Jun's Chronicle - The Day A Devil Was Born - I

Every soul has its own story, its own struggles. Not all paths intersect at the same time. Some accept this as their fate, while others resist, fighting against the current. And then there are those rare few who refuse to be bound by circumstance, who try to reshape the world entirely.

What does it mean to be human? Was it having a noble mind, a judicious heart, the ability to distinguish between good and evil? Beasts had none of these. But what about a human who lacked them? What could such a being be called—human, beast, or something far worse? One thing was certain: it was no human at all. Being born with the title of “human” was easy, but growing into one—that was a different story.

“Wake up, Jun. Wake up, or you’re going to be late for school,” his sister called.

Jun groaned, his face heavy with gloom. “Hmm… What is it?”

“Oh, God! Do you even know the time?!” she exclaimed.

“What? What?! It’s 8:50?! Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

“I tried. But who in the world can wake you?”

He shot out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, pushing himself beyond limits. That morning would be the last time he ever had breakfast with his family.

Every day felt the same to him—waking up, enduring his mother’s lectures, going to school, listening to sensei’s lectures, coming home, more of his mother’s lectures. What a monotonous life. He craved something new, something exhilarating. But reality was cruel. He felt like a bird trapped in a cage, longing to soar freely in the sky.

And yet, it seemed that God had granted him that wish, setting him free to fly in the sky he had longed for. But He had taken his eyes, leaving him blind. It was like a clear sky without stars, a beautiful world without humans, a human stripped of humanity.

When Jun reached school, the first period was almost over. He was punished for being late and spent the entire morning standing outside the classroom. Reality, it seemed, had grown even harsher. Now Asuma-sensei was going home with him to meet his mother. Jun thought to himself,

This is it. This might be my last day.

But he was wrong. Reality was far crueler than he could imagine.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hoshi.”
“Yes, please come in.”

In the guest room…

“Why such a sudden visit? Has my son done anything wrong?” his mother asked.

“Yes. You guessed correctly.”

“Oh, sir, please forgive me. I’m so ashamed.”

“No, Mrs. Hoshi. Blaming yourself won’t change anything. My words might hurt you, but your son is on the verge of destruction. First of all, he is late to school. Secondly, he always sleeps in class and doesn’t pay attention to lessons. He can’t even solve simple problems. At this rate, I can see his future—it’s dark and cold. If this goes on, I’m afraid your son will end up losing everything he has.”

Hearing those words, Jun’s mother began to cry, and that sight made him ache inside. But he was in no position to speak.

“Jun, come here,” she called.

Her voice was cold.

He stepped into the room slowly.

“Sit here.”

“Umm…”

“I said sit here,” she snapped, her voice sharp with anger.

“Y-yes…”

“Jun, is it true, what I’m hearing from your teacher?”

Silence.

“Talk to me. Is it true or not?”

“…I… guess… so…”

“I see. Tell me, why are you so undisciplined? Why? Why don’t you listen to me? We lost your father two years ago in a car accident. I am barely holding this family together. And now you…”

She broke down then, her voice cracking as the tears fell harder.

“Mom… I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. I’ll be a good boy. Please, just don’t cry,” Jun said, his voice trembling.

He reached out to hold her hands, but she pulled back and, in a sudden burst of anger and despair, slapped him across the face.

“No! It’s my fault I gave birth to you. You should never have been born!” she screamed.

Jun’s eyes burned. Without a word, he ran to his room, slammed the door, and locked it, tears streaming down his face.

After a few minutes, there was a soft knock.

“Jun… open the door, please,” his mother’s voice came, shaky and broken. “I said too much. Please open it. Please… won’t you forgive your momma?”

Jun hesitated but slowly unlocked the door. As soon as she entered, she pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly as she burst into tears.

“I’m sorry, Jun. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I’m such a disgrace as a mother. I could never give you real happiness.”

“No, don’t say that,” Jun whispered, tears still running down his cheeks. “I’m the disgraceful one. You’re the best mom in the world.”

She cried even harder at his words.

“Don’t cry, Mom. I won’t hurt you anymore. So please… stop crying,” he said.

