Leon returned home laden with gifts and delicacies for his children. His hands were full of bags and gifts. Roy pressed the doorbell with his cubital joint while carrying the large cake box.
Noor opened the door and smiled warmly upon seeing them, especially Leon. She quickly relieved them of a few bags to lighten the weight.
Upon perceiving the bell, a group of children peeked outside the door and found big brother Leon at the doorstep. They rushed forward with excitement, laughing gleefully. "Brother is home!" They jumped at him, hugged him as if they'd never let go, shouting, "Brother! Welcome back, we missed you!"
Leon knelt, set the bags of gifts on the floor, and hugged them tightly. "I missed you all too." He kissed their foreheads.
After a long period of exhausting work, he finally returned to his children—the only thing that could make him genuinely happy, truly make him smile. Though all were orphans and some were Lafians, Leon loved them all equally.
"There are more gifts in the backseat of the car; get them for me," he said, and immediately all the kids rushed toward the car, opened the door, and brought everything one by one.
Leon realized Sumi was nowhere to be found. "Where's Sumi, by the way?" he asked the children.
While carrying a large box of chocolates, the third eldest, Masao, replied, "She's really mad at you. You didn't pick up her calls for a whole month. She locked herself in her room."
Leon realized he was in deep trouble. He sighed, brought and set the gifts on the dining table before calling out to Sumi. He called her name twice from the downstairs dining room, but no response.
Noor approached Leon with a 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, hung it on a coat rack, and climbed the stairs to her room, the children trailing behind.
Roy opened the cake box, preparing plates and setting everything up on the table.
Leon reached and twisted the door handle, but the door was locked from inside. He knocked, but again, no response.
He shortened his distance from the door and begged Sumi to open it. "Sumi! I'm back. Open the door, please. I'm sorry, I couldn't answer your calls."
He pressed his ear against the door, hearing Sumi's muffled sobs.
Noor began pleading too. "Sumi, your brother is really tired. He came back for your birthday. Look! He brought cake and gifts. Please open the door."
The children chimed in, coaxing her, but the silence remained.
Roy, having finished the preparations, came upstairs. "Everything's ready," he informed. "We just need to cut the cake."
But the problem was, Sumi wouldn't come out. Leon rubbed his temples, exhaustion weighing on him—he'd been awake three days straight without sleep, not even a nap. Just as he was about to knock again, the doorbell rang downstairs.
"Who could it be this time?" Roy went downstairs to answer the bell.
Leon lingered, both hands on his pelvic girdle, and tried one last time. His voice dropped to a near whisper. "Sumi… Mom is here."
Sumi rose, unlocked the door, and quickly returned to her bed, facing the opposite side. Clutching her panda pillow tightly, she buried her face in it. Leon eased the door open slowly, stepping into the room.
Leon stepped inside quietly and sat beside her on the bed. He gently called her, "Sumi… let's go, everyone's waiting. I'm sorry, Brother is sorry." He leaned close and kissed her forehead, murmuring another apology.
Sumi wiped her tears, sat up, her eyes still puffy from crying. Without a word, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. Leon lifted her into his arms, kissed her forehead again, and wiped her tears.
The children stood at the doorway, watching. Leon hushed and gestured for them to go downstairs. Noor led them away, while Sara, the eldest, stood in the hallway with a smirk, teasing Sumi. "She's such a drama queen," she said.
"I am not!" Sumi snapped, glaring at her. Leon chuckled and said, "There you go. Tell her you're a good girl."
Sara stuck out her tongue and continued 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 repeating, "Drama queen just wants her brother's attention! Drama queen! Drama queen!"
Noor intervened, addressing Sara, "That's enough, be polite, Sara! It's Sumi's birthday."
Sara grinned and sat in her chair, "I was just playing."
Leon sat into a chair in the dining room, one leg crossed over the other, his head reclined against an arm draped casually over the chair's back, while his other hand was placed on his thigh. Just then, Maria peeked into the dining room, calling, "Princess!"
As soon as Sumi sees her, she squeals delightfully, "Maria!" She jumps off her chair and rushes at her.
Maria knelt and grabbed her little princess in a warm embrace, lifting her on her flank. Leon, watching the cute moment, smiled and said, "We were waiting for you, Maria."
Maria blushed just watching him. She places her purse on a rack while saying, "It's been a long time, Leon. We missed you a lot."
Masao pulled out his chair, sat down, and said mischievously, "She means she missed you a lot. She just won't say it straight."
