Part 2 — The Weight of Blood on His Hands
Akari let the silence sit for a moment longer, then gently shifted the tone.
"…How did you get hurt on your head yesterday?" she asked, her voice softer now, trying to ease the weight in the room.
Before Haruto could answer, Renjiro spoke up, cutting in calmly.
"Why did you take the chocolate?"
Haruto blinked, pulled out of his thoughts.
"I took it for Mimi," he said. "It was her birthday. Then I went to Aunt Mikasa's house with Mimi."
He paused, then added quietly, "On the way back… I had an accident with a cycle."
He glanced up briefly.
"You saw the cycle yesterday, right? That one."
Akari nodded slowly, remembering.
"…And your stomach?" she asked next.
Haruto looked down at himself, almost puzzled.
"I didn't really feel it," he said. "But I think… he had a kunai in his hand when I jumped on him. So… I guess that's how."
Akari inhaled, steadying herself.
"…How did he die?" she asked.
The change was instant.
Haruto's expression emptied. His eyes lost focus, as if something inside him had shut off completely. His voice, when he spoke, was flat—detached.
"The clones were holding the shuriken," he said. "But they couldn't take it."
His fingers curled slightly.
"It slipped… and fell on his back."
A pause.
"He died," Haruto said quietly. "I saw the blood coming out."
He suddenly lifted both his hands, holding them up in front of him, staring at them as if they didn't belong to him.
"…I killed him," he said. "With both of these hands."