Psycho Pass: Redemption (UPDATING)

5 (UPDATED)

Rikako perfected one of her works with extreme delicacy, listening to the cheers of the audience. She could not help but smile. She let her outstretched hand rest on the paper, closing her eyes, to feel the excitement numb her senses and leave her breathless in her lungs. She wondered what her father would say about her at that very moment, and remembered Yashiro's words.

"Come, night, and blindfold the kindhearted day. Use your bloody and invisible hand to tear up Banquo's lease on life, which keeps me in fear."

He read aloud more to himself than to others, as if rejoicing in the words over and over again, in a majestic, relentless chant. He lost himself in a narrative climax that Rikako recognized after a pause, raising her head slightly and closing her eyes.

"The sky's getting dark, and the crow is returning home to the woods. The gentle creatures of the day are falling asleep, while night's predators are waking up to look for their prey."

He smiled proudly as he sat a few feet behind her. With one leg over the other, he held a copy of Macbeth and subtly stroked one of the pages with his index finger. Whenever a book caught his attention, he would lose himself in it as if memorizing the letters, every feeling he encountered while reading.

"Do you have the pleasure of reading Shakespeare's tragedies in class?" he asked.

The teacher's lips were parted thinly. Rikako looked down for a few seconds, remembering her literature classes as he studied her expectantly. Her classmates chatted amongst themselves as the teacher read with a completely blank stare and a steady, lifeless tone that lulled her to sleep. She even opted to distract herself by reading something different, more interesting.

"No, unfortunately. We've only read some of his comedies, which are more boring and lack the same cruelty and suffering," Rikako replied, concentrating again on her drawing. "I think it's precisely because of the themes they deal with that we've never been taught them. They must think that reading them might raise our stress level. I don't blame them-that's exactly what could happen."

He stood up and walked over to the window to watch the first drops of rain fall, one hand in the pocket of his yellow pants and the other clutching the book under his arm. Rikako blinked and was speechless as she realized he was standing right where Yashiro had been minutes before. The memory of her face enveloped her like a cold cloth, and for an instant she stood with her brush stuck to the paper unable to continue, even though she forced herself to do so.

"Have you thought about where you could work with the paintings privately?" he wanted to know.

He remained motionless like a sculpture as he watched several students run for shelter inside the academy, like ants surprised by nature. His eyes danced to the rhythm of the tiny figures with a faint smile on his lips. He seemed to enjoy watching them scattered around the courtyard, uselessly covering their hair with their hands and hurling all sorts of expletives against the melancholy weather. For the two of them, however, it was most delightful. Rikako found more inspiration for drawing and he was able to concentrate even better on his books, immersing himself in reading with the sound of water in his ears.

"I know a place that might be useful to you," he turned to her, with a wave of his hand indicating that she should accompany him.

Rikako left her drawing to follow the art teacher until she reached a place away from prying eyes. She wondered how he could have access to information like the one she was about to appreciate, and when the large door opened automatically, after he authorized it with his mobile device, Rikako stepped into the large and spacious room that surrounded her, feeling vulnerable, as rarely someone managed to impress her as he had done in a few seconds. At first glance it looked like a huge, abandoned and empty factory, but Rikako allowed herself to dream that in the past it had been something more complex.

"When the academy was renovated, this facility disappeared from the plans," he explained without looking at her.

Rikako continued to walk around the place, observing every nook and cranny. She wondered where he had gotten the original plans of the academy, but remembered that information was something he could easily get whenever he set his mind to it.

"That is, no one knows of its existence," Rikako nodded, patting her trademark red academy scarf. "All Touma-sensei and I need now is the right equipment."

"Leave that to me."

Rikako frowned and looked at him. As always, his appearance denoted the purest simplicity, but there was an enigmatic feeling he conveyed, something that went far beyond what his kind look or calm demeanor reflected.

Rikako could sense fear in others, she was able to glimpse the worry a person had about something they really wanted to forget. But when she looked at him everything went black. She was unable to perceive anything about him, he seemed like an impenetrable book. He seemed to walk on a line drawn by and for him, aware of its thickness and the weight it bore.

"What motivates you to do this?" she asked suddenly. "Helping students."

For a brief, fleeting instant, Rikako swore she saw a smile on his face. His eyes narrowed and studied her deeply, as if she were asking a question whose answer was more than obvious.

"A teacher's role is to light the way for students. All of you, someday, will bloom in the weeds, and I hope to be there when that happens."

Rikako felt her chest rise as if those words ignited something inside her. She even imagined Yashiro's tall figure exactly where she was, like a hologram standing in her way. He lifted his head slightly and returned it to the same position, in a gesture of joy and a certain arrogance she knew well.

"About that student you talked to..." he frowned for a moment.

"Takahashi Yashiro?" Rikako automatically looked away from him.

He paused for a long time, deep in his own thoughts. Rikako had the feeling that he was memorizing the name. When something managed to interest him, he did everything in his power to get it.

"Do you think she could be a friend?" he asked, lifting his face slightly.

Rikako remained thoughtful for a few moments as the teacher watched her intently, squinting his eyes. She remembered the way Yashiro had behaved the past few days. She saw her face with dark circles under her eyes, the insomnia that forced her to sleep at any time and any place.

"Her judgment has been a little impaired lately," Rikako looked down. "I wouldn't recommend it."

Rikako raised her eyebrows for a moment, surprised that he had overheard her conversation with Yashiro.

"I can give her vision back," he turned around to head for the exit.

"You can't get into her mind unless she lets you," Rikako raised an eyebrow, stopping his gait. "At least I've always tried to open her doors... but I can barely look through the keyhole."

With a slightly raised eyebrow, he turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye, white hair falling down his back.

"Not to worry," he stated.

He smiled and resumed his pace. The fancier and more difficult a tool was, the more fun it was to use.