Y’ALL PLEASE ML, HE SAID IT HIMSELF: Chapter 3, page 12: “I’m the one who raped and killed that boy” SAID BY ML HIMSELF, it’s hard to dispute this but I’ll give you my other thoughts and evidence.
“Fifteen years ago when you were framed for my crime of assaulting and murdering that boy” and “ Chapter 3 Page 4: “you’re the one who assaulted Shouta Saeki and then buried him in the mountains behind your house, aren’t you?” are other quotes proving this.
For those wondering if the ML is a rapist and a murderer, or “just” a murderer, in the very first chapter, when the MC was outed and ostracized at work for the crime he didn’t commit, I quote: “He’s sick in the head. Why would anyone XXX and kill a child?”
We could argue that “XXX” could mean anything, but because the quote, in fact, includes this censored word and “killed”, this means he did 2 unforgivable acts, one which is omitted. At least, this is how I read into it. My overall estimation is that he is both a rapist and a murderer because of this evidence. In chapter 5, it does appear the boy’s knee is seen in the small death panel with the ML between them, but this is up to the viewer to decide what it indicates. He could just be situated to stab him, or rape him, both, or some other undisclosed act. Again, it could be another act and I could be entirely wrong, that’s fine too. Still, 2 things were done based on the facts given in the first chapter, in passing. Not hate to anyone, but there is a lot of circumstantial proof not in his favor of “just” killing the kid, but assaulting him (probably sexually).
One final point I will add to the argument. In chapter 5 when the ML was forced to perform sexual acts on his father, the suffix they use include “thrust.” To me, I see this as an important factor because when it came to the knife scene, initially the suffixes used were “stab” and “slash.” Why I think this is important is because these are very consistent across the two panels they appear after the knife scene, but when you see a leg of the kid in the next panel with the ML leaning in between it, you see the suffixes of “thrust” again, with the inclusion of “squelch” now. This wouldn’t necessarily mean anything but given that these terms, throughout this manga, actually, have been used in a sexual manner, leads me to believe a sexual act has occurred. Here is my evidence behind this conclusion statement:
Chapter 2 Page 39 and 41: “Thrust”
Chapter 4 Page 19: “Squelch”
Both used in sexual fashions, not stabbing fashions.
This is my synopsis. I just like detective work in my spare time and reading context clues and finding evidence is what brings me joy this season. I think we can all agree he’s scum though. Happy holidays :’)
The Star Trek reference was everything :’)))) I love this author so much!!!!!