“Oh, no. I’m not crying,” she said, wiping her eyes but failing to stop the tears. “These are tears of happiness. You’ve grown so much. I know you can succeed. I believe in you. Today was tough for you, but don’t worry. Tomorrow will be a better day.”

But tomorrow never came.

Then Asuma-sensei came into Jun’s room.
“I think you won’t be late for school tomorrow.”
“Yes, sensei. I’m gonna do my best.”

“Sensei, why don’t you join us for dinner? You and Mom would make a good match.”

Sensei hurried out of the room, his face flushed.

“Jun, did you just say something? I don’t understand.”
“No—no, of course not. That must be your imagination.”
“I guess you’re right.”

Sensei was about to leave.
“Sensei, where are you going?”
“I have some business to take care of. But don’t worry — I’ll be back before eight.”

At 7:30 someone knocked at their door twice. Jun ran downstairs, opened it, and found no one there. Ten minutes later someone knocked again — this time it was Sensei.

“Sensei, did you just knock a moment ago?” Jun asked.
“No, I just arrived.”
“Whatever. But what’s that in your hand? Is it a ring?”
“Yes. It’s a diamond ring.”
“Oh my God! You’re going to do that?!”
“Hey, hey — don’t speak so loudly or your mom will hear us.”
“Sensei!”
“Yes?!”
“Best of luck.”

With a scarlet face, Sensei said, “Yeah. Just you wait and see.”

Jun had heard from Kazua-sensei that Asuma and his mother had been friends since childhood. Asuma had liked her, but she liked Jun’s father. They had gone to the same schools, the same university. Sensei had tried everything to win her, but she fell for the man who became Jun’s father. In the end, Jun’s mother married his father and Jun and Mizuhara were born. Poor Sensei had nothing left but to watch; he never married and chose teaching as his life. Now, after so many years, he had another chance — he could not let it go. Jun understood the ache behind it; he even found himself cheering Sensei on. Asuma was an honest man — in Jun’s rough, private calculus, that made it alright.

After dinner, Jun waited for Sensei’s “tramp card” — whatever childish proof of his courage or intent Sensei might give. Then his mother spoke quietly.

“Jun, please go outside with Mizuhara.”
“But—”
“I and your sensei need to discuss something important.”
“Then discuss it. Who told you not to?”
“No, you have to go outside.”
“Umm… but—”
“Oh, yeah! Tonight’s a full moon. Why don’t you take Mizuhara out to see it?”
“Yes, oni-chan. Let’s go.”
“Okay… what else can we do? Let’s go.”

Behind the house there was an open field. They went there and Jun lost himself in the sky — the moon hanging like a pale coin, the night thick with stillness. Then a sound shattered the calm: an explosion. He turned and saw a great fire consuming his house.

Insanity surged through him. He ran toward the flames, shouting for help.
“Help! Help! Somebody put out the fire! Please—”

No one came. Not a single person. How could they be so selfish? How could they just stand by? The night was unnaturally quiet. The house burned and Jun felt no heat; the world around him was cold and indifferent, a silence so dense it froze his heart. Even the fiercest flames could not melt it.

His house burned. He watched it burn. He walked toward it as if in a trance. But something in him — a fragment of reason or fear — stopped him before he reached the doorway.

Why? he asked himself. If he loved his mother so much, why couldn’t he rush in and save her? Why did his legs refuse? Was he afraid — afraid of dying?

In that dreadful instant, Jun saw himself clearly: selfish, paralyzed, hollow. The realization cut deeper than the fire. The cruelty of the world was not some external decree; it was the shape humans had forged with their choices. They made reality cruel, and then they complained about it without asking why or how. How foolish. How pathetic.

If no one would fix it, then someone must. No — someone would take responsibility. Someone had to set things right.

It would be Jun. He would purify this rotten world. He would start a revolution.

Something inside him began to fracture. A voice — or many voices — swelled in his head and through his body, a terrible chorus that swallowed reason.

“Despair! Despair!! Burn them all! Burn them!! Kill them all! Kill them!!”

His skull felt like a drum; the pain built and built until it was all there was.
Pain, pain, pain — a cascading drumbeat in his bones.

pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain...