14 January

Today marked the start of the shortest term of the year at every school.

Being the first day back after the winter holidays, students in every household ate breakfast shrouded in gloom.
In such living rooms, it wouldn’t have been unusual for families to absentmindedly switch on the television and stare blankly at the news.

　At that moment,

Amidst the uninteresting news items,

A breaking news bulletin interrupted.

‘Breaking News: Around 7:15 PM on 13th January
The body of a man, believed to be in his late forties,
was discovered in an apartment within ◻︎◻︎ Town,
△△ City, ○○ Prefecture.’

　Such a headline caught the attention of those watching TV merely to pass the time.
The announcer detailed the report.

‘Reports of a foul odour from neighbours prompted an investigation, revealing the man had been dismembered. His remains were found stored in a freezer, submerged in a bathtub filled with water, and concealed beneath the toilet lid.’

Many were shocked by the sheer brutality.
　It was an act no one with a normal sensibility could possibly commit.
‘The perpetrator must be caught quickly. They must be a deranged individual with a screw loose.’

Countless bystanders pitied and cherished the man discovered as a corpse, directing their anger towards the perpetrator.

And in yet another household, two high school girls watched this news unfold as if it were the most natural thing in the world, on the living room television.

　One girl’s face was utterly devoid of any emotion, transparent and seemingly on the verge of vanishing.
The other girl wore a smile as broad as a flower.

“Oh dear, isn’t that near the high school where Masashi and the others go? I do wonder if it’s safe. I’m worried. It seems the perpetrator hasn’t been caught yet.”

One of the high school girls responded to the words of the woman, presumably her mother.
It was a natural smile.
　Smiling, the girl spoke.

“It’s alright, Mum. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Both schoolgirls were clad in their uniforms.

Their school, too, was following suit, with the third term beginning today.

〇 〇 〇
Chapter Three: The End