It was late at night, just after finishing a gaming session with Misaki. Shiro Sakamaki was about to lie down when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was gumi Kato.
gumi Kato: [Shiro Sakamaki-san, are you asleep?]
Shiro Sakamaki: [What, are you still thinking about today?]
gumi Kato: [Well, ever since I closed my eyes, all I can think of are images of Tomoya Aki and the classmate covered in blood.]
Shiro Sakamaki: [Don't overthink it. It wasn't your fault. Accidents happen to people every day, it's just that you happened to witness this one.]
gumi Kato: [Shiro Sakamaki, you're no fun to chat with ^_^]
Shiro Sakamaki chuckled at the emoji she sent. He hadn't expected gumi Kato to be so expressive with chat software. He quickly replied with so comforting words, telling her not to worry too much and to get so rest. After a few more ssages, he put down his phone and drifted off to sleep.
---
The Next Morning
Shiro Sakamaki woke up to the shrill sound of his alarm clock, but in his usual fashion, he slapped it hard, breaking the poor thing. Without a care, he turned over, buried his head under the blanket, and went back to sleep.
It wasn't until he noticed the sunlight streaming through the window that he realized the ti. Three hours had passed since the alarm went off. A mont of silence followed as he stared at the clock and then his phone, which was filled with over a dozen missed calls from Hiratsuka.
Groaning, he reluctantly got out of bed, fixing the alarm clock with a quick use of his dragon vein alchemy. Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen where a delicious breakfast and lunch boxes were waiting—thanks to Misaki and the others, who had already left for school.
Taking a bite of the bread, Shiro Sakamaki took out his phone and called Hiratsuka back.
As soon as the call connected, Hiratsuka's displeased voice ca through: "You brat, skipping class on the third day of being here?!"
Shiro, sounding unbothered, lazily replied, "Hiratsuka-sensei, I was seriously injured yesterday while dealing with that ghost. I don't think I'll be able to co to school for the rest of the month."
"Nonsense!" Hiratsuka snapped. "I asked Yukinoshita Haruno yesterday, and you didn't even look like you had a scratch on you. You're not fooling anyone. Now get to school, right now! I need to talk to you!"
Before Shiro could respond, she hung up with a sharp click.
Sighing in defeat, Shiro looked at the phone in his hand and chuckled. He could skip, but considering Hiratsuka had helped him earn 100 million yen yesterday, he couldn't afford to upset her. Grabbing his bag, he reluctantly made his way out the door.
It was already 10 AM, an hour and a half before class started. He thought to himself, It's fine. I'll go to school but who knows when I'll actually show up in class!
With that, Shiro wandered down the road, enjoying the pleasant weather. The sky was clear, and he couldn't help but smile as he looked up at it.
---
At School
By 11 AM, Shiro finally reached the school, only to be intercepted by an impatient Hiratsuka, who had been waiting for him.
"You're late, and you're not even sorry about it?" she scolded, dragging him to the office. Shiro followed her, resigned to whatever her "talk" might be. He had a feeling it had sothing to do with the paynt from yesterday's job, and he wasn't wrong.
Shiro had no complaints. Hiratsuka was easy on the eyes, and though she was in her thirties, she was undeniably attractive. That alone made the trip to the office worth it.
As they entered the office, a sudden whoosh of air broke Shiro out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block whatever was coming at him—he had grown accustod to attacks from his previous ntor.
But this ti, he noticed sothing different. As Hiratsuka's fist collided with his arm, it didn't feel like a regular punch. His hand began to glow red like heated tal before turning pitch-black, the energy surging through him.
"Armant."
A shockwave reverberated throughout the room, as Hiratsuka's fist was deflected with a force that rattled the walls. She staggered back slightly but remained unfazed.
"You brat, what were you thinking just now?" she snapped, glaring at him with a mix of confusion and frustration. Her fist was slightly singed, still glowing from the impact.
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Hiratsuka, don't you think it's a bit excessive to use that much force on a student?"
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't, but for you... I know that even if I used all my strength, it wouldn't hurt you," Hiratsuka replied with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant.
Shiro shrugged. "Fair enough, but n need so secrets to keep their charm. Don't you think so?"
She blinked, taken aback by his boldness. Then, she softened. "I'm sorry. I forgot for a mont that you're not just any regular student. But you're still just a boy, you know. You're a bit too bold for soone your age."
Her gaze lingered on him, as if trying to reconcile his young appearance with the power he had just shown. Hiratsuka had known about his cultivation background, but she hadn't realized he possessed such extraordinary abilities. It was a reminder that Shiro was no ordinary student.
Shiro, sensing the shift in atmosphere, shifted the conversation. "Anyway, don't you have a check for ?"
Hiratsuka sighed, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a check. "Here. This is your cut. Our action team takes 20% of the paynt as an interdiary fee, no complaints, right?"
Shiro couldn't hide his annoyance. "Seriously? You don't do anything, and yet you take 20%? Capitalists are nothing compared to you."
But instead of complaining further, he simply nodded. After all, it was a governnt-affiliated agency, and pushing too hard could cause problems. He wasn't exactly the hot-blooded ani protagonist who could get away with saying whatever he wanted.
After a short pause, Hiratsuka's tone turned serious. "Haruno ntioned that you said the ghost wasn't naturally ford but was instead manipulated by soone. Do you know anything about that?"
Shiro nodded, his expression turning serious. "That ghost wasn't a natural occurrence. The cursed energy was too... controlled, almost like it had a human sorcerer's aura mixed in. It was created by soone."
Hiratsuka's face shifted from calm to worried. "Are you sure?"
---
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