Chapter 160: Refusal
“It’s her?!”
Looking at the long-haired girl with a delicate face standing on the podium, a ripple of fluctuation flashed in Kazumi’s eyes. Her slender body stiffened for a moment, and her right hand, which was holding a pen and writing something, trembled almost imperceptibly. A sudden, ugly mark appeared on the neat notebook on the table.
Soon, Kazumi forcefully adjusted herself. According to her usual persona, she tilted her head and paid a little attention to Mai Shinomiyai, who walked past her, and then lowered her head to continue looking at the textbook in her hand.
Even with just a brief glance, Kazumi almost immediately recognized the true identity of this girl wearing a school uniform. The image transmitted from the eyes of the Corpse Crow that night was deeply etched in Kazumi’s heart.
At that time, Kazumi spent an entire night comparing all the publicly available information about female heroes, but still couldn’t find anyone whose face matched the one in her memory.
Kazumi had originally planned to start from the police station or underground network forums, but the subsequent events unfolded faster than she imagined. Both the reactions from various parties and the information gleaned from Doggy made Kazumi extremely vigilant at that time.
Coupled with the various matters that had recently intertwined, the girl had to shift her focus to what seemed more important: the matter of being targeted by an organization suspected of being “Dark,” and thus neglecting the big pit she had dug for herself earlier.
[So, is she here for me? Or does she have other purposes?]
Kazumi placed the pen horizontally in her right hand, using the blurred reflection from the metal part of the water-based pen to observe Mai Shinomiyai, who was sitting obediently in the back row of the classroom. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as her mind began to race.
[First of all, she must be an ability user. Being able to wield such flames and detect the Corpse Crow from high in the sky. Even a psychic couldn’t simply transfer to a regular school for no reason. The so-called transferring to a regular class to study is definitely not her true purpose!]
[Since she hasn’t attacked me immediately, or gathered people to capture me, it proves that I am safe for now. However, her purpose is very likely to investigate this matter, or perhaps she has discovered something in the school here.]
[But why did she directly find my classroom? Is it due to some special detection method, or is it just a coincidental coincidence?]
The early self-study session proceeded as usual, but for the first time, the girl had no intention of studying. The notebook, which seemed to be filled with writing, was covered with black masses composed of messy lines, just like the girl’s chaotic mood at the moment.
[This Mai Shinomiyai is definitely suspicious!]
…
On the other side, the girl in the back row of the classroom was curiously observing everything in the classroom: the technologically advanced classroom walls and desks, the floating whiteboards that could be used for projection and writing, and the classmates around her exuding an aura of study.
Everything around her was incredibly novel to Mai Shinomiyai, a shut-in girl who had rarely interacted with peers. A ripple flashed in her light green eyes as she looked around excitedly.
As if remembering something, Mai Shinomiyai suppressed the excited expression on her face, reached into her handbag pocket, and pulled out a light gray amulet. She gently opened the pocket and looked at the still-shining broken arrow wrapped inside. Mai Shinomiyai’s eyes flickered twice before she casually placed the amulet of bizarre color into the drawer.
[As expected, it’s here!]
A hint of sharpness flashed in her light green eyes. They swept over the blonde boy next to her for a moment, then shifted to the black-haired, thin girl sitting by the classroom window, propping her cheek with one hand and seemingly writing something.
The girl possessed powerful spiritual senses, or rather, with her special psychic talent since childhood, she could see many different aspects of this world.
At the cost of exhausting all her psychic energy, and under the shocked expression of her uncle, Shinomiyai Masatsugu, the deity enshrined in the main seat of the shrine actually responded to her prayer and bestowed a token to guide her.
[One who hides a great secret.]
The revelation bestowed by the deity, when interpreted, was roughly this. Although it was a bit vague, for Mai Shinomiyai, who worshipped deities, she could roughly understand the general meaning.
Although she didn’t know why she didn’t sense the aura of the Underworld from the boy next to her, who was radiating a different spiritual pressure, Mai Shinomiyai was certain that this boy, guided by the deity, must be hiding some unspeakable secret, and it must be related to the Underworld!
[According to the information from my uncle, this girl named Kazumi Shimizu is a very loving couple with Shinichi Sato. In that case, I can start with her.]
Of course, even if she quickly identified her target with her abilities, Mai Shinomiyai couldn’t act so easily. Not to mention the agreement she made with her uncle, but within this school full of students, if a fight were to break out, countless students would become innocent casualties.
[Besides, heroes are also troublesome!]
A displeased expression flashed across her face. Mai Shinomiyai shook her head, tossing away the unpleasant memories from her mind, and quickly formulated a combat plan for the subsequent events.
She discovered the news from the Underworld because she had lost the two people she loved most in the Underworld. And this time, she would no longer allow this existence, which condensed all the malice in the world, to reappear in the human world and harm other innocent people.
Thinking of this, Mai Shinomiyai couldn’t help but clench her fists. Finally, she reached out and patted her cheeks, cheering herself up.
[Huhu— Mai, you can do it. Communication between girls is much simpler than between boys. Relying on the advantage of being a transfer student, take the initiative to greet her, and then naturally become friends to further investigate other matters. If you can become best friends, it’s normal to inquire about your boyfriend’s news!]
Thinking of this, Mai Shinomiyai calmed her mood. After all, for a shut-in like her, taking the initiative to greet others and make friends was an act that required considerable courage.
But no matter what, this was her decision, and it was the first time she had acknowledged her identity as a psychic, and the responsibility that came with it.
Hearing the class dismissal bell ringing in her ears, the girl stood up from her seat, walked gracefully across the aisle, and went to the back row on the side closest to the inner window.
Looking at the black-haired girl who seemed to still be scribbling on her notebook, Mai Shinomiyai adjusted her expression, put on what she considered the kindest look, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in a gentle tone that was just loud enough for the person in the seat to hear.
“Hello, classmate. My name is Mai Shinomiyai. Can we be friends?”
“……”
The black-haired girl was first stunned, stopped her movements, and turned her cute little head in confusion. However, the expression that appeared before Mai Shinomiyai was no longer as cute.
Her plain face wore a cold expression that kept people at bay. Her dark eyes emitted a faint cold light, as if she were scrutinizing a dead person. Her small, red lips parted, and a flat voice, so bone-chilling that it could steal one’s soul, came from the girl’s mouth. But even in her words, one could feel her dismissive attitude towards her.
“No.”
