Devil's Wonderland

Kitano

Halo Nineteen: Kitano:

"If you had the chance to punish who hurt your daughter, would you take it?" Kitano asked. He sat across from a woman in her forties. She kept her eyes down in her lap. This question always came up during their sessions.

"W-W-Why?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"We're just having a conversation," he said. She glanced up at him quickly before looking down. It never felt like it to her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," the woman said.

"Just be honest," Kitano said. His client shiver as she bit on her thumb.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Have you thought about what all her classmates did to her online?"

"Yes." The woman's tiny hands started to tremble. "All of those hurtful things they said online. They made it worse at school." She fought back the urge to scream.

"Why didn't I listen to her that day?!" the woman wailed. "If I hadn't pushed her to go to school that day... If I had just stayed with her... If I had just..."

"It is not your fault. We've been over this."

"Yes. Not all suicidal people give off the same warning signs."

"I know." The woman fidgeted with her hands before slamming down in her lap again. "It's just... I feel so powerless. Some of them were laughing and joking at her funeral. They just pretended they were sad. It just made me so mad!" She took in a deep breath as the anger started to boil.

"I understand."

"I wanted to hurt them so badly then and there."

"And how about now?"

The woman dropped her hands on her lap. Her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what to do!"

Kitano handed her a tissue. "Here. Go ahead and cry. Let it all out. Cry if you have to." His patient broke down sobbing. Kitano took notes the whole time. This one would perfect but she just needed a little more work. She had the sorrow and rage but it wasn't strong enough to how he wanted it.

-Tomoya and Shuichi-

The boys made their way towards Akihabara. Their target's last known address was located around there. Shuichi looked at Tomoya's back.

"What's the action plan?" he asked. The other tadpole didn't speak. Shuichi frowned. What was with this guy? He could never get this guy to talk. Tomoya always kept to himself in the base. Shuichi puffed up his cheeks.

"Come on, man," he complained. "Say something!"

"I want to use him for something," Tomoya said at last. Shuichi tilted his head.

"So you can talk," he said.

"Shut up," Tomoya said. The other tadpole put up his hands.

"Okay, okay," Shuichi said. "Geez, you don't have to be ugly about it. I just want to know what we're doing. How are we going to take out this guy?" Tomoya stopped in his tracks. Shuichi lifted his head.

"Tomoya?" he asked.

"We won't," he said. "Not yet anyway."

"Huh?" Shuichi asked. Suddenly, both men froze. That old chill ran up their spines.

"Another one?" Shuichi asked. "Where?" They looked around. Tomoya finally pointed across the street.

"There?" Shuichi asked. His companion nodded once. He and the other tadpole looked up at the apartment.