According to the Feropian Constitution, under Section-102 for the offence of reasonable or unreasonable murder, whether young or old, anyone who has attained adulthood shall be punished with equal penalty. (Age of fourteen is considered to have attained adulthood.) However, with a contradiction, giving the death penalty to boys/girls aged below eighteen is against the provisions of the Constitution. Thus, they'll be sent to a hard-labor camp or rehabilitation camp.
Mion's actions were selfish and irrational, which leaves her no space to be considered not guilty, and she would most likely be sent to a rehabilitation camp for seven years at least.
Manabu knew it very well, and would certainty like to prevent it. They were trapped in a tough spot, especially Leon. He seemed quite sad when he said, "While I was on my way home, I was debating whether to tell Kenzo or not. Mion had committed a murder, and she was going to be imprisoned." He even regretted not listening to Kenzo. "But as I reached, I saw Mion walking straight into my house. My heart almost stopped. Did she see me? Is she here to kill me? But then I realized my dad was home. I rushed to stop her. I went inside my house and reached my father's room door, but as I was about to snap it open, inside, I heard voices. Pressing my ear against the door, I listened intently. Mion's voice was strained. 'I killed him. Now what should I do?' She was taking advice from my father. Then my father asked, 'Did anyone see you?' Probably not, she said. Perhaps she hadn't seen me."
Daima let out a long breath, almost exhausted. Then he instructed her to change her clothes to get ready, for somewhere they had intended to go—Leon had yet to learn. 'You'll need to stay hidden for a few weeks. Until I say otherwise, you're not going anywhere. There's food arranged for you at the hospital,' he said. Leon's heart was pounding against his ribs. He even learned that Daima had prepared the master key for her.
Mion was approaching the room door. "I moved quickly, went upstairs to my room before she could see me. I was feeling sick of all of it. Why would he help her to murder people?" Leon approached his room door while his thoughts were unsteady. As he turned, his eyes drifted to something unusual—the storage room's door was open. It wouldn't be tripping for any ordinary person to see their storage room, just near their bedroom, left wide open. But in Leon's case his stomach twisted into knots, because that door was never left open since they came. His dad always kept the keys with him. But that night—it was left unlocked. Slowly, heart hammering, he stepped forward. With a deep breath, he peeked. "Inside the storeroom," he said, "numerous photos of Santa's insignificant victims. Coat and skin cover as people described Santa to be donned. Pictures of Manabu and his friends—including Mion. Weapons, neatly arranged. And on the table—the very gifts and toys found at the Santa crime scenes." His breath hitched. "I discovered my father is Mr. Santa." Leon's legs were shaking; he pressed his eyes and face, holding his tears. Manabu placed a firm hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Leon, it's going to be okay. Mion will be alright," he said.
"Manabu, we have to save Mion. If we don't, my father might kill her, since probably she knows everything about him," Leon said. "They both had headed to a far-by, to a war-torn hospital. I have clicked pictures of the route as I followed them. But I hesitated to go inside the building. I didn't have enough courage to go, risking getting caught, but I saw my father come out alone, which means Mion might still be inside."
Manabu took time to think, and after a brief silence and thought, he concluded his decision. "We'll go to the hospital tonight," he said. "You'll stay home and make sure your father stays home tonight. And I'll rescue Mion. Then we'll decide what to do." Leon exhaled in relief. "It's a good idea, but I was thinking I could come too."
"There's no need for it," Manabu said. Thus the action itself was reckless for Manabu, but they couldn't waste time—because things could go spiral. The longer Mion stayed missing, the more complicated the situation might get. Her life was in danger, so their first priority was to save her. They parted ways. However, unbeknownst to them, Taiju had overheard their conversation from the second-floor corridor.
He didn't let them know he was there and left…
At around 2:20 AM, Manabu headed to the location—a war-torn hospital. He had many questions unresolved, and few of them were answered. He had also visited the nearest instrument shops and learned that Mion indeed bought an empty violin kit. 'Mion is a sweet girl. That day, I remember, she told me she loves playing the violin and had one,' as the store owner said.