Maria felt embarrassed and pinched Masao's puffy cheeks. "What do you mean? That's rude, Masao! Of course I missed him too, but not that much!"
Leon smirked, defending Masao, pulled him onto his lap, and ruffled his 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 got down from her chair and held Leon's wrist, pulling him to the cake. Climbing back onto the chair, she said, "Brother, blow the candle with me."
How could he refuse his princess's wish? But Leon insisted others 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, still 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 fervently hoped for their enduring welfare.
Later that night, they unwrapped all 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 had to happen.
Sara, the eldest at twelve, was usually the most responsible, but even she had her childish way of 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 under her bedsheet, and filled the purse with her coins and notes. She wore it and acted like an older woman.
Leon smiled, watching her excitement. The night stretched on with laughter and chatter. Kids played till midnight with Leon. One by one, the children dozed off, tired. Noah, the second youngest, had fallen 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, little 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 talked while eating their meal. Leon slowly walked out of the children's room and came downstairs. He checked the clock on the wall; it was 1:27 AM already. "I think I should get ready. It's time," Leon said.
"What's time?" Maria frowned upon asking. "What now? Where are you going this late?"
Leon replied, "I have to testify in the court of—Centralized Political Unconventional Security. About everything I did in Feropia. I'll be back tomorrow." He called 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."
He pointed to Noor too, "Sumi might get angry again, make sure she understands. 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, his phone rang. The officers had arrived outside, waiting for him.
Leon went out where the officers promptly handcuffed his hands and entered the awaiting vehicle.
Soon after Leon left, Maria went back home too. Though Noor and Roy both insisted she stay for the night under Leon's orders, she said she had guests at home and left. She reached home and slowly unlocked the door. Manabu and the others were still asleep—except for Mion, who was in the washroom.
As Maria entered, Mion walked out, rubbing her eyes. "Where were you this late?" she asked.
Maria replied, "Just had some work outside." She was exhausted too. She changed her clothes, went to her room, sank into her bed beside Mion, and fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Leon was awake the whole night. The gentle smile on his face had faded. 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 investigators of the CPUS-Intelligence-Arms. Their job was to keep an eye on Leon and help him complete his given task with the necessary accessories. Leon's job done meant theirs was too.
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 he finished his business.
Leon denied and said a coffee would do.
Morgan opened his service coffee can and gave one to Leon through the bars of the vehicle.
Leon thanked him for his kindness. Morgan asked about his family—he knew Leon very well, having watched over him for a while, his main task given by the authority. Leon took a sip and said, "Today was Sumi's birthday, and she turned nine this month."
Morgan knew everyone in the family. Leon had once introduced him to the children, and Morgan enjoyed spending time with them. It reminded him of his own daughter, who also turned nine before she was murdered.
Leon looked at the front glass of the vehicle and noticed Morgan's baby-like sad face. He then invited him to Masao's birthday on May 3rd. Morgan smirked, "Thanks," he said.
"It's just payback since you looked after my family when I was in Feropia. And overseeing your condition, this may cheer you," Leon said.
"Yes, you bet," Morgan said.
Paul laughed out loud while driving, seeing Morgan being treated like an old man. "You probably should adopt Morgan as well, Leon!" he said.
Morgan smirked at it.
After a few minutes, they reached the court.
Leon remained handcuffed throughout his time inside the courtroom. On the stairs, lawyers and officers stared at him. Today, four criminals were to be judged; three had already given their testimony, and Leon was the last.
It was almost 4 AM. The weather seemed cloudy and unpromising; it could rain at any moment. Leon entered the hall. The place was so vast it could easily accommodate 200 people with ample space to breathe. Its architecture was awe-inspiring.
Leon saw a staircase in the center of the room, surrounded by lawyers seated around it. He was uncuffed and told to stand on it and remain still.
After a few minutes, three lights blazed. The judges had arrived.
Their faces couldn't be seen due to the intense light behind them. They were seated on an elevated platform. Leon looked up at them as his time arrived. First, Leon was informed of the court's sole rule: The questions asked must be answered only with yes or no. Arguments were forbidden. Only lawyers and witnesses could speak, with evidence arguing on their behalf.
The judge in the middle commanded: "The officers who were sent to observe Leon for the last few months in the land of Feropia, step forward and justify his innocence!"
Four were sent from our Motherland, and two were Feropian investigators. All justify Leon's innocence.
