New Story here!! And I finished translating my first one!!
Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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"Have you heard? About what happened at the Honjo family's place… That kid is living under someone else's roof and still got into a fight. If it were me, I'd have kicked him out of the house already."
"Exactly. I've already told my child not to associate with him. The way he barely talks… who knows, he might turn into some kind of little psycho!"
"And this time he even laid hands on Councilman Muragaki. Luckily the councilman is generous enough not to hold a grudge and let him off, but I heard he was expelled from school, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard about that! My son told me yesterday after school. A kid like that will definitely grow up to be a menace to society!"
"Shh, you two should keep your voices down… What if the kid hears you and takes revenge when he grows up? I really wish he'd just leave Kawagoe City. Having him around always leaves an unpleasant knot in my stomach."
The slightly long black bangs could not completely block out his view. Even with headphones on, they couldn't muffle the malicious speculation from the people around him. In his left hand he carried a plastic bag containing buttered bread from a convenience store and a bottled Calpis.
His slightly hunched back made his height, just over 160 centimeters, seem even smaller. His right hand was clenched so tightly that the veins on his arm bulged visibly, but after only a few seconds he loosened it again… as though he no longer felt angry hearing such hostile remarks.
The center of all the gossip from those busybody adults was fourteen-year-old Sasajima Ritsu. He had delicate features and a pair of beautiful eyes.
His pale blue pupils could remind one of a cloudy sky, or the endless ocean… yet they reflected none of the people standing before him, nor did they reveal what lay in his heart.
Adults loved sticking labels on children at will.
A lively child would be criticized as "a troublemaker bound to cause problems sooner or later."
A child with poor grades would be called "a useless loser with no future."
And him?
Before he was even old enough to attend elementary school, his parents went overseas for work and sent him to live with relatives. Later, when his parents died in an accident, people labeled him as: "A kid whose parents died early must have no manners and a bad personality."
When he bravely fought back against school bullying, it turned into: "A kid with no parents really doesn't know his limits, he has violent tendencies." As a result, he was isolated and ostracized even more severely.
At first, he had been angry.
But after hearing it so many times, he eventually stopped feeling anything.
Those who only saw one side of things were the truly foolish ones.
Take the incident with Councilman Muragaki. Ritsu had stepped in because he saw the councilman harassing a female employee. He had only shoved the man slightly, yet he was branded a "criminal."
Trying to do the right thing earned Ritsu an undeserved accusation and he was even arrested by the police. The most ironic part was that the female employee helped the councilman accuse him as well. His good intentions had only brought him trouble.
He had already planned to leave this place anyway. Those gossiping middle-aged women were probably hoping he'd leave Kawagoe City soon.
Fine. Just as you wish.
After carefully sorting the trash from what he had eaten, Ritsu began walking toward the school.
Kawagoe Middle School in Saitama Prefecture.
This would probably be the last time he stepped into this school. Today he was here to complete the paperwork for withdrawal and collect the personal belongings he had left in the classroom.
He calmly finished the withdrawal procedures. When he reached the classroom and pulled open the door, a basin of cold water was dumped over his head from top to bottom. Laughter erupted throughout the classroom.
One student sat with his feet propped on a desk, chewing bubble gum. His hair was dyed a glaring shade of orange. Though he acted like a delinquent in class, he received special treatment simply because his father was the vice principal.
Someone like that...
Wasn't he the real trash?
Ritsu steadied his emotions and wiped the water from his face. As he passed the blackboard with the words "Sasajima Ritsu is a criminal" written across it, he realized he didn't want to stay in this place for even a second longer. He just wanted to pack his things and leave.
Some students in the class actually wanted to help him, but none dared step forward. They were afraid of becoming the next target… and lacked the courage to stand up against such violence.
Noticing that the boy sitting in front of him deliberately stretched out his leg, Ritsu didn't expect them to play such childish tricks. Pretending not to see it, he simply stepped down on it.
"AHH!!"
"Damn it! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
Ritsu paused and looked at the boy clutching his foot and glaring at him. They had been classmates for over a year, yet he realized he couldn't even remember the boy's name.
