Mayuten ~The Demon King and the Hero Reincarnated as Twin Elementary School Students~ - Volume 2 Chapter 12

Volume 2 The Demon King and the Hero Confront the Bully

Chapter 12   The Demon King Knows the Truth About the Accident

Sora’s trembling finger pointed directly at Tanaka-sensei.

Surely, he must be terrified.

Even so, Sora was fighting desperately for us… for Kageyo.

It must have taken as much courage as a hero facing off against the Demon Lord, if not more.

Tanaka-sensei’s face twisted with humiliation.

“Aoi, are you going against me too?”

“Both you and Sasakura, as well as everyone in the class, bullied Kageyo-kun.”

“You…!”

Perhaps Tanaka-sensei forgot that the principal was present.

With Sora’s courageous accusation, the facade of Tanaka-sensei’s dignity had already begun to crumble.

This is the crucial moment.

First, I spoke to Sora.

“Sora…”

Now, I turned my attention back to Tanaka-sensei, speaking calmly yet assertively.

“Sora, thank you.”

“Yeah, I won’t run away anymore.”

Undoubtedly, Sora must have grown from a child into a young boy.

The timid boy who used to obey adults and bullies no longer exists.

Now, it’s my turn to fulfill my role.

“Principal, what Sora said is true. I’ve been bullied by Sasakura for a long time, and Tanaka-sensei knew about it but chose to support Sasakura and ignore my situation. I was pushed to the brink… that’s why I tried to commit suicide by running into the street.”

In Kageyo’s journal just before the accident, he described how the bullying worsened after school resumed in September. He repeatedly considered suicide, even trying to jump from the school rooftop or run in front of cars, but he couldn’t muster the courage.

I don’t consider suicide as an act of ‘courage.’ Neither Shirene using self-destructive magic nor Kageyo attempting to jump from the rooftop can be labeled as ‘courage’ but rather ‘escape,’ regardless of their circumstances.

Yet, even so…

The leaders of the human race who drove Shirene to use self-destructive magic and the actions of Tanaka-sensei and Sasakura that pushed an eleven-year-old boy to suicide, I cannot deny their gravity.

I’ve come to such a self-deprecating realization.

One of those who pushed Shirene to the edge was none other than myself, the Demon Lord.

I have no right to judge others.

The principal glared at Tanaka-sensei.

“Tanaka-sensei, is their story true?”

“I don’t know! How would I know the reason why that brat ran into the street?”

Of course, without any specific details from the time of the accident, I also don’t know for sure if Kageyo really committed suicide. I can’t even begin to imagine why Isumi got involved in the accident as well.

However, judging from that diary, it’s undeniable that he felt cornered enough to consider suicide multiple times. Even if the accident itself was indeed due to Kageyo’s carelessness, he wouldn’t have recklessly run into the street if he hadn’t been cornered by Sasakura and the others.

At that moment, Sora shouted.

“That’s not it!”

What?

What is she saying?

Was I wrong in my assumption that Kageyo committed suicide?

“On that day after school, almost everyone is in the class, including Sasakura, was bullying Kageyo as usual. They threw stones at him and such. Kageyo was desperately trying to escape… he was cornered on a busy street.”

Hmm, that’s where the accident occurred.

“Then, Sasakura gave Kageyo a horrifying order.”

When the principal asked what the order was, Sora seemed a little hesitant and looked down.

The principal assured her, “It’s okay, I will protect you,” and Sora nodded, continuing to speak.

“He said, ‘Jump in front of an oncoming car and commit suicide!'”

“That if he didn’t commit suicide, he would push his little sister, Hikaru-chan, onto the road!”

Upon hearing Hikaru-chan’s identity as my younger sister, the principal’s face twisted in disgust.

The vice-principal shouted, “Stop this nonsense! Gouki would never say such things.”

“It’s true! Not just that day, but since September began, Sasakura-kun has been constantly telling me to jump off the rooftop and saying horrible things like that. That’s the kind of person he is! However, up until that point, I didn’t comply with his demands for suicide. But on that particular day, something changed.”

What? What happened?

“At that moment, both Tanaka-sensei and Isumi-chan happened to pass by. I don’t know why they were together or what they were doing there. It could have been a coincidence, or maybe Isumi-chan had some class-related matters to attend to as the class representative. Either way, at that moment, Tanaka-sensei…”

At this point, Sora glanced briefly at Tanaka-sensei, and it seemed like anger and anxiety were mixed in his expression.

“…Tanaka-sensei, together with Sasakura, ordered Kageyo to jump onto the road. Then, the teacher pushed Kageyo onto the roadway. Isumi-chan tried to help Kageyo and jumped onto the road with him, and that’s when…”

Wait a minute.

So, that wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t even a suicide… It was attempted murder?

