Chapter 37: Confession

The man appeared to be in his thirties, standing roughly 1.8 meters tall with a sturdy, robust build. His face was well-proportioned, and his gaze was resolute, projecting an image of stability and integrity.

As he stared coldly at Wakaba, other security patrol officers rushed into the room, discovering the poor girl on the floor, her hair in disarray. Apparently traumatized, she cringed and retreated at the sight of them, muttering incessantly, "Don't hit me, don't hit me..."

"Don't worry, we are here now. You are safe," a young officer said, quickly grabbing a nearby bedsheet to drape over Rie Hanada.

"Her eyes look abnormal; she must have been drugged. Call the medical team immediately!" another officer shouted. A female doctor in a white coat entered promptly, examined Rie’s eyes, and drew blood, placing it into a briefcase-sized, fully automated medical diagnostic unit. The results were ready in moments, and the unit began synthesizing an antidote.

Wakaba was restrained by other officers and escorted into the corridor. Two spherical electronic eyes hovered in the hallway, drifting toward her and scanning her body with violet-blue beams. A holographic file regarding her identity was immediately projected into mid-air for the officers to review. These spherical eyes served as both law enforcement body cameras and portable computers, capable of accessing citizen information from the database at any time.

The commotion in the hallway drew the attention of the floor's residents; many doors opened as people stepped out to investigate.

"What are you doing?" Wakaba asked, looking at the security officers with confusion.

Masayoshi Kumakawa, wearing an expression of stern righteousness, stared at Wakaba with thinly veiled fury: "You were caught red-handed attempting to rape an innocent girl, and you still have the audacity to ask?"

"Rape? Caught red-handed? Your imaginations are truly something," Wakaba said, rendered speechless. She explained, "I did not rape her. She pursued me and invited me here for dinner. Many people saw us—you’ve made a mistake."

The surrounding residents listened, most skeptical, a few merely watching. After all, a man and a woman had come to a hotel together; the possibility could not be entirely ruled out.

Hearing Wakaba’s sophistry, Kumakawa felt his anger flare even higher. "In my dozen years of law enforcement, I have despised nothing more than scum like you who only know how to bully girls! You’re staring death in the face and still playing tough. You want evidence? Fine, I’ll give you evidence."

He said something to a patrolman beside him, who nodded and ran into the room. Moments later, the officer returned with Rie Hanada. Wrapped in a sheet, her hair still obscuring her face, she looked at Wakaba—not with the previous confusion or affection, but with raw, consuming terror.

Seeing the girl’s wretched state, the onlookers’ eyes brimmed with rage.

"Don't worry, we will protect you and ensure the villain is brought to justice," Kumakawa said, approaching Rie, his eyes shining with the firm, persistent pursuit of righteousness. "Tell me now, who tried to rape you?"

"I... I... I don't know..." Rie clutched her head, stuttering, her eyes filled with fear as she glanced repeatedly toward Wakaba.

"Hey, what do you mean you don't know? You’re the one who said you wanted to apologize and invited me to dinner, then you got drunk and begged me to bring you here. What is there to be unsure about?" Wakaba said, looking dissatisfied.

Upon hearing her voice, Rie seemed to trigger her deepest fear. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball and sobbing, "Don't hit me, don't hit me, I won't do it again..."

Seeing this, Wakaba realized things were taking a turn for the worse.

Kumakawa summoned the doctor to inquire about the victim's condition. The doctor replied, "The hallucinogens in her system have been neutralized. This appears to be a stress reaction from extreme trauma..."

"Officer, asking her like that is useless. Let me handle it," a woman with a confident tone suddenly interjected. Kumakawa frowned, tracing the voice to find a beautiful woman with a graceful figure approaching.

"Who are you?"

"I am Miwa Hirono, a reporter for the 'Setokawa Evening News.' Here is my press pass." She produced a key-fob-like metal object, activated it, and projected her credentials into the air.

