This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 223 - 188. Seto Sosuke (8000-word goal achieved)

Chapter 223: Chapter 188. Seto Sosuke (8000-word goal achieved)

Cries and laughter, terrifying and piercing, made Qiushan Caiyin shudder uncontrollably.

Then—

Snap!

Beichuan Si raised his hand and slapped Seto Cheng across the face.

The slap sent Seto Cheng’s mouth bleeding, and he looked at Beichuan Si in stunned silence, unable to utter a sound.

"There’s a limit to playing tricks and pretending to be spirits," Beichuan Si said.

"Heh," Seto Cheng let out a self-deprecating chuckle, the corners of his mouth twitching as he was about to laugh—

Snap!

Beichuan Si spoke expressionlessly, "Speak properly."

Seto Cheng covered his swollen, aching mouth, not daring to laugh or cry again.

"Can you just answer my questions?" Beichuan Si watched Seto Cheng calmly.

His overly composed demeanor surprised Seto Cheng deep down.

But perhaps there was still a chance for him to turn the tables...

He glanced at the old school building behind Beichuan Si, his mouth twinging in pain, "What do you want to know?"

Beichuan Si spoke, seemingly oblivious to his glance, "Did you commit the disappearance of the children four years ago? What was your motive?"

Seto Cheng subconsciously touched his bruised lip, a self-mocking smile on his face, "Hasn’t Mr. Beichuan already investigated? Why ask me? Why not just say what you suspect?"

Beichuan Si’s face turned cold as he lifted the fire axe in his hand, pressing it cruelly against Seto Cheng’s already fractured wrist.

Seto Cheng’s face changed dramatically, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain. It took a while before he could force out a barely coherent sentence, "I’ll tell, I’ll tell you."

His weak demeanor made Beichuan Si raise an eyebrow in disdain.

He had thought Seto Cheng was a notable author, whom he assumed would possess the temperament befitting of one.

But it turned out the man was just a weakling, nowhere near the same league as Tsukishima Risa’s father, Tsukishima Sen.

However, on second thought, Seto Cheng’s behavior was not surprising.

After all, a man who would attack a high school girl was of course petty-minded.

Beichuan Si glanced at Qiushan Caiyin, who didn’t dare to speak, then turned back.

Seto Cheng’s eyes burned with intense hatred as he lowered his head, his voice small but chilling, "My son... Sosuke... was pushed into Yu River by those brats. So I found an opportunity to set many traps here... bear traps and such... heh, do you know how it felt when that child called Huashanyuan Chun stepped on a bear trap and it crushed her knees?"

Bear traps?

He remembered that in "The Lost Yu River," Seto Cheng wrote about such contraptions.

It seemed these things had indeed happened.

And... pushed into Yu River by a group of children? Was there more to this story?

"What do you mean by ’pushed into Yu River’? Didn’t they say it was an accidental fall into the river during a scuffle?" Beichuan Si asked.

"Heh... to outsiders, it’s an accidental fall, but in reality, those little beasts... tied a sandbag to Sosuke’s legs... and then pushed him into the river... I saw it all clearly from the bridge! They laughed as they watched Sosuke struggle in the river—"

Saying this, Seto Cheng cried out in grief.

He tugged at his hair, his eyes bloodshot.

"What? Did the Hazawa family do such a thing at that time?"

Seto Cheng’s words shocked Qiushan Caiyin’s perceptions.

"Ha ha ha ha! You didn’t know either, did you? This town’s people have always been like this! Always, always, always like this!" He spat out a mouthful of bloody water, his eyes turning fierce as they shifted to Qiushan Caiyin—

Then his gaze softened.

Because he saw Beichuan Si standing beside him, calmly watching him.

Seto Cheng took a breath, sorted through his thoughts, and continued, "I’m an outsider, my wife was a local of Yu River... her name was Yukiko, and she died giving birth to Sosuke."

"Yukiko entrusted Sosuke to me before she died... and from that day on, I swore to ensure Sosuke would grow up properly... but those Hazawa brats, right in front of me, pushed Sosuke into the water."

Seto Cheng’s gaze held resentment, "It was a day when the cherry blossoms were just blooming... the river was ice cold, and with sandbags tied to his legs, Sosuke could not struggle to the shore, while those brats stood on the bank, watching him drift further away, and I... I couldn’t reach him in time—!" He cackled bitterly.

Seto Cheng clenched his left fist tightly, grinding his teeth.

"After that incident, the Hazawa family, the Sato family, those damned ones... those damned beasts, after causing my son’s death, just gave me a sum of settlement money."

"... the Hazawa family... they’ve always been a prominent household in the town, real estate merchants, and the Sato family... belongs to the mayor’s lineage."

Qiushan Caiyin’s mouth moved slightly.

Hearing this, a light of understanding shone in Beichuan Si’s eyes.

With the backing of the Hazawa and Sato families, it was clear that Seto Cheng, who did not possess the same influence back then, could not stand against them.

Seto Cheng clutched his head in agony and said,

"People of Yu River chose collective blindness over this matter; no one wanted to testify for me. They wanted to forget everything."

"But I can’t let them forget, I won’t let them forget... I cannot allow everything Yukiko entrusted to me to just disappear without trace."

"So you chose revenge?"

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