V1Ch2: The beginning of the end part 4

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Translator: Soafp

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Haru's father confessed to the crimes without hesitation.

The shocking revelation stunned all of Japan.

The murders seemed almost random, without motive.

The only pattern: all the victims were girls.

This fact sent Japanese news programs into a frenzy.

“What was the mental state of the Tochigi prefecture killer?”

“The everyday life of a vicious criminal”

“The upbringing and family of the murderer”

The story didn't just dominate the news. On social media, it exploded.

Accounts known as the “Identification Units” revealed everything: Haru's father's workplace, neighborhood, even the schools he attended—and eventually, his home, meaning Haru's family home, was exposed.

The company where Haru's father worked was branded as an “evil company harboring a murderer.” Its stock price plummeted, even hitting emergency lows.

Business partners cut ties, and the company's performance steadily declined. The CEO, overwhelmed by the crisis, attempted suicide. He survived but chose not to return to the company. His son, the vice president, became the new CEO, inheriting a mountain of challenges to rebuild the firm.

Even Haru's school was inundated with complaints, despite over thirty years having passed since her graduation.

The strain proved too much: two teachers resigned from the elementary school, one middle school teacher was hospitalized with mental illness, and three high school teachers collapsed from overwork.

And then…

“We have nothing to say. We can only offer our deepest apologies to the families of the victims. As a family, we hope to atone for my husband's crimes…”

The unbearable reality of being the “family of the criminal” had arrived unexpectedly.

Haru's mother was relentlessly pursued by the media, and Haru herself became unable to attend school, constantly under scrutiny, questioned, and insulted.

Fearing for her safety, Haru refrained from going out, while her mother's spirit was gradually drained by a flood of daily complaints and abusive phone calls.

Their dream home was vandalized. Walls were scrawled with paint and marker:

“House of murderers”

“Get out of this town!!”

“Plague bearer”

“This is a prison”

Anonymous, vile graffiti. Cleaning it became Haru's responsibility.

Words meant to wound. Haru and her mother hadn't committed the murders. Yet Haru scrubbed the walls desperately, earning no sympathy.

She had reported the crimes to prevent further victims… and yet…

From that day forward, Haru's life became a living hell.

Even after the killer's arrest, the ordeal didn't end.

Victims' families would never fill the void left by their loss, nor would their feelings toward the killer vanish. Arrest didn't bring closure.

The same went for the perpetrator's family. Even if completely uninvolved, simply being “the killer's family” carried immense weight and suffering.

In Japan, where human rights and dignity are respected, there was no exception.

The glare aimed at the perpetrator and their family was cold; the words thrown at them were sharp.

It didn't matter if they were children or elders. The attackers were complete strangers, unrelated to the crime.

Curiosity and rage displaced by the arrest were vented mercilessly at the family. Being strangers, there was no mercy.

“They're just a child… but they're the killer's family. They deserve punishment.”

People passed judgment on the family, regardless of anyone's wishes.

Haru and her family stood squarely in the crosshairs.

“Haru… I'm so sorry. All of this is because of your father… I'm truly sorry…”

Three months after the arrest, Haru's mother was completely worn out.

The bright, sociable “celebrity housewife” admired by neighbors was gone.

“It's not your fault, Mom. Don't apologize…”

Haru herself endured grueling days. She couldn't go to school, her home was vandalized, and even when she had to go out, she was verbally abused.

Haru and her mother were forced into days with no hope of normal life.

Then…

“Mom, happy birthday. I bought a cake online. At least today, let's celebrate together…”

On her mother's birthday, Haru brought the cake box into the living room.

What she saw froze her.

Her mother, transformed and lifeless, hung from a rope tied to the ceiling fan.

“No… Mom? Today is your birthday…?”

Haru collapsed. This was her mother's special day—meant for joy. And yet, her mother had reached the edge of despair.

In her mother's apron pocket was a note.

A small memo, likely intended to be left behind, read:

“I thought I would go with you, but I couldn't let my beloved child suffer. Please forgive me for leaving you first. At least… be happy, even if it's only you.”

“M-Mom…”

The mother who had encouraged Haru through all the hardships since the arrest was now gone. Haru couldn't face reality.

Her mother, always bright, always smiling, had been her source of comfort.

“Haru, don't hate the people around you. When you feel that way, live hoping one day forgiveness will come. We did nothing wrong. But your father did. So… let's atone as a family. When the day of forgiveness comes, this cruelty will end. Trust and wait.”

Haru had lived believing her mother's words.

Her mother had shown her hope, and then passed away.

“Without you, Mom… I'm not sure I could survive…”

Strangely, no tears came. She had already cried herself dry after her father's arrest. Even when she tried, nothing flowed.

Haru removed her mother from the rope and laid her on the floor. Her mother's face still held agony.

“It must have been painful… I'm sorry.”

Haru didn't fully understand why she was apologizing, but she did, trying to calm herself.

“The cake…”

She opened the box of the birthday cake she had bought to at least give her mother some joy.

“No…”

The cake, ordered for minimal visibility, had been crushed as if thrown. The chocolate plate reading “Happy Birthday, Mom” was broken.

“This is horrible…”

All of these miseries had been ongoing. Mail didn't arrive intact, packages were tampered with or hidden, boxes damaged. She had endured all this for so long.

Even the carefully chosen, cute birthday cake hadn't arrived in one piece.

“Mom… you must be so disappointed…”

Haru scooped up the crushed cake with her hands and put it into her mouth.

“Ugh… ugh…”

She sobbed, yet no tears came. She wanted to cry, desperately. She wanted to scream, to wake from this long, terrible nightmare.

She screamed like a wild animal.

And from that day onward, all emotion vanished from Haru.