The sun slowly was leaning toward sunset, flooding the teachers' room with soft, almost golden light. The rays seeped through the dirty glass of the windows, leaving on the old wooden table long strips of light. In the room it was quiet, only was heard how the wall clock ticked and the paper rustled, which teacher Nakamura was folding into her bag.
She was a woman of middle age, with soft facial features and warm eyes, in which shone kindness. Her hair, gathered in a careless bun, had already begun to turn gray, but this gave her even more charm. She looked tired, the day had been long, and she dreamed of only one thing: to get home, drink tea and forget herself in the silence.
Nakamura was already about to leave, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. It was loud, insistent, but not rude. She flinched from surprise and froze, pressing her bag to her chest. In her eyes flashed a shadow of fear, she was not expecting guests. At such a time, rarely anyone came here.
- Yes, yes, come in! She said, trying to make her voice sound calm, although her heart was pounding in her chest.
The door opened, and into the room entered a tall man in a dark police uniform. His face was serious, with pronounced cheekbones and dark, attentive eyes. He looked like a man who had seen a lot and knew even more. His uniform was impeccable, and his movements confident. He stopped at the door and looked around the room, as if collecting information about every object, about every corner.
Nakamura looked at him with slight trepidation. She did not know why a policeman had come to her, but a premonition told her that this was not just a courtesy visit.
- Hello, he said, his voice was deep and calm. Police officer Akiyama Sorato. May I ask you a couple of questions?
Nakamura hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.
- Yes, of course. Sit down, she answered, gesturing toward a chair in front of her desk.
Akiyama walked up to the first table, which stood in front of the teacher's. He pulled back the chair and sat down. The chair creaked under his weight. He placed his hands on the table, folding them in front of him, and looked at Nakamura. His gaze was perceptive, but not frightening.
- Yesterday we found a corpse, he began without unnecessary preamble. A dead guy. I will not dwell on where and when he was killed, but I will simply say: we found out who the body belongs to.
He paused, looking at her. Nakamura sat motionless, her face remained calm, but she listened attentively.
- This is the body of Renji Asakawa, continued Akiyama. A former student of Shainon School. Later he transferred to Haruka High School. His father sat in prison, his mother worked as a cook, and his older brother Akio Asakawa was a librarian.
Nakamura slightly frowned upon hearing this name. She was clearly remembering something.
- Yesterday they got into an accident, continued Akiyama. The mother and father died instantly. The older brother fell into a coma. Someone attacked them deliberately. The father's head was cut off and taken with them, the mother's stomach was cut open and her intestines were gutted. And the brother was hit on the head with a pipe, and not just once.
Nakamura turned pale. Her hands trembled as she put her bag on the table.
- My God… she whispered. This is terrible. I did not even know…
Akiyama looked at her attentively.
- Do you know Renji Asakawa? Did he study with you? He asked.
Nakamura thought for a moment, looking out the window. The sun illuminated her face, making it almost transparent. She took a deep breath and looked at Akiyama.
- Yes, she answered. This is my former student. He was such a good, nice guy. He always helped elderly people, took kittens home, fed them. I remember how he once brought to class a little kitten that he found on the street. It was all dirty, but Renji did not pay attention to that. He just wanted to save it.
Akiyama listened attentively, without interrupting.
- He was cruelly bullied, continued Nakamura. Some teenagers. How many there were and what their names were, I no longer remember. It was a long time ago. But I remember what they did… They took those little kittens that he fed, and killed them. Right in front of his eyes. They drowned them in the river, beat them with stones, and then brought them to him and showed them.
· Was this part of the bullying? Asked Akiyama.
- Yes. They not only killed animals. They also mocked Renji himself. He was drowned in the toilet, dressed up as a girl and kicked, his bones were broken. Sometimes they simply beat him until he lost consciousness. I remember how he came to class with bruises and scrapes, but never complained. He just endured.
Akiyama clasped his hands together, his face became harder.
- And how long did this go on? He asked. This school bullying?
Nakamura shook her head.
- I do not remember exactly. But for a very long time. The reason I do not know. Perhaps they were just interested. Perhaps they liked to see his suffering. And the strangest thing…
- What? Repeated Akiyama.
- Our boys almost never hit him, said Nakamura. It was the girls who did it. Almost always. Everything most terrible was done by them.
Akiyama slightly frowned.
- And you could not do anything? he asked. The principal? The parents?
Nakamura sighed and looked away.
- I tried, she said. But no one believed me. They said that I was out of my mind. That I was sick. How can girls do such a thing? Those were the words I heard.
She looked at her hands.
- I tried to talk to the parents, but they just brushed it off. They thought it was just childish pranks. The principal said that I was exaggerating. And Renji… he never complained. He just remained silent. And I… I could not do anything.
Akiyama listened to her, and in his eyes appeared a shadow of fatigue. He looked at the teacher, who clearly still suffered from a sense of guilt.
- Do you know who did it? He asked.
Nakamura shook her head.
- No. They were always in masks or stayed in the shadows. I do not know who they are. But I am sure that these were the same people who bullied him all this time.
Akiyama stood up, adjusting his uniform.
- Thank you for your testimony, he said. You have helped a lot.
Nakamura looked at him with hope.
- Will you find them? She asked. Those who did this?
Akiyama looked at her, and in his gaze was determination.
- It is only a matter of time, he said. Goodbye, teacher Nakamura.
He turned around and headed for the door. When he had already taken hold of the handle, she called out to him.
- Officer Akiyama!
He stopped and turned around.
- Renji was a good person, she said. He did not deserve such a fate.
Akiyama nodded.
- I know, he answered and left the room.
Nakamura remained sitting at the table, looking at the closed door. The sun had already almost disappeared beyond the horizon, and the room was plunging into twilight. She took a deep breath and picked up an old photograph that lay in the desk drawer. In it was Renji, laughing, young, full of hopes.
She pressed the photograph to her chest.
- Forgive me, she whispered. I could not protect you.
Outside the window it had already grown dark. The silence in the room was almost tangible. Nakamura sat in the darkness, looking at the photograph, and felt how inside her grew the same emptiness that she had seen in Renji's eyes many years ago.