Sublimation

"Hey, Yoko, check out this video!"

"Huh? What are they doing at a cemetery—this is, this is way too much!"

"You didn't know? That's the cemetery where Ito Seigo's parents are buried. He's the arsonist!"

"He did—"

By the food island in the cafeteria, two women were chatting about online gossip as usual. Neither noticed that someone nearby behind them had heard their words and was utterly shocked.

Flames suddenly roared!

With a thunderous boom, before the customers in the cafeteria could react, a blast of scorching fire swept over them all. It blew through the glass, sending a crystal rain down onto the passersby below.

In an instant, the place was left in utter chaos. Almost everyone was injured. Some were hurled through the air and crashed to the ground, unconscious, while most suffered minor injuries and cried out in pain.

If anyone had followed the trail of destruction to the epicenter of the explosion, they would have found the ground charred black, the dark scorch marks radiating outward like petals.

The culprit was, of course, Ito Seigo. The fact that he hadn't unleashed a towering pillar of fire was already the result of his efforts to hold back.

He'd casually stolen a car on the way. As luck would have it, there was a phone inside with its navigation app running.

He drove straight to the cemetery where his parents were buried. The farther he went, the darker his expression grew.

He soon reached his destination. Taking the phone, he searched for the video he'd just seen and found that the user who'd posted it had uploaded another one, this time responding to the people criticizing him. The user even gave out his address, daring them—especially Ito Seigo—to come and get revenge if they had the guts. He'd be waiting.

After memorizing the address, Ito tossed the phone aside.

He entered the cemetery as if no one else were there. There weren't many people inside, and Ito quickly found his parents' gravestone. An elderly man was kneeling in front of it with a cloth, scrubbing away the dirt with all his might.

Ito stood before the gravestone and silently watched the old man clean it.

"I didn't look after the place properly. I'm sorry you were disturbed."

"I don't understand why those people are so angry. If you have to blame anyone, blame this old man for failing to keep an eye on the place."

"Going by age, I'm older than you, so forgive me for calling you little brother and little sister."

"When I join you down below one day, I'll apologize to you in person."

Ito didn't disturb the old man. He simply stood by the gravestone in silence for a few minutes, then got back in the car and drove away.

At a hotel.

Ikuta was scrolling through posts and watching the video gain traction, a smile spreading across his face.

"Maybe I'll be famous before long. Oh, right, that guy said he dug up the urn. How did I not think of that? What a blunder. What if someone beats me to it? But that old man's a pain too. Tsk."

His parents had died in the fire at Kamizakura Apartment. But since they hadn't bought commercial insurance, the compensation they could get would surely be meager. And now the apartment had burned down too, so it was hard to say whether they'd even be able to renovate it. He desperately needed money.

His relationship with his parents hadn't been great, but he was still grieving over their tragic deaths. He hadn't been so grief-stricken that he wanted to desecrate the suspect's parents' graves, though. He'd only overheard someone mention the idea in passing. Since he was already a content creator, and he thought it might make him famous, he'd gritted his teeth and gone for it!

Sure enough, the video had caused a sensation soon after he posted it.

There were plenty of people criticizing him, but as long as he acted devastated, he could claim the moral high ground. He could also say that anyone criticizing him was sympathizing with a criminal and might even be a potential arsonist. That should drown out a lot of the negative comments.

He kept mulling over his next move. Quite a few companies had already contacted him, but he didn't think the timing was right yet. If he could really lure Ito Seigo out, that would be the real scoop! A dutiful son takes on an arsonist! All of Japan would be moved by him!

At least for three days. Then he'd announce that he was organizing the victims to demand the death penalty and secure higher compensation for everyone. He'd protest that the authorities hadn't stopped such an arsonist before he could do any harm, keeping the buzz going.

As he lost himself in visions of the future, someone tapped him on the shoulder, pulling him back to reality.

"I'm busy," he said, ignoring them.

But the next second, he froze.

Wasn't he alone in the room?

He slowly turned around and saw a terrifying face wearing a terrifying smile.

"I'm here."

"Ah—!"

Ito grabbed Ikuta in a tight embrace. Flames of orange-red fire sprang up around Ito's body. Like a kitchen burner, the flames roared to life with a turn of the dial!

As Ikuta struggled, unable to understand what was happening, his agonized screams gradually faded into silence. He turned to charcoal, crumbling away piece by piece.

Ding, ding, ding!

The hotel's fire alarm rang out. Water poured from the sprinklers for a long time, but it couldn't stop the flames from spreading through the room.

Amid the commotion, Ito brushed the dust off himself and walked away without looking back.

Walking along the roadside, Ito gazed up at the sky and spread his arms, taking a deep breath. He felt utterly transformed, as if his whole way of thinking had been elevated.

How ridiculous that it had taken him so long to wake up. With this power, he shouldn't be bound by society's rules and restrictions. What was wrong with living freely and avenging his grudges? Wasn't that a kind of heroism, too?

Why was someone only a hero if they sacrificed themselves for others?

Mom, Dad, I'll keep living in this world. From today on, I won't regret anything anymore. If anyone's going to regret something, it'll be other people.

"So that's what 'a medicine that makes others regret it' means. I finally understand it all. What a perfect name."

At a store nearby, the television behind the display window was showing the latest news. A face appeared on the screen, leaving Ito astonished.

"After thinking it over carefully, our whole family decided that we should speak up. Even if we might be criticized, we accept that criticism. We want to say to everyone in advance, 'Honto ni sumimasen!'"

"We had noticed Ito Seigo's antisocial tendencies long ago, but our family stayed silent because we were afraid people would think we were ungrateful and because we feared Ito's retaliation."

"But we never imagined that our silence would make us accomplices!"

"Ever since the Kamizakura Apartment incident, we haven't had a single moment of peace. It's as though we can see countless spirits berating our souls. Even Ayako has to see a therapist every day!"

"But today, we won't back down anymore! We publicly declare that we're cutting all ties with Ito Seigo. And contrary to what some people online have said, we won't help him. On the contrary, we'll actively assist the police and do everything we can to bring this villain to justice as soon as possible."

Ito Seigo smiled.

He felt not the slightest anger, only boundless, pure delight.

How wonderful. Now he had another excuse to kill.

Wait. Why did he need an excuse to kill?

Wasn't it something he could just do whenever he wanted?

Why were there so many self-righteous idiots in this world?

It wasn't as if he were Homelander.

Ito Seigo placed his hand on the television.

"Ayako, your big brother's coming to play with you."