Chapter 07: "Those That Fell"
I was no stranger to the inside of a courtroom. I was a detective after all (at the very least, in name). I actually saw the room, with its furniture set up in an adversarial manner, as a movie theater of sorts.
I was the director, and the evidence I gathered would be used to make a 'film' about the crime. My job was to recreate the context and various facets about the wrongdoing. The lawyers were the critics who would dissect and analyze my work, trying to piece together some sort of meaning or draw a conclusion from it. All according to their agenda or beliefs of which boiled down to a simple distinction: innocent or guilty?
The jury was the public who came to view my 'film.' The silent majority who would watch and listen. They would read the 'reviews' from the 'critics' and deliberate their collective opinion. Their decision would decide how my 'film' would be remembered in history.
I may be familiar with the courtroom, but I was not at all familiar with the defendant's seat. Who could have thought the space around me could be so cold and uninviting simply by sitting in this chair? I felt like I was on some strange and hostile planet that mankind never explored.
Was the Judge always that tall? I almost mistook her for a deity looking down at my puny mortal self from above.
And wait just a minute, was the plaintiff's desk really that close to our own? The animosity from the prosecution team was palpable and radiated off them in waves.
Was the jury's box usually that big? And why were they so intimidating? Jurors were supposed to be chosen from my peers to represent my social strata, but none of them look like antisocial pessimistic-but-realistic loners at all!
My whining thoughts were broken by Yukinoshita sitting down in the seat to my right, shielding me from the unkind projections from across the aisle. She was clad in her familiar suit and seemed to have pulled out all the stops in looking like an icicle that had managed to figure out a modern white-collar wardrobe. Yukinoshita was downright imposing, with her ice-cold beauty and stare that could freeze a rhinoceros. I was glad to have her on my side.
"Well, I'm happy to see that you managed to make yourself presentable." She remarked dryly, not bothering to spare me a glance.
"Don't get used to it." I quipped back. In all honesty, I got lucky. I don't have any casual clothing, just sets of shirts and pants along with some jackets to wear to the office and investigations. I only ever went outside for work and shopping, so there was never a need to spice it up.
The sound of the doors of the courtroom opening behind us caused us to turn around. A middle-aged couple came down the aisle to the prosecution desk. They looked average in a normal looking suit and dress, however their faces seemed devoid of any emotion. Almost like robots. The mental remark made me adjust my seating position warily.
"That must be the Ouma family." Yukinoshita observed aloud, her eyes trailing their every move with feline intensity.
The wife had red puffy eyes, with dark circles underneath them. As if she hadn't slept for days, and instead cried her soul away.
"It's an emotional play." Yukinoshita whispered to me, as if reading my thoughts. "They're trying to make them seem more sympathetic to the jury."
"Yeah? Pretty powerful. Almost worked on me." I jokingly whispered back. It didn't seem to go over well with Yukinoshita, who turned her displeased and petrifying gaze upon me. I withered away like a weed in the dead of winter.
Sheesh, tough crowd.
The Judge called the court into session. After she read aloud the persons involved in the case and the charges levied, the lawyers began their opening statements.
Yukinoshita had explained to me briefly how the process would go. The plaintiff's attorney would begin the opening statements, since they were bringing the case against me and thus bore the burden of proof.
Expectedly, the prosecution didn't pull any punches when they spoke about me. They painted me as some deranged officer who killed a troubled young-man in cold blood. That I had forgone trying to adequately talk to the Ouma's son and opted for fatal violence. They claimed I had taken drastic action and took the law into my own hands and condemned Ouma Daichi to death. It was unjust, and skirted around common decency.
Years of being ostracised in my youth and school days as well as my first job had given me some rather thick skin. Despite that, their words still disgruntled me. They talked about me as if I was a mad dog with rabies.
Yukinoshita went up next, and her absolutely unbelievable words blew away my discomfort and replaced it with…
Internal laughter.
