Leon arrived at his home with the gifts and food. His hands were full of bags and gifts, while Roy carried a large box of cake. With his hands full, Leon pressed the doorbell with his elbow.
The maid(Noor)—opened the door and smiled warmly upon seeing them, especially Leon. Noticing their hands were full, she quickly took a few bags from them.
A group of children peeked outside; they rushed together forward with excitement, screaming in joy. "Look! Brother is home!" They all jumped at him, hugged him like never again, "Brother! Welcome back! We missed you!"
Leon knelt and hugged them all together tightly. "I missed you all too."
A rare smile touched his lips as he ruffled their hair."There are more gifts in the backseat of the car; get them for me." And all of them run toward the car, opened the gate of the car, and brought everything one by one.
Leon looked around but Sumi was nowhere to be found. "Where's Sumi, by the way?" he asked.
One of the kids(Masao), replied, "She's mad at you. You didn't pick up her calls for a whole month. She locked herself in her room."
Leon sighed and set the gifts on the dining table before calling out to Sumi. He called her name twice but ni respond.
Noor approached Leon with concerned look and said, "Master, she hasn't left her room since morning. She refuses to eat or drink. She'll fall sick if this continues." Leon unbuttoned his suit jacket, hung it by the door, and climbed the stairs, the children trailing behind him. Meanwhile, Roy opened the cake box, preparing plates and setting everything up on the table.
Leon knocked on Sumi's door. Once again; no response.
He softened his voice and says. "Sumi! I'm back. Open the door, please. I'm sorry—I was caught up in something important and couldn't answer your calls."
He pressed his forehead against the door, and only then did he hear the faint sound of muffled sobs.
Noor joined him too, her voice pleading. "Sumi, your brother is tired. He came back for your birthday. Look! He brought cake and gifts with him. Please open the door." The children chimed in, coaxing her, but the silence remained.
Roy, having finished the preparations, came upstairs."Everything's ready. We just need to cut the cake," he informed. But the problem is, Sumi wouldn't come out.
Leon rubbed his temple, exhaustion weighing on his head—he was awake three days straight without any sleep, not even a little nap. Just as he was about to knock again, the doorbell rang.
Roy turned to go answer it. Leon exhaled and tried one last time. His voice dropped to a near whisper. "Sumi… Mom is here." (Leon never lies to her sister, but he did it for her sake.)
Sumi gets up and slowly unlocks the door, quickly returning to the bed. Leon slowly pushed the door open. Sumi had already scurried back to her bed, clutching her panda pillow, and turned on the opposite side.
Leon stepped inside quietly and sat beside her on the bed. He gently calls her, "Sumi… let's go, everyone's waiting. I'm sorry, Brother is sorry."
Leon leaned forward; he kissed her forehead, murmuring another apology. Slowly, she sat up, her eyes still puffy from crying. Without a word, she reached out for him and hugged; and Leon lifted her into his arms, kissed her forehead once again and wiped her tears.
The children peeked through the doorway, watching. Leon gestured for them to go downstairs. Noor led them away, while Sara stood in the hallway with a smirk, she teased Sumi. "She's such a drama queen."
"I am not!" Sumi snapped, glaring at her. Leon chuckled and says. "There you go. Tell her you're a good girl."
Sara stuck out her tongue and kept calling her the drama queen. Sumi wiggled in Leon's hold." Brother! Put me down!" she jumped, immediately darting after Sara. "Stop right there, Sara! How dare you!"
But Sara kept teasing and laughing. "Drama queen just wants her brother's attention! Drama queen! Drama queen!"
Noor intervened. "That's enough, Sara. Be polite. It's Sumi's birthday. Sara grinned. And she sits in her chair, "I was just kidding."
At that moment, Maria arrived. She peeked into the dining room "Sumi~". And as soon as Sumi saw her, she let out a delighted squeal. "Maria!" she jumos down from her chair and rushed at her.
Maria knelt, catching the little girl in a warm embrace. Leon crossed his arms watching the cute little moment and smiled. "We were waiting for you," he said.
Maria stood and hugged him as well. "It's been a long time, Leon. We missed you a lot."
Masao, standing on a chair, leaned toward Leon's ear and whispered mischievously, "She means she missed you a lot. She just won't say it straight."
Maria tugged Masao's cheeks softly. "What do you mean? That's rude, Masao!" Leon smirked, ruffling Masao's hair. "You've grown taller."