By five to three, Manabu reached the hospital, quite far from where he lived. And without consulting Manabu, Leon came anyway, holding a pair of torches and the camera. He said he'd mixed sedatives in the food to leave him deep in sleep. Manabu got aggressive toward him. 'Are you facing some sort of stupidity syndrome?' he said quite rudely. Leon was feeling bad but he earned the scolding. Manabu, when he realized he had said enough, sighed and allowed Leon to join him in searching, though he tried resisting him attending.
The place was pitch-dark, their footsteps echoing through the eerie silence. Built in 1806, this hospital had become a ruin after the war 30 years ago, its decline cemented in the years following 1872 as Feropia rebuilt. Broken glass, rusted beds, and decayed equipment littered the place.
They searched the entire first floor, but Mion was nowhere to be found. One by one, they checked the floors. The first, second, and third floors were empty, littered with shattered windows, splintered beds, and warped medical tools, remnants of the war-abandoned hospital's decay. On the fourth floor, Leon started checking rooms while Manabu whispered, 'We should split. I'll check the top floor. If we stay together, it'll take too long.' Manabu ascended the stairs warily, walking down the dark hallway. 'Mion—Mion,' he called in a lower tone, almost whispering. Moments later, he found her, lying unconscious on the floor in a surgery room. "Mion!" He rushed to her, noticing a water bottle and some dry food beside her. Just as he knelt down and placed his hand on her forehead—he wasn't healthy—and as he was about to call for Leon, a sudden blow struck his ankle, sending sharp pain through his leg. He fell with a grunt, his flashlight rolling away into the darkness. He gasped, trembling in pain as he stared at the figure before him. "Daima?!"
"Manabu? You came here to save Mion?" Daima said with an unamused look on his face. It was something unusually pitiful about his look; he seemed unaware, perhaps. Though Manabu wasn't in a state to notice it. Before Manabu could react, another sharp kick struck his chest, sending him stumbling backward. Numbness spread through his arm, leaving him barely able to move. He managed to press against the wall. Daima's voice was unnervingly calm. "I should've killed Mion beforehand; now you have fallen upon me as a trouble. It seems like Leon, with his funny little schemes against me, has brought him doom."
Manabu's chest tightened with fear. "Where is Leon? What did you do to—" Manabu was unable to speak, since his stomach and chest were struck harshly.
"Leon is all right, but I'll finish him soon, or he might be troublesome," Daima said.
"Even your own son?!" Manabu said, struggling to rise. Daima pulled out a gun and brandished it at him. "I thought you were something, but Leon chose the wrong comrade for his plan to trap me. Killing you won't change anything; CPUS-Units will keep tracking me."
Manabu's voice, raw with pain, pressed on: "Why did you slaughtered those criminals? Was it just for your sick pleasure?"
"There's no answer to the question; and also no one cares about them dying so lamely near the gutter. I want to ask it to you, Manabu—you are a rational person, as far as I've known you. So tell me—what is the worth of a criminal's life?" Manabu was stunned and suddenly found himself struggling to answer. He wanted to yell 'Nothing!' in his face, but he struggled as he noticed those unactable expressions of fear, uncertainty, and loss…
"What are we worth? Do we deserve to die solely? Does anyone see—those I've slaughtered—as human? No. Those organizations won't be allowed to put a leash on me anymore. I'll end this once for all before I escape!"
Fury surged through Manabu. He lunged at Daima, aiming a punch at his stomach. But Daima barely flinched, retaliating with a devastating blow to Manabu's chest. The force was overwhelming, like a sledgehammer. His ribs screamed as he gasped, vision blurring. He fell to his knees, wheezing, his mind screaming, NO! NO! NO! Daima turned his gun toward Mion. Manabu's body refused to respond. He could only watch in helpless horror as Daima's finger hovered over the trigger. "Addio, Sayuri Mion."
