NOVEL NEXT Chapter 396: Crime and Punishment
Minamoto Tamako felt restless, even the teacup in her hand seemed a bit scorching. She knew Fujimura-kun was also a 'champion of justice,' but now Fujimura-kun seemed to have taken justice a little too far; going overboard wouldn't do!
She knew well that this was a dream, and also that she shouldn't talk back now, but she couldn't help herself and said, "How does what you're doing differ from those people?"
"No difference."
Fushimi Roku didn't hesitate for a moment, nor was there any guilt on his face as he said this, as if he was countering, 'So what?'
Hearing this, an inexplicable courage welled up in Minamoto Tamako's heart. She heavily placed down her teacup, her ahoge stood upright: "How can you say such a thing without any misgivings?"
"Because I'm prepared to be caught."
Fushimi Roku was indifferent; he seemed oblivious to the change in Minamoto Tamako's attitude and continued on his own, "As long as I'm caught, I'll accept the punishment of the law. Capturing murderers is the job of the police; you should blame the police for inaction, not a murderer for lacking conscience."
Minamoto Tamako desperately wanted to grab his shoulders, shake him, and shout at him 'This is all a dream! You can't possibly kill so many people without being discovered! The police aren't idiots!'
Unfortunately, her rational mind was intact, knowing she shouldn't provoke the young Fujimura-kun.
Minamoto Tamako pressed her lips together, remained silent for a moment, then asked, "If you lack conscience, why kill those people?"
"I'm not doing it for justice, not for righteousness, just for my own comfort." Fushimi Roku said with a shrug, "Such selfishness, does it count as having a conscience?"
This left Minamoto Tamako speechless; she initially wanted to say, 'Others may become murderers, but not you,' but thinking it over, she realized she had no position to say such things now.
Seeing her fall silent, Fushimi Roku finally pulled the topic back on track, saying, "In sum, I'm not a qualified lawyer, because I might kill my employer. If you lie, then I must kill you... So while I'm still in a good mood, please leave."
Minamoto Tamako thought this guy was entirely mindless; he had clearly confessed to his murder plans before her and she had witnessed the murder scene, yet now he was letting her go... In the real world, Fujimura-kun would've been in prison long ago!
The situation finally has a breakthrough; she now finally has a chance for normal interaction with the young Fujimura-kun, how could she let it go easily?
"What do you plan to do if you're caught?" Minamoto Tamako asked with a frown.
"Die." The young Fushimi Roku appeared ready for the worst.
"Mentally ill murderers shouldn't face the death penalty..." Minamoto Tamako felt somewhat ashamed after saying this, wasn't she exploiting a loophole in the law herself? How did she end up like Fujimura-kun?
As they say, being around ink makes one black, undoubtedly she had been influenced by him!
"It doesn't matter, I can accept whatever outcome." Fushimi Roku said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako had a quick thinking epiphany, and finally thought of a way to break the impasse.
She had once read that world classic "Crime and Punishment," where the protagonist believed himself to be different from others, yet suffered greatly from his mediocrity and the disparity between his family's expectations and his own downfall, which led him to make a rash decision to kill Alyona Ivanovna, whom he considered bad.
The latter was a loan-sharking old woman, greedy and mean by nature, and the protagonist, Raskolnikov, believed she exploited the poor and that "living was of no benefit to society," attempting to validate his extreme theory that "extraordinary people can exceed moral and legal boundaries to achieve their ends" by killing her.
During the murder process, an accident occurred, another innocent person happened to witness Raskolnikov's killing. To cover his crime, and also out of panic, Raskolnikov killed her too.
As of this point, he began to fall into months of mental torment.
Until one day, he met a prostitute named Sonia. He believed himself superior to Sonia, and also believed Sonia could understand him because of her lowly profession, hence he confessed his crimes to Sonia—hoping she would criticize him, also hoping she would embrace him; however, Sonia replied:
"And your worst sin is that you destroyed and betrayed yourself."
"Living in the filth you despise so much, isn't it terrifying?"
When Minamoto Tamako first read this part, it shocked her, though she didn't grasp the true meaning of it until a certain book critic explained in a review:
'Through this sentence, she expressed her heartfelt remorse and condemnation for Raskolnikov's self-destructive behavior, believing that he not only committed the crime of murder but more importantly, his actions betrayed his own conscience and moral principles, plunging his soul into endless pain and torment.'
At this moment, Minamoto Tamako finally understood the young Fushimi Roku's thoughts. She sat up straight, looked him in the eyes, and seriously said, "In that case, I'll capture you, make you face the judgment of law and inner conscience, and force you to reform!"
Fushimi Roku raised his eyebrows, slowly placing his hand behind him, confirming, "You want to capture me?"
"That's right!" Minamoto Tamako had made up her mind; only by doing this could she raise the emotional value of the young Fushimi Roku!
Besides, this is in a dream; even if dream Fushimi Roku were shot a thousand times, he wouldn't die but rather might lead real-world Fushimi Roku to unravel his inner conflict!