1. Everyone possessed a real gun, but I was barehanded.
2. After investigations, it was found out that the men had taken drugs.
3. After entering the store, there was a high probability of them shooting at the woman.
4. There were three of them, so if I just disarmed them, there was a high probability that they would be able to fight back. It was decided that the situation was not one where I could have held back.
5. Although I inflicted heavy injuries on the a.s.sailants, the only attacks I made were either a blow to the arm holding the gun or to the head or the body.
6． After the attack, I immediately contacted the cops and asked that they contact the hospital. I also performed as much first aid as possible.
7． The whole thing was caught on camera, so the people in authority were able to judge that only the least force needed was taken.
8． Other than that, there was also the testimony of the clerks and the customers in the store.
Because of the above eight reasons mentioned, the court decided that the actions I took were taken in legitimate self-defense.
But while I was able to get off legally, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Word of my actions had spread throughout the country. By the time I was released, people were doing as they pleased and memories of the actual event were starting to fade. A group of three armed muggers were taken out by an unarmed man. Moreover, the armed muggers were all wounded heavily.
“I know my son did something bad, but he didn’t deserve to be hurt this much!”
“If a hospital wasn’t nearby, he might have died!”
At first the public treated me like a hero, but then the media sought out the family of the a.s.sailants to get an uncensored interview. The elderly family cried in front of the camera and pleaded. In the following days, the internet and the weekly publications made a big deal out of it, but at the time, there was no way for me to know about the state of society.
“By the time I came back to work again, I no longer had a place where I belonged.” [Ryouma]
The reason was although I was able to save people, everyone else just saw me as someone who tried to murder three people.
The senpais and coworkers that treated me warmly before no longer approached me.
Bad rumors started to spread around about a criminal who was able to live carefree without receiving justice.
Although the topic died out in society as a whole, with the subject of that topic right before their eyes, it wasn’t as easy for it to die out in the company.
And then less than one week after I started going back to work, my boss and I were called by the company director.
“It seems you intend to continue working for our company, but… I won’t say anything bad. This must be tough on you too. You should resign and find another path. …You have overdue work as well, right? I believe this is the greatest contribution you can make for our company.”
When my boss at the time heard that, he prostrated himself before the director.
But the director paid him no heed, and in the end, he said that the one to make the decision would be me.
Just that…
“The one who would take responsibility in the case of losses, as well as receive the dissatisfaction of your coworkers is the person who kept you from leaving.”
“In other words, the boss beside me… He was a really good person.” [Ryouma]
He bowed his head to clean up after the mess his subordinate made. He voiced out his opinion when someone above him gave an absurd order. Although he was really strict at work, he was a reliable and respectable person.
The reason why I wasn’t fired immediately after being detained, the person who pleaded for me to be released on bail, that was all him.
He was a doting father who would always show me the picture of his three children as if they were his treasures.
“That director is such a jerk… He could have just fired you if he wanted to. That would have been easier than doing things in such a roundabout way like he did.” [Kirillel]
“According to j.a.panese law, my actions were legitimate self-defense. The company can’t use the incident as an excuse to dismiss me. That’s why they needed me to retire on my own to be able to get rid of me.” [Ryouma]
It’s what is referred to as ‘Encouraged Resignation’. Of course, I could ignore it and stay in the company, but the people around me will remain hostile and unhappy. I hated that atmosphere, but that person accepted me. He encouraged me. That’s why I was thinking of paying him back by working hard.
But… Even my benefactor’s position started to be at a risk. The company was not loathe to such behavior.
As such, my resignation was decided after I left the room.
“Thank you for everything until now.” [Ryouma]
Those were the words I said to him in the end, but he appeared to be full of regrets and apologetic. Still, somewhere deep inside, he seemed to be relieved. I caused him so much trouble, after all. It was only a given.
“I looked for another job after that, but I resigned too quickly after employment, so I had to explain why I resigned. Because of that I just kept getting rejected. Before dying, I somehow managed to find work, but… My experience at the time was just like that of a former convict. It’s a bit late to be thinking about it now, though.”
The body I forged and the techniques I mastered were powerless before the laws and opinion of society.
I didn’t think I was wrong back then. And even now that hasn’t changed.
But it was also true that I heavily injured those people, so I thought it couldn’t be helped for others to treat me differently.
That was the result of my actions. I had to accept it.
But still, I regretted it.