Chapter Six: Curse
When L woke up, the child was standing in front of him with a knife raised. The blade pointed downwards, toward his heart.
In the early morning, the Freedom House was filled with children's discussions.
B listened with bated breath and found that they were talking about L. Several furry heads gathered together, chattering about him, becoming more and more excited. So secret discussions turned into loud discussions. Even the autistic children stopped eating, holding the candy wrappers in their mouths, and listened attentively.
"He's an egomaniac..." They chattered endlessly about L's narcissistic past. "Don't you think L always puts on the face of 'he knows everything and knows more than anyone else'? When someone talks to him, he will show a look of disdain, as if he is disdainful. Even his hair is anti-gravity. of..."
Yes, L is like this.
"He's got a lot of problems. He only eats sweets -" the kids around him say "What? Why?!" "How do you know he only eats this?" " voice. "He once asked me to be responsible for purchasing for him. There are just different kinds of sugar. "
Gradually, the conversation deviated from the focus, and they even started to say that L was not human.
"He is a robot. Because he has no expression and cannot smile." "Have you not seen him smile?" "Absolutely not." "If he smiled -" "Oh my God!" The children showed a horrified expression. , as if that was the scariest thing in the world.
One experience was the last time we were short of money at Freedom House, the children were so hungry that they had to steal from a convenience store. Then, L asked them to return the things, including compensation for the theft.
"What, he actually let you do that!? He is really..." "He is just a hypocrite, isn't he?"
"But the money was given to me by L."
The children were quiet. A black-haired child was chewing marshmallows and said, "Then do you know how L makes money?"
Nobody knows. The silence of this moment was as if he had brought up the emergency of Freedom House. Everyone was silent.
"Who knows. Money is not a big deal to L. Nothing is a big deal."
"He looks down on everyone..." "Yes, that's right."
"So L should be taught a lesson." "But no one can beat him."
"So," the boy with short yellow hair said thoughtfully, "we have to give him a stumbling block."
This piqued everyone's interest.
"How to do?"
"Hey," he smiled, excited at the mention of this vicious topic. "Although that guy can beat one person, if a group of people come together, can he still beat him?"
"Also... have you ever seen L teach adults a lesson? He just bullies us kids."
"I've never seen him hurt."
"That's because he won't let you see it! Idiot!" He gestured with his middle finger and said, "I suggest that we go together, and then-"
"No." The black-haired boy said calmly and seriously, swallowing another marshmallow. "L prohibits violence."
A group of people showed expressions of hatred for steel.
"L taught us to be tolerant and friendly. He didn't say this himself, but he wrote the admonitions in the 'Freedom House Check-in Manual'." "...You actually read about that brick?! It is said that it stinks It's long, like legal provisions…"
...manual? B pricked up his ears. It seems that these people came in a different way than him. In a sense, he was "directly admitted" by L. Immediate residents, not children who come in "vetted".
"Yes, violence is bad." He said seriously, "I agree with L on this point."
"—You are a hopeless algae-head."
The chatter became quieter, but the children still didn't give up the idea of framing L. They went the other way...
"Like, let's drop a bucket of dirty water on the way in?"
"Stealing clothes in the shower?"
"Put super glue where he sits."
"It's useless. L will find out, you idiot, it's all too obvious." "Then what should I do?!"
"It would be nice if L had something he valued. He certainly doesn't have anyone he values, but if he has that thing, destroy it."
B listened, his smile gradually weakened. He was leaning against the door of the restaurant, hiding behind the shadows. There was laughter inside the door. He walked away.
He walked aimlessly here and found that there were no photos or framed things in the corridor. The wooden floor creaked as he walked by, and the old smell of book printing paper floated in the air.
B paces outside. M wasn't there, but he found a red skateboard against the wall.
—He is so thoughtful.
B didn't say anything. He slid on a nearby slope for a while, heading towards the city.
He wandered around the city center, but the crowds and noise didn't awaken his senses. It's too heavy here, too wet, too closed, and there's an inextricable feeling of cramping.
The field of vision was filled with red.
He did not find L or the private car.
L came back earlier than yesterday. He walked in slowly, not wearing the dark brown windbreaker, which made Backup feel a lot more comfortable. B peeked at L's upper body wrapped in a thin shirt almost greedily.
From that moment on, something started to change...not at first.
When he first came to Freedom House, L was just an ordinary, strange, and annoying kid. Now he is his enemy, a detective, a friend, a guy who for some reason has strong feelings for him, like a family member.
really weird. It's obviously only a few days, only a few hours. Where does this feeling come from?
His eyes were glued to L's back like a snake, and then he quietly approached L as if he was trying to catch prey.
"This morning," L said suddenly, "I haven't punished you yet B. Should I be grateful that you didn't do anything?"
