"When you set your kindness aside everything in this world starts to make sense"
Manabu's hand trembled, the gun still smoking from the shot that had accidentally felled Daima. Blood spattered his face, the metallic tang filling his senses. His mind raced, trying to comprehend what he'd done. Before he could process it, slow, mocking clapping echoed through the room, breaking the silence.Manabu and the others turned to see Leon, his face twisted in a sinister smile.
"Leon, I didn't mean to kill your dad," Manabu stammered, his voice shaky.
Leon waved off the apology, a cold glint in his eyes. "Don't worry. He wasn't my dad anyway. And now, the game is over. No more pretenses. You all have to come with me."
Confusion and fear rippled through the group. Mion, who had just regained consciousness, staggered to her feet.
"Leon..." she called out, her voice weak.In a swift, chilling motion, Leon pulled out a gun and pointed it at Mion.
"Hey Leon,Have you lost your mind?!Why do you have gun?!" Manabu shouted.
Leon laughed darkly. "You still don't get it, do you? I am Santa Claus"
The room fell into stunned silence. Mion's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, that's not possible. Leon, you promised..."
Leon silenced her with a cold stare. "Promises are for the weak."
He turned the gun towards Daima's lifeless body and fired two more shots.
The deafening noise made everyone grab their ears."Was everything a lie? You're Santa? And Daima wasn't your father?" Manabu's voice was a mix of confusion and anger.
Leon nodded, his expression unreadable. "I don't like to explain much, but let's just say you're coming with me to America. If you refuse, I have ways to make you comply."
He pulled out a video of the chaotic fight and the shooting of Daima. "You don't want to go to jail, do you?"
He then pointed the gun at Mion.
"And I have pictures of her killing Hojo. You don't want that to come out, do you?"
Taiju lunged at Leon, but Leon easily dodged and twisted Taiju's arm, throwing him into a corner where he hit his hand on a glass, injuring it. Mai rushed to help him,but Leon's cold eyes warned her off.
"Force won't work on me. I'm stronger than all of you."
Taiju, clutching his bleeding hand, gritted out, "I knew you were suspicious. That's why I called the police before we started fighting Daima, They're coming "
Suddenly, Kenzo appeared behind Leon, mockingly saying, "You're under arrest, Leon."
Leon laughed maniacally. "No!, I can't lose"
Kenzo said "The police aren't coming, and all CCTV cameras in this area are disabled. No proof of anything."
Leon turned to Manabu, his voice cold and calculating. "My objective is just to take you, Manabu.But To hold you, I need your friends. So get ready. Taiju will be treated, no one will die if you do as I say."
He handed his phone to Kenzo and looked back at the group, his dark eyes glinting ominously. "Do you all understand?"
Manabu, his voice steady but eyes burning with anger, asked, "So everything that happened until now was your plan? Why are you doing this?"
Mion, tears streaming down her face, cried out, "Manabu–He's the bastard who made me kill Hojo!"
Leon smirked. "Yes, like Mion said, I am that Bastard, Mr,Santa that everyone fears.
The reason I want to take you is unknown even to me. I'm just doing my job. I got paid to find and get you, so I did. No more questions. If you try anything funny, I can kill anyone here. You don't want to lose another friend, do you?"
Mion looked at him with eyes full of rage and betrayal. "What?What do you mean by another friend?!"
Leon turned "No more questions"
They were led outside to a large police van. A doctor inside treated Taiju's injured hand. Leon was put into a diffrent car, but before the door closed, Kenzo asked, "What about Daima, Was that part of your plan?"
Leon shrugged. "Well,He didn't even know he was about to die. Why would someone give their life for something so stupid?"
Kenzo agreed but warned, "Don't take any funny risks. When you sent that mail to Mion,I didn't knew it was you. I thought someone saw you and told it to Mion"
Leon smirked. "Well,I knew she would call you."
Kenzo nodded. "I know you predicted the whole thing, right?"
"You are a man who predicts everything with precision yet remains an enigma himself," Kenzo said
Leon voice chillingly calm"Well then, let's meet at the place."
He closed the car's door and drove the police van to a private airport runway. When they reached,Guards handed Manabu and others new clothes, and showed them changing room, after changing, they boarded a private plane with luxurious rooms.
Once seated, Manabu turned to Mion. "Tell me everything. Why did you kill Hojo?"
Mion, sobbing, began her story. "A few days ago, I got a mail from Leon. He told me that Hojo was the killer, and Kenzo confirmed it. I trusted them..."
Flashback
Kenzo interrupted Leon, saying, "That's enough," and took Leon with him. But before leaving, she thanked Leon for at least letting her know about the killer of Naomi, and she left.
The next day, he called me again and asked if we could meet right before school. I suggested we could talk in school, but Leon insisted,
"Let's skip today. I have something really important to talk about."
Reluctantly, I agreed. We were supposed to meet at my home.