She stood tall and proud, not a trace of fear on her face. "Detective Hikigaya Hachiman is an upstanding citizen and local hero who saved lives with his work as an enforcer of the law."
It took all the self-control I had to not burst out laughing then and there. It felt like she was recounting the summary of a character from a Super Sentai show.
My attorney continued. "As an officer, he followed protocol, and even risked his own life to attempt to bring the conflict to a non-violent conclusion. Detective Hikigaya disarmed the criminal and offered him the chance to surrender, but instead the criminal escalated the conflict. My client is not at fault for the poor and dangerous decisions of another.
"He has shown exemplary bravery and decisiveness, and should not be punished for the poor decision making of a criminal when lives of innocents were at stake."
Her final words words were the final nail in the coffin of my restraint. I couldn't stop stop the quiet snort, which did not go unnoticed by my lawyer, whose lips bent into a frown.
I wish I had this recorded. If I had shown the footage to my high school self, he would probably keel over with a stroke if he heard these words coming out of Yukinoshita's mouth, unable to comprehend what black magic it took for her to even consider complimenting, no PRAISING, him.
It must be a cold day in hell indeed.
With that over, the actual meat of the trial began: presentation of evidence.
The prosecution poured over security footage, trying to explain to the jury where the errors in my ways were. Truthfully, it was quite flimsy, even layman like me could see that, and Yukinoshita didn't seem to be too worried about how things were progressing.
When the first witness was called was when I began to space out, the time blurred as it passed across my eyes. I had expected Haruno to be among them, but Yukinoshita had said that during witness selections Haruno was removed due to the fact that they were sisters. Yukinoshita didn't want to have any shadow of doubt over my innocence.
"I would like to call Hikigaya Hachiman, to come to the stand and give testimony."
I blinked rapidly, the haze over my eyes disappearing as I was brought back into reality. "Huh? What?"
I looked over at Yukinoshita, who has her lips pursed into a slim line in concentration. Her eyes met mine, and I silently beckoned her, asking what I should do. She responded curtly. "It's best if you go."
I nodded and slide my chair back, the sound of its feet sliding and slipping against the floor echoed throughout the courtroom. I stuffed my hands in my pockets out of habit and walked over to the witness stand. I was sworn under oath and the prosecution began questioning.
I finally got a good look at their lawyer. He seemed like a relatively handsome man in his early 30's. Neatly combed hair with smart looking frameless glasses. His suit was pinstriped, and the pattern distracted me far more than it should have.
"Can you confirm your name and current occupation please?"
"I'm Hikigaya Hachiman… I work as a detective at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."
He had his hands behind his back now and takes two steps towards me. My eyes flickered to his footwear; brown dress shoes that were polished into mirrors. "And how long have you been there for, Detective Hikigaya?"
"A little over two-years."
"I see. And what is your primary role over at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?"
"... primarily I interrogate suspects or accessories to crimes."
A hand came from his back to adjust the bridge of his glasses. "So would you say you were not trained with the intention of primarily handling armed suspects?"
I shifted in my seat, which suddenly felt like a stone throne that was intended to ensure its user could never find a comfortable position. "Uhh… I wouldn't say that. Every officer and detective is given training and taught protocol on how to deal with criminals in a variety of circumstances. Oh yeah, it's part of the mandatory courses in detective school as well."
There, I shut down that angle. Pleased with myself, I leaned back slightly. The Prosecutor was trying to imply to the jury that because I'm a detective, that I had no knowledge in how to deal with armed criminals. That my shooting of Ouma Daichi was due to a lack of expertise. Nice try, bud.
"Can you recount what happened in that bookstore the day Ouma Daichi was killed?"
I didn't like the way he worded that, but ignored the gnawing feeling as I recounted what had occured so many weeks ago. It took about ten minutes, and no one other than me spoke. It was eerie. When my testimony ended, the Prosecutor looks at me and asks a strange thing.
