Chapter 187: Expressionless
Sato Shinichi, who was inexplicably targeted by someone, had no self-awareness of this. He enthusiastically escorted the young girl to her seat, lectured her repeatedly while enduring his girlfriend’s glare and the envious gazes of his classmates, and then returned to his own seat with satisfaction.
He reached into his bag and took out the textbook he would need for the upcoming class. He then looked at Kazumi in front of him and his gaze shifted back to the book in his hands.
Although Sato Shinichi himself was actually a psychic and came to study in the regular class due to other factors, this did not mean that he slackened in learning theoretical knowledge. On the contrary, his master, Hamano Tsukasa, required him to be at least in the top three in the class.
The boy generally performed well in practical classes due to his physical advantages, but to be honest, to achieve top three in the class, Sato Shinichi’s theoretical knowledge was still slightly lacking.
If it were Sato Shinichi before high school, he might have scoffed at the hero theory knowledge that ordinary people studied. But since being entrusted to Hayami Inoshimizu and Moriyu Tojo by the old man, and personally experiencing the work content of grassroots heroes, the boy finally realized the necessity of these theoretical knowledge that he had always considered useless.
Young boys always yearn for power. The powerful heroes advertised on television, controlling thunder, manipulating the earth, coolly defeating enemies, and saving everyone in the city.
In the eyes of those boys filled with chuunibyou fantasies, becoming such a person was probably their lifelong dream.
Sato Shinichi was no exception. Coupled with the uniqueness of his ability, the boy, who was only in his teens at the time, had long ago vowed to become a great hero like his teacher, Hamano Tsukasa.
But reality always played tricks on him. After the boy held his breath and successfully passed his teacher’s initial test with countless sweat and effort, he, who thought he would have the opportunity to become a hero during the school break, was thrown to the countryside of Nishihara by Hamano Tsukasa…
Yes, the countryside. This city, located in the westernmost part of Neon, with a population less than one-tenth of Kyoto, could even be considered not even a village.
And Sato Shinichi, who registered his hero name as Takeru Kamikami with the Heroes Association with full of enthusiasm, thus began his first heroic activities in his life.
Realistic, cruel, dark.
This was probably the most realistic portrayal of grassroots hero activities, without the glamour of television, nor the cheers and support of the public, but more of the darkest side of society exposed, as well as human ugliness and misunderstanding.
In the beginning, Sato Shinichi completely looked down on these two senior heroes who were supposed to guide him. His good upbringing naturally prevented him from showing any emotion on the surface, but towards these two seniors who had been heroes for twenty years without even achieving a hero ranking, and who had seen powerful heroes, the boy truly couldn’t muster much respect.
However, subsequent events really poured a basin of cold water on the boy’s passionate heroic heart. In his first rescue operation, the boy, relying on his ability, forcibly broke through, but ended up falling into the enemy’s trap.
Although he did not suffer much damage due to his physical abilities, it also caused the enraged enemy to choose to directly attack the hostages.
If it weren’t for the strategist Hayami Inoshimizu, who had considered his potential impulsiveness, this rescue mission would probably have failed with the death of the hostages.
“What true heroes need to face is not as simple as defeating the opponent. How to use your power is sometimes more important than power itself.”
These were the words spoken by the taciturn Moriyu Tojo, patting Sato Shinichi, who was sitting on the spot with a look of regret, as the police arrived to arrest the remaining criminals.
And at this time, the boy vaguely understood why his teacher had sent him to this place.
The subsequent hero activities continued in an orderly manner, but the difference was that this time, the boy completely suppressed his arrogance and began to earnestly learn from these two seemingly ordinary hero seniors.
Everything he experienced made Sato Shinichi feel like he had encountered a brand new world. The simple and quick way of handling criminal incidents, the direct but not stingy investigation methods, the various ingenious developments and utilization of not-so-powerful abilities, the deduction of various clues, the cultivation of informants, the methods of communication with local organizations, and how to protect the property and interests of local people while saving them. There was so much to learn and comprehend that Sato Shinichi had not yet fully digested.
Only by truly coming into contact with real hero activities did Sato Shinichi realize how naive and laughable his past fantasies were. As Uncle Tojo told him, the word “hero” was truly much, much heavier than it appeared on the surface.
And these two uncles in front of him, who looked disheveled and ordinary in terms of ability, like countless unranked second or third-rate heroes, but had been guarding the small city of Nishihara in their own way for decades.
They were probably the ones who truly deserved to be called heroes…
“Sato-kun, Sato-kun!”
Flipping through the “Basic Hero History” in his hands, Sato Shinichi, whose thoughts had drifted to afar, was interrupted by a few soft calls from his side.
Snapping back to reality, he found that amidst the crisp bell sound, his classmates were also moving around after class, and the one calling his name was Mai Shinomiyai, who was sitting next to him.
“What is it, Kiyomizu-san?”
Frowning slightly, Sato Shinichi straightened his mood and looked at the tall young girl beside him.
Yesterday, Mai Shinomiyai seemed to have something important to do and left, and now she was looking for him again. The only thing he could think of was the matter of [Underworld].
“Let’s talk outside, it’s about that matter.”
The girl glanced left and right with her emerald eyes, then gestured towards the outside of the classroom and walked out first.
Seeing the girl’s straightforward action, Sato Shinichi knew that she didn’t want to cause too much attention in the classroom. He nodded helplessly, closed the book in his hand, and followed the girl’s footsteps towards the corridor.
…
The noisy classroom did not change because of their departure. Students were playing, chatting, and resting, all busy with their own affairs.
And in the third row seat by the window, the girl who had turned her body to pick up the eraser that had fallen on the ground slowly raised her head, her dead silent eyes quietly staring at the back door of the classroom, expressionless…