Manabu interrupted the flashback, "So that's why you were absent that day?"
Mion nodded and continued,
"Leon brought Kenzo with him. Leon started by saying, 'Well, Mion, I have a proposal,' and he offered me the chance to join them as an ally to kill Hojo."
"I was hesitant and scared," Mion confessed,
Mion voice trembling.She asked, "What if we get caught? 'Leon reassured me, 'We won't let you get hurt.'
But I was more concerned about them. 'No, I mean you. I will regret it more if you guys get arrested.'"
Leon looked at me with determination. "Don't worry, it's not the first time we've killed someone."
I stared at him in shock. He continued, "Yes, I am not lying. Kenzo and I have punished many criminals who aren't punished by the system."
Kenzo, clearly uneasy, interjected, but Leon was persuasive. "Sometimes, the law can't punish the criminals. They roam free, committing crimes again and again. We have to stop them."
Despite my fear, Leon's words struck a chord. "Come on, Mion. If we don't stop him, he will probably do the same thing again, and just like Naomi, many innocent people will get hurt."
Kenzo interrupted, saying, "That's enough. I told you it's not possible." He grabbed Leon's hand and apologized for bothering me. But something inside me couldn't let them go.
I stopped them and grabbed Kenzo's hand. "I will do it,"
I said, my voice filled with resolve. "I will help."
Believing in Leon, I agreed to help. "What do I have to do?" I asked
My heart pounding. Leon smiled, and I looked at him, determination in my eyes. "I will do anything, just for justice."
Leon nodded, "Yes, just for justice"
But now, as she sobbed in Manabu's arms, the realization of how deeply she'd been manipulated by Leon hit her hard.
Manabu, holding Mion, felt the full weight of Leon's deception. Suddenly, the air turned cold as Leon entered the room, an evil smile on his face. A black cat came with him.and jumped onto his lap when he sat,
and he stroked it, saying, "Her name is Moon. Isn't she adorable?"
Manabu's voice was steady but filled with fury. "Why did you use Mion? What do you want?"
Leon leaned back, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "I don't like to explain much. But I'll make sure you understand..."
Leon began, "Like I said, I came to this town in December. My target was you, Manabu. My motive was to get you and get away, but I ended up taking all of you because of one mistake. I started killing a few people—personal business, nothing to do with you guys. When I killed a guy, maybe his name was Fukuba or something, your friend Naomi saw me in the park. Unfortunately, I had to kill her."
Everyone looked at him with pure hatred and anger.
Leon shrugged. "What? Not my fault. I didn't plan to kill her. She just happened to be there, and just for her, I had to change my previous plan–Now don't ask what my previous plan is!"
He continued, "I was supposed to join your class soon, but I had to delay to see if my actions had any impact on anyone. I found nothing and decided to join. But fate is stupid. That day, someone else saw me killing them—Hojo."
Taiju and the others were seething with anger.
Mion, guilt and rage mixing in her eyes, asked, "So Hojo was innocent?"
Leon smiled. "Absolutely."
Mion grabbed her own hair, consumed by anger.
Mai asked, "How did you find out?"
Leon explained,"He kept his mouth shut—dumb move—and waited for an opportunity. He was scared because I looked at him but never saw his face. Maybe he thought I saw him. That's why he never came out of his home much. But one day in January, after winter break, Kenzo came with a report and policemen. Hojo decided to tell him. That's where he made a wrong move. When I found out the next day, I decided to come there myself. He was horribly scared. Kenzo told him not to say anything, not to do anything. Act as if you were never there. So if we could hold him in our hand, we could arrest him anytime. But we needed proof against him, and we needed your help. Be our witness. He agreed. So now it's time for the main task. I never had any interest in killing him. Now, when I joined, I tried to make the easiest possible way to take you. I don't like to use my brain, so I decided to checkmate both you and Hojo at the same time with one pawn. And that pawn happened to be... MION."
Mion's eyes were red with anger. Leon looked into her eyes, seeing the murderous intent. He could tell that without his backup, she would have killed him.
Leon continued, "I stalked you all. Even when you were on dates and Taiju and Mai were hiding in the bushes, I was watching you. I knew she was the best possible move. I manipulated her, threw a birthday party, got close to her, fed her wrong information, and gained her trust in the name of justice. I killed Hojo and then used her to blackmail you, Manabu."
Manabu, his eyes dark with determination, asked, "Then who was Daima?"
Leon smirked. "Daima was a pawn meant to be sacrificed, but he didn't knew he was going to die."
Mion, her voice filled with resolve, said, "You're safe for now,You are pretty smart and cunning and always one step ahead, but one day you will make a mistake, and that day I will kill you. I won't make the mistake I made before, Never."Mion promised,
Everyone looked at Leon with intensity.
Leon put on his sunglasses, the lenses reflecting the dim light of the room. He gave a chilling smile and said,
"I'll be waiting."
To Be Continued...