Learning she was a journalist, Kumakawa’s expression softened. "You said you could help?"

"Yes," Miwa nodded. She walked straight to Rie, crouched down, and whispered, "I am a woman, too, so you don't need to be afraid. I know you’re terrified of potential retaliation from the perpetrator. However, under the East Fu Penal Code, the offender has committed Article 21, Attempted Rape; Article 73, Illegal Detention; and Article 100, Insult to Personality... Even an attempted rape is a serious crime."

"Furthermore, he will face cumulative sentencing. The minimum sentence is life imprisonment, and he will be subjected to physical castration. You are a brave girl; if you come forward to identify the culprit, he will never have the chance to harm you again!"

She then looked at Kumakawa: "Officer, am I not correct?"

Kumakawa nodded solemnly: "Indeed. And I can assure you that for scum like this who only bully women, the judgment will only be heavy, never light!"

"You see? The officer agrees. Don't be afraid; we women must stand up bravely..." Miwa continued to encourage Rie.

Under her persistent encouragement, Rie seemed to finally overcome her fear of Wakaba. She stood up, pointed at her, and shrieked: "It was him! He tried to rape me, he drugged me! Waaah... I was deceived by his hypocrisy, I had feelings for him, I came to dinner with him, but he..."

She broke down, sobbing into her hands. The choked sounds moved everyone present. The two nearby officers immediately cuffed Wakaba, completing the arrest. All that remained was to take her to the station, process the paperwork, and lock her away.

"Officer, what do you have to say to the citizens regarding this heinous crime?" Miwa, seeing the case settled, pulled out her phone to record, interviewing Kumakawa for tomorrow's news.

Kumakawa, seemingly no stranger to this, cleared his throat and spoke solemnly into the lens: "Citizens, rest assured. Setokawa City is protected by our Bureau, and we will maintain long-term peace and stability..."

As he spoke, Rie was shielded by several officers, her eyes peering through her disheveled hair, staring triumphantly at Wakaba.

*'Hmph, Netori Shiratori, you must be feeling utterly desperate right now!'*

*'Even though you are innocent, no one believes a word you say... that’s why you’ve shut your mouth, haven’t you?'*

*'I know you must be thinking of using the excuse that you like men to clear your name.'*

*'If you do that, only an abyss of despair awaits you!'*

*'Because, legally, even if you prove through a psychological evaluation that you like men, it won't change the conviction for rape. The lawyer Kenji hired told me that personally... but someone like you, a commoner, wouldn't know the details of the penal code.'*

When she and her lover had discussed this plan, every possibility had been accounted for. She was waiting to see Wakaba fall into the trap and to savor the transition from hope to absolute despair.

However, just as she expected Wakaba to argue that she preferred men, she heard Wakaba shout: "I plead guilty!"

"Waaah... Rie, I was wrong. I plead guilty. I did plan to rape you, I’m not a human being..." she cried out toward Rie. Had the officers not been holding her, she would have collapsed to her knees in agony.

"Are you pleading guilty now, hoping for a lighter sentence?" Kumakawa glared at Wakaba with righteous hatred. "Let me tell you, it’s too late. Scum like you will not receive any leniency."

"I know my sins are grave, and I am not asking for leniency. I only loved classmate Hanada so much that I made a terrible mistake. I will confess all my crimes, including the person who incited me to do this..." Wakaba’s eyes were filled with tears and longing as she looked at Rie.

Hearing that there was an accomplice, Kumakawa cursed, "Another piece of scum!" He stepped in front of Wakaba, demanding, "Tell me, who is he? We will arrest him right now!"

"I don't know who he is," Wakaba shook her head.

"Then where is he?"

"I don't know where he is either."

"Are you playing with me?" Kumakawa’s voice turned icy.

