The Seriousness of the Adult
No way; he won’t be able to see through me to my motives, right? Because it’s my inner problem. Unless he’s psychic, it’s absolutely impossible.
“You’d just be imposing your delusions as facts.”
I say this coldly.
“Yes, that may be so. Now let’s check it. At first glance, you seem to have no motive for bullying Aono Eiji, a cute junior member of your club. The other members of the club said the same thing. You and Aono-kun were close, like sister and brother. They said that you, the club manager, might also be affected by these rumors; You felt betrayed by Aono-kun, so you tried to get rid of him.”
Yes, if he continues like this, I will be in a much better position.
I hope so.
“But I don’t think so.”
It’s like falling from heaven to hell.
“… Why?”
“First of all, in this case, your treatment of Aono Eiji is understandable if we consider it as revenge for being betrayed. But you are too obsessed with him. For a writer, a manuscript is probably the most important thing next to life. You dared to get rid of it.”
Like a magician explaining the tricks of a magic trick, the logic unfolds fluidly.
“Let’s say, wasn’t your eagerness to throw away Aono-kun’s manuscript a kind of compensatory act? That’s what I immediately thought. Then what was this act of compensation for? In such cases, it is either resentment or jealousy that drives people to madness. And you probably had both towards Aono Eiji. For example, you were jealous of his novel talent and resented him.”
“…”
I gasp. Why, how did he get to this point?
“Then a kind of logic emerges in your behavior. You are a brilliant and talented woman who has won numerous awards for your fiction and essays. You must have had great confidence in your writing, but you feel inferior to someone younger than you. It must have been excruciatingly painful for the younger you.”
Stop it; I don’t need your shallow pity.
“That’s why you were so obsessed with his manuscript, the symbol of Aono Eiji’s talent. To the point where you wanted to throw it all away.”
“You’re just delusional….”
“Yes, it is just a delusion. But, you see, I have another proof. Actually, miraculously, only one of Aono-kun’s manuscripts survived. This is a copy of that manuscript. Of course, as the manager of the club, you have read this manuscript.”
It was the original manuscript that became the prototype for his online novel. The damn thing. Why…?
“E-eh, well, I’m glad one of them is safe.”
“Yeah. Good. But this is what pushed you over the edge. Actually, we have already identified your web novel account. You have posted several short stories in the past few days.”
“H-have you read them?”
Don’t come to me with your feet in the dirt. Don’t.
“Of course, I read them. I’m no expert, but Aono-kun’s novels had a big influence on them. Even I, a layman, can understand that.”
“…”
“What is interesting is that after Aono-kun posted his novel on the web, you wrote this one to follow it. It is as if you were competing with him….”
My mind is in a state of chaos.
“You shouldn’t take adults seriously; we know you’ve been following Aono-kun for several days as if you’re stalking him. You also went to the cafe where Aono-kun had a meeting with the editor. The GPS on your phone, the electronic payment history, and the testimony of the waitress. All of this is indirect evidence of your obsession with him. You were jealous of your junior’s talent and tried to destroy him, only to be defeated. It all started with your jealousy. Am I right?”
I thought I could manipulate people to do what I wanted.
But I realized that was just the shallow wisdom of a child.
Even my novel. There is nothing left for me.
“…”
Unspeakable screams and cries echoed through the interrogation room. I was ashamed and cried like a child. I tried to say something back, but I couldn’t get my words out.
I was forced to understand that I really was a child. pathetic clown who had continued down the spiral staircase of humiliation and shame only to face her own demise.
My heart began to break completely.
“It’s over. Let’s take a short break.”
The detective said so and left.