Roy took out a recorder, capturing the moment for memories. "Alright! Let's cut the cake," he announced and grabbed a party bomb.
Sumi gets down from her chair, grabs Leon's hand, and pulls him to the cake. Climbing back onto the chair, she said, "Brother, blow the candle with me."
How could he refuse his sister's wish.
But Leon requests others to join in too—Maria, Masao, Sara, Roy, Noor, Hima, and Elena. Together, they blew out the candles, and a joyful chorus rang out: "Happy birthday, Sumi!"
Today, she turned nine. They cut the cake, feeding each other bites. Leon, who normally avoided sweets; due to his diabetes. But he took a bite from Sumi's hand.
Roy snapped a picture of them all—an image for the family album, a frame to hold their happiness. Leon looked at Sumi with kind and grateful eyes. "Just in a blink of an eye, they have all grown up," he hoped for their never-ending welfare.
Later night, unwrapped gifts. Sumi found her favorite doll, candy, chocolates, chips, dresses, shoes, sandals, and even a new bedsheet. The children divided the snacks among themselves, but being kids, a few playful fights broke out.
Sara, the eldest at twelve, was usually the most responsible, but even she had her childish moments, teasing the younger ones. Leon had brought her a small purse.
Her eyes lit up. "Thank you! I love you, brother!" She kissed Leon on the cheeks and dashed to her room, pulling out her savings from umder her bed sheet, and filled the purse with her coins and notes.
Leon smiled, watching her excitement. The night stretched on, laughter and chatter filling the air.
Kids played till midnight with Leon. One by one, the children dozed off tired. Noah fell asleep on Maria's lap. She carefully carried her to bed, laying her beside Sara and Sumi before turning off the lights.
Leon, meanwhile, rocked the youngest, Hima, to sleep in his lap. With a final glance at the peaceful faces of the children, he gestured to Maria to switch off the lights and close the door softly.
At the dining table, Maria and Noor were eating their meal. Leon slowly walked out of the room and checked the clock on the wall—it was 1:27 AM. "I think, I should get ready. Its time." Leon said.
"It was time?" Maria frowned. "What now? Where are you going this late?".
Leon says, "I have to testify in the private court of—Centralized Political Unconventional Security. About everything I did in Feropia. I'll be back tomorrow." He turned to Roy and said. "Look after the kids for me. Call me if there's a problem. I should be done by tomorrow evening.—And maybe Kenzo will be coming. He might stay for a few days. Prepare a meal for him. Also—make sure Sumi understands; she might get angry again, so spend time with her. And Maria, don't yell at the kids."
Maria, stuffing food into her mouth, retorted, "I don't yell. A little scolding is necessary. Otherwise, they'll never learn anything."
Leon shook his head with a kind smile and headed to his room. He changed into a simple blue shirt and jeans. At 2:10 AM,—AM, his phone rang.
The officers were waiting outside for him. Leon stepped out, they handcuffed him and he hopped inside the car.
Soon after that, Maria went back home. She reached home and slowly opens the door, Manabu and the others were still asleep—except for Mion, who was in the washroom.
As Maria entered, Mion glanced up, rubbing her eyes. "Where were you this late?" she asked.
Maria simply replied, "Just had some work outside." She was exhausted too. Without another word, she went to her room, sank into her bed, and drifted into sleep.
Meanwhile, Leon was completely quiet on the way to the court. The actual reason for the midnight court was to keep the information secret since it was an undercover project to stabilize the core of Lafiaza.
Both officers— Morgan Brownhat and Investigator Paul, were unofficially secrect members of the CPUS-Intelligence-Arms.
Right now, their job was to keep an eye on Leon and help him complete his given task with the necessary accessories.
Otherwise, they were also investigators of the CPUS-Intelligence(Not arms).
Morgan asked if Leon had slept well since his eyes had turned red. He knew Leon was the kind of guy who wouldn't rest until his job was done.
Leon denied it and said a coffee would do.
Morgan opened his service coffee can and gave one to Leon through the bars of the car.
Leon thanked him for his act of kindness. Morgan asked about his family—he knew Leon very well since he had watched over him most of the time; it was his main task given by the authority. Leon took a sip and said, "Today was Sumi's birthday, and she turned 9 this month."