First, Mr. Dazinba, who was tasked with monitoring Leon three days a week for the firstthreemonths, stepped forward and submitted all the reports he had collected.
The lawyers read them, and Mr. Dazinba spoke: "Your Honor, in my observation, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime during my schedule, only followed the authority, and focused on his assigned tasks."
No one argued back. It was clear that Leon was innocent for the 35 days of Mr. Dazinba's schedule.
The judge in the middle ordered again: "'Mr. Crawnald, a renowned investigator of our Motherland! Step forward.'"
Mr. Crawnald had been assigned to watch Leon two days a week for the lastthreemonths. He reported: "Your Honor, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime under my watch and followed his orders per my reports and schedule."
One by one, all officers gave their statements, declaring Leon innocent.
Fifth, Mr. Kenzo stood up. He looked at Leon, a bit nervous, then handed over his reports. And spoke: "Your Honor, Leon is innocent. He committed no crime under my watch and followed his orders per my schedule."
Kenzo had watched Leon for the last three months, two days a week.
Finally, the last officer stood up and declared Leon innocent as well. After a few discussions, Leon was officially released from the court.
At 10:30 AM, the court adjourned. Leon was free to go and had officially cleared the court. He walked out with Kenzo and stretched with a sigh of relief. Kenzo had been nervous, but they had passed together once again.
Leon had to think from the root to hide the sins he had committed—unauthorized and unofficial crimes at Kami's request. Leon was supposed to kill some fled criminals, but besides that, he also had to kill a few more people, kidnap Manabu, and his companions.
Besides Leon, only Kenzo and two other officers knew about this kidnapping and unauthorized killings. To execute this plan, he had to catch a giant shark with just a snail. Daima was the shark, and his urges were the snail.
According to the schedule set by officials, six officers were supposed to observe him, including Kenzo, who was recommended by the renowned Investigator Crawnald. Crawnald was quite persuaded by Kami and had no objections to the kidnapping or the killings. He justified Leon as innocent under Kami's orders since he was being benefited.
During the first three months—October to December—three officers spied on him continuously. So, Leon avoided raising suspicion and continued the assassinations. Meanwhile, he used Kenzo to persuade Daima.
It was too risky for Leon not to 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 of criminals—when Mr. Santa was born.
Leon was entirely unsuspected of being Santa by the first three officers, as he followed orders. But Leon had bigger plans. There was an interlinked connection between the officers.
"If a lie is repeated to someone often enough, they will likely believe it, and the belief will spread."
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 to 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 graces, he needed to worry less. By December, when he finally took on Kami's task, he had more freedom to move. Also, two of the officers were now in his favor, and he could plot more carefully.
He continued using Daima for the schedules of the remaining officers, while getting directly involved during Kenzo's schedule. The night he called Mion was also Kenzo's scheduled day. The night he planned to kill Daima and take Manabu—that was also Kenzo's scheduled day.
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. And Leon was doing this all for a big reason. He wants freedom…
After the court, Leon was exhausted and hungry. 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. It had been years since they last saw him. Roy shook hands with him.
"How's everything going, Kenzo?" Roy greeted him. They were old friends.
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 widened in anger. "Why? Why would Maria leave the house so late at night? Didn't I say no one goes out alone after midnight? Doesn't she know the situation in Lafiaza? Who will take responsibility if something happens to her?"
Roy returned in the middle of their conversation and tried to calm him. "I told her, but she's really stubborn."
Leon's jaw tightened. He rubbed his palm across his face and said, "Kami is the only way for us to achieve what we want, but if something happens to his daughter, I suspect he wouldn't help us. I'll talk to her later about this." Leon turned around and began walking to the door.
Roy asked, "Again? You just came back, you should probably take some rest."
Leon took the car keys from the drawer near the door, saying, "This is my last job. I promise. Then, I'm done for a week." And left in his car. Roy went to see Kenzo, but he was already asleep.
At the end of the afternoon, Maria woke up, stretched, and yawned. She started looking around, and everyone was gone. She mumbled, "They woke up already? What's the time now?"
Suddenly something smelled really good—spicy and rich. She sniffed again, following the aroma. Tossing off her blanket, she walked toward the kitchen, where the aroma grew stronger.
No one was home but her and Mion. Maria approached her and peeked over her shoulder. "Fish curry? It looks tasty."
Looking around, she noticed all the dishes were already done. "You did all this by yourself?" she asked.