"Detective Hikigaya, were you always a law-enforcement officer?"
"... no..." The question caught me off-guard and made my response come out hesitantly as my mind raced to figure out his plan. What I did before working as an officer? Why would he want to know that…?
… oh.
OH.
For a split second, a small grin broke his facade before settling back into that professional poker face, but I caught it. And it made my heart beat painfully at where this was most likely going.
"And what exactly… was your last profession?"
Yukinoshita, ever reliable, detected the shift in tone of the Prosecutor 's voice and stood up quickly.
"Objection, your honor!" She exclaimed to the Judge. "The question has no direct relevance to the case at hand."
The Judge brought a hand to her chin and considered Yukinoshita's words before turning to the Prosecutor and asking him to explain the reasoning behind his testimonial question.
"To get a clearer picture of Detective Hikigaya's competency, your Honor."
The answer seemed to satisfy the Judge. "Overruled."
All eyes of the courtroom settled on me, and I audibly swallowed. My head throbbed as adrenaline coursed through me. It was a curious thing, watching you slowly incriminate yourself and having no choice but to do so.
"I was a… Senior Private… in the JSDF Ground Forces. For two years." I ground out, my discomfort evident. His plan was clear in my head, and I hated the path he was leading me down.
"The JSDF? Interesting." The Prosecutor paced in front of the stand, he didn't look me in the eyes when he asked his next question. "So you are former military?"
"Yes."
"You seem quite young, how long were you there for?"
"...for two years after I got out of highschool."
"And were you ever deployed?"
"I was only deployed once. During the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War." I was surprised by the calmness in my voice.
"So why leave?" He asked quickly, startling me. "Why leave the JSDF?"
Yukinoshita came to my rescue. "Objection, your honor! There is once again, no relevancy."
She was overruled once more when the Judge was placated by the Prosecutor s explanation: to paint a picture of how competent I was by exploring my past experiences.
"I did not leave the JSDF." I answered slowly.
"Were you removed from the JSDF?" The Prosecutor was suddenly within two meters of my face, I could see the whites of his calculating eyes.
"Objection, your honor," Yukinoshita said again, her eyes taking a murderous glint. "Relevancy. The prosecution is veering off course from their intention to prove competency."
"Overruled."
Yukinoshita's face slackened in shock at the immediate response from the Judge. She turned stoic once more before taking her seat.
"The JSDF… dismissed me from service." I looked him dead in the eyes, trying to figure out how he would trap me. It was useless of course, because I knew exactly where he was taking this. I was the lamb being sent to the slaughter.
"And how exactly are soldiers dismissed? Detective Hikigaya?" I saw that one coming.
"Either by a bill of health or by… a court martial."
He clapped his hands before turning to the jury.
"Detective Hikigaya, can you please explain to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what exactly a court martial is?"
My fists clenched, grasping at the fabric of my pants between my fingers. "They're trials brought against soldiers, held by the military's own hierarchy and systems."
"And why are court-martials given?"
"Objection!" Yukinoshita barked, the sound of her chair scraping across the wooden floor causing me to flinch. "Your honor, the prosecution is asking a leading question!"
The Judge reclined her seat briefly as she mulled over Yukinoshita's objection. A few tense moments filled the room. Yukinoshita's eyes blazed and I silently prayed that it would be upheld.
"Overruled."
Yukinoshita's face cracked for a second, and I saw a flash of irritation in her eyes. It might be invisible to the casual viewer, but there was a simmering anger in her body now. I've seen that look thousands of times in the past, and I was on the receiving end of her wrath equally as often.
"You may answer the question, Detective Hikigaya." The Judge encouraged.
I took a shaky breath. "Court martials are given when soldiers break protocol or commit crimes."
With those words, a seed was planted in all who were listening, and the Prosecutor knew it. A sleazy smile tugged at the edge of his mouth as he allowed Yukinoshita to question me next. She only asked if I was honorably discharged or not, to which I responded that I was. It did little to deter the pleased aura over the plaintiff's table.