"Yes. I've always been curious. How did you manage to fall asleep next to me, knowing that I was in danger?"
"I didn't fall asleep." L said. "I'm pretending to sleep."
B's expression changed.
But soon he showed a devilish smile. "Then you heard it."
"Yes."
"Do you have any thoughts on this L?" B slowly pulled out the knife from behind. Yes, he picked it back up and stuck it behind his back. As he walked, it rubbed against the already damaged skin covered with knife marks.
"I'm very interested." L said. "But a sneak attack isn't fair, Backup. I'll fight you squarely."
"Fair and upright...?"
The young man walked towards his junk pile, rummaged through it, and actually found a knife. This knife with cold light was a little smaller than the one in B's hand. A butterfly saber.
"I didn't expect you to use a knife." Backup smiled in surprise.
"I know more than you think." The wolf-like black-haired child said. "But I don't think we can be here..." He looked around. "So, come outside with me."
no problem.
Fighting - of course B wants it.
So as they walked forward, B walked forward with the knife like a real murderer, with a standard grip - able to stab and stab harder. "L, how do you want to start? Is this a competition with me? Combat training? You know, I can't thrust hard enough against you..."
"And I don't want to actually attack you. You're special to me."
L's footsteps paused. He exposed his back to B, as if he was not afraid of being attacked suddenly, or had the confidence to defend himself at any time.
Give B the bait to take the bait.
"What if you hurt me once and I answer you a question?"
Ah—B wants to start licking the tip of the knife. He looked at L with interest and evil.
"Deal. You treat me the same way. Is this an upgraded version of the truth-telling game?" "But I have a doubt. What if someone isn't telling the truth..."
"The rule is you can lie. But you can't avoid the problem."
"good."
L turned around, exposing his vitals, probably preparing for a fight. His back straightened, his eyes were cold and stern, like a leopard's—well, L was serious.
"Actually, L doesn't need to play this game with me. Because if L asks the question, I can answer anything." B spread his hands.
"Come on. Attack." L glanced at him coldly, and he stood there with flaws all over his body. B's hand holding the knife froze for a moment. When he saw the green lawn, he briefly thought of L falling to the ground in a pool of blood. It pained him and turned him on.
B— rushed over.
"How do you know I don't know how to use a knife?"
When he was younger, he used a knife to break down insects. The same knife cut up moths, butterflies, and spiders. He cut open a white rabbit with a knife. His hands were stained with slimy guts. He cuts himself with a knife.
But B showed mercy after all. He didn't aim at L's heart but his limbs. He wanted L to feel pain, but not to be injured. Want to fight, not revenge. He used his leg muscles to run to L's side, raised the knife and let the blade pierce L's shoulder - the next second, he was grabbed by another knife.
A crisp crashing sound.
"You did a good job." The boy praised him sarcastically. "It would be better if it were harder."
L, who said this, responded with a more brutal blow. Although B had time to dodge, he could not completely dodge it. L's knife slid down along B's shoulder and made a long mark on his right arm.
Blood gushes out quickly, soaking his clothes. Sharp pain exploded in the wound.
The child with red eyes did not moan or whimper. He took a step back and pressed the bleeding area with his other hand. The corner of his mouth opened into a surprised arc, "I didn't expect, L...you moved." For real?!"
It's more of a compliment than a surprise. "You can really hurt people. Can you still call yourself a detective like this? Isn't that a just existence? Can you still call yourself righteous like this?"
"My dream does not exist for justice, but for myself." L's dark pupils were emotionless. "You owe me an answer."
From the terrifying aura emanating from L's body, B understood that this was a duel, not a game, and L was serious about it...
This is not good. L attacked him, but he didn't want L to be really hurt.
Backup pursed his lips. L stood there with no intention of attacking. He looked like a puppet with part of his soul removed under the gloomy sky. His face was sad. His eyes were fixed on B, and murderous intent emerged. B laughed out loud.
"Gaga! Gahahaha!" He understood that L was inviting him to attack and would only respond when he attacked.
So B ran to him. B ran towards him with the idea of splitting, cutting off and swallowing L. Not with hands but with a blade. If you don't hurt others, you will be hurt. If you don't fight back, you will die. The excitement made his adrenaline surge, and he stabbed L in the heart.
L disappeared.
He disappeared so quickly - like a ghost - from B's front.
His fighting skills are extremely proficient, and he also has a beast-like intuition, as if he knows where B will stab him.
B used his peripheral vision to search for B's shadow, only to see the coldly shining blade - kicked away by L.
The young man's black eyes were like black gems emerging from the abyss.
"...Before arriving at Skidrow, I was a gangster on the streets. They despised head-on confrontation and liked to play tricks on others..." It was L's gentle breath in his ear. "During that time, we used guns instead of knives..."
