Chapter Text
「 SUSPECT NO.1 :
PAPI PARAPHONE 」
“Just like my son, I was also fascinated with human life.”
Papi Paraphone was the character she would expect to say it so casually. Think about it, when you live in a world where you are prone to death and violence how could someone not wish for a normal life?
However, to say that he is innocent is unlikely.
“You know how our world goes, that is if you have watched our show. My son throws a tantrum, kills the beast, and then me!”
“Uh-huh..” Ruina took a sip from her cup of warm water, taking a quick breath as she continued her statement. “And how is that relevant?”
“Excuse me?” Papi replied.
“The fact that the matter is you are stirring this conversation around so that I won’t get any valuable information out of you regarding your son’s death.”
Papi notices that Ruina’s fingers were shaking, and so—he decided to play along with her game.
“It’s quite tragic, isn't it? Losing a child is one of the things no father should endure,” Papi sighed, making his way through Ruina’s demeanor. “Trust me, dear. When I learned that he died I was surprised as well. In our world death wasn’t a big thing for us, when we die we came back the next day; all in one flesh.”
It is a fact that Papi was a character of interest. His audience were immediately swayed by his eccentric personality as soon as he was on screen. Papi Paraphone will not be anyone’s favorite—but his wits is what increased his popularity among kids.
With that, Ruina finds him the most difficult to talk to.
“You are no longer living in an episode, Papi. You know that right?”
“I know,” Papi moved his chair a little closer to the table, “Which is why I agreed for you to question me, right? So that I won’t be deemed as one of the suspects for my son’s murder?”
Ruina’s eyes widened, “Murder?”
Papi crosses his legs, “Oh yeah. While I was in hiding I saw a human watching a livestream on their phone; of course, my curiosity grew and I listened to it.”
The young woman gulped, mildly sweating from the heat of the lamp. “Then, are you saying that there’s a foul play?”
Papi tilted his head, “Oh?” suddenly his tone changed to a more solemn one; “You don’t believe me.”
Ruina gasped, “Eh?-”
Looks like she is losing to her own game. “I will only trust you if–”
Papi let out an obnoxious chuckle, “Ah yes, yes..”
“Well, in the livestream there were three people talking at the same time; seemingly building their own hell if I say so myself.”
She squinted her eyes, “What else do you know?”
Papi continued, “They mentioned something about an evidence proving that my son is trying to sabotage our show.”
“That’s weird,” Ruina started to pinpoint the loose ends; “The show ended in 2003, unless they forged those pieces of evidence themself.”
Papi feels relieved, although not showing it—he is confident enough to know that this case will be resolved if she can keep up with him. He sees her as a fine challenger. Ruina on the other hand is thinking of a method on how to draw out more truths from him. She can’t be blinded, no, she must find the real truth.
There were other possible suspects in line, she was only given one chance to speak with all of them; this was her first and final shot. She is set to have a time limit of only thirty minutes, they were already expecting her to get the necessary information that she needed.
“Where are you that night?”
Papi leaned his head forward, resting his palms against his chin; “Somewhere, where you can’t find me.”
Ruina could hear the clatter and ongoing rumbles on the other side of the room, “That’s just my elephant car, dear! No need to be startled,” Papi seizes the chance to pave away all that is not important.
This gave her quite the scare, “Oh, don’t say that,” she smiled, “You’re the only elephant in this room, Papi.”
Their serious gazes were followed by cracked smiles until they burst out into unsavory laughter, laced in lunacy and sarcasm. As if they were mirroring a pierrot who is laughing at their nonsense. They all gathered the attention of other workers outside as they started peeking through a transparent wall. The atmosphere eventually cooled down, until Ruina spoke; “Shit!” she exclaimed, slamming her fits on the table.
Papi added, “Now, now-“ he swayed his hands, which are cuffed by a metal.
“Aw,” he clicked his tongue, “I thought you were beginning to like me!”
Ruina bends her body forward to poke his eye but misses, “You might be forgetting that you are suspect being interrogated—“
“—for a crime I didn’t commit?”
Papi’s dark blue eyes lingered with perfection, his face would widen when he’s having fun; “I am just a suspect, but I will never be a criminal.”
His brunette hair that used to be covered by a sun headpiece, “I’ve only pressured him to be the best, but that doesn’t mean that I am the culprit.” Papi is still wearing in bright yellows and oranges, signifying his original persona of being a cartoon.
And for a brief moment the jester falls silent, tilting his head once again, staring at the small television behind her. Ruina turned around, only for her to see how this interrogation was being broadcasted to the entirety of Japan. Completely dismissing the election.
“Everyone’s watching you,” Papi remarked.
“You better give our audience what they want.”
Ruina replied, “The truth is what they want, entertaining them what you want.
