A/N: Sa pagsusulat, bawat saloobin at komento ay parang liwanag sa madilim na landas ng isang manunulat. Nagbibigay-init sa kanyang kaisipan at patnubay sa galaw ng kanyang pluma. Ang inyong mga salita ay hindi lamang mga tinig sa katahimikan kundi mga maliwanag na bituin na naglalakbay sa landas ng manunulat, nagtutulak sa kanya na tahakin ang kahabaan ng imahinasyon. Sa bawat komento, isang bagong himig ng inspirasyon at pampatibay-loob ang nabubuo sa puso ng manunulat, nagbibigay-buhay sa kanyang likha. Kaya't huwag kalimutang mag-iwan ng inyong komento sa bawat akda. Bilyong salamat!
CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNING:
Within this chapter lies content of a sensitive nature that has the potential to cause distress for some readers. This content covers, but is not restricted to, depictions and references to death, self-harm, suicide, explicit violence, sexual assault, and the use of explicit language, among other topics. I respectfully request that you exercise caution when engaging with these sensitive subjects and be mindful of any personal triggers they may provoke.
Furthermore, it is advised to engage in self-care practices before, during, and after reading.
Keep in mind that there might be some typos and grammar mistakes in the text. Don't worry, though - we're all human and these things happen! Just keep your eyes peeled and enjoy the content.
" Not everything that the eye sees is real."
CHAPTER 4: THE UNBOTHERED KING
ELLIE REIGN MORRIS
"The person who attacked and killed the victim was none other than Aliyah Buenaventura," Hiyaschi revealed vehemently.
And my eyes dilated as I turned to Aliyah.
While Aliyah was staggered by what she heard.
"What? Wha-what non-nonsense are you talking about?" Aliyah asked stammeringly.
"You are a benighted murderer pretending to be a sleuth," Hiyaschi stated with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"You psychopath, stop playing around!" Aliyah roared infuriatingly.
Whereas Hiyaschi wasn't even fazed by her roar like an Unbothered King.
"Between the two of us, you are the psychopath playing here. You pretend to be clever, but your tomfoolery is crystal clear.
You can hornswoggle them, but you can never deceive an erudite person. You killed her," he said with conviction while looking directly at Aliyah.
"I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her!" Aliyah shouted like a ravenous dog, while Hiyaschi was not even moved by her pestiferous voice. He remained as calm as a millpond.
"When I caught a glimpse of your name on the identification that you were wearing, my instinct immediately told me that something was strange. It was further augmented when you acted like a gumshoe in front of me.
Based on what I heard from the victim's mouth at the moment I last saw her in the guidance office talking to the guidance counselor, she said there were four stubborn students: Aki Fuentes, Jameica Sarnina, Jameson Desamporado, and you, Aliyah Buenaventura. But surprisingly, it turned out to be three.
It would not be challenging for anyone to engage in criminal activities within this institution given that every space is equipped with soundproofing measures, a fact of which you are aware.
You came here after receiving her message and took advantage of the time when people outside were busy.
You attacked her while she was occupied with what she was working on, but she caught a glimpse of you and quickly dodged your first onslaught. That is why you failed in your initial aggression. She tried to stop you and persuade you not to persist in what you were doing, but because your mind was made up, she tried to fight to save her life. However, since you are much stronger than her," he proceeded. "In the end, she failed."
"First, you hit her on the forehead and then on the cranium. You repeatedly hit her skull with the hammer, like a maniac who has forfeited their sanity.
You hit her again and again as if you were frantic with the scope of her thoughts. And when you were confident that she was no longer breathing, that's when you took out all your wrath towards her.
I am aware that you possess knowledge of the victim's password. In order to prevent detection of your involvement, you chose to eradicate the message she transmitted to you. Furthermore, you deliberately implanted ridiculous code to falsely accuse your naive classmate of the terrible act you committed.
And to complete sure that the crime you executed was spotless, you thought of an idea for how to get back to the crime scene but it seems like Beelzebub treasures you enormously 'cause he gave you a reason to return when you saw the Headmistress on her way in the teacher's office. You presented to bring the books she was holding and acted to be an innocent eyewitness.
[According to the Bible, Beelzebub is believed to be the prince of demons. This can be referenced in Matthew 12:24.]
And these three students have no idea that you are one of them who also got a low grade 'cause the victim is not like any other teacher who will embarrass a student in front of fellow students.
And the reason you exterminated the poor educator was that you were terrified your parents would find out about the low grades you got from her. You don't want the truth about you to reach them 'cause you are horrified to hear words of prejudice and hatred from their tongues that seem to have a venom of an Oxyuranus microlepidotus."
Aliyah couldn't help but cachinnate until tears spilled down her cheeks.
