SIZZLE. The at on the grill let out a greasy sound.
Hojo Shouko looked up toward the bathroom for what seed like the umpteenth ti and finally saw Aozawa's figure.
She heaved a sigh of relief that he hadn't fainted in the bathroom and continued to focus on eating her at and rice.
When Aozawa took his seat, Hojo Shouko swallowed the at in her mouth and asked with curiosity, "Aozawa-senpai, are you having so health issues? If you're sick, you should see a doctor sooner rather than later. Minor illnesses can turn into serious ones if left untreated."
Aozawa paused for a mont, then realized what she must have thought was ailing him. Taking that long for a little bathroom break would surely raise concerns about certain bodily functions.
"It's not what you think. I just ran into an acquaintance and chatted in the bathroom for a bit."
Upon hearing this response, Hojo Shouko pondered. She knew that boys often liked to chat in the bathroom. So girls did as well, though she couldn't understand their reasoning.
Hojo Shouko decided not to go down that conversational path. As long as he was all right.
Her nose twitched, and she looked puzzled. "There seems to be a scent that's different from the barbecued at."
"You don't have a dog's nose; you must be mistaken," Aozawa replied casually. It must be Morimoto Chiyoda's perfu that rubbed off on .
"Is that so?" Hojo Shouko asked. Sothing feels off, she thought, but quickly dismissed it and continued to lay at on the grill. "Brother's comic is set to be serialized in Weekly Shonen JUMP. Do you think he really has a shot at winning Yoshikawa Senpai over?"
"I'm not sure, but I hope so. Given Tetsuji's personality, if he can't win Yoshikawa Senpai over, he might end up alone."
"Yeah." Hojo Shouko sighed softly. She understood her older brother's stubborn nature all too well—he never wavered once he set his mind on sothing. If he had fallen for Yoshikawa Sayuri, he would be devoted to her and her alone. In so ways, such stubbornness was a bit frightening.
"Aozawa-senpai, do you think if I build a good relationship with Yoshikawa Senpai in advance, it could help Brother?" Hojo Shouko proposed her idea. This concerned the Hojo family lineage. She felt she couldn't just stand by; she had to help Hojo Tetsuji secure his future sister-in-law. Hojo Shouko was well aware that her brother's way of thinking was different from most people's.
"Don't try to help; you'll only make it worse." Aozawa knew Hojo Shouko's character. He didn't spare her feelings and bluntly pointed out, "Your personality has its issues too. You'd only make things worse if you got involved."
"Aozawa-senpai, I must object to your words! What exactly do you find problematic about ? Honesty should be considered an excellent human virtue." Hojo Shouko put her chopsticks down, her serious expression suggesting she was ready for a thorough discussion about her character.
Aozawa retorted, "The fact that you haven't blown up at for saying that proves there's sothing wrong with your personality. Maggie and I are keeping an eye on things with Tetsuji and Yoshikawa Sayuri, so you don't need to get involved. When it cos to romance, if you and your brother team up, even Maggie and I couldn't handle the destructive fallout."
"How rude! My brother is one thing, but to include as well..." It was rare for Hojo Shouko to pout like that, as she considered herself more enlightened in matters of love than her brother.
"Have you and Tetsuji ever succeeded in anything you've done together?"
"..."
Hojo Shouko fell silent. Thinking back, it seed nothing she and her brother did together ever succeeded. Separately, she still had a chance of success, but her brother had absolutely none.
"I'm sorry for having such a hopeless brother." Hojo Shouko suddenly bowed her head, her hands on the table, adopting an apologetic deanor. "I suddenly feel like I should be the one paying this bill."
"No need. I said I'd treat you." Aozawa placed a piece of at into her bowl. "Just eat. Don't underestimate your senpai's financial capability."
"Aozawa-senpai, in this mont, I think you're super cool." Hojo Shouko picked up the at from her bowl, silently resolving to make better bento boxes in the future. After all, reciprocity was proper etiquette.
「 」
anwhile, at Kamiya High School.
On the grass outside the Kendo Arena, a row of planted ginkgo trees cast cool shade. This offered respite in the afternoon, allowing so people to take refuge from the heat. While enjoying the cool breeze and the view of the grounds, they could also hear shouts from the Kendo Arena. This spot was quite popular at the school.
Ruriko Yokoo sat there and waved at a boy coming out of the Kendo Arena, shouting, "Gao Shi, I'm over here!"
The black-haired, fair-skinned boy walked up, seemingly undisturbed by the blazing sun, and calmly approached. Wherever he was, even the scorching sun seed to transform into a cool winter's day. Only the sweat on his forehead proved he wasn't so kind of human air conditioner; he felt the heat too.
"Gao Shi, I borrowed the cafeteria kitchen specifically to make you a bento. Co and try it."
"Okay."
Gao Shi replied simply. He didn't understand why Ruriko Yokoo enjoyed making bento boxes so much on her days off. Eating in the cafeteria would have been quicker, yet she went to the extra trouble of bribing the cafeteria ladies. Ruriko must have too much money, he thought.
