As Fushimi Roku’s words came to an end, the world quieted down.
His brain filtered out the noisy, useless information, reconstructing the flat marble floor. Majestic stone pillars rose from the ground, and the surrounding walls were covered with colorful glass like a Vatican church. The dome was carved with epic masterpieces, from Ancient Rome’s "Twelve Tables" to the "Penalty Book" of the Spring and Autumn period, from Egypt’s "Minis Code" to the "federal regulations" of the United States... Legal articles from ancient to modern times gathered here, forming a throne of judgment from countless classic cases.
The red carpet descended, and the steel long table displayed the seats: Demon Kawai was the plaintiff and plaintiff’s lawyer; Kazama Chihime was the defendant, and Angel was the defense lawyer.
After Fushimi Roku elevated his intelligence to S-Class, he gained a rather special ability, which he named "Judicial Court." It’s somewhat similar to a mind palace, capable of compressing the entire process of appeals, trials, debates, and delivering judgments in his mind. To be precise, this was the first time he ever implemented a true "Heavenly Punishment."
"I had no choice at that time. Is it wrong to want to escape?"
Kazama Chihime gathered her wits, adjusted her breathing, and held her sword in the upper stance, sharp as ever.
Angel raised a hand and presented the argument: "According to Article 36, Item 1 of Japan’s Criminal Code: For acts committed to defend oneself or another’s rights against imminent unlawful infringement, no penalty is imposed; my client acted in self-defense under emergency circumstances, conforming completely to the legal provisions of justifiable defense and emergency evacuation and should not be regarded as a crime!"
Kawai raised a hand in objection: "The opposing counsel claims the defendant’s actions constitute justifiable defense and emergency evacuation. However, this is seriously inconsistent with the facts. Their actions do not align with Japan’s criminal law about justifiable defense and emergency evacuation, and they should bear criminal responsibility according to the law."
"The justifiable defense stipulated in Article 36, Item 1 of Japan’s Criminal Code, is for acts against imminent unlawful infringement to defend oneself or others’ rights when necessary. But in this case, the defendant’s so-called ’defensive actions’ are riddled with unreasonable aspects."
"The persecutory acts of the educational institution had nothing to do with my client. The defendant’s subjective assumption that my client would alert the educational institution shows that the defendant was not acting out of ’necessity’ but had the intention of an active attack. Furthermore, the defendant used extreme measures before the unlawful infringement threatened life safety, clearly exceeding the necessary limit!"
Fushimi Roku knocked the gavel for a recess. He inquired: "In that case, was anyone chasing you at the time? Did Minamoto Naoaki obstruct you?"
Kazama Chihime’s murderous aura was palpable, yet Fushimi Roku remained as calm as water, leaving her puzzled at his fearless composure.
For unknown reasons, she suddenly recalled the entire process of condemning Kamei Yuusaku. She had asked him whether he admitted guilt, and he readily did, without any defense.
Kazama Chihime suddenly understood his feelings back then.
"No," she said honestly.
The last grain of sand slipped down, and the hourglass was empty.
Inside the Judicial Court, the judge knocked the gavel to pronounce judgment.
The sound of unsheathing a blade exploded, the sword light flashing down like a thunderbolt—the cockpit was too narrow for a horizontal slash—only to see Fushimi Roku tilt his head, using the helmet atop his head to block the sword’s edge. Kazama Chihime coldly laughed; how could a construction site plastic helmet withstand...
Fushimi Roku’s helmet split open, the plastic shell shattered and revealed the steel plate underneath. Simultaneously, he squeezed the trigger, hitting Kazama Chihime’s left arm, blood splattering all around.
Her long, narrow eyes finally widened, watching the tachi slip from her grasp.
"Uh, sss, that hurts..."
Fushimi Roku covered his head, rubbing it back and forth. Fortunately, the plastic shell cushioned the force; otherwise, he’d likely have ended up with a concussion. Even so, the impact made him grimace like Tom Cat, in pain and possibly with skin breaking and swelling.
Before Kazama Chihime could recover, he continued to shoot in bursts, successively breaking Kazama Chihime’s calf, right forearm, and left palm. She staggered, retreating step by step, collapsing near the control desk like a puppet with cut strings, her limbs no longer obeying her commands.
At such close range, with his arm extended, the gun barrel almost touched Kazama Chihime’s body. If he couldn’t hit the target from here, he might as well just, well, die.
Firing eight bullets in succession, emptying the magazine, none hit a vital point.
Kazama Chihime slumped to one side, panting heavily, pleading, "I, I realize my mistakes... Give me a chance to reform... At that time, it was indeed out of desperation... Aren’t you also passionate about Heavenly Punishment? I understand you, I can be your assistant and help you execute evil-doers..."
Fushimi Roku turned a deaf ear, squatting down, and asked, "Do you know why I didn’t aim for the head?"
"Be-because... you want to spare my life?" Kazama Chihime said.
"Wrong. I need to jump out of the car while you’re still alive. When we fall at high speed, your body will instinctively cling to me, which is why I deliberately didn’t shoot your thighs or upper arms."
After Fushimi Roku finished speaking, he tore a piece of cloth to gag Kazama Chihime, preventing her from biting him before her demise.
Then, to prevent separation during the jump, Fushimi Roku carried Kazama Chihime, wearing a coat, with both arms through the sleeves, zipping it in the middle, just like elementary school students sharing a piece of clothing, encasing both of them together.
Kazama Chihime struggled in terror, letting out muffled cries, but it was futile. Her forearm tendons were damaged, and coupled with excessive blood loss, she was too weak to exert any force.
Fushimi Roku, carrying Kazama Chihime, stood on the edge of the cabin, turning to make a jumping motion: "One, two, three! Here we go!!"
He jumped out of the cabin, falling backward with his body curled into a ball, drawing an arc in mid-air.
Kazama Chihime wanted to push Fushimi Roku away, but her body’s instinct for survival made her thighs reflexively clamp onto Fushimi Roku’s waist, her upper arms involuntarily wrapping tightly around him.
Kazama Chihime landed on her back, making a dull sound like the explosion of flesh and bones.
After the first impact, Fushimi Roku rolled on the track to dissipate the force. Their bodies, like a mass of flesh, bounced a couple of times in the snow, rolling rapidly. A series of dull sounds of breaking bones were heard, leaving a long bloody trail on the ground.
Dozens of seconds later, inertia was neutralized, and they finally came to a stop.
Fushimi Roku managed to flip over, gasping for air, while behind him, Kazama Chihime had been smashed into a pulp.
"Indeed... size does have its advantages."
Fushimi Roku gave Chihime-brand cushioning a good review.