They could see themselves on the screen, completely unaware that they were being filmed behind the scenes. When it was supposed to be a deception game between a cat and a mouse, they both went down on the same trap by a bigger threat. “My son is not as innocent as you think, ” Papi said.
“He was the merciless clown, a tyrant, the person who takes pleasure in killing me on loop!”
“Do you still wish to give him justice?” Papi moved his chair backwards. He started grinning again after learning that they are gaining a crowd.
Ruina spat, “Seriously, this is your gimmick?”
A lot of people started booing at her statement. Even the reporters, which pissed her off. “Look, Papi. These humans were always looking for a spectacle. No one wanted to take his case grievously because they wanted to keep this five year search going since they were longing for the same thrill that they felt back in 2001.”
The young woman felt so sick to her core, “Your last episode wasn’t an epilogue, Papi.” she said it as her last resort in an attempt to corner him. Ruina tightens the little red ribbon at side of her long, platinum hair; colleagues say that when she does it, that’s when things get serious.
“Even if I tell you where I was that night you won’t get anything useful from my testimony, dear.” Papi stated, anger slipping in his tone. Shaking his head as he waved around his pointed finger.
“Papi, you were one of the links to this crime—“
“—I am only a witness to that livestream!” he shouted at her. Papi tries to regain his composure but it’s no use, everyone has seen it and there is no need for him to take it back. As a matter of fact, they quite enjoyed seeing him burst from his own facade. “After I saw the broadcast on the human’s phone, I blacked out. I couldn't recall anything after that, next thing I knew I was already standing among the crowd; watching those three humans give my son a humiliating nickname. I was there when they profited his entire being until he was officially declared missing a few days later..”
”..Why didn't you just say this earlier?” Ruina says.
"Well then," Papi replied, "Have I satisfy you?"
"I've already said everything that needed to be said to the audience."
Ruina is still puzzled, but even so; “You forgot me,” she continued, “You didn’t satisfy me enough.”
Absurdity only happens within the world of television, however as soon as he stepped into the world of humans; irrationality became a reality. Humans won’t see much of it, but their prying nature will always have its consequences of its own.
Even a fictional character like Popee falls victim to their greedy desires.
"Papi Paraphone, I am still not done with you yet!"
Papi softly spoke, “This is what happens to villains like him, little girl,” he looks directly back at Ruina. “They always lose, and then die.”
“So don’t even think of painting me as the villain, because unlike him—I survived.”
Those thirty minutes weren’t enough. In those last minutes is when I finally could get him to talk, turns out his testimony was proven to be true. A few witnesses came forward to the station after that unpleasant live report. He wasn’t there when the crime actually happened but then again, he is among those who get to watch how people ridiculed the merciless clown who struck their hearts with his silliness and charm.
They watched as those culprits tarnished his name. Their beloved clown has been deduced into a spectacle of a lifetime; whether in fiction or reality. I realized that unlike his father, he will be the favorite—but not loved.
He is only there to be their display.
I am afraid that this case will remain cold, but I’m certain that as long as I’m handling it—he will be safe.
He will be protected.
As for Papi.. Well.
Despite his testimony he is still being suspected. Above all else, his relation with Misa Gardey became the talk on the media.
【 April 1, 1983 | 6:45 pm 】
“Extinction Day”
“Misa!”
The rain came down as if multiple arrows had been thrown on them by a malicious god. The slippery texture on their skin was frigid, with their own tears blending in. “Please.. Let the baby live..” Papi begged for the woman to spare the very thing that kept him of being a ‘human’.
“Give him mercy, please. He has nothing to do with your uncle's curse!"
Misa let out a blood-curdling scream that pierces through the heavy drops of rain. Until she stopped, realizing that her throat would be the one affected by this. Papi still had the yellow umbrella in his hand, hesitating to unfold it, fearing that she will use it as a weapon to hurt their child.
“I’ve already made my decision,” she murmured. “I cannot let this child be the cause of our deaths!"
Papi can hardly hear her, “Misa, just listen to me-"
“Shut up!” Misa exclaimed, her voice sounding more hoarse. “SHUT UP!”
"Take one more step, and I will throw this brat into the traffic!"
The woman looked at her baby in what seemed to be the last time she would be seeing his face again. She was shaking as the woman got overwhelmed with her mind. It was truly a shame, how greatly he resembled his own mother. Her child’s eyes match with her own, gleaming with a promising dream of becoming a star one day. He was young, and pretty; meaning that he will have a chance to surpass her beauty and talent.
Realizing this she smiled. However, that same smile carried all her hatred in life.
“Yun-i…..”
Papi replied, “Misa..”
Misa threw away her pearl necklace onto the sidewalk, looking back at Papi as her thoughts burst out from her mouth.
“..Would you kill our child for me.”
「 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐨 」