[Cachinnate: laugh loudly.]
"You are humorous. Ikaw ba 'yung sinasabi nilang brainiac? How could they say that to someone who relied only on his intuitions and meaningless theories?" Aliyah spoke out derisively.
"Do you have evidence to prove your allegations?" Suddenly the tone of her voice altered, and she grinned.
Hiyaschi's smile flickered across his face like a hologram.
"The one you killed left evidence," he let out confidently.
He stepped over to the large display cabinet and took something from underneath.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked holding up the thing he got.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know that's a pen!" Aliyah replied confidently.
"Oh, this is not just an ordinary pen," he paused, then gradually added, "This is a digital voice recorder pen." Aliyah was stunned and looked incredulous.
"You probably didn't know it was a digital voice recorder pen; otherwise, you wouldn't have left it here." A cryptic smile appeared on Hiyaschi's lips.
"You must first identify and thoroughly observe an individual before taking any action to ensure that any potential consequences of your actions are minimized and no trace of evidence is left behind.
The person you killed was oblivious, which is why she always carried this digital voice recorder pen with her. I'm sure it rolled under this huge display cabinet during times when you two were messing around.
And I also guarantee that the enormity you did will be heard here."
"You're crazy!" Aliyah unexpectedly screamed like a tyrannosaurus, and then she picked up the golden trophy near her and threw it at Hiyaschi without disinclination.
But Hiyaschi did not even shift from where he was standing, not even a single strand of his hair moved, nor did his eyes blink.
Why? 'Cause Asahina quickly grabbed the trophy thrown at him.
He presumably guessed that Asahina would do that, which is why he didn't deviate from his location.
"Sean, what are you waiting for? Handcuff her now!", Asahina mandated Sean, who was standing near Aliyah's back.
Officer Sean displayed a state of bewilderment and promptly proceeded to restrain Aliyah by handcuffing her. Despite exerting effort to break free, Aliyah found herself immobilized due to the officer's superior strength.
And as a result of Hiyaschi's contribution, the case was ultimately resolved. It was determined that Aliyah was indeed responsible for the murder, supported by the evidence of a digital voice recorder pen owned by the victim. This pen contained an audio recording capturing the actual occurrence of the crime.
And it is truly remarkable to consider that, despite Hiyaschi's absence during the attack and murder, the veracity of his words was confirmed through the recorder pen, validating the accuracy and truthfulness of his statements.
WE ARE NOW outside the school building.
I couldn't quite fathom that what seemed like a superficial reason could turn into such an egregious offense.
"I didn't expect to be deceived by that crazy Aliyah," Asahina abruptly said while looking directly at Aliyah, who was being guided by Officer Easton to the backseat of the police car.
"I consumed all my time making an effort to figure out the meaning of the dying message that I thought was written by the victim, pagkatapos sa huli ay malalaman kong siya lang pala ang nagsulat nang code na iyon upang linlangin lang tayo," she sighed. "I am really upset when I think I've been deluded."
"Now you know that not everything that the eye sees is real." Hiyaschi turned to Asahina after he uttered those words.
He was standing one meter away from us.
At kahit na kay Asahina siya nakatingin, pakiramdam ko ay pati ako ay pinatatamaan niya because like Asahina, I was also deceived by the code written by the criminal.
"But you did a great job, Hiyaschi," Asahina's face lit up. "Although she misled us, the important thing is that she was not able to bamboozle the brainiac because you caught her in her deception," Asahina said cheerily.
"By the way, how is this recruit of mine? Has she passed?" Asahina added, placing her hand on my shoulder.
I desired to cover Asahina's mouth as her inquiry evoked memories of my own ineptitude at the crime scene. It appeared as though I had been stationed there solely for the purpose of observing, while my mind aimlessly strayed elsewhere.
Hiyaschi turned his scrutinizing eyes on me, and I seemed unnerved by what he might say.
"What advantages do your eyes have over mine if the things that your eyes see, I see more clearly and deeply?" He stepped towards me.
"Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? And must not the eyes do the same, testing the things they see, like refining gold in the fire?" He continued.
"You know, at a crime scene, you can be analogized as objects scattered on the floor that are useless and only complicate solving the case."
The words he uttered left me speechless, and I felt that at any moment I might burst into tears.
"You have oculus uterque, but you seem to have no cerebrum."
He emphasized the last words he said and that was enough to break my heart into pieces.
"Let's go, Quina," he said, and turned his back on us, and began strolling away.
Simple words make me happy, that's why when I receive agonizing words, I get hurt easily. His words hurt me more than the slap I received from Taba.
"Don't take what he said too seriously," Asahina faced me and then lifted my chin.
"Do you possess knowledge regarding the reasons behind the sinking of ships?" Asahina asked, then held me in both hands.