The Prosecutor returned to ask. "And what was the reason behind your honorable discharge?"
"I was declared mentally unfit to be a soldier."
"So you weren't dismissed from the military because of a court martial?"
"No."
"Would you say it wholly unrelated?"
"... no."
"So does this mean that you were court martialed?"
"... yes…"
The Prosecutor clears his throat. "And what charge was brought against you, at this court martial?"
A brief silence lulled the room. From the corner of my eye, I could see the anticipation for my response even visible on the faces of the jury. Like those mad crowds standing before the executioner's stage, eager to see the next victim.
"Objection, your honor. Leading question." Yukinoshita did her due diligence, but one without the forcefulness of earlier. I knew Yukinoshita to be hyper intelligent and observant to an extraordinary degree, and we both knew that….
"Overruled."
… the Judge wasn't going to be on her side for this.
I took a breath in as I struggle to calm myself. I attempted to speak twice, but both times I was interrupted by my own mind.
The sound of a grown man weeping, begging to be let go.
My face set in stone.
I asked the same thing repeatedly. Over and over, like a broken record player.
"I… I… I was charged with violating the UN Declaration of Human Rights... Article 5…" My voice broke part way in.
"... and what exactly does it mean to violate 'UN Declaration of Human Rights Article 5'?" He was suddenly closer than ever before, his voice seemingly next to my ears despite being an arms length in front of me.
I exhaled unevenly through my nose. There was no avoiding it anymore, and I almost forgot this too.
"It means I was charged with torturing enemy soldiers and non-combatants alike during a time of war."
Silence enveloped the courtroom, like someone pressed the mute button on some celestial remote.
"I have no further questions…," The Prosecutor said as he walked back.
My eyes followed him, and they met with Yukinoshita's. Her normally calm and noble facade was shattered; mouth slightly ajar and eyes widened, caught between disbelief and utter shock. My hands balled into trembling fists and I broke my gaze to look at my feet.
I didn't want to see anyone make that kind of face, especially because of the things I did.
The Judge looked uncomfortable as she glanced at both the prosecution and defense, unsure how to proceed. The jury members traded stares between one another with nervous flicks of their eyes. The juror nearest me was a woman who began to fidget and move away from me.
"Your Honor," said Yukinoshita in a flat voice. "I would like to appeal for a continuance. Perhaps have the court adjourned until a later date so that we may go over new information and potentially acquire additional witnesses."
"... and how does the prosecution feel about this?" The Judge asked.
"We have no problems with such a motion, your Honor." The Prosecutor replied in a satisfied tone.
With that, the Judge declared the end to this court session. We all rise and bow as her Honor took her leave. Yukinoshita stayed a step behind me when we left the courtroom. The crowd separated as we went by, as if I was Moses splitting the Red Sea.
I'm sure this was all in my imagination. There was no way the people outside the courtroom could have heard my testimony. I was just being paranoid, but I was fine with this. I'm a master of being alone, going unseen in the crowd with no one paying me any mind. And I wanted it that way, lest my stench attract coffin flies and maggots.
Surprisingly enough, Yukinoshita does not avoid me. I fully expected her to be disgusted and never associate with the likes of me ever again, she's smart enough to know the implications of what I said. But here she was, right beside me, her long hair occasionally brushing against my arm. She took long and confident strides matching my own half-assed ones, although she looked like she was deep in thought.
"I'll drive you home." She tilted her head up at me suddenly.
"It's fin‒"
"I'll drive you home."
Deep down I could tell I had no choice in this matter. Probably never did.
Δ▼Δ
The car Yukinoshita drove really suited her.
