Chapter 85 The Homeroom Teacher
Ishiryu Daito was feeling a bit down. It was late at night, and after finally finishing his work at school, he had just opened a can of beer, looking forward to enjoying a relaxing night of drinking beer and watching a soccer game.
However, a phone call from the police station completely ruined his beer and soccer night. He had to pick up his jacket again and drive his old clunker towards the police station.
Although he had some complaints in his heart, Ishiryu Daito was more concerned about his student. His usually stern face was so dark that his expression was unreadable.
“What happened to Kazumi? Why did she end up at the police station?”
Gripping the steering wheel, Ishiryu Daito drove seriously, but his heart had already drifted to the police station.
Kazumi Shimizu was a student in Ishiryu Daito’s class. Ishiryu Daito probably understood Kazumi better than anyone else in the class. This quiet and cool young girl had a past that was heartbreaking just to read about.
She was like a child wrapped in despair, crying silently in a corner.
Whether it was his duty as a homeroom teacher or his concern for the girl, Ishiryu Daito paid more attention to her.
He had also counseled Kazumi multiple times, wanting her to come out of her shell, interact more with her classmates, and make more friends. He believed that was more important than studying.
But this sensible and heartbreaking girl always nodded in agreement to his well-intentioned advice, then returned to her seat to review the material from class, and politely but coldly rejected any overtures from her classmates.
He had been quite happy when she started dating Sato Shinichi, the bright young man in the class. But a few days later, news broke that Kazumi Shimizu’s family was involved with the [Dark] Organization, and even investigators from the police station came to the school.
At that time, Ishiryu Daito was extremely worried. Fortunately, the investigation didn’t cause any major problems; at least his student wasn’t arrested as a member of an evil organization.
And with Sato Shinichi’s encouragement, the girl didn’t become more reclusive. Instead, she became a little more cheerful than before.
This was a rare relief for Ishiryu Daito, who had been paying close attention to his students. Although their growth had nothing to do with him, as a teacher, his sense of responsibility and professionalism compelled him to care about the state of each of his students.
However, it seemed that something had happened now that gave Ishiryu Daito a huge headache.
The fact that the girl was working a part-time job outside of school didn’t surprise Ishiryu Daito much. After all, the girl’s family was not well-off. After the previous incident, her only relative had also disappeared, so next year’s tuition would definitely be a problem. He had already started saving his salary, hoping to help the girl then.
Since the girl had no guardian, the police had to call him, her homeroom teacher, to come to the police station because she was involved in a fight.
Ishiryu Daito could accept this, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Kazumi, that thin and small girl, would get into a fight? With her appearance, who could she possibly fight? She must have been severely bullied!
Thinking of this, Ishiryu Daito’s expression darkened further, and he stepped on the accelerator, speeding towards the police station.
…
“Hello, I am Kazumi Shimizu’s temporary guardian. Could you please tell me what happened to her?”
Arriving at the police station, Ishiryu Daito hurriedly got out of the car and rushed to the police window, asking anxiously.
“Hello, please show your identification. Also, since you are a temporary guardian, please sign this document.”
Ishiryu Daito quickly signed his name on the document and then followed a young police officer towards the interrogation room.
On the way, Ishiryu Daito looked at the oppressive rooms around him and couldn’t help but ask.
“Officer, could you please tell me what my student did?”
“Student? Are you her teacher?”
Ishiryu Daito’s statement raised an eyebrow of the officer, who turned and asked.
“Yes, that’s right. Her parents passed away long ago, so I’m the only one they could contact, her homeroom teacher. Although Kazumi is usually very withdrawn, she has always been a very well-behaved child. She…”
“Group brawl, five people with minor injuries, the most seriously injured has a moderate concussion and could be in a vegetative state. Teacher, your student is truly extraordinary.”
The officer’s words stunned Ishiryu Daito, and he looked at the officer in disbelief.
“Officer, she…”
“You’ll know when you go in and see her.”
…
With a complicated mood, Ishiryu Daito followed the officer into the interrogation room, his heart feeling like it was about to leap out of his throat. Involved in such a serious brawl, he didn’t know how much harm Kazumi’s small body would suffer.
The physical injuries were secondary. Most importantly, the girl had just started to emerge from her self-imposed isolation. He worried that this incident might cause her to shut herself away again!
“Teacher Ishiryu.”
A cold voice pulled Ishiryu Daito out of his worried fantasy. Seeing the thin girl standing before him unharmed, Ishiryu Daito finally felt relieved and asked.
“Classmate Kiyomizu, are you alright? If you encounter any difficulties, you can tell me. Teacher is here now, you don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
Looking at the dark-faced teacher with such evident concern, Kazumi felt a deep sense of helplessness, although she knew his intentions were good. She really didn’t want Teacher Ishiryu to know about this, but she was an orphan with no guardian.
Organizing her thoughts, Kazumi continued.
“I’m sorry to trouble you, Teacher Ishiryu, to come all this way so late. I’m fine, I wasn’t harmed.”
Kazumi’s calm reply somewhat calmed Ishiryu Daito. Seeing the girl’s familiar demeanor, she seemed to be fine. He continued to ask.
“Then, Classmate Kiyomizu, would you be willing to tell me what happened? The officer said it was a serious brawl, and many people were injured. Don’t worry, if you were bullied, I can protect you!”
Looking at the serious Ishiryu Daito, Kazumi’s expression became a little strange. She reached up and scratched her cheek awkwardly, but felt that it was difficult to refuse her homeroom teacher’s concern. After some hesitation, Kazumi finally spoke.
“It was me who beat them…”
