of people who can’t survive. After all, some people are so cheap that they choose to deliberately stage accidents to leave hundreds of thousands of yen for their relatives.”
"The purpose of this law is to prevent insured car owners from simply hitting people who run red lights and violate traffic laws."
"The law is not perfect. The children of the powerful have many ways to exploit loopholes and retaliate against you and your family, just like the guy you told me about on the subway who framed you for sexual harassment. That's just the most low-level tactic..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" It took Jingqin Rencai a long time to react.
"This world is too terrifying!" Covering her face with her hands, a wisp of soul floated from her mouth into the sky. The flowers in the greenhouse were terrified by a corner of this dark and cruel world.
"How can it not be terrifying? Look at the Kira website you've been looking at, those stories about Alika being punished, and the reports from South Korea. Don't you realize that to chaebols, warlords, and high-ranking officials, the lives of ordinary people mean nothing?"
Kawara Momoka stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite smug about getting revenge on her cousin. If anyone had to be the one to take that role, it had to be her.
"Loli Island, celebrity list, debut as a hostess..." Jingqin Rencai's voice grew softer and softer. She had to admit that there was far too much oppression in this world, even if it was just the tip of the iceberg seen online.
"So, what do you think the eldest son of the Yagami family will do to retaliate for that slap?" Momoka Kawara coaxed. "Sometimes it's never too late to apologize, you know?"
"I understand... Let him hit back, no, let him hit me a few more times if he wants..." Jingqin Rencai was almost in tears.
She seemed to see her mother, father, and sister beckoning to her from heaven.
------
Light Yagami sat in the back seat, and the car started moving quickly. The move was very easy because Mutsuya Wakaba didn't have anything she wanted to take with her. She was alone and got into the car that left.
"Let's not play in a band for now, until this storm passes."
While munching on a cucumber he had pulled out of the middle box, Light Yagami looked at the girl sitting beside him like a wooden doll.
All she owned were the cucumbers she grew; she didn't even consider the clothes she wore to be her own.
"You can stay here in Kawasaki for now. I'll have someone bring up all the furniture. The remaining money has been deposited into your card. It's what you earned playing in the band; it's your property."
The girl nodded. "I will pay."
From Wakaba's house to Kawasaki, it wasn't far. After paying the bill, Yagami Light, carrying a box of cucumbers, along with cherry tomatoes and eggplants, called to Wakaba Mutsu to follow.
Her father's scandal was amplified by the machinations of several other families, implicating both Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsumi.
This floor has three rooms. The few tenants on the other floors were moved to larger places by Light Yagami, leaving the rooms empty. To the right is where Mutsu Wakaba lives.
"Ask Misa Amane if you don't understand anything. Stay here for a while and don't go out unless necessary. You can order things through online shopping apps."
Light Yagami offered his sympathy, but he did not regret it.
After handing the key to Wakaba Mutsu, Yagami Light turned around and saw Iori Jinna, who was standing next to Amane Misa, looking uneasy.
"I want to apologize to you." Faced with extreme tyranny, Izayoi Rina still succumbed. In the end, her insistence on self and justice was just an act of defiance in a stable environment.
The girl bowed nearly ninety degrees and almost tripped, only managing to stay balanced thanks to Misa Amane's support.
"Is this from the bottom of your heart, or are you being forced?" Light Yagami asked with great interest.
"It was wrong of me to hit someone."
"What about other than hitting people?"
"...I shouldn't have thought Kira was wrong."
"You're not being sincere. You're just afraid of my revenge. Tomorrow, Izayoi Muneo and Izayoi Ryone will sink into Tokyo Bay without a single leak. Not even Kira will know it was me, because there's no evidence."
Chapter 31: Misa Amane Needs to Hurry Up and Send Her Husband Away
"No...please, I'll do anything to make up for my mistake."
Jing Qinrencai almost knelt down with a thud.
"What about your insistence?" Light Yagami asked, somewhat disappointed.
He saw a bit of himself in the girl, but only a bit; not everyone is qualified to be Kira.
The crisp sound of slaps rang out one after another.
Light Yagami held the phone up to her and began to explain.
"The Kimura family in Kumamoto is planning to do this. They've only investigated your activities and are asking for my opinion. They intend to do it cleanly and make an example of you."
"They know I reported it..." Jingqin Rencai's eyes widened. The indifference to human life in the message made this naive girl realize that the death of someone in an ordinary family is different from the death of someone in a powerful family.
"Whether they know or not is not important. It's better to kill the wrong person than not to respond. These powerful families value their reputation very much."
"Aren't they afraid of Kira's punishment?"
"People only feel awe and fear towards the unknown. The higher-ups have figured out Kira's style of doing things. As long as no evidence is left, no one will know, so they are not afraid of Kira. The law has existed for so many years, but haven't there still been people who take advantage of loopholes and trample on it?"
Light Yagami helped Serina Iori to her feet and asked calmly, "Do you think it was right or wrong for you to get involved?"
"Do what you can" was the lesson he wanted to teach Jing Qinrencai.
As for principles, they are not remembered unless you lose something. A thousand teachings from the fisherman's father are not as valuable as the lessons learned from one failure.