Akame ga kill x Ashura

Kil the greed

The first few rays of light dyed the cobblestone streets in their tender shade on this freezing morning in March as most of the traditional district still laid dormant, except for a few working, law-abiding citizens. 

“How dare you show up this early at my home?” Mr. Horimiya hissed in a more or less sleep drunk tone. 

“Ginkgo Horimiya, you are under arrest for the murder of your wife Chise Horimiya. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say, can and will be used against you.” Hachirō declared as the familiar metallic noise clicked in Tatsumi’s ears. 

“Hmm, father… what’s going on here?” His son in pajamas yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as if to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. 

“Shinji…” Tatsumi exhaled. “Can you bring your sister with you? We need to ask your father a few questions at the department.” 

The boy glanced once more at the sight of his father in handcuffs and then back at Tatsumi. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Will father… you know…” 

“Don’t you dare tell these dilettantes a word! You know nothing. Am I understood?” 

“Yes, father.” 

He vanished back into the house to do as the officer had asked. 

*****

Tatsumi slowly passed through the door leading into that claustrophobic gray box they use for interrogations. 

“You have detained my client on- I don’t even know what to call this. Flimsy, circumstantial evidence at best. If this goes to court, I will have Mr. Horimiya returned home as a free man and you sued for defamation on the same day.” The attorney sternly reprimanded the officer across from him, while Mr. Horimiya was merely casting him a sidelong glance.

Tatsumi gulped as quietly as possible, yet he was certain they both spotted the dead giveaway of his insecurity. “Look, you may be right if you look at the evidence in isolation, but-” 

“No ‘but’. The evidence is too thin and you have unjustly detained Mr. Horimiya.” The lawyer interrupted. His smug expression only widened, now that he caught the scent of a quick and easy victory like a bloodhound his next meal. In that regard lawyers and animals were exactly the same. 

“In isolation the evidence doesn’t look like much, but-”

“You are wasting our time, officer. This widower placed his trust in you, the police, to apprehend the murderer of his wife for goodness sake! Yet you come up with baseless claims and even have the audacity to drag Mr. Horimiya’s reputation through the dirt by making him the prime suspect of this so-called investigation.” 

Tatsumi brought his fist down on the table. “Let me finish, goddamnit!” Breath exhaled. “All the evidence we have suggests that Mr. Horimiya killed his wife.” 

“What evidence?” The lawyer demanded rhetorically. “You have a few witness accounts at most. And you based your case on what? My client’s tax declaration? Not to mention that it was perfectly legal, supervising my client’s economic circumstances is not your responsibility.” 

“Your client over there is the only one with a motive. He doubled his wife’s life insurance, shortly before she was murdered.” 

The lawyer sighed and rolled his eyes. “If that was true, then every spouse in this country would be under suspicion of having a motive for murder.”

“So you mean to tell me that your client over there doubled his wife’s life insurance just because he felt like it?” 

“My client and his wife only had their children’s financial security in mind when doing that. Can you blame the man for that?”