The Mercedes E Class: a high end luxury car that screams refinement. The pearl white paint gave it a cold and professional look. It was an intimidating white lion to other cars on the road. The large tri-star Mercedes badge on the front letting all else know that they were beneath this car simply by its very existence. Not only was it a Mercedes, it was an AMG at that: an AMG E43. A thoroughbred among thoroughbreds.
Its 3-liter 6 cylinder engine with twin-turbos made quick work of our Japanese highways. Eventually my apartment complex came into view and Yukinoshita gently pulled up to the curb.
"Is it true?"
In the midst of unbuckling my seat belt, my hand stopped.
"... is what true?" I'm playing dumb, not sure if I wanted to have this conversation.
"What you said on the witness stand?"
"Oh."
"You tor‒ broke Article 5?"
"... yeah I did. I can pull up the documents from the regiment office if you want. I think Colonel Hidetaka still runs it."
"Colonel Hidetaka…" Yukinoshita repeated slowly. "Well, regardless, I think this would explain why they had wanted to have the case pushed to a trial. They thought they had evidence strong enough to win."
"I'm sorry, I probably should have told you about this earlier."
I lied. I would have never told her.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. No one could have foreseen this."
Was she lying? Was she placating me, just because she was my lawyer?
On that note, the car became silent. I took that as my cue to leave the car. I thanked her and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
"Hikigaya-kun." Yukinoshita called out to me, and I turned to face her. The window was pulled down, and I could see her face… which had a smile on it? I swear that's a smile.
I must be seeing things.
"The court case isn't lost," she said, "I won't give up on you that easily."
Huh?
What?
The window rolled up and she drove away, leaving a confused Hikigaya Hachiman behind.
Give up on me? Not the court case?
What?
Δ▼Δ
Yukinoshita called me a few days later, letting me know that the court was adjourned for another two weeks. So I returned back to work as normal, and of course rumors have begun to spread around the office.
"Ex-military? At his age?"
"Explains why he's so damn weird. They say that war changes people."
"Some say he was court martialed?"
"Really? Why?"
"No one knows, rumor is that he went crazy and they shipped him home."
"Can't be? They let him on the police force. They gave him a gun license too."
"I don't know, man…"
I honestly didn't expect to deal with gossiping teenagers at work. But there was a silver lining to it.
"I don't buy it. Hikigaya? He can barely talk to someone face to face, and you think he's some psychopath murderer? Yeah right." I overheard Secretary-chan say to a coworker. The snub was also a nice touch, almost thought you were being nice there.
"That can't be the entire story. Senpai isn't like that. But I know that he likes keeping things to himself, so I'll wait until he's ready to tell me," Shiba had said somberly.
Ok bucko, that wording is irresponsible. I might think we're friends or something.
Dealing with all of this made the workday quickly pass and completely tired me out. When I got home, I fell asleep immediately as my back touched my bed. I just wanted to fall asleep and let everything melt away.
My subconscious, as it always has, decided differently.
Δ▼Δ
An overturned truck that had been speeding down the road was knocked aside by a mortar shell. It violently rolled over several times before landing on its roof. Within seconds it burst into flames. From inside I could hear screams begging for help.
I tried to get close, my squad yelling at me to come back. They said it was too dangerous, but I didn't stop. The door handle I clasped was burning hot, but I grit through the pain and tried to force the door open. Twisting, shoving, and pushing on the mechanism.
No dice.
"No!" I yelled, leaning back and using my boot in an attempt to break the window. The reinforced glass didn't even crack at my kicks. "Break dammit!"
My yells of frustration overlapped with the screams of the victims inside the overturned car, now an oven that was cooking them alive. The flames flared, and I suddenly felt arms wrap around me and begin pulling me away. I tried to fight them.
"I'm close! I can save them! I can!"
"Let it go, Sarge!"
"No, no! I can save them!" I begged. "Please, I need to… save…"
If I can't save them, then how can I justify all the horrible things I did?
The car exploded into a brilliant ball of flames and light.
