In the courtyard of the Forge Room.
The sunlight beca increasingly scorching, making the weeds in the courtyard seem sowhat lackluster.
Cicadas were chirping in the trees. It was annoying.
Sunaga Takashi had never found waiting to be such a torturous affair.
When he used to wait, all he needed to do was think about Sword Dao, and he could easily get through it.
Now, Sunaga Takashi was unable to calm his mind to contemplate Sword Dao and was just worried about whether soone would co.
If his guess was wrong, he would have to check with the Public Security Section One.
But if even Public Security Section One couldn't find Ruriko, where should he look next?
Tokyo was so big, and without concrete clues, it would be difficult for him to find Ruriko on his own.
He couldn't even deny the possibility that Ruriko, as the teacher had said, simply wanted to et soone she t online and then got kidnapped.
Sunaga Takashi's eyes lowered. He realized he really didn't understand Ruriko at all.
The sigh was transient. He suddenly had a strange feeling in his heart, like a lion that sensed its territory had been invaded by its own kind before even seeing them.
The air beca a little different.
Sunaga Takashi understood. He had not been wrong.
Ruriko had indeed been taken away by soone after searching for the three words "Hazama."
Why do that? Sunaga Takashi didn't care about the reasons.
He just wanted to catch the person, find out Ruriko's whereabouts, and carry out the kill he had fantasized about many tis.
As he was poised to turn his first kill into reality, there was not a bit of excitent or nervousness in his heart.
Just calmness, like a lake in the Primitive Forest, without a ripple.
Sunaga Takashi stood up and looked at the two n in black approaching from the front, his gaze like he was staring at dead n.
...
DING DONG DONG.
The clear ringing of the school bell indicated that the morning's four classes had passed, and the teacher left the classroom.
Noisy sounds instantly replaced the silence.
Phoenix Academy Maggie took out her bento box from the drawer and stood up to walk towards Nomura True Wave and Yoshikawa Sayuri.
Aozawa raised his hand to wake up Hojo Tetsuji, who was sleeping, and said, "Class is over."
"Is it noon already?" Hojo Tetsuji muttered, slowly sitting up. He stretched on the spot, a simple action that restored his energy, then turned his head and said, "I'm counting on you today too. Bring so bread and cola on your way up."
"No problem," Aozawa readily agreed, stood up, and walked out of the classroom building.
When he passed the vending machine downstairs, he didn't stop to buy anything but instead changed into his outdoor shoes and headed towards the club building.
I'll buy the cola and bread on my way back. Buying them now would an having to take them to the Guzheng Club, which is too troubleso.
He arrived at the Guzheng Club in the club building and stood outside the window.
This ti, Natsuka Yanagimachi was not facing away from him. It seed she had erged from the shadow of that incident. She wasn't as open as before; her pursed lips made her look like a refined and elegant young lady, with a touch of shyness and introversion.
One would never suspect her to be the kind of girl who would explore with Hojo Shouko whether navels had a sll.
"Aozawa-senpai, you're here! This is today's bento. You said you like eel, so I specially made kabayaki eel. I hope you like it," Hojo Shouko said as she ran over, handing the bento box to him with both hands. Her fair cheeks were covered in a fine layer of sweat, which the club's fan evidently failed to disperse in the sumr heat.
"Kabayaki eel, huh? That's really sothing to look forward to," Aozawa said, taking the sumptuous bento box. He smiled and greeted Natsuka Yanagimachi, "Well, I'll take my leave then. You two have fun."
"Goodbye." Hojo Shouko waved and turned towards her friend.
Seeing Aozawa leave, Natsuka Yanagimachi relaxed. She exhaled deeply, propping herself up with her hands on the ground behind her. "WHEW! Shouko, do you make a bento for Aozawa-senpai every day just to thank him for his guidance on your brother's manga?"
"Yes," Hojo Shouko nodded, a strange glint in her eyes. She wasn't sure why her friend had suddenly asked this question.
Natsuka Yanagimachi looked up at the ceiling, murmuring, "Aozawa-senpai, doesn't he seem quite handso? He appears to be a nice person too, not at all like the perverted character you described."
"Being a pervert doesn't an he's a bad person; he just has so habits that are different from normal boys," Hojo Shouko explained truthfully.
When she called Aozawa a pervert, it was never with discriminatory or contemptuous intent, but simply as a way to describe soone with peculiar habits.
Hojo Shouko believed that everyone had their own interests and quirks, and as long as they didn't affect others, it was fine.
For instance, she didn't oppose sa-sex relationships but did disapprove of those who flaunted them excessively in public.
Such people, in her eyes, disturbed the normal lives of others.
One can be free, but not at the expense of others' freedom.
The outside world is a public place; everyone needs to help maintain a normal worldview.
"So, there's no problem if I pursue Aozawa-senpai, right?" Natsuka Yanagimachi asked, crossing her legs and smiling.