B's head buzzed, like molten wire stretching in, hissing and turning. And gangsters...? With a real gun? Is L interfering with him with lies? So if that's true...
L held the general's sword against his neck, and the blade opened like a butterfly. He manipulated it and made a shallow stroke.
—Yes, if it is true. There was no way he could beat L.
Before B's inner whisper ended, his world turned upside down. B was not afraid of being killed, nor was he afraid of pain, but the dizziness of his brain hitting the ground prevented him from recovering for a long time. When his vision cleared, he saw L kneeling in front of him, with his hands raised, the blade pointed toward his heart.
Ah...that's the exact same posture he used against L this morning.
L is taking revenge.
"...Childish ghost..." He thought and said the same thing.
"What's the matter, L?" The boy smiled, showing his white teeth, and his eyes curved into crescents, "Poke it down."
"..."
"Keep cutting me. Please."
"..."
"Please."
"You've already lost, B."
"Oh? You're not interested in prey that doesn't resist." Backup caught his eye. "I thought you wanted to ask me a lot of questions. Aren't you going to use violence and blood in exchange for more opportunities to ask questions?"
"Yeah." "But my test is over." "And B is also injured."
Only then did the leopard-like wildness disappear from L's eyes, and he returned to his lazy image, not even bothering to raise his voice. When the boy is serious, L with his back to the sun and overlooking him is the most perfect and eternal existence.
"Will you bandage me?"
"..." L blinked slowly. Is that consent or rejection?
The scene was frozen in the boy's eyes like slow motion. "you will."
"Answer my question first, Backup." L noticed that the knife that had just cut the side of Backup was obviously dripping with blood. Even after shaking it in the air, it didn't clean up. He squatted down and patiently wiped the blood on it. Backup clothes.
- Well, another revenge. In this way, is the debt between us considered to be paid off?
"First of all..." L said, "your real name is Beyond Birthday."
"That's right."
"Your sister, or your adoptive parents' daughter, is called Ellina."
"That's right." He sneered sarcastically. "You keep asking irrelevant questions."
And it's all Yes or No.
L pondered for a moment, "So has B ever experienced domestic violence? I mean, did your adoptive family—your adoptive father—beat you?"
"You want to ask me where those scars on my back came from, L. Well, I can only tell you that they were cuts. Also, it's not just my back, it's all over my body."
B lifted up his sleeves, revealing a brand new wound that had scabbed recently. The vertical and horizontal blades were like an abstract painting, entangled in his pale skin.
The flaxen-haired boy smiled brightly, as if it was something to be proud of.
"When Mr. and Mrs. Braidley died," L's expression remained unchanged, as cold as a sculpture. "The whole body was covered with stab wounds, and there were fatal toxins in the body. The legs were smashed and twisted into two balls of meat. Before that, the gas stove It exploded." Because the scene was too bloody, the police did not publish the picture anywhere. "How do you think they died?"
"It's really an open question." However, it was too vague. Too vague!
"It's too vague, L, and you're off topic again. As I said, it's not the tricks that really matter... they're always going to die because the gas stove is bound to explode by then. What really matters is... ..."
motivation. That's right, "motivation."
L's expression was almost confused. The boy smiled more and more cheerfully. "You only hurt me twice, but you asked me four questions. Isn't this a bit unfair?"
"...Can you make up for the two attacks you missed?"
Like a seriously mentally ill patient, L glanced at him, as if he was really offended. His tone became a little angry. "Bradiley's death was murder."
"Obviously," Backup smiled.
"So, is Ellina's death also a murder? Under what circumstances did she fall into the river?"
"I don't know." "..." "Why do you think I know, L. I am a 9-year-old poor orphan who is missing. I was not frightened by the news and cried for my mother. It's good enough."
"..."
L sighed. "Get up."
He pulled him up, and B felt more blood flow from his bleeding arm. It was getting late too.
"Only the last day left, L, don't you have anything to say?"
"You can make a request." "I agree."
They walked back to the Freedom House together, the orange light overflowing from the window, looking warm in the dark night.
"Then I don't want to take that pill. I want to sleep normally, next to you." Backup lied pretentiously and exaggeratedly, "Because I am a little boy who is afraid of the dark. I am also afraid of loneliness."
"I agree." L said indifferently, grabbed his hand and held his fingers. They intertwined their fingers. L pulled him.
This must be another test, B thought. But he didn't care anymore. He took L's hand and held it tighter and tighter. They were walking down the corridor. The wood creaked again, just like the day I first arrived here.
Through this body temperature, B felt that he was alive again. Although towards death. This is a glimpse of the sun's rays before falling into the abyss.