"Ships do not succumb to the depths solely due to the presence of water in their vicinity; ships sink as a result of water infiltrating their inner compartments. Refrain from permitting the remarks he uttered to permeate your being and exert a downward force upon you," she gave me an encouraging smile. "Prove him wrong."
And then she said goodbye and followed Hiyaschi.
And I kept an eye on them as they stepped away from me.
"Asahina was right, don't take that man's words too seriously." I suddenly turned to the man who spoke behind me.
"Macraine." I called out.
"Did you know that there are more than 7.5 billion people in the world today, but no one has the same fingerprints? Even identical twins, who look alike, or even Siamese twins, whose bodies are connected," Macraine came a little closer to me.
"According to Francis Galton's study, it has been scientifically proven that fingerprints do not change throughout an individual's life, and no two fingerprints are the same. According to his calculations, the odds of two individual fingerprints being the same were 1 in 64 billion," he gave me a smile that looked like a freshly picked strawberry.
"The only message I want to convey to you is that every individual created by God is unique. And you are unique as you are," his smile is contagious, spreading warmth and positivity.
"And you also did a great job earlier by strengthening the alibi of one of the suspects. Although it may appear as a minor accomplishment, exonerating the reputation of a suspect holds significant importance.
And a person who has not yet sharpened her skills should not be undervalued but should be helped to further expand her exceptional skills."
And that was enough to make me feel courageous.
"Your words are better than a triple-scoop ice cream cone with sprinkles," I said, beaming at him.
WHEN I GOT HOME, I immediately sat down on the Cabriole sofa.
I felt like I was tied to a big stone and submerged under the ocean.
Until now, Hiyaschi's agonizing words are still playing in my mind.
His words make me question my worth.
Even though I heard encouraging words from Macraine, I still couldn't wipe off all the remarks that Hiyaschi conveyed.
"It's written all over your face that your first day at Hawthorne didn't go well," my younger brother suddenly said, his eyes focused on the book he was holding.
As usual, he was sitting in his favourite spot with his shanks crossed while reading one of his treasured books.
"Let me deduce, you interfered in other people's trouble again. That's why you wounded your knee," And because of what he said, I looked at my knee and noticed the wound he was talking about. I probably got it the moment Babalu pushed me to tabaching.
"But the wound on your knee is far from your brain to disturb you, nor is it deep enough to damage your heart. You probably met someone who talked harshly about you."
I proceeded to seize the diminutive cushion adjacent to my person and flung it in his direction, impressively, he expeditiously intercepted it.
"I said it right, didn't I?" Nakangisi at parang batang naiusal niya. "Even if you receive three slaps from your enemy or one punch, and even if you sense the pain, you will just ignore it. But when someone whom you feel is superior to you speaks unbearable words, attacks your character, abilities, or things that are crucial to you, that will hurt you more deeply."
Yes, I am extremely sensitive to unkind language. Harsh words affect me deeply, much more than physical harm, especially when they originate from individuals whom I admire or hold in high regard.
Maybe I was too impressed by Hiyaschi's ability to solve the case, which is why I immediately held him in high regard. So, when he told me that I could be compared to being scattered at a crime scene and seemed to have no cerebrum, I was instantly hurt.
"Hey Rainier Elkinson, you want me to rain you with books?" I pretended not to care about what he said and acted annoyed. "And besides, why are you always wearing glasses? Your eyes aren't blurry, right? Would you like me to take you to an ophthalmologist to check your eyes?" I teased him.
"Why are you tampering with my eyewear? My fellow classmates have informed me that spectacles complement my appearance and imbue an impression of intelligence," he reacted with a naughty smile.
"And did you believe what they said?" I told him, laughing just to tease him.
He came to me and took my bag that was placed on my side.
"Hey, what are you going to get from my bag?" I asked him, wondering.
He took out the first aid kit from my bag and sat next to me.
"You know, Ate, there is nothing inherently wrong with providing assistance to others. I am aware that offering aid is an unavoidable aspect of your character, however, I strongly urge you to consider prioritizing your own well-being as well. It is crucial that you do not allow others to inflict harm upon you or disregard the injuries you may sustain as a result of your altruism," he lifted my foot and put it on his thighs.
"It appears as if we are two distinct individuals dwelling within the same corporeal vessel. Whenever you experience anguish or harm, I experience a similar sense of distress," he stated, as he applied povidone-iodine onto the wound located on my knee.
I felt a pinch in my heart. Despite engaging in frequent teasing with my brother, he exhibits no hesitation in expressing genuine concern whenever I am feeling distressed.
"And no matter who that person is who spoke hurtful words to you, even if they have the shrewdest brain in the entire galaxy, they still couldn't defeat a person with a magnanimous heart."
TETNS