Gao Shi sat down. The bento box was generously filled and had the cute touches typical of a girl's preparation. Ordinary sausages were cut into octopus shapes, complete with sesa seeds for eyes. The rice was also intentionally shaped like a rabbit.
"It's cute," Sunaga Takashi complinted. If I didn't say that, Ruriko Yokoo would get angry.
"HA HA," Ruriko Yokoo laughed, sitting beside him. "Did you hear? The captain of Aohana Vine actually lost to Aozawa! It's quite a surprise. I thought Chitose would win."
"There's nothing surprising about it. Sword Dao has never been about reputation, only ability. Without ability, no matter how much one boasts, they'll still lose." Sunaga Takashi answered offhandedly. "Chitose losing only ans his ability isn't as good as Aozawa's. That's all."
"I don't think Chitose, as the captain of the Aohana Vine Kendo club, is weak," Ruriko Yokoo countered, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Last year at the Jade Dragon Flag, Aozawa didn't seem strong enough to defeat Chitose. This year, he beat Chitose. I'm afraid his goal might also be the Jade Dragon Flag championship."
"Perhaps," Sunaga Takashi replied indifferently, his expression still nonchalant.
Ruriko Yokoo, accustod to his coldness, muttered, "Well, just don't co crying if you lose."
"If that day ever cos," Sunaga Takashi answered quite seriously, "I think I would laugh."
"A big laugh, huh?" Ruriko Yokoo murmured, imagining the scene and chuckling. "That really would be sothing to look forward to—the day you lose."
As the two chatted under a tree, so people on the sports field pointed in their direction from afar. Then, two individuals approached. Sunaga Takashi noticed them imdiately.
The two n were tall and still wore uniforms despite the hot weather. Judging by the style, they were clearly governnt workers.
The man on the left approached and said, "Hello, I'm Hiroshi Osamuichi from Public Security Division One. Sunaga Takashi, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Have you t Hazama Michio?"
"I have," Sunaga Takashi answered coolly.
"What did he say to you?"
Ruriko Yokoo, quite nervous, interjected, "Gao Shi hasn't committed any cris! What do you an by questioning him like this? He's not obliged to answer you!"
"Please don't misunderstand. Hazama is dead, so we want to investigate matters related to him," Hiroshi Osamuichi explained with a smile. Internally, he wasn't keen on asking such things. But they were compelled. They needed to find sothing to work on, to show that Public Security Division One was diligently pursuing Dio and wouldn't be outdone by the special task force. They had dug out Hazama's case. Discovering that the special task force hadn't investigated Hazama's activities before his death, they decided to look into it themselves.
"He's dead?" Ruriko Yokoo was shocked. She couldn't imagine that soone she had t just a few days ago had suddenly died. This was Tokyo, not so lawless zone. But considering Hazama's man-slayer temperant, death perhaps wasn't so unexpected for him.
"Who killed him?"
"We are also investigating." Hiroshi Osamuichi was unwilling to reveal the truth. "Any clues you provide might help us find the murderer. Did he say anything to you that day?" he asked.
"Nothing important," Ruriko Yokoo answered for Sunaga Takashi again. She truly feared he might say sothing that could be misunderstood.
"I'm asking Sunaga Takashi. Please do not obstruct our investigation." Hiroshi Osamuichi had noticed her behavior. Is Ruriko Yokoo trying to hide sothing? A thought struck him: Could there actually be so information here? If I could find sothing related to Dio, then a promotion and raise would be just around the corner. The higher-ups placed special importance on Dio.
Ruriko Yokoo wanted to speak again, but after a fierce glare from Hiroshi Osamuichi, she shrank back slightly. Still, she didn't intend to back down.
Sunaga Takashi put a hand on hers and said calmly, "Hazama ca here rely to test my Sword Dao level. If I were weak, he would have killed . If strong, he would have let live. In his mind, he probably wanted to use as a whetstone."
"Is that all?"
"He also tried to provoke into a duel with real swords."
Sunaga Takashi's words left Hiroshi Osamuichi sowhat disappointed, but he still warned, "In this day and age, you kids had better not think about dueling with real swords. If you do, you'll definitely be taken down by a gun. No matter how skilled you are with a sword, it can't beat a bullet."
Ruriko Yokoo asked in surprise, "But aren't guns banned here?"
"If banning sothing could actually stop it, then many things in this world would be much simpler," Hiroshi Osamuichi shrugged. "Just rember to be law-abiding citizens."
"Okay." Sunaga Takashi nodded, his indifferent expression making it impossible to tell if he had taken the warning to heart.
Hiroshi Osamuichi frowned slightly. His intuition told him that this young man was a dangerous individual, far surpassing the man-slayer Hazama.
Forget it, it's unrelated to my mission, Hiroshi Osamuichi thought. He couldn't be bothered to care and turned to leave.
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