Chapter 49: A Walk
“Classmate Kazumi…”
Looking at Kazumi, who had a puffed-out face and was walking towards him with a pile of snacks, Sato Shinichi’s mind felt a bit overwhelmed.
What kind of situation is this? What happened to the promised severe interrogation? And where did the snacks come from!! This is an interrogation, not playing house!
“Shinichi-kun? Why are you here?”
After chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth, Kazumi looked at the nervous blond young man in front of her with some confusion. It’s class time now, isn’t it? Why did this guy run over here?
“Ah, I… Teacher Ishiryu called me here.”
Suddenly remembering that it was indeed class time, Sato Shinichi awkwardly scratched his head and brought up his homeroom teacher, Ishiryu Daito. After all, he wasn’t lying; he was indeed called here by him.
“Huh? Teacher Ishiryu? What did he call you for?”
Kazumi tilted her head in confusion and casually handed a bag of snacks to Sato Shinichi. What’s going on? The homeroom teacher asked Sato Shinichi to find her in the office during class?
“Uh… He said he was worried you might be scared by the interrogation, so he sent me to comfort you.”
Taking the snacks handed by the young girl, Sato Shinichi felt somewhat awkward. He had prepared comforting words before coming in, vowing to say everything he couldn’t say last time when he was flustered, but upon entering, he found Kazumi eating snacks as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, I see.”
Kazumi nodded and walked towards the outside of the office. At this moment, she understood Teacher Ishiryu’s intentions. After all, he’s the homeroom teacher, and he definitely knows everything about these little rAscals in his class if something happens.
Although their relationship wasn’t intentionally announced, Ishiryu Daito must have known. He probably called Sato Shinichi over because he was afraid that she, a teenage girl who had just lost a loved one, wouldn’t be able to handle such a blow.
[What a good teacher…]
Ishiryu Daito’s dark and serious face appeared before her eyes, and Kazumi’s expression softened considerably. Although she hadn’t known him for long, both the memories of her previous self and the current events proved that this middle-aged uncle who looked fierce was actually a kind teacher who cared about his students!
“Kazumi, are you alright?”
Following Kazumi out of the office, Sato Shinichi couldn’t help but ask.
“Yeah, I’m fine. That police sister just asked me a few simple questions and gave me a lot of delicious snacks,” Kazumi replied, looking at Sato Shinichi faintly.
“But… I saw they also brought a lie detector.”
Looking at the handful of snacks in the girl’s hand, Sato Shinichi felt she wasn’t lying. But Kitahara Itoru holding a lie detector earlier wasn’t fake either. Sato Shinichi, who often dealt with the police, immediately recognized the latest lie detector.
And when a lie detector was needed for an interrogation, and the police were involved to such an extent, the content of the interrogation was definitely not as simple as ordinary daily records.
“Yes, they just asked me if I knew anything about the organization behind Uncle Fukada. The rest were just ordinary personal information.”
“What? Then what was the result?!”
Seeing the blond young man suddenly lean close with an excited expression.
Kazumi suppressed the urge to beat him up and pushed away the head that was too close, looking at the silly guy with a slight disdain and seriousness.
“If I knew, do you think I would still be here?”
“Ah ha ha ha ha, that’s true!!!”
Kazumi’s words interrupted Sato Shinichi’s doubt. He awkwardly straightened his body, touched the back of his head, and laughed sheepishly to ease the atmosphere.
“You…”
Kazumi looked at the smiling young man in front of her helplessly. If she said she didn’t have any feelings, it would be a lie.
Sato Shinichi must have come to find her with Teacher Ishiryu’s instruction, but it was definitely this guy skipping class. Otherwise, given Teacher Ishiryu’s personality, it was more likely that he would have come to comfort her himself.
And this guy, who dreams of becoming a Professional Hero with a body that lacks ability, must put in far more effort in all aspects than those in the Hero Department to achieve such a goal with his talent.
But even so, he risked being disciplined by skipping class, just to comfort her, who might have been frightened by the police interrogation.
This kind of foolishness, of giving everything for the person you like, made Kazumi can’t help but recall her past self and those budding, youthful memories.
Sato Shinichi looked up and found Kazumi looking at him with a strange gaze, not like her usual expression, but more like… nostalgia?
“Kazumi, shall we go back first?”
For some reason, the girl’s gaze made Sato Shinichi feel strange, as if he were being watched by an elder.
Reaching out to poke Kazumi, who was lost in thought, Sato Shinichi asked.
“Hmm? Go back to the classroom?”
Sato Shinichi’s action broke Kazumi’s reverie. Hearing the young man’s words, Kazumi frowned slightly, took out a small black mobile phone from her clothes, checked the time, and then a faint smile appeared on her face.
“We’re not going back.”
“Not, not going back??”
Kazumi’s bold statement surprised Sato Shinichi. Skipping class was still a bit far-fetched for students at Shikoku High School.
After all, those who can attend this school, at least the students in the Regular Class, try their best to get in and would never give up any opportunity to learn.
On the other hand, in the Hero Department, relying on their talent and abilities, there are quite a few troublemakers. If it weren’t for the fact that the teachers there are all Professional Heroes, ordinary teachers would not be able to manage them.
“Yeah, look, it’s only about ten minutes until class ends. If we go back now, we won’t be able to catch up, so it’s better to go back and borrow notes from classmates to review.”
Kazumi waved her mobile phone in front of Sato Shinichi and said casually.
“Uh… then what are we doing here?”
What Kazumi said made sense. They had already skipped most of the class, so it didn’t matter if they skipped the whole thing. But if they weren’t going back, what would they do here? Eat snacks?
While thinking this, Sato Shinichi found a pile of snacks suddenly shoved into his hand. Before he could react, a cold little hand took his sleeve from the side, and a unique voice devoid of warmth came from his ear.
“Come on, walk with me.”
