Chapter 43: Comfort
“Ah…”
Kazumi’s question startled Sato Shinichi. He subconsciously wondered if he had been exposed, but soon realized the young girl was just asking about his dream.
He gave a slightly foolish smile and then said earnestly to Kazumi.
“Yes, I’ve always been working hard with the goal of becoming an excellent hero!”
The young boy stood very straight as if he were speaking of his dream. The sight of him striving for his dream made Kazumi’s nose tingle with emotion.
But the reality was that without the favor of abilities, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t reach the heights you desired.
Even the commoners pushed forward by the Hero Association, who supposedly became heroes through their own efforts, actually had the shadows of others behind them.
Behind the [Assassin] stood a vast assassin family with an ancient heritage of assassins from time immemorial. Even without abilities, it was a powerful force for ordinary people.
As for [Sergeant]’s father, he was the previous generation’s flesh-type ability hero, ranked 50th in hero rankings, [Gouketsu]. Therefore, even without abilities, relying on the family’s special training methods and the family’s strong financial support to create various equipment, he was able to become an incredibly powerful hero.
Of course, Kazumi did not deny their efforts. After all, to be able to train to the point of fighting enemies with 70 kg of equipment in the body of an ordinary person, if [Sergeant] hadn’t been certified by the association as a non-ability user, most people would have thought he was a flesh-type ability hero.
It could only be said that even in a world with psychic abilities, the way society operated had not changed at all. Those at the top could easily obtain things that ordinary people could not achieve in a lifetime of effort.
However, this cheap boyfriend of hers could probably achieve that level too…
She originally thought Sato Shinichi’s family was just a normal wealthy family. But she didn’t expect him to have a close relationship with a retired hero from the previous generation. If that was the case, his family must have many connections with some heroes.
“If it’s Shinichi-kun, you can definitely do it!”
Kazumi looked at the energetic young man in front of her, forced a smile with some difficulty, encouraged him in a calm tone, and then lowered her head again.
“Then, Kazumi, what do you want to do in the future?”
Sato Shinichi tilted his head. Even he could feel the young girl’s low mood and quickly changed the subject, asking.
“I…”
“Work hard to graduate, and then go to the agency I want to work at. That’s probably all I can do…”
Kazumi lowered her head, her tone as placid as ever, but Sato Shinichi could still hear the insecurity in her voice from her slightly trembling tone.
Although he didn’t know why Kazumi suddenly became disheartened after thinking for a while, the things that had happened in the past few days were probably too much for a girl of fifteen or sixteen to bear alone…
Her most respected uncle was an important member of Japan’s largest evil organization, and her parents, who had died in an accident before, were also revealed to have connections with the organization.
It was conceivable how much of a shock all of this would be to Kazumi. Although he had comforted her well yesterday, the girl’s dejected appearance was definitely related to what had happened before.
“That’s great too, isn’t it? To achieve what you want through your own efforts.”
Sato Shinichi extended his hand, cheering Kazumi on, trying to encourage her in his own way.
“But… I feel like I’m getting further and further away from Shinichi-kun…”
Kazumi looked up, smiled at the young man earnestly looking at her, and then weakly lowered her head again. Her small body swayed gently, and a deathly despairing voice came from the girl.
“Shinichi-kun is so excellent, with outstanding grades, very popular in class, and with a grandfather who was a former professional hero, and he’s working hard to become a professional hero himself.”
“And I’m nothing. I’m not good at talking to people, and my usual studies have taken up all my energy. I haven’t awakened any abilities, nor do I have any other special skills. The best outcome would be to become a regular clerk at a hero agency.”
“My parents, and… Uncle Fukada, are all people connected to that organization.”
“Am I really qualified to stand beside Shinichi-kun like this…?”
This was probably the first time Sato Shinichi had heard Kazumi say so much. Shimizu Kazumi had always been a person of few words, just like her seemingly cold appearance. Even after the two successfully got together, Kazumi didn’t talk much.
The conversations between the two were mostly dominated by Sato Shinichi, and Kazumi would only respond with “mm” or “ah.”
The more this was the case, the more Sato Shinichi wanted to protect this fragile yet stubborn girl, especially after learning that Kazumi’s parents had died when she was young, his affection multiplied, and he just wanted to use the warmth in his heart to melt away the ice on the girl.
Especially recently, although he didn’t know the specific reason, his girlfriend seemed to be talking much more than before, and even the expressions on her face were slowly becoming more varied. This was originally something that made Sato Shinichi very happy. If the girl could come out of her closed world because of him, then his efforts during this time would be worth it.
But he didn’t expect things to improve for only a few days before something like this happened. The uncle Kazumi trusted so much was a core member of the [Dark] Organization, and even her deceased parents were people connected to the organization.
The girl’s calm voice carried a hint of tremor, and her small body could not stop shaking. She lowered her head, like a kitten about to be abandoned by its owner, shedding tears and letting out a stubborn cry.
Looking at Kazumi like this, Sato Shinichi’s heart felt as if it were being clenched. Even when facing a terrifying criminal organization, he had never felt this way. But now, Sato Shinichi felt a throbbing pain in his heart.
Sato Shinichi was not good with words, and he knew that with his clumsy mouth, he probably couldn’t say anything nice. So he chose the most direct and most effective way to express his feelings.
He opened his arms and gently embraced the girl in front of him.
Feeling the small, helpless figure in his arms, Sato Shinichi, with some guilt, touched the girl’s thin back and said softly.
“I’m working so hard because I want to protect Kazumi well in the future!”
On the other side, upon feeling herself being pulled into his strong arms, Kazumi, who had been lowering her head, changed her expression, and then forcibly stabilized her body.
[It’s done!]