Morgan knew each kid in the family. Leon had once introduced him to the children, and Morgan had enjoyed spending time with them. It reminded him of his own daughter, who also turned 9 before she died; She was killed...
Soon after, his wife passed away too. Leon looked at the front glass of the car and noticed Morgan's baby-like sad face.
He then invited him to Masao's birthday on May 3rd. Morgan smirked, seeming happy.
Leon laughed and said, "It's just a payback since you looked after my family when I was in Feropia. And your daughter was my niece too, i know the pain of losing her aswell. Maybe this will cheer you up a little."
"I bet," Morgan said. Paul also laughed, seeing Morgan being treated like an old man.
Finally they reached the court. Leon was handcuffed.
On the stairs, many lawyers and officers were waiting. Today, four criminals were to be testified, and three of them had already given their testimony. Leon was the final one.
It was 4 AM—The weather seemed heavy and cloudy; it could rain at any moment. Leon entered a massive, dimly lit room on the first floor.
The place was so vast that it could easily accommodate 200 people with enough space to breathe. Its architecture was unbelievable.
The room was in the middle of the Lafiaza Supreme Court, which itself stood at the heart of Lafiaza. Most laws and regulations were passed from here. It was an honor to stand in this part of Lafiaza, even as a criminal.
Leon saw a staircase in the center of the room, surrounded by lawyers sitting all around it. He stepped onto it, and stand still.
Suddenly, three lights flashed. The judges had arrived.
Their faces couldn't be seen due to the light behind them. They were sitting at a high place. Leon looked up at them as his testimony began.
But first, Leon was informed about the one and only rule of this court:
The questions asked must be answered only with yes or no. Arguments were not allowed; evidence would speak and argue on your behalf.
Them The judge in the middle commanded: "All six officers who have been keeping an eye on Leon for the last few months in Feropia, step forward!
Four were sent from our motherland, and the other two were Feropian investigators. Justify Leon's innocence."
At First, Mr. Dazinba, who was supposed to monitor Leon three days a week for the first three months, stepped forward and submitted all the reports he had collected. The lawyers read them, and Mr. Dazinba spoke:
"Your Majesty, in my observation, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime, only followed the authority and focused on the tasks assigned to him. During my schedule, I never saw him commit any crime."
No one argued back. It was clear that Leon was innocent for the 35 days of Mr. Dazinba's schedule.
The judge im the middle ordered once again:
Next! Mr. Crawnald, a renowned investigator of our motherland! Step forward."
Mr. Crawnald had been assigned to watch Leon two days a week for the first three months. He reported:
"Your Majesty, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime in my sight and followed his orders according to my reports and schedule."
One by one, all officers gave their statements. At the fourth place, Mr. Kenzo stood up. He looked at Leon, a bit nervous, then handed over his reports. And spoke:
"Your Majesty, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime in my sight and followed his orders according to my schedule."
Kenzo had watched Leon for the last three months, two days a week. Finally, the last officer stood up and justified Leon's innocence as well. And after few discussion Leon was officially realeased from the court.
Morning, 10:30 AM—the court ended.
Leon was free to go and had officially passed the court. He could now roam freely, at least for the time being.
He walked out with Kenzo and stretched with a sigh of relief. Kenzo had been nervous, but they had passed together once again. Kenzo praised Leon for planning everything so precisely.
The truth is: Leon had actually committed unauthorized and unofficial crimes at someone's request. Only Kenzo knew about it, besides Leon himself.
To execute this plan, he had to catch a giant shark with just a snail—Daima.
Leon planned it all, according to the schedule. Six officers were supposed to spy on him. And Kenzo's played major role in Leon's plan.
[ During the first three months—October, November, and December ]—three officers spied on him continuously. So, Leon avoided raising suspicion.
Meanwhile, he used Kenzo to approach Daima and manipulate him.
It was too risky to not be present in person, but Kenzo did a fine job of getting close to Daima.
By December, Leon had started using Daima to execute his plans—the unofficial killings (requested one only). And Mr. Santa was born.
Leon was completely unsuspected of being Santa in the eyes of the first three officers, as he was following orders. But Leon had bigger plans. There was an interlinked connection between the officers. There is a saying:
"When someone spreads a false rumor about someone, ten out of twenty will believe it blindly. And the same works the opposite way."
For the first three months, Leon only killed officially encountered criminals—and used Daima to execute the unauthorized ones.
