Chapter 552: Miss Shimizu, Who Attempted to Remedy
“Ring Ring Ring——”
The clear and loud class dismissal bell sound echoed throughout Shikoku High School’s Second Year Academic Building. As the bell rang, the previously quiet classroom filled with the movement of students, gradually becoming lively. However, at the very back of the classroom, a tall, sturdy figure standing ramrod straight seemed entirely out of place.
“Hey, Shin’ichi.” “Hey, hey, hey, Satō Shin’ichi, are you okay?!”
Sobakada Asada, with his usual middle-parted hair, casually walked to the back of the classroom, intending to throw his trash into the bin by the corner outside the door. What he saw, however, startled him.
Although it was already time for dismissal, Satō Shin’ichi, who had been punished by the teacher to stand, showed no signs of intending to stop. Not only was his body standing as straight as ever, but a strange smile even appeared on his usually stern face as he gazed directly at the sky outside the window.
Fearing that Shin’ichi had been standing so long he’d lost his mind, Asada quickly reached out and waved his hand vigorously in front of Shin’ichi’s eyes, trying to get some response.
“Eh, what’s wrong? Asada?”
The sudden appearance of the hand interrupted Satō Shin’ichi’s daydream. Snapping back to reality, Satō Shin’ichi showed a hint of confusion on his face. He looked at Asada, who had suddenly appeared before him.
“Huh? You’re asking me what’s wrong? I should be asking you what’s wrong! It’s already dismissal time, why are you still here? Did Mr. Niino scold you into stupidity?”
Asada was quite annoyed by Satō Shin’ichi’s rhetorical question. He raised his elbow, pointing to the empty lecture hall in the distance, and replied grumpily.
“Aow, it’s already dismissal time. Sorry, Asada, I was just thinking about something else.” At this point, Satō Shin’ichi finally realized the situation. A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face as he apologized to Asada.
“Hey, hey, hey, so what’s up with you? Stayed up all night watching adult films yesterday? Was it the one I gave you? I told you it was exciting, right?”
Asada didn’t seem to mind Satō Shin’ichi’s slightly impolite reply. After all, they were close friends. He suddenly remembered something from before, his eyebrows twitching expressively as he realized something and spoke to Shin’ichi with a knowing look.
“Uh… no, that one was a bit too…” He paused. “It’s just that I thought of something happy.”
Rummaging through his memories of the adult film Asada had excitedly shared with him a few days prior, the straightforward Satō Shin’ichi showed a troubled expression. Although Asada was his good friend, his taste was indeed hard to accept. Just looking at the cover alone made him want to go to the bathroom and wash his eyes.
Casually skipping over the topic, Satō Shin’ichi explained, stroking the back of his neck with his right hand.
“Something happy! Huh? What’s going on, spill it! Did you secretly spend the night with Miss Shimizu yesterday?! Ahhh, you traitor! You promised we’d graduate together, and you ran off on your own!”
As if he had sniffed out prey, Asada scanned Satō Shin’ichi with his suspicious gaze, quickly came to a conclusion, and shouted dramatically.
Naturally, Satō Shin’ichi responded with a lock-and-cover-mouth combo, immediately silencing him physically.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the black-haired girl sitting in her seat quietly watched the commotion in the distance. She tidied the books on her desk, replaced them with textbooks for the next class, and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
Kazumi had not intended for this to happen originally. However, just as she had thought before, some regrets were perhaps inevitable. This statement wasn’t just for herself, but for Satō Shin’ichi, who was, at the very least, her nominal boyfriend.
The room, filled with the vibrant atmosphere of youth, stirred memories within Kazumi. Although her youthful memories weren’t exactly rosy, the feeling belonging to that particular stage of life always made them seem impossibly beautiful when recalled.
Kazumi wasn’t someone who wished others ill just because she herself had a difficult life. In other words, she was the kind of person who would offer an umbrella to someone on a rainy day.
Moreover, she truly couldn’t form any negative impressions of that “fool,” Satō Shin’ichi. On one hand, he truly cared for her, putting in his all to treat her well, making her unable to dislike him no matter what.
Therefore, for Kazumi, this was both a form of compensation for him and an explanation for herself, Shimizu Kazumi, given her physical condition.
You see, Kazumi had always been very careful to avoid being in the same enclosed space with her “cheap boyfriend,” Satō Shin’ichi. After all, he was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid. When emotions ran high, or rather, in their hormone-fueled youth, spending too much time together would inevitably lead to him thinking about “that kind of thing.”
But now, Kazumi couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore. The task that was about to come was so daunting that Kazumi felt she had no solution. However, the reality of the situation and her reason told her that facing him directly was the optimal choice. Evading it would only be a meaningless increase in internal strife. After all, possessing similar abilities, Kazumi couldn’t believe that her system’s cheat meant her ability growth rate could surpass the recovery speed of someone who already possessed those abilities.
In this regard, it could be said that she was leaving no regrets behind.
However, perhaps due to her “body transformation,” Kazumi didn’t feel too much worry about this not-so-optimistic future. Instead, she was more focused on considering what power she had at her disposal to resolve this crisis.
Therefore, Kazumi was currently utilizing every available resource.
This included what she was doing right now.
It was like preparing for a battle, akin to strategizing or a pep talk before a fight. After exhausting all external resources, she chose to seek inner strength.
It was akin to the joy of the soul in the cultivation world. If she could put her body in a state of satisfaction in all aspects, even if it meant a mere one percent increase in her body’s potential when facing actual danger, it would be a gain for Kazumi.
This was the reason Kazumi was so determined to look through the information left by her parents and why she had actively proposed a date with Satō Shin’ichi.
“It’s just…”
She felt it was better to take another look. At that time, she might have been a bit too impulsive.
With that thought, Kazumi seriously rubbed her chin, then slowly turned her gaze towards the tall girl sitting behind her, who had been in a state of quiet study with her head bowed.