Hojo Shouko replied, quite surprised, "Of course, Sumr Flower. You've already t Aozawa-senpai. Pursuing him is your decision; you don't need to ask for my opinion."
"TSK." Natsuka Yanagimachi muttered. That reaction wasn't what I expected. Shouldn't she be panicking?
She sighed, "I really can't imagine you in love."
"Neither can I," Hojo Shouko answered seriously.
She had heard plenty about love and had read so books, yet she could never comprehend what the feeling of love was.
That heart-pounding sensation... I've never felt it. Perhaps the person I'm ant to like just hasn't appeared yet.
Hojo Shouko thought this to herself and turned her gaze back to the window.
Cicadas perched on the trees, their song like a beautiful lody. I wonder how Aozawa-senpai feels about the bento.
I hope he's satisfied with it; it would be a way to repay him for his treat yesterday.
...
Aozawa was very satisfied with today's bento.
The kabayaki eel Hojo Shouko made was noticeably more delicious than the cafeteria's. Perhaps it was due to her cooking skills, or maybe the ingredients were fresher.
In addition to the kabayaki eel, Hojo Shouko had also included a piece of fried pork cutlet.
Broccoli and two slices of lettuce also added a touch of green to the bento.
It tasted better than any previous bento.
Indeed, I'm the type of guy who loves at.
A bento with plenty of at is a delicious bento.
After finishing his al, Aozawa briefly gave Hojo Tetsuji so feedback on his manga, then excused himself from the rooftop, saying he was going to take a nap.
In a secluded part of the school, he followed his usual routine, placing his hand on a tree to survey his surroundings.
He watched the images forming in his mind, confirming there was no one around.
He used Schrodinger's Cat, and his body gradually beca translucent.
The next mont, the green trees in front of him disappeared, replaced by tall buildings and intersecting streets.
This was Shinjuku.
He stood in the air, looking down at the bustling crowds below, then glanced at the skyscrapers that seed sowhat cold in the sunlight.
"Let's see who the lucky audience mber is today," he muttered, leisurely drifting towards one of the skyscrapers and placing his right hand on its surface.
The glass used on the building facades is all the sa type.
He used his catalyst sensing ability.
In an instant, a flood of images rushed into his mind.
Within a one-kiloter radius, the glass on every skyscraper beca his eyes and ears, allowing him to eavesdrop and observe the scenes both inside and out.
The complex images and sounds didn't affect his state of mind. He watched over them like a deity, swiftly confirming that the person he was looking for was not here.
Aozawa raised his hand and moved to the next location.
Speaking of Shinjuku, I really should go to Kabukicho to find soone to kill.
...
Darkness surrounded her.
The girl could feel sothing covering her eyes, preventing her from opening them.
She didn't know what had happened, nor did she understand why she was here.
Her last lingering mory from the previous night was saying goodbye to Sunaga Takashi. Just as she was about to return to the girls' dormitory, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind her, covering her mouth.
There was so kind of substance on the cloth over the hand that made her lose consciousness imdiately. When she woke up again, she couldn't see anything.
Her hands were tied behind her to an object that felt like a chair. Ruriko Yokoo wasn't sure if her clothes had been removed; she only felt very cold, not at all like it was sumr.
In this state, so people had co and asked her why she knew Hazama's na.
She answered honestly, but they still beat her rcilessly, accused her of lying, and continued questioning her.
Ruriko Yokoo was beaten until she cried.
But her tears didn't earn her any sympathy; instead, they were t with their arrogant laughter, followed by another brutal beating.
Several tis, the beatings left her dazed and confused. Sotis her ears would even go temporarily deaf, and she couldn't clearly hear the questions they were asking.
Who is Dio? Who are they? Why do they know I searched for Hazama?
A series of questions flashed through Ruriko Yokoo's mind. I can't figure it out, and I don't understand why I'm caught up in sothing like this.
If there was one thing she steadfastly refrained from ntioning during the interrogation, it was Sunaga Takashi's na.
I don't want Sunaga Takashi to end up like .
These people are clearly not easy to deal with.
Ruriko Yokoo took a deep breath. The intense pain made her want to cry, but the arrogant laughter she had heard earlier kept echoing in her mind, making her stubbornly hold back her tears, refusing to let them fall.
I don't want those who beat to continue their triumphant laughter.
This is the only form of retaliation I can muster.
CREAK. She faintly heard the sound of a door opening and soone's footsteps approaching.
Ruriko Yokoo's heart pounded with panic. Are they going to beat again?
No, please! Gao Shi, co and save !
"This is quite surprising. Are all young people nowadays this formidable?" A gentle voice resounded beside Ruriko Yokoo's ear. The man lifted her chin with one hand and continued, "Your little boyfriend certainly has so skill, killing the n we sent.
"To kill ard elites with a knife... it seems he's soone with a rare talent.
"You've beco valuable too, Ruriko Yokoo."
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