This made Leon appear as an obedient worker in front of the officers.
As a result, the first three officers fully trusted Leon's loyalty to the authority..
Naturally, they would relay their perspective to the next set of officers.
Once Leon was in their good books, he started his real game.
Before going to Feropia, Kami requested the authority to give an extra task to Leon to retrieve his son. But Leon denied taking the task immediately.
He told Kami to wait until he said so, buying himself time. Kami wasn't bothered at all; since he just wanted his child back.
By December, when he finally took the task from Kami, he had more freedom to move. Now, he could plot more carefully.
He continued using Daima for the schedules of the remaining two officers, while getting directly involved during Kenzo's schedule.
The day he called Mion?— That was also Kenzo's schedule date.
The night he planned to kill Daima and take Manabu?—That was also Kenzo's schedule.
Leon was sneakily killing his enemies. Kenzo presented the proof he and Leon had fabricated about Daima.
The Santa case was officially closed. Manabu and his friends were reported missing, and soon, the case would be closed as well. In short, everything went exactly as planned. Kenzo laughed in victory...
After the Court, Leon was pretty tired and hungry. He was hungry too. He and Kenzo had breakfast together with Morgan and Paul. And after breakfast, Morgan drove them home.
By 1 PM, they arrived. Morgan waved goodbye and drove off. Kenzo rang the doorbell. Noor opened it.
The kids had just woken up, and when they saw Kenzo, they got excited and hugged him. It had been years since they last saw him. Roy shook hands with him.
"How's everything going, Mr. Kenzo?" Roy greeted him like a friend.
Kenzo, exhausted, said, "I was awake all night. I need some rest."
Roy took him to his room. Leon noticed Noor seemed concerned. "What happened? Is everything alright?" he asked.
Noor replied hesitantly , "Master Leon, last night, Ms. Maria left alone at 3 AM. I told her to stay the night, but she didn't listen."
Leon's eyes widen and jaw hardened in anger. "Why?! Why would Maria leave the house so late at night?! Didn't I say no one goes out alone after midnight?! Who will take responsibility if something happens to her?!"
Roy returned in the middle of their conversation and confirmed the same thing."I told that her too but she's really stubborn."
Leon inhale and exhale to calm himself. And said, " I'll talk to her later about this. But first, I need to meet Kami again."
Roy sighed. "Again? Don't you ever get tired?"
Leon smirked. And took the car key "This is my last job. I promise. Then, I'm done for a week." And With that, Leon left in his car.
At the end of the afternoon— Maria woke up, and stretched while yawning. She had slept well. She starts Looking around, everyone was gone.
"They woke up already? Whats the time now?" she mumbled.
Suddenly something smelled really good—spicy and rich. She sniffed again, following the aroma. Tossing off her blanket, she walked toward the kitchen, where she found Mion cooking. No one was home but just her and Mion.
Maria approached her and peeked over her shoulder. "Fish curry? It look tasty."
Looking around, she noticed all the dishes were already done. "You did all this all by yourself?" she asked.
Mion replied to her in a strange manner, "I couldn't stand the smell of the kitchen. Seriously, what kind of drink did we have last night?"
Maria smiled awkwardly. She had no idea either. But the curry smelled sweet, spicy and flavorful. Mion tasted it—it was perfectly cooked.
It just needed to simmer on low heat for a while. She covered the pot and pulled out a chair at the dining table, sitting down.
Maria also took a seat. A question lingering in Maria's mind, but she was hassitating to ask,—'Should I ask Or not?' she couldn't make a decision.
Mion looked at her face and could tell she wanted to say something. "What do you want to ask?" Mion said.
Maria, startled, glanced around. "Who? Me?"
Mion groaned,"Who else is here?"
Maria apologise and asked,"Where's Manabu and your friends?"
Mion answered, "Manabu and others went to the Kami's officer. Leon came to get them… I didn't go."
That explained why Mion seemed in a bad mood. But Maria had no idea what had happened between them.
Suddenly, Mion turned to her. "What kind of guy Leon is? I mean… how did you meet him? Tell me about him."
Maria put a finger on her lips, and starts blushing while recalling. "I last saw Leon almost a year ago. Back then, he was very quiet and reserved…but now, it's like he's grown ants' wings."
Mion frowned. "I meant how did you meet each other, like what does he do? Have you ever seen him act strange or crazy?"
