My Knife Pointing At Your Heart

CHAPTER 28

Chapter 28: Pippi's Story

The Dungeon

Koka jolted awake. Her head throbbed, and the harsh taste of the fabric filled her mouth. She tried to move, but her wrists were bound tightly behind a heavy wooden chair.

Across the dim room, illuminated by a single flickering bulb, a girl sat on a rusted cot, turning the page of a book.
"You're awake?"

The girl looked up. It was Pippi. But she looked different pale, thinner, like a ghost haunting her own life.

"You might have a lot of questions," Pippi said softly, closing her book. "Don't worry. I will answer them all."

Pippi stood up, her movements slow and resigned. She walked over to Koka and gently untied the cloth gag, pulling it down around Koka’s neck.

Koka coughed, gasping for air. "Pippi...? Is that really you? Where am I?"

"We are underneath the school," Pippi whispered, glancing at the heavy iron door. "Just do what I say, keep your voice down, and we might survive the day."
Koka nodded slowly, terrorly gripping her chest.

The Hospital - Exterior

Yurika stood by the window of her hospital room, buttoning her school blazer. The four days were up. The police had found no body, no weapon linking her to a murder, and no motive that stuck.

"Ms. Saisho," the officer said, opened the door. "You are cleared of charges. You are free to go."

Yurika exhaled, a sharp breath of relief. I survived the deadline.

She grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, her face set in a mask of cold indifference. But as she stepped through the hospital's main entrance, the world exploded into light.

Flash! Flash! Flash!

A swarm of reporters and cameramen surged forward, blocked only by hospital security.

"Ms. Saisho! Were you really released?!"
"Did you kill Mrs. Hanada?!"
"They say you're a monster! How do you sleep at night?"
"Is it true you're a psychopath?"

Microphones were shoved in her face. The questions were like daggers. Yurika stopped for a brief second, the camera flashes reflecting in her deadpan eyes. She didn't speak. She didn't defend herself. She simply pushed past them, entering the waiting taxi with the poise of a villain who didn't care what the world thought.

Let them hate me, she thought as the car pulled away. Hatred is better than pity.

The Dungeon

"The reason we are here... is that we are liabilities," Pippi said. Her voice was hollow, echoing off the damp concrete walls. "We are bound to die eventually."
Koka’s eyes widened. "What?"
Pippi sat back on her cot, hugging her knees. "After what I did to Sumire... the guilt ate me alive. I had no reason to live anymore."

Koka leaned forward as much as the ropes would allow. "What do you mean?"
"I was selfish," Pippi confessed, staring at the floor. "I lusted for attention. I wanted to be seen. Especially by... Jokichi."

She took a shaky breath. "The guilt of hurting Sumire was too much. I tried to kill myself multiple times in the weeks following the incident. And then, one morning... I succeeded. Or I thought I did."

Pippi looked up, her eyes haunted. "My heart stopped beating. My mother found me. She rushed me to the clinic,
screaming. They managed to resuscitate me, but for a few minutes, I was dead."
"So... the news report about your death..." Koka whispered.

"My mother seized the opportunity," Pippi said, tears beginning to spill. "She declared me dead to the public. She told me it was to protect me from the police, to hide my crime. But I don't think that's the whole truth. I think she did it to protect her image... and to protect the school's reputation."

Pippi wiped her face. "I was kept in a safe house for a while. But then, men I didn't know came. They took me from my mother. They brought me here. I realized then... if I am still alive, I am leveraged. Someone is using me to control my mother."

Koka couldn't believe it. "Those people... they aren't human." She paused, her mind racing. "Pippi, about that night with Sumire. You said you felt guilty. But what exactly happened?"

Pippi hesitated, her hands trembling. "I attacked her. I admit that. We were arguing on the stairs. I swung the trophy... I sliced her neck."
"And then?"

"She fell. She was bleeding, but she was moving. I panicked. I dropped the trophy and ran away. I went home and waited for the police to come arrest me. But they never came."

Koka’s brow furrowed. "Pippi... the news report said Sumire was found with a piece of the trophy embedded in her skull. It was a fatal blow."

Pippi looked up, confused. "What? No... I dropped the trophy on the landing. I didn't stab her. I just slashed her."
The realization hit them both at the same time. The silence in the room was deafening.

"Someone else was there," Koka whispered. "You started it... but someone else finished the job."

Pippi buried her face in her hands. "Even so... I am the reason she was vulnerable. I am still a killer."

Koka shook her head. "There are bigger sinners than you in this school, Pippi. We need to find the truth."

Pippi looked at Koka through her tears. "You asked about Jokichi... Do you have feelings for him?"

Koka froze. The question hung in the air, triggering a memory.

Flashback: Three Weeks Ago

The sun was high over Shizuku Academy. Mino had found Koka in the hallway.
"Koka... I believe Sumire had an interest in Jokichi before she died," Mino had said.

Intrigued, Koka followed Mino’s tip to the Left Wing Garden. There, sitting on a stone bench under a cherry blossom tree, was Jokichi. He was reading a book, looking peaceful amidst the chaos of the school.

"So that's Jokichi?" Koka murmured to herself. "He looks innocent enough. Maybe I can use him for information."
She put on her best smile and approached him. "Jokichi? Am I right?"
He looked up, blinking. "Hmm.. You are right. You're Koka Binata. Leader of the Drama Club, right?"

Koka nodded, sitting beside him. They talked for a while about classes, the weather, and trivial things. Koka found herself surprisingly disarmed by his gentle nature. He wasn't like the other boys who postured or bragged. He was kind.

She decided to test him.
"Do you know Sumire? Sumire Nikayawa?"

Jokichi’s face went pale. The light left his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Koka said quickly, feigning regret. "I didn't mean to trigger you."

"No, it's totally fine," Jokichi said, his voice quiet.

"You two were close, weren't you?"
"Yeah," Jokichi smiled sadly. "She was... clumsy. But she had this aura. She was so approachable. She was like family to everyone around her, even if she could be a bit much sometimes. She had a good heart."

He looked up at the blue sky, watching the clouds drift by. "I hope she's happy. Wherever she is."

Koka stared at his profile. She saw the genuine pain in his eyes. It wasn't an act.
"You wish to meet her again?" Koka asked softly.

"Yeah," Jokichi sighed. "But that will never happen. I just hope she finds peace."

Koka looked down at her hands, her manipulative mask slipping for the first time. He really loved her.

No.

romantically, perhaps, but purely.
"If the sinners finally get punished," Koka said, looking at him with a newfound intensity, "she will find justice. I hope that happens for you."

The Dungeon - Present Day

Koka stared at the damp floor, the memory of Jokichi’s sad smile burned into her mind.

Pippi was watching her, waiting for the answer.

Koka took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yeah," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I do have feelings for him. And I think... that's why we have to survive this."

TO BE CONTINUED