Chapter 570 Miss Shimizu’s Dangerous Delusions
“Taking another leave of absence…”
The black-haired girl walked home from school, bored.
Kazumi wasn’t in a particularly good mood today. Perhaps it was because today’s lunch was an ordinary school bento and not very tasty, or perhaps the walk home from school was a little less noisy without a certain person. Or maybe it was just the thought of spending the weekend bored at home. In any case, she certainly wouldn’t be joining Sato Shin’ichi’s group, who had taken several days off for training.
A proper girlfriend wouldn’t be unreasonably demanding when her man had something important to do. Kazumi hated those troublesome girls back in her past life. Even hearing her friends talk about such girls made her blood pressure spike. No matter how pretty they were, Kazumi couldn’t accept it.
The girl didn’t understand why such a simple principle was so difficult for some people. It wasn’t like he was doing something unimportant, but rather something with a valid reason and of significant importance to him. Yet, they would still throw a tantrum for days over reasons like not replying to messages, not answering calls, or not returning home promptly.
Therefore, even with a bit of role-playing, Kazumi refused to become the type of person she detested the most. Absolutely not.
“It’s just a little annoying.”
She raised her right hand and rubbed her nose bridge. The girl, in a sudden moment, felt a trace of irritation in her emotions. Kazumi knew the source of this emotion clearly. Her body, still retaining its humanity, resisted the transformation into an undead. After all, losing the ability to unleash oneself’s power was an outcome no living being would wish for.
But Kazumi also understood clearly the reason behind Sato Shin’ichi’s intense training. The boy’s academic performance was quite good, at least when considering the total score across all subjects. He was better than Kazumi, whose practical combat training dragged down her grades. Added to Sato Shin’ichi’s family background, with connections from his retired hero grandfather, he was guaranteed to find a decent job in an office in the main district of Kyoto upon graduation. Getting permanently employed would also be a mere formality with his grandfather’s call.
Yet, the boy still trained exceptionally hard. As the person closest to Sato Shin’ichi, Kazumi knew how much sweat he poured under that simple exterior. Besides attending classes, he underwent additional physical and combat training every night. If he didn’t have a date on weekends, he would be undergoing special training from Sato’s grandfather. Combined with the occasional leave for special training like now, this top-tier “king of the grinders” behavior made it impossible for his grades to be bad.
It could be said that Sato Shin’ichi’s personality was not one to settle for the status quo. Although she didn’t know where the boy’s sense of conviction originated, it was as if something was constantly chasing him from behind. Diligence and effort had become ingrained in his very bones and blood from some unknown point in time, tirelessly.
He continuously shed sweat for his own goals. How could such a boy not be brilliant enough to attract others?
But about that special training… Sato’s grandfather was a bit unreliable…
Shaking her head, she dispelled the pink bubbles that suddenly appeared in her mind. Kazumi recalled the results of this dog’s special training in the past few times. Several serious injuries, and one time he even inhaled the death energy he released due to his injuries. If it weren’t for Shimomiya Mai being there, Kazumi would have almost taken matters into her own hands.
Although, looking at the outcome, with the boy’s excellent physical recovery abilities, nothing bad ultimately happened, it still filled Kazumi with worry. She took out her phone and looked at the messages she had sent multiple times before, reminding him to be careful during his training. Kazumi stopped midway through editing a message in the chat box and deleted it all, bit by bit.
“Forget about him!”
Slightly enraged, she slammed her opened phone shut, as if she were crushing some damned big golden retriever in her hands. This was probably the common ailment of toxic masculinity – having a perfectly comfortable future life, yet still injuring oneself for their so-called pursuits and dreams. Kazumi didn’t want to manage him anymore.
After all, no matter how he struggled, he was still just an ordinary person. How strong could he become with more training? Could he really train himself to be the number one hero? Ridiculous.
Although she verbally denied Sato Shin’ichi’s efforts, Kazumi’s heart had already begun to consider backup plans for her boyfriend. With the system’s help, she was no longer on the same level as this pup who probably hadn’t even reached the standard of a combatant.
“The conversion scroll is used up. Otherwise, I could have really given it to him. Damn Shimomiya Mai!”
For some inexplicable reason, she scolded the young lady kept in her cultivation tank for a while before Kazumi felt a bit better. Originally, in the girl’s calculations, she had intended to give this thing to her dog if he truly pursued so-called power. It wasn’t that she couldn’t give it to him. Becoming undead would open up a new path for him, a weak and incapable person. Coupled with the many strange things in Kazumi’s territory, becoming stronger would be a matter of minutes.
And this was actually one of Kazumi’s long-term planned goals. If she could truly turn Sato Shin’ichi into an undead creature, then they wouldn’t have to worry about the damn lifespan issue anymore. She also wouldn’t have to fear her painstakingly raised and tamed pet. In Kazumi’s view, this guy didn’t have the option to “disobey” on his own.
Of course, this was only a last resort. If Sato Shin’ichi could reach his goal through his own efforts, Kazumi would be very happy. She knew better than anyone how wonderful the feeling of achieving something after putting in the effort was. Kazumi didn’t want to disturb his enjoyment of such successful joy. After all, the outcome would be the same regardless, wouldn’t it?
“Well, let’s go back.”
This inexplicable bout of mental storm had somewhat alleviated the gloom and irritation in Kazumi’s heart. Seeing that she had arrived at the usual fork in the road where they parted ways, Kazumi couldn’t help but stick out her tongue. She no longer had the desire to dawdle on her way home. She quickened her pace, intending to go home early and stay put. After finishing her homework, she would engage in vigorous activities, passing the time in the leisurely period before her mission began, which was becoming somewhat boring.
Just as Kazumi took out her phone and opened a news website, planning to browse some dangerous news while walking, a sudden change immediately turned her lazy expression sharp.
In the center of the phone in the girl’s hand, a small crack, like a shattered screen, abruptly appeared. From within the crack, a gray-white piece of paper was slowly being squeezed out.