Maria glanced around before leaning in slightly, signaling Mion to come closer. " I'll tell you a secret about him, but promise me you won't tell anyone."—Mion pinky-promised her.
Maria whispered, "Leon's actually a nice guy, but sometimes… he does things that are so bizarre and wild that it makes me wonder if he's actually a psychopath. Like you said."
Mion raised an eyebrow. "Bizarre things? Like what?"
Maria finds it hard and creepy to tell, but—"Sometimes, when he's angry, he bites his own fingers uncontrollably, until they bleed or the flesh comes out."
Maria recalled an incident when she had gone into the bathroom to grab some hand soap.
She had found the bathtub covered in blood. Later, she noticed Leon's fingers—his flesh had been torn. And when she asked him straight, he said he was angry, but he's fine now.
Mion, however, wasn't really surprised. Since she was already convinced that Leon is insane.
Maria continued, sharing another story. "One time, he was standing on the top floor of his orphanage during a rainstorm. At first, I thought he was crying. But suddenly, he started breathing abnormally and screamed like a madman. Then, out of nowhere, he collapsed."
Maria's voice turned softer. "I rushed to him. Everyone in the house heard his scream—even through the rain. He screamed so loud his mouth and nose started bleeding uncontrollably. It was embarrassing, but… I was crying for him at that moment. He wouldn't wake up, and the bleeding wouldn't stop. After a while, a doctor came, gave him some medicine, and told him to rest."
Mion sighed and thought, "an idiot like her is no use to me"
Mion thought that Maria had no idea about Leon. But then Maria said something that caught Mion off guard. "Also there's a rumor about him going to jail."
Mion froze and turned immediately. "What?! Jail? Why?"
Maria explained, "I overheard my dad and some other people talking. At first I thought Leon to be either an undercover agent for CPUS-Intelligence… or a criminal."
The curry was ready. Mion quickly turned off the stove and sat back down. "Please continue," she urged.
Maria tried to recall the conversation. "Leon was probably taken for some important mission or something. I overheard my father on the phone.
He said they would need Leon… and that he might be used for something called The Ostrich Project."
Mion gets confused since she had literally zero knowledge about Lafiaza. "What is The Ostrich?"
Maria explained—It's a local gang that has become massive. Apparently, their leader disappeared.
She guesses that Leon was assigned to find the leader. —"That's why I thought he could be an investigator or a secret agent. But maybe he's bound by a set of rules. But still thinking of him as an agent sounds feels—he's just 18. But then I heard rumors, and my dad mentioned something else…"
Maria hesitated to say, "He said some criminals were being legally released to work for CPUS-Intelligence." Mion tensed.
Maria let out a nervous laugh. "I might sound crazy, but at some point, I started doubting whether he's actually a criminal or not. The allegations against him were so messed up… it almost seemed impossible for someone like him to commit." her frown deepens, and she seems really umcomfortable.
Mion's curiosity deepened. "What allegations?"
Maria hesitated and told her to forget. "They're nonsense. Better to ignore them."
But Mion wanted to know. "Tell me; I want to know."
Maria grew even more uncomfortable. "Some people say… he murdered a priest. And that he… did something terrible to a girl."
Mion leaned closer and got louder. "He did what? Maria, what did he do?!"
Maria squirmed in her seat. "They say he… raped her."
Mion went completely silent.
Even though she hated him, she still couldn't believe it. Maria quickly changed the subject. "Forget it. Let's talk about something else."
Mion agreed, though the thought lingered in her mind. Then Maria said something even more unsettling. "When Leon was sent to get Manabu, he was strictly ordered not to harm or cause any damage to you or anyone else. If he did… he might receive the death penalty from the authorities. That's why I was really scared for him. Even requested him reject the task, but he wants his freedom from CPUS- intelligence . "
That made Mion drown in her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
"What? Wait... So, according to this… Leon can't harm us or anyone else, or he'll get the death penalty."
"But… he has hurt people. He's even killed them."
"Then why hasn't the authority taken action?"
Mion started sweating.
" What if the authority already knows what he's doing? They can onlly punishes him if he gets caught committing a crime? That means… does the authority actually know what he's doing?"
"No, I'm wrong...Is CPUS-Intelligence aware of what Leon is doing?" Her mind raced, as she started to realize.
"That day," she mummered in her thoughts.
"WAS HE JUST BLUFFING?"