[Novel] Hatsuka: The Girl Sentenced to Death - Chapter 2 - (1)

(1)

January 20, 2026
14 days until the sentencing date

I couldn't help but hum a tune. I'm in a great mood today. That's because today is Tuesday. But it's not just any Tuesday. Today is actually a day I get to take a bath!
We are only allowed to bathe twice a week (it's truly unbelievable). Because of that, my head and body are itching like crazy.

"I wonder if Ayaka-san is coming soon."

I wonder what time it is now. There was a clock in the detention center, but there isn't one in the jail, so not knowing the time is really troublesome.
I put my bath set and change of clothes to the side and sit in seiza, waiting. There's no real need to wait in seiza, but because of the daily "inspections," it's become a habit.

"Number 3, let's go to the bath."

A woman's voice called out, and the door to my solitary cell opened. It was Ayaka-san. Miyata-kun is next to her, but his face looked a bit tense for some reason.
I perform the usual exit ritual (as I call it). First, I show the front and back of my slippers and the soles of both feet to prove there's nothing unusual, then Ayaka-san says "Room number 3," I reply "Number 3," and we step out into the hallway.

Next is the body search. I show the front and back of the towel I'm holding to confirm I'm not carrying anything suspicious. It's a hassle, but it's a routine I've gotten used to. I have to do this every time I leave my solitary cell.

"Alright, let's go."

Ayaka-san is cool as always. Perhaps because she wears glasses, she feels like a strict and intelligent woman. As we headed toward the bath area in the order of Ayaka-san in the lead, me behind her, and Miyata-kun at the end, some people in work clothes wearing helmets came walking from the other direction. At this rate, we were going to pass each other.

"Stop."
I stopped at Ayaka-san's voice.

"Number 3, face the wall, please. Miyata, stand in front of Number 3."

As instructed, I turned my body toward the wall. Ayaka-san remained facing forward without moving. Miyata-kun stood behind me, blocking the construction workers from seeing me.
I heard them exchanging greetings like "Hello" and "Thank you for your hard work," and then the sound of footsteps faded away, accompanied by the metallic clanging of tools.

"Alright, let's go."

"By the way, Ayaka-san, what exactly is that construction work for?"

Curious, I asked Ayaka-san as she started walking. The construction started a while after I arrived at this detention center, and there were times when the noise was so loud I couldn't take a nap. It seems like the construction is on the floor above, but when I think about it, the floor above the 4th floor is the roof. I wonder what on earth they are building?

"I can't really tell you that."

"Eh. It wouldn't hurt to tell me. I'm going to be executed anyway... oops."

I almost bumped into Ayaka-san when she suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Don't even say things like that, even as a joke."

I had only meant it as a light joke, but the eyes Ayaka-san fixed on me were angry.

"Miyata, you can stop here. Go back."

Miyata-kun, who was behind me, opened his mouth to say, "Eh, but," but when Ayaka-san replied, "What?", he just said, "Yes," and went back. As always, it seems Miyata-kun is weak when it comes to Ayaka-san.

"Number 3. You, aren't you afraid of the death penalty?"

Ayaka-san asked me point-blank. (The death penalty... huh.) "Well, I don't know. I don't even really understand what it means to die in the first place, and even when I'm told it's the death penalty, it doesn't really feel real. Besides, it hasn't been decided that I'll get the death penalty yet, right? If that's the case, it feels even less real. Though I was a little scared at first."

"Number 3, you... no, it's pointless for me to say anything." Ayaka-san sighed and shook her head.

"More than that, Ayaka-san, aren't you being a bit harsh on Miyata-kun? He's getting scared."

"I have to be strict with new recruits. Even if I weren't, he's a bit of a clown, isn't he? He's reckless. I need to make him more aware of his responsibilities."

I didn't miss the way Ayaka-san's expression softened for a moment.

"Heh, are you interested? Are you worried because he's reckless? Is that really all there is to it?"

"Hey, what? No way. It's not like that. It's only natural that I'd want my junior to become a fine prison officer, isn't it?"

"Eh? Really?"

