Chapter 62 Hospitalization
Kazumi slumped onto the table, pressing her temples with both hands, trying to dispel the unease in her mind.
The afternoon classes were still packed, and the teacher’s lectures were full of valuable information. For Kazumi, a top student, these were not significant problems. Maintaining her own learning pace allowed her to absorb most of it smoothly.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocking the screen for what felt like the hundredth time. The message thread, however, still showed only the single, monotonous greeting she had sent at noon.
“It should… be okay, right…”
Patting her cheeks, Kazumi forced herself to cheer up. She wondered if it was because Sato Shinichi wasn’t here, or if she hadn’t eaten enough at lunch. While listening to the lecture, she was fine, but as soon as class ended, she felt completely listless. Her body grew cold out of habit, and she didn’t feel like doing anything else, as if the world had nothing to do with her.
She put the books on the table into her backpack. Kazumi planned to buy a chicken leg or something similar on her way home to treat herself, otherwise, she felt like something was wrong with her.
She pushed her chair under the desk, picked up her backpack, and walked towards the classroom door. This could be considered an unspoken benefit for her. Because apart from Sato Shinichi, she didn’t really know anyone else in the class, so she didn’t need to exchange basic pleasantries. When class ended, she could just pick up her bag and leave.
“Kiyomizu-san!”
Just as Kazumi was about to leave the classroom, a somewhat unfamiliar voice called out from the other end of the corridor.
Raising her head in confusion, Kazumi looked at the girl in front of her, who she vaguely remembered as the class president, and waited for her to continue.
Perhaps it was Kazumi’s cold gaze that was too intimidating. The class president, Takeda Reiko, took a slight step back, not daring to speak to the girl, who was known as the “ice princess” in the class. However, remembering Teacher Ishiryu’s instructions, she still looked up and said.
“Kiyomizu-san… Teacher Ishiryu asked you to go to his office. He said someone came to see you.”
“Mhm, thank you.”
Kazumi nodded towards Takeda Reiko as a thank you and walked towards the teachers’ office without looking back, leaving Takeda Reiko standing there, looking blankly at Kazumi’s receding figure.
…
[What is going on?!]
After walking past the class president who had delivered the message, Kazumi’s expression became solemn, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Kazumi Shimizu’s parents had died early, and apart from Fukada Akihiko, she had no other relatives. Moreover, she had no friends outside of school. Therefore, it was impossible for someone she knew to come looking for her.
She still hadn’t cleared her suspicion of being a member of the [Shadow] Organization, so the person looking for her must be someone related to this matter. But the police had already come yesterday, so why would new people come to the school to find her today?
Thinking of Sato Shinichi, who had been out of contact since last night, Kazumi’s bad premonition grew stronger. She lowered her head, took out her phone from her pocket, opened the contact list, and read out a pre-edited message, ready to send it at any moment.
In fact, Kazumi had wanted to contact Fukada Akihiko for a long time. However, Kazumi also knew that this was a very dangerous matter. Until her suspicion was cleared, she didn’t know if anyone was monitoring her, or if her current stable life was just a bait for Fukada Akihiko.
Kazumi dared not gamble. Whether from the emotional perspective of the original body or from the consideration of her future benefits, Kazumi could absolutely not give up on Fukada Akihiko.
Because of her [capability], even if Kazumi could completely control Sato Shinichi and utilize the resources behind him, things like [corpses] would surely be easier for villain organizations like [Shadow] to obtain. The system had not yet begun to be used, but having played games, Kazumi knew how terrifying the power displayed by the game called “Undead Lord” was in the end.
Although there might be many modifications due to reality, the overall tone would definitely remain unchanged. As Kazumi had said before, [capability] is a reflection of a person’s spirit, and with such a [capability], she was probably a born villain…
However, calling her a villain might not be entirely accurate. For her current situation, “confused and disordered” might be a more fitting description? Due to her [capability], her physical state was apathy, and she was uninterested in everything around her. However, the existence of a reincarnated soul made her, in addition to accepting the original body’s settings, even more eager to live with [power].
Well, if she wanted to get stronger, she could only go further down this path, and Kazumi herself didn’t care whether she was a protagonist or an antagonist.
Lost in these miscellaneous thoughts, Kazumi arrived at the office door of her homeroom teacher, Ishiryu Daito. It was here yesterday that she was interrogated by the police investigators.
“I really hope things don’t develop to that point.”
Kazumi sighed silently in her heart, put her phone back into her pocket, and kept the message sending interface at the very top, ensuring that she could send the information to Fukada Akihiko immediately.
However, if she actively contacted him like this, it would mean the end of her campus life, which had barely begun. This did not align with her strategy of developing silently nor the original body’s expectations. After all, if she joined such an organization, the risks she would face would certainly not be comparable to the simple and happy experience of studying at school.
Taking a deep breath, Kazumi slowly pushed the door open and walked in with her head down.
What she saw was a kind-faced, somewhat familiar, thin and small old man??
As if sensing the confusion in Kazumi’s eyes, Ishiryu Daito next to her spoke up to introduce him.
“Kazumi Shimizu, you’re here. Let me introduce you, this is Sato Shinichi’s grandfather. He’s here today to ask you some questions.”
As she listened to Ishiryu Daito’s introduction, the old man’s face gradually matched the face she remembered. Because Sato Shinichi’s grandfather had been wearing sunglasses when they met before, Kazumi didn’t recognize him at first.
“Hello, Grandpa Sato. I am Kazumi Shimizu. May I ask what you need me for?”
Nodding obediently, Kazumi bowed to the old man in front of her and asked.
Hamano Tsukasa looked at the thin girl in uniform, a kind smile appearing on his wrinkled face, and said in a deep voice.
“I came to see you about my useless brat’s affairs.”
“Ah? What happened to Sato-kun?!”
“Shinichi… he’s hospitalized due to an accident and is receiving treatment!”