Mion replied 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 lingered in her mind, but she was hesitating to ask. "Should I ask or not?" She couldn't decide.
Mion looked at her face and could tell she wanted to say something. "What do you want to ask?" Mion said.
Maria, startled, looked around. "Who? Me?"
Mion groaned, "Who else is here?"
Maria apologized and asked, "Where are your friends?"
"Manabu and others went to Kami's council chamber. I didn't go because Leon came to get them."
That explained why Mion seemed in a bad mood. But why? Maria had no idea. She wondered what had happened between them.
Suddenly, Mion turned a chair to face her, sat down, and asked, "What kind of guy is Leon? How did you meet him? Tell me about him."
Maria put a finger on her lips and started blushing as she recalled. "I met Leon almost a year ago. He was always really quiet and reserved."
Mion tapped her finger on the table and sighed. "I meant how did you meet each other? What does he do? Have you ever seen him act strange?" She faced up.
Maria was a little confused. As she thought, she gestured at Mion to come closer. "I'll tell you a secret about him, but promise me you won't tell anyone."
Mion hated such childish acts, yet she pinky-promised her.
Maria whispered, "Leon is an Ivann."
So? Mion wondered. Maria told her that being an Ivann is a bad omen in Lafiaza. "It's about hate. In this country, only Lafians are thought of as humans, and Ivanns are treated like slaves or worse."
That didn't help Mion at all, and she wanted to hear something more personal about Leon. She stood up, but Maria tried to keep her engaged. She apologized and requested Mion to sit down again.
"Leon's actually a nice guy, but sometimes… he does things that are so weird, like you said."
Mion raised an eyebrow. "Bizarre things? Like what?"
Maria found it difficult and creepy to tell. "Sometimes, when he's angry, he bites his own fingers until they bleed or his 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 directly, he said he was just angry and he'd be okay.
Mion, however, wasn't really surprised. Since she was already convinced that Leon was 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 heavily, screamed like a madman, so loud that everyone in the house heard it. Then he collapsed on the rooftop. I rushed to him, and 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. Just a waste of my sanity.'
Mion thought that Maria had no idea about Leon either. But then Maria said something that caught Mion's interest. 'Also, there's a rumor about him going to jail.'
Mion spun back to her chair. 'What?! Jail?' she exclaimed, startling Maria.
Maria explained, 'I shouldn't be telling you this, but because you promised, I will. Leon is actually a criminal who was arrested and released on parole for a project. Around 12 Ivann individuals were released for this project to expose an Ivann community named The Ostrich Community.'
Meanwhile, 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 is probably one of them, so technically he is betraying his own race.'
Mion was a little unsure since she had literally zero knowledge about Lafiaza. 'What is The Ostrich Community?'
Maria explained, 'The Ostrich is a local Ivann community, only for suffering Ivanns... Ivanns are victims of racism. After the War of Castela, One of the Ivann leaders committed many crimes, fostering mutual hatred among three races that has persisted for centuries. This community has made its base in war-destroyed places around Lafiaza and continues to fight for their rights.'
Leon was one of them, but he decided to betray his community. But for what? She doesn't know.
The Ostrich Project is about arresting leaders of the community and decreasing potential threats to prevent genocide.
Ivanns are growing aggressive periodically. They are beginning to steal, kill people, and commit many other crimes.
'That's why Leon tells me not to step out after 8 PM. Who knows what might happen to me? And I guess he won't be able to do anything either, since it's his own community. But there is also a serious allegation against him, which is really…'Maria let out a nervous laugh. "I might sound crazy, but the allegations against him are so messed up… it almost seems impossible for someone like him to commit those things."
Her frown deepened, and she seemed really uncomfortable. Mion's curiosity deepened. "What allegations? Why was he arrested in the first place?"
Maria hesitated and told her to forget. "They're nonsense. Better to ignore them." Then she got up from her chair.
But Mion grabbed her arm. She was desperate to know. "Tell me, I want to know."
Maria grew even more uncomfortable. Mion released her arm and let Maria talk. "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 he 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… based on this… Leon can't harm us or anyone else,'
'But he has hurt people, even killed them.' Mion started sweating. 'Then why haven't the authorities taken action?'
'Does the authoritie allows what he's doing?' Her mind raced. 'No... That's wrong thing to ask. CPUS-Intelligence, are they actually aware of what Leon is doing?' she realized.
'That day,' she murmured. 'WAS HE JUST BLUFFING?'