I thought it was unlikely, but I got a great reaction. The usually calm Ayaka-san was flustered and denying it. Her face was also slightly red. I see, maybe the reason she was always strict with Miyata-kun was to hide her embarrassment, in addition to training him. Is it that thing where you want to tease someone because you like them? Still, Ayaka-san likes younger men, huh. Miyata-kun isn't bad-looking, and with his bright, clownish personality and Ayaka-san's beautiful, calm demeanor, they might actually make a good couple.

"Number 3, if you continue to engage in idle chatter, your bath time for today will be limited to 10 minutes."

"Ahhhh! Please, anything but that!"

I'd done it now. I was scolded, but Ayaka-san's eyes were smiling gently. Still, it seemed like she really might limit my bath time to 10 minutes, so it would be best to apologize honestly. Somehow, this is nice. I wish I had a beautiful older sister like Ayaka-san.

When we arrived at the bathhouse, Ayaka-san pulled the curtain and hung up the 'Women Bathing' sign. Incidentally, while bathing, we are monitored by prison officers, and we are even monitored while taking off our clothes. Naturally, male officers cannot monitor us, so Ayaka-san, a female officer, is in charge during bath time, but Ebihara-san and Miyata-kun were terribly disappointed. Honestly, men are just like that... With the corridor partitioned off by curtains on both sides, there was no longer any worry about being seen while bathing, but conversely, there was a chance Ebihara-san might try to peek through the gap in the curtains. Well, Ebihara-san did say, 'Minagawa is scary when she's angry,' so maybe there's no need to worry about that. Even so, being constantly monitored while bathing is unsettling. It was the same when I was in the detention center. I was watched through a small glass window while I washed my body and hair. Of course, the ones monitoring were female guards, but it was still unsettling. There were others waiting for their turn to bathe, so I felt rushed to finish quickly. With this, I couldn't even soak in the tub properly within the already short bath time. However, in Ayaka-san's case, she would sometimes look away from the window or look down the corridor through the gap in the curtain, as if she were being considerate of me.

I took off my prison uniform and unhooked my bra. Once I was freed from the tight constriction, I became conscious of Ayaka-san's piercing gaze.

"Did you get bigger again?"

　"Huh? What?" I asked, casting a glance her way. Ayaka-san glared at my two bulges and then jerked her chin. Did she mean these?

"I've been eating less, but I guess I've gained weight since I stopped exercising."

"Gained weight, huh."

　She narrowed her eyes and stared intently at my chest. If she wants them that badly, I'd almost want to share. Though, I feel like if I actually said that, it wouldn't end with just getting scolded.

"High school girls these days are getting more and more well-developed, aren't they?"

　There was a mix of jealousy, envy, and just a tiny bit of disgust in Ayaka-san's voice. Not knowing what to say to Ayaka-san, who was sighing while looking at her own chest, I just tried saying, "Don't worry about it!" She told me, "Do you want your bath time cut to five minutes?" and I apologized desperately. I only said 'don't worry about it'!

"…I wonder if he likes bigger ones too."

"Huh? What was that?"

"It's nothing."

　Hmph. Ayaka-san seems to think I didn't hear her, but I caught every word. I decided not to mention it, though (and it's definitely not because I'm afraid of my bath time being cut short). Even though I have 20 minutes for my bath, it takes quite a while to wash my body and hair. Usually, I spend nearly an hour in the bath, so 20 minutes is quite short. I wanted at least 30 minutes. By the way, you can't use a shower here. To stay in the tub as long as possible, I washed my body quickly. It's cold, and the water temperature is high so it feels quite hot, but that's the best part!

"Ah, it soaks right into my body~"

　A line like an old man's slipped out before I could stop it. If I had a towel, I'd feel like putting it on my head. The stainless steel tub is too small to stretch my legs out, but this was enough. Ayaka-san, standing in front of the bathroom door, was monitoring the hallway through a gap in the curtain. I wonder if she's wary of Ebihara-san or Miyata-kun after all. Ah, anyway, baths really do feel good. As my body warmed up and I relaxed, I suddenly remembered the care package.

　Akatsu Inokura.