"No, I really don't know his name or his location..." Wakaba seemed to ponder. "But I know his address. It seems to be 'Tenchu-ko-machi No. 003.' I only went there once, and I don't know how I was brought there. I only know it was a very tall mountain where you could see the entirety of Setokawa City at a glance. The man was very wealthy, and his estate was huge—the walls alone were a hundred meters high. When I went in, I had to take a..."

"Shut up!" Kumakawa roared, cutting her off.

The onlookers, who had been confused, were startled by his outburst. They had assumed Wakaba was just rambling nonsense. Tenchu-ko-machi? They had lived in Setokawa for years and never heard of such a district. Hundred-meter walls? That was the height of a skyscraper. And a mountain where you could see the whole city? No such mountain existed near Setokawa.

"C-Captain, what's wrong?" an officer noticed his captain’s face had turned deathly pale, his forehead beaded with sweat, his body trembling—he looked... terrified.

"You know... the consequences, don't you!" Kumakawa stepped to Wakaba, his voice trembling as he asked.

"Officer, you... oh, you don't believe me, do you?" Wakaba looked remorseful on the surface, but inwardly, she was scornful. *You already said I was going to get life in prison, and now you’re asking me about consequences? The bigger this gets, the better! I’ll drag the whole world down with me!*

She continued, "That man said he wanted to see something interesting, so he offered to help me pursue my beloved goddess. Because of his help, classmate Hanada fell for someone as plain and bankrupt as me. This is easy to investigate; the fact that classmate Hanada pursued me is common knowledge at school..."

As Kumakawa listened, he connected to the Bureau’s central AI via the biological chip behind his neck. The AI bypassed all security protocols to read the surveillance footage from Sakai First High School, rapidly analyzing the data. The school’s limited surveillance only covered public areas, but with the AI's immense processing power, it analyzed the lip movements of the students to reconstruct 90% of the conversations from the past month.

Rie Hanada’s pursuit of Wakaba was a sensational event at school; many had discussed it. Looking at the conclusion reached by the central AI on his retina, Kumakawa realized the teenager was telling the truth: Rie Hanada had indeed been the one pursuing her. He also had the AI analyze the girl’s identity—a plain, bankrupt student, just as before. Such a person could never know the residence of that "Lord."

As for searching online? There was no information about the nobility on the web; the moment anything appeared, the city’s five major AIs would detect and delete it, and the prosecutor’s office would make arrests. And why would that "Lord" do this? He had no idea, but having handled countless cases, he knew that the powerful often had strange, twisted hobbies.

After Wakaba finished, seeing Kumakawa silent, she added, "Officer, that’s everything. I know my sins are grave, I attempted to rape classmate Hanada..."

"No, you didn't! You were just having a lovers' quarrel!" Kumakawa shouted.

His words left everyone stunned. They couldn't understand what had come over the officer.

"But the evidence of my attempted rape of classmate Hanada is solid! The slap marks on her face, her own testimony, the evidence is..." Wakaba stated firmly.

"No!" Kumakawa cut her off, his voice stern. "There are many doubts in this case. It is still under investigation..."

"Hey!" Wakaba grew angry. She raised her cuffed hands and pointed at Kumakawa. "Officer, what exactly are you doing? I’m the scum, the criminal who tried to rape classmate Hanada! Why aren't you arresting me, sentencing me, and locking me in prison? Why are you trying to clear my name?"

Faced with Wakaba pointing at his nose and berating him, Kumakawa showed no anger. Instead, he smiled kindly: "Young friend, don't be so agitated. Think about it—maybe you and your girlfriend were just on a date and got into an argument..."

"You... you..." Wakaba was furious. "Fine, I’ll rape her right here in public! Does that satisfy you..."

She started toward Rie. The officers holding her didn't know whether to stop her, looking to their captain for guidance.

Kumakawa waved them off: "They’re a couple, they like to play rough; it’s perfectly normal. Go ahead, young friend, take your time. We’ll leave you to it."

Wakaba: "..."