Chapter 57 Oath
“What is a true hero?”
Mulling over this question, which was somewhat like one his former master had asked him, Sato Shinichi looked with surprise at the small figure leaning on his shoulder.
“Justice, strength, fighting to protect everyone.”
After a moment of thought, Sato Shinichi gave what was currently his truest answer in his heart.
“Mmm…”
A muffled sound, like a kitten with something stuck in its throat, came from his side. Kazumi turned her head, as if trying to adjust to a comfortable position.
“Then… Shinichi-kun, do you think all heroes are just?”
Reaching up to play with the tips of her short hair, Kazumi glanced at Sato Shinichi, who stood as stiff as a wooden stake, then looked away again, gazing at the sky that was turning from pink to a faint purple, and asked.
“Yes! …Except for heroes who have gone astray for some reason, all heroes choose this profession to protect people!!”
As if hitting a point Sato Shinichi cared deeply about, Sato Shinichi straightened his body and replied with powerful conviction.
“Is that so… Then is Teacher Ishitang a hero?”
With a hint of cruel danger on her lips, Kazumi looked at the boy who was particularly close to her.
The boy’s innocence was somewhat endearing, and this was precisely the spirit and belief a boy of his age should possess. His eyes, uncorrupted by the dark side of society, always emanated light, like a sun radiating intense heat, capable of dispelling all darkness.
The girl was someone he had pulled from darkness, but now, she had to extinguish his light bit by bit…
[I’m very sorry, but this is all for myself…]
Sighing inwardly, she felt that this was truly cruel, to reveal the dark side of society prematurely to this foolish fellow who only knew how to charge forward with his beliefs.
Silently apologizing to Sato Shinichi, Kazumi gently rubbed her cheek against the boy’s shoulder, perhaps compensating him in some way.
“Teacher Ishitang? He’s definitely a hero!! He was very active in the professional hero circles, famous for his immense strength and his ability to control the earth. To protect the people of a small town, he battled a high-ranking member of the dark organization, [Spike], for half a day, buying time for other heroes to provide backup.”
“But due to his injuries, he gradually retired from the hero profession and is now a full-time teacher at Shikoku School, serving as the homeroom teacher for Hero Department Class A-2.”
As expected of Sato Shinichi, he knew the background information and combat records of these heroes like the back of his hand and unhesitatingly recounted the professional career of Teacher Ishitang.
“Shinichi-kun, do you know why I was unwilling to accept Teacher Ishitang’s request for that classmate to apologize to me?”
Kazumi smiled, seemingly agreeing with Sato Shinichi’s answer, and turned her head to the other side, posing a sudden, confusing question.
“Hmm, was it because you were still angry at the time?”
Sato Shinichi scratched the back of his head and replied with some uncertainty.
“Shinichi-kun, you should know what kind of punishment Hero Department students receive for attacking civilians. Even if Teacher Ishitang arrived in time, she had already used her abilities and shown an aggressive tendency. You should know better than I do what punishment she would receive.”
Kazumi shook her head and replied with some helplessness.
“You mean?”
Sato Shinichi frowned and looked at his girlfriend.
“The reason Teacher Ishitang wanted her to apologize was simply to smooth things over. Believe me, you can try asking around in the Hero Department. The punishment for that classmate, whose surname is Hishiyama, would be nothing more than copying down the hero’s emotional guidelines or something similar.”
Ineffectively raising her hands into the air, then letting them fall, as if unable to grasp anything, Kazumi looked at the grass in front of her and said faintly.
“How could that be, Teacher Ishitang just…”
“Hishiyama Fuen, hero name [Crimson Flame], is Senpai from Teacher Ishitang’s same hero agency. If you put it that way, you probably understand, don’t you?”
Kazumi interrupted Sato Shinichi’s somewhat pale and weak defense.
“I…”
Sato Shinichi opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found that nothing the girl said seemed to be untrue.
“Kazumi, you…”
He could only helplessly ask the girl who was leaning on his shoulder, looking somewhat dejected.
“I probably have no other choice. Even if I can come to Shikoku School through hard work, I still can’t change the fact that I’m a non-psychic. Class is probably predetermined from the start…”
The girl lowered her head, emanating a faint aura of despair, and leaned on the boy. Her small hands tightly gripped Sato Shinichi’s clothes. She no longer had the cold, domineering aura she displayed when facing Hishiyama Minako, but rather resembled a frail kitten, exposing the softest part of her heart to the boy.
“Kazumi…”
The aura of sadness emanating from the girl made Sato Shinichi want to embrace her, and this time, he did. The boy’s growth only needed a single night. After comforting the girl earlier, Sato Shinichi at least knew what to do at this moment.
Gently hugging the girl, he patted her back and comforted the sobbing girl curled in his arms. All he could do now was to comfort her like this.
Although Kazumi’s words were just an emotional outburst, the impact on Sato Shinichi was immense. Since being adopted by Hamano Tsukasa, no longer having to worry about sustenance, he had been striving with the belief of becoming a hero who could save everyone. In the end, he realized he hadn’t even figured out what a true hero was.
Sato Shinichi’s mind was in turmoil, so much so that only by holding the girl in his arms could he feel a little at ease. His clear blue eyes stared absently at the sky in the distance, lost in thought.
“I… I’m sorry.”
After crying for an unknown amount of time, perhaps feeling she had gotten too carried away, Kazumi, who had put too much effort into it, finally reacted. She looked up with embarrassment at Sato Shinichi in front of her, with a trace of alluring tear marks on her eyes, and said.
“Shinichi-kun, I, I just had some pent-up emotions and said a lot of unpleasant things. Please don’t take it to heart, Shinichi-kun.”
Gently holding Sato Shinichi’s hands, Kazumi looked up at the somewhat flustered boy, with a mix of coquettish complaint and apology in her voice.
“No!”
The girl’s words interrupted Sato Shinichi’s thoughts. He lowered his head, showed Kazumi a smile, gently petted her head, and then reached out to carefully wipe away the tear marks on her face, speaking with a gentle expression.
“Actually, I should thank you, Kazumi, for helping me clarify things I had never thought of before.”
The last rays of the setting sun scattered on the boy’s blond hair, which fluttered in the breeze, emitting a faint glow. His clear blue eyes seemed to regain their luster at this moment, and he looked earnestly at the girl in front of him. At this moment, the light emanating from the boy seemed more dazzling than the sun. His lips parted, as if an oath or a promise.
“I’ve decided. I will become a true hero who can properly protect Kazumi!”
(Ps: Rising from the coffin, I heard someone mentioning my Flame Emperor, so I came back to life, *sniffle*~)