No, if Zekar hadn’t reincarnated me, it would have been full-fledged murder.

The principal glared at Tanaka-sensei.

“Is what he’s saying true?”

In response to the principal’s question, Tanaka’s shoulders trembled with anger.

“Aoi, this brat… Do you have any idea what will happen to you later!?”

How unsightly.

This is practically an admission of guilt.

Meanwhile, the vice-principal, who was relatively calmer than Tanaka, began questioning Sora.

“You’re Aoi-kun, right?”

“Yes.”

“Assuming what you’re saying is true, why can you speak as if you’ve witnessed it? Why did you stay silent until now? Why doesn’t Kageyo himself know?”

Hmm, indeed, those are valid questions.

While the first two are more understandable, I’ll answer the last question.

“We, Isumi and I, lost our memories before and after the accident due to the shock.”

“Such a convenient excuse…”

“It’s true. If you ask the police or the hospital doctors, you’ll understand.”

Even during the questioning at the hospital, they mentioned their memories were confused. Whether the police and doctors believed them or not, I don’t know.

Then, Sora continued.

“I know all the reasons because I witnessed everything…”

Afterward, Sora confessed the most challenging thing to say.

“…And the reason I didn’t speak up is because I am also an accomplice.”

When the principal asked, “What do you mean?” Sora tearfully revealed the truth.

“We… we were all bullying Kageyo together. Sasakura was scary, and so was Tanaka-sensei. That day, I was one of the kids chasing after Kageyo too. If Sasakura is a bully, then so am I. I couldn’t stop Sasakura. Not only that, I was one of the ones cornering Kageyo. Even though Kageyo was trying to protect me, who was being bullied by Sasakura. He was my friend. I’m so sorry, Kageyo. I’m really, really sorry.”

Sora knelt down and burst into tears.

It was not an act that a 10-year-old boy could perform.

The principal turned back to Tanaka once again.

“Tanaka-sensei, is his testimony true?”

“Ugh, n-no, it’s not true! I’m not at fault!”

Still denying, huh?

“It’s all Sasakura’s fault! No, actually, it’s all because of the vice-principal who forced that troublemaker into our class!”

Oh?

“Having such a delinquent forced upon us, and then the vice-principal’s nephew trying to control even us teachers! When I consulted with the vice-principal, he said, ‘He’s my nephew, so please take care of him.’ A mere teacher can’t oppose the vice-principal, can they?”

Oh my, does that mean…

I glare at Tanaka and ask, “If we acknowledge Sora’s accusation as true?”

In response to my cold words, Tanaka screams madly, “Shut up! It’s all your fault! Trouble-making brats like Sasakura, stupid kids like Aoi and Kageyo who can’t handle bullying on their own, idiot kids like Maruki and Isumi who crave special treatment just because they’re class representatives, all of them don’t belong in our class!”

Wow… not just mad, but completely unhinged.

“Besides, the real culprit is the vice-principal! If he’s at fault, then his boss, the principal, is the worst! I’m not guilty of anything! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Oh dear, this teacher is beyond repair.

The principal nods and says, “I see.”

“I take full responsibility for what happened at the school, as well as the negligence of the teachers.”

Yes, that’s what being in charge means.

Even if a subordinate makes a mistake without your knowledge, as the one in charge, you must take responsibility for not properly supervising them. If someone in the Demon King’s army were to mistreat subjects while claiming to follow the Demon King’s orders, the ultimate responsibility would still lie with the Demon King.

Likewise, if the school’s teachers or vice-principal were negligent, the principal also bears responsibility.

The principal continued, “However, Tanaka-sensei, that doesn’t mean you are without blame. This incident involves all of us – me, the vice-principal, and you, Tanaka-sensei. Perhaps even other teachers who were unaware share some responsibility. Even though they are elementary school students, an event of this magnitude would naturally place some blame on Sasakura, the bully.”

That’s true.

Furthermore, it’s likely that Sora and the other classmates also bear some responsibility, considering what I saw in the diary. Even Isumi might have some culpability.

But I spoke up, “It’s not the principal’s fault. It’s not Sora’s fault either. The ones at fault are… Sasakura and Tanaka-sensei.”

I deliberately made it clear.

The principal may have had some shortcomings, but he was fair and just in his judgment. As a result, I, who wasn’t the real Kageyo, have no right to punish him any further.

What Sora lacked was ‘courage.’ Yet, now, he mustered up that ‘courage’ to stand up for me… for Kageyo.

That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to punish Sora any further.

I am grateful for his bravery and even respect him for it.

“Sora, thank you.”

I took Sora’s hand, who was still sobbing, and said, “Yeah, I’m really sorry, Kageyo.”

“At times like this, you should say ‘thank you,'” I corrected him gently.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Amidst tears, Sora’s face brightened with a smile.