The image of that sight would permanently burn itself into my retinas. Something I would relive whenever I closed my eyes for years to come, and would most likely continue to see until my dying breath. The bright sparks fall to the ground and dissipated like dying stars. And with it, any sense of redemption I could have achieved.
I don't know who said it, but one of my squadmates whispered to me.
"Come on Sarge, snap out of it! We can't save everyone. Sarge, stop it! We can't save em all."
Δ▼Δ
When I opened my eyes, I was faced with black spots all over my vision that slowly faded away.
It was 6:55AM.
Rumi was nowhere to be seen in the apartment, which I found to be strange.
That's right. It was Tuesday, wasn't it? Her classes started an hour earlier today.
I cleaned up and slowly walked through the house, grabbing myself a donut I had kept in the fridge two nights before. I turned on the coffee maker and sat down on the couch to catch the news as the drink brewed. There was a debate going on and the two speakers seemed to be really getting into it.
I chewed slowly, my molars moving in cyclic crushing impacts; the cold confectionery had the consistency of an igneous rock.
"With the declining birthrate, our economy is in danger! The previous generation will retire soon, who will fill those positions? We must open up immigration if we wish for Japan to survive!"
What do I do today? I don't have work, Chief forced me to use my paid-time-off hours before HR came down on his head. End of the month stuff was always crazy.
"Opening up immigration would be a disaster. What if the immigrants don't conform to our culture? The crime rate is already increasing throughout the country, do you wish to add more social instability? How will we ensure that we only accept those who are skilled? Isn't it more reasonable to assume they will saturate the unskilled job market? Think about the poor and the less fortunate who cry for the opportunity for work to make a living, and how they will watch as migrants come and take their jobs. Do you have no compassion?"
I could go to the shooting range at HQ. Or the gym. Actually, should I go for a run? Haven't done that in a while.
"You talk about suffering and compassion? Are you going to ignore the thousands of refugees that line our coasts, who risked their lives and endured many hardships just so they could keep their right to live? What about them? If they can be an asset to Japan, then we should consider all of our options, we are running out of time, and being picky will only serve to exacerbate our ability to weather the storm! As always, you are ignoring the issue at hand: Japan can no longer support the isolationist lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. What use is there in placing our people first when our country will fall before they do?"
I could get some headway into that Bertrand Russell book I bought… on second thought I'm not in the mood for long-winded philosophical rambling. I should probably catch up on some paperwork...
Never mind, I felt like I want to move about. Run along the river and stop thinking for a while. Sounded amazing right now.
"Japan is for the Japanese! We cannot afford to think about others when we cannot take care of oursel‒"
This debate was irritating me. Time to switch the channel. I was greeted by a blue and green map of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. A pretty woman with a lot of makeup spoke with an upbeat voice.
"A cold front will be approaching tonight, and due to the heatwave we have experienced the past few days, that front will be running directly into a warm front. Expect to see heavy showers and lightning over the Tokyo, Chiba, and Saitama area. Don't forget your umbrellas!"
Forget my umbrella, I did.
I took my gun instead.
Arc 1: "Detective Hikigaya Hachiman"
Author's Note:
This might be a controversial chapter, and I was very nervous about posting it. How would the fanbase react to such an extreme Hachiman? But my editors made the argument that maintaining the integrity of my vision for this narrative was paramount.
So here it is: a pivotal moment that will affect Hachiman and his relationships, even rekindle old ones. Some may argue that what I have attributed to Hachiman is out of character. For those that feel this way, I ask you to reserve opinions until the end of Arc 1.
The courtroom layout in the story is American as opposed to Japanese. Call it cultural bias, but I think the American set up is a lot more tense and makes it much easier to tell a compelling story.
-SouBU
(Editor: XioKenji)
(BetaReader: Lord of Admirals 412)
Revision Log:
03/17/2020: Re-uploaded with overhaul of tenses and changes in word choice and sentence structure as well as major grammar fixes.