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“Prosecution, you may start.”
The judge and jury were present. The audience, sitting in the back, were observing and listening closely. And right in the middle, the prosecution and the defense prepared to dispute their case.
The silence was deafening, even after the judge gave the command. It seemed like time had stopped—maybe it really had.
“We hereby accuse Mizuki Akiyama of cold-blood murder.”
“Okay. And how does the defense plead?”
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“Your honor, she has literally murdered him. There is no other alternative.” said the prosecutor, seemingly angry at the fact that this had to even go through a trial.
“Then let me ask you this, Mr. Prosecutor.” Mizuki interrupted, a smile on her face while doing so. “Is it really murder if he isn’t dead? Just that he doesn’t exist anymore?”
“What do you mean by that? Obviously, if he doesn’t exist, then you must have killed him.”
“How, though? How could I have killed him?”
“I do not know. However, you were the only one who could’ve done it.”
“Alright, settle down, folks.” declared the judge. They seemed to be a sensible person. “What evidence do you have, prosecution?”
“Well, first and foremost, he has been missing for two days. He’s a minor; there is no way he could be somewhere we don’t know.” The prosecutor seemed confident in his abilities, trying to argue fairly.
“Are you sure?” The judge looked down at the file, which contained information about this case.
The file displayed the names of the prosecution and defense, and also the people observing and the judge themselves. Interestingly, though…
The prosecution and the defense…
“He’s wrong, for the simple reason that I am the victim.” Mizuki suddenly spoke up, breaking normal court procedure. However, she did not stop.
“W-what?”
“So, yes, technically, sure, I murdered him, as you so claim. However, when did you start caring about it? Last night? Two hours ago, when this file was handed to you?”
“I, uh…”
“And what’s with the absurdity of saying I murdered him? I didn’t—I am the result of his giving up. He was tired, and I am now the person replacing him.”
“But… But I’m sure he wanted to live! And you took that away from him! You took him away from us!”
“Oh, so that’s what this is about, huh. Well, let me tell you something; I didn’t take him away. You just think that I have. After all, I am him. And whether you like it or not, he’s not coming back.”
“Well-”
“Come on, now. Tell me: you don’t care if he lived or not. You didn’t care if he was happy, if he was sad, if he felt bad about the people at school, if he felt bad about not fitting in, if he felt sick and nasty at the thought of being in his own body, forced by societal norms to ‘fit in’. No, you didn’t care about him at all; you only care because you’d rather see me gone than actually getting him back.”
“...”
“Let me tell you a story then, if that doesn’t convince you.” Mizuki turned towards the jury, who were very interested in what she was about to say.
In the middle of nowhere, he stood.
An invisible barrier stood before him. It seemed like water, it felt like water—but was it really water? He didn’t know.
He put a hand through it: it was as if it was a completely different world. And it felt… good. It felt nice. It felt like that was where he belonged.
Excited, he crossed the barrier. It was a beautiful world; a world where he’d enjoy being forever.
However…
So weird.
Why are you wearing that?
Dude, just be normal.
…to his surprise, the people of that world were not kind enough to let him into that world.
But he persevered. He stayed there, trying his best to still enjoy that world, to still think positively and wear what he liked. However, he couldn’t take it anymore; and he was forced to go back through that barrier, back to that empty, desolate nowhere.
But this time, he wasn’t alone. Someone was there—someone he cared about a lot.
“It’s fine to be yourself,” they said.
And so, he decided, once and for all, that he’d go through the barrier. There would be no going back. Even if he regretted it, even if he’d get hurt again and again…
That is where I truly belong.
And so, he went through the barrier again. While yes, the people were rude, constantly throwing insults at him, he persevered. And, before she knew it, the barrier had disappeared. She was now in this world, and she would stay here forever.
Even if it hurt.
“You get it now?” Mizuki spoke to the entire jury. She was still smiling; not a smile of happiness, but a smile of determination. A smile of triumph. “So, execute me. Try to. But then, the murder is yours; I did nothing about it.”
“...” The prosecution remained silent. There wasn’t much he could do against her defense.
“So, esteemed members of the jury, it is quite a simple choice.”
Her, or him.