"Your legs aren't that long. Do you really need to stretch them out that far?"
"You—!"
Ritsu glanced at his desk. On the natural wood surface, someone had written "Criminal" in red paint. They had learned one word and were already throwing it around everywhere.
His expression darkened as he checked the contents of the desk compartment. His textbooks had all been torn apart. Several mechanical pencils stored inside had been snapped in half. Even the handheld game console he had placed at the very back had disappeared.
There had been no point coming to the classroom at all. He should have known they would resort to such low tactics.
Ritsu kicked the desk several times before slamming his fist down on the desktop with a loud bang—
Didn't they think he had violent tendencies? Didn't they believe that a kid without parents must be badly raised and destined to be a delinquent?
Then he might as well make them fear him that way.
With an indifferent gaze, Ritsu swept his eyes across those who had bullied him. Their current expressions were truly laughable. Were they afraid he might risk everything and beat them up before leaving?
Don't be ridiculous.
They weren't worth it.
His left hand, the knuckles flushed red, slipped into his pocket as he walked expressionlessly toward the classroom door. This time, no one dared to stick out a foot to trip him. Even the arrogant class bully who had been chewing gum earlier accidentally swallowed it in fright.
No one wasn't afraid of a madman—especially a rational one.
After leaving the school gates, Ritsu pulled his left hand out and shook it lightly. His brows furrowed and his face tensed; it was obvious that his last punch had hurt him far more than anyone else.
"Tsk."
That really hurt.
The Honjo family lived at 1-4 Shintomicho, Kawagoe City. The location was excellent, close to the train station, shopping streets, and restaurants.
Being able to live in such a good house was thanks to the large amount of support money his parents had once transferred to Honjo Ichiro's account. With that money, they sold their old run-down apartment building and moved into their current two-story house with three bedrooms and a living room.
After taking the Seibu Shinjuku Line to Hon-Kawagoe Station, it took less than five minutes on foot to reach the Honjo residence.
Honjo Ichiro was trimming a young flowering dogwood tree in front of the house. When he saw Ritsu appear at the door with his backpack, a greasy smile immediately spread across his plump face.
His teeth were stained a dark yellow from excessive smoking, uneven and ugly. When most people smiled with eight teeth showing, it looked nice.
When he smiled.
It was just disgusting.
"No one's around. Drop the fake act."
Ichiro froze for a moment. Thinking Ritsu was simply upset about being suspended, he put down the gardening shears and forced a flattering smile.
"Ritsu, what's wrong? Did someone say something about you? Tell your uncle, I'll go teach those brats a lesson for you!"
He even rolled up his sleeves as if preparing for battle.
The sight only struck Ritsu as absurd. The man before him, lazy and gluttonous, weighed well over 250 pounds. He would probably collapse from exhaustion before even reaching the people he wanted to confront.
Besides, if he truly cared, shouldn't he have noticed that Ritsu's hair was still wet and his clothes soaked?
He couldn't even act convincingly.
Pathetic.
"I have something to tell you. Are the other two at home?"
He used plain speech instead of polite language.
The coldness in his tone made Ichiro realize something was wrong. He hurried inside on his thick, elephant-like legs and bellowed loudly, calling the mother and daughter downstairs from the second floor where they had been watching TV.
Ritsu stepped into the entrance, removed his sneakers, and slipped into a pair of house slippers that no longer fit him. He walked toward the living room on the first floor, where the family of three was now sitting on the sofa.
The scene strangely reminded him of a certain famous British fairy tale.
If "The Three Little Pigs" were ever made into a live-action film, he would definitely recommend the Honjo family for the roles.
They would fit perfectly.
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RAW: 柯南之警校第六人
Author: 浅仓慎司
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Notes from the Author
The male protagonist's name is Sasajima Ritsu.
The timeline is based on the first year of Detective Conan.
The events in Chapter 1 take place 12 years earlier from canon.
During the start/canon of Detective Conan, the protagonist would therefore be 26 years old.