　That's the person I call 'Zou-san' (Mr. Elephant) in my heart. Zou-san is a mysterious person who has been sending me books and money once a month since I was detained in the detention center, and he's also the one who sent me the paperback of 'Daddy-Long-Legs'. I liked this book and have read it many times. The protagonist, an orphan named Judy Abbott, spent her time with many children at an orphanage, but she encountered a dream-like event where she was noticed by a certain gentleman who offered to pay for her to attend university. Furthermore, she even gets an allowance once a month. However, there were two conditions: one was to write a letter to the gentleman once a month, and the other was that Judy had to become a writer. The gentleman believed that Judy Abbott had literary talent. Although the gentleman was truly a savior to Judy, she had never seen his face or figure. The only thing she ever saw was the gentleman's shadow stretched out by the car's headlights. Because that long, stretched-out shadow looked like a daddy-long-legs spider, Judy began calling the gentleman by the nickname 'Daddy-Long-Legs'. After reading this book, I started to think that Zou-san might be my own 'Daddy-Long-Legs'. Well, he hasn't told me to write letters every month, and I don't think he's going to take me out of this detention center. The only things he has in common with 'Daddy-Long-Legs' are that he gives me an allowance and that I don't know what kind of person he is. When I first received a care package from Zou-san, Sugiura-san asked me, "A care package arrived from someone named Akatsu, is he an acquaintance of yours?" But I didn't know anyone by that name. Akatsu Inokura. What kind of person is he, really? Could he actually be rich? 'Inokura' sounds like a name an old-money family might have. Could he be an old man, I wonder? At the very least, he doesn't seem like a handsome guy.

"Two more minutes."

　Ayaka-san opened the door and announced that there were two minutes left. I used to finish my baths in the holding cell in about 10 minutes, but it seems there's no one waiting here, so I enjoyed the bath until the very last second. Just as I stretched both arms out leisurely, the kitchen timer alarm went off.

"Pull the plug on the bath like always. You're the only one here."

　So, there really was no one else in the detention center but me.

"I've been wondering about this for a while, but why am I the only one here?"

"The south area where your room is located is originally empty except for you. That's why it's quiet, isn't it? Since you're a minor, you're being kept isolated so you don't come into contact with other detainees. It seems there were people there for a while after you arrived, but everyone has either finished their trial and been released, or gone to prison, so there's almost no one there now. I suppose there aren't many people who would want to commit a crime during the cold season, either. Even if there were, it would probably just be a drunken brawl, wouldn't it?"

Hmm. Is that how it is? I suppose it's true that you wouldn't want to be locked up in a cold place like this during such a cold season. More than that, I was curious about Ayaka-san's reaction to Miyata-kun earlier.

"So, Ayaka-san, what do you think of Miyata-kun?"

"That topic again? I don't think anything of him other than that he's an incompetent junior. That is all."

Ayaka-san flatly stated she has no interest in Miyata-kun, but there must definitely be a spark! As I persistently pressed her, Ayaka-san's glasses flashed with a sharp glint.

"Come to think of it, I wonder if today's lunch was katsu curry. Perhaps, by some mistake, the curry for number 3 might not have a cutlet on it."

I had no choice but to apologize profusely. If it were her, she might really go through with the "no cutlet" threat. I was just as weak against Ayaka-san as anyone else.
While chatting with Ayaka-san on the way back to my solitary cell, I was stopped by Sugiura-san, who was walking toward us.

"Number 3, you have a visitor."

To be continued in Ichika: The Girl Facing the Death Penalty - Chapter 2 - (2)

Characters in Chapter 2 - (1)

Ichika Akutsu
A girl who murdered five people and is facing the death penalty. She is bored with life in the detention center. She looks forward to meals and baths more than anything else.

Ayaka Minagawa
A female prison officer who usually works at a women's prison. An intelligent, cool beauty who wears glasses.

Miyata
A rookie prison officer at Y Detention Center. He is a smooth talker and handsome. He is not good at dealing with the female prison officer, Minagawa.

Ikazo Akatsu
A mysterious person who brings cash to Ichika once a month.