Suddenly, a swift kick knocked Daima's hand aside, sending the gun skidding across the floor with a loud clang. Manabu gasped. "Taiju?" Taiju bent down, gripping his arm tightly to help him rise. "What's up, buddy? Try not to speak; breathe slowly. I'll handle the rest," he said, his voice calm and concerned. Manabu nodded, struggling to control his breathing. Mai came too, dragged along by Taiju despite her protests. She'd sensed danger—it was sort of a specialty of hers. Daima's eyes sharpened, unfazed. He stepped back and said, "I wonder if you followed your friend just to save him by sacrificing your own life, Taiju. It would've been smarter to stay out. Do you know what curiosity does to a cat?"
Taiju was slightly nervous, but he stood confidently and mocked, "La curiosità attira il gatto e qualcun altro lo uccide (Curiosity attracts the cat, but someone else kills it). Though it seems like that cat was attracted by a lab rat. Daima—police know everything." Daima's eyebrows jerked slightly. Taiju also clarified his sudden appearance to Manabu. "I overheard your conversation, Manabu," he said. "I knew you two couldn't handle this alone, so I decided to follow you, but you guys were way too reckless. The police know everything; they'll arrest him and Mion."
Manabu panicked and yelled, "Why would you get HER arrested, despite knowing everything?!"
Taiju assured, "Don't worry, my father is a powerful man; he'll oversee everything. Also she needs to face her redemption, but I promise she'll be fine."
Daima was miserably trapped; he must not waste any moment to ensure his escape. "I doubt the police will arrive in time, only to find your corpses. The nearest police station is twenty-seven minutes distant, and it won't take me that long to kill mere insects like you."
Taiju tightened his fists. "Underestimate me, and you'll face your greatest loss." In an instant—quite unexpectedly, Daima hurled a sharp pinpointed knife at Taiju. Taiju dodged it—that was close. The fight erupted. Taiju ducked low, landing a powerful punch under Daima's armpit, hitting a nerve. Daima staggered but retaliated with a crushing blow aimed at Taiju's chest. Taiju barely evaded. Fists flew, each strike more brutal than the last. Taiju fought with agility, but Daima's strength was overwhelming. Every punch felt like his bones would snap. Despite the pain, Taiju stood his ground. Manabu, dazed, spotted the sharp knife. Summoning every ounce of strength, he grabbed it and aimed for Daima's leg, but Daima was quicker. He stomped Manabu's hand and twisted it cruelly. He aimed another kick at Manabu's face, but Taiju intercepted, grabbing Daima's wrist and twisting it sharply. Daima grunted, his grip faltering. Seizing the opportunity, Daima lunged for the gun.
"Fuck!" Taiju yelled and rushed toward Mai and Mion, shielding them just as Daima got a grip on the gun; he fired. Five bullets tore through the wall, narrowly missing them. Manabu gritted his teeth, desperately trying to wrestle the gun from Daima, but Daima was too strong. His grip was unbreakable, and Manabu felt his bones straining. Daima's finger tightened on the trigger, aiming at Manabu's chest. Panic flooded his mind—No! No! Not like this! I DON'T WANT TO—A gunshot echoed. Blood splattered…
Taiju's eyes widened in pure shock. "Manabu!" Scrambling to his feet, heart pounding, he dashed toward him. Everything froze. Within the depths of unconsciousness, Mion drifted through darkness. Fragments flickered in her head:
'Why won't you tell Kenzo?'
'It's for the better, trust me...'
'This is dry food and water for two weeks.'
'Leon, I'll be alright, don't worry about me…'
Mion had fallen unconscious after she consumed those dry foods Daima had provided her just a couple days earlier. She was constantly being provided those dry food and water, but the last meal she had before falling unconscious was somehow unusual by its taste. Before she could figure anything, she'd been unconscious for nearly twenty hours. Slowly, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open to a familiar voice. "Mion!" Her vision cleared slightly. She found herself on Mai's lap. "Mai…?" she whispered. Then her gaze shifted. She saw Manabu and Taiju fighting Daima, with Taiju now dominating. Daima lunged for the gun, firing wildly. Manabu rushed to stop him while Taiju shielded Mai and Mion, dodging bullets. But then Mion's eyes landed on something strange. Her breath caught. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway, cloaked in darkness. Her head was dizzy. "Who… is there?"
A gunshot echoed, and a flash revealed the figure's face. Mion's lips parted in disbelief. "Leon?"