That was a satisfying conclusion. I initially expected the rabbits to eat Hikaru in some way, but being raped continuously…is just on a whole another level. Wow, Ryukishi, wow.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Hikaru was simply born this way. Even if we sideline the horrific animal abuse (which Hikaru somehow considered quite acceptable because they were just rabbits), we learn that prior to being bullied by his class, Hikaru committed acts that were perfectly rational from his viewpoint, but lacked empathy and were disliked by other people. Even if Hikaru thought he was being helpful to his class, it is evident that he held no remorse for his actions nor did he have any understanding for the feelings of his classmates. I’m no expert at identifying a sociopath/psychopath, but Hikaru most certainly struck me as one.
One thing I’m left wondering is this: assuming Hikaru is a human being with ‘irrational evil intent’, is it possible that in the right circumstances he wouldn’t have harmed any living creature, not human nor animal? Or was Hikaru destined to go down this path of malice and destruction since the day he was born? And that one day, he would have eventually found an excuse to do something horrific again? I guess what I’m asking is: is it possible for these kinds of people to show restraint and live a normal human life without hurting anyone? And how much does it depend on the society around them?
Either way, I enjoyed this chapter. I already said it in the Discord chat, but I am truly loving the brevity of these chapters. They’re condensed and to the point. I’m very impressed.