Ti flew by.
「Sunday.」
The morning had seen a fine drizzle, but by noon, Tokyo's weather had turned sunny and pleasant. The bright sunlight made the sky particularly azure, and looking at it now, one couldn't see any signs of rain. Only by glancing at the puddles on the asphalt roads could one tell that it had indeed rained earlier.
"It's really hot."
Aozawa tugged at his collar, finding himself in the midst of the despised rainy season once again.
Aozawa grumbled to himself, The weather in Tokyo during this period changes faster than a woman's mood. He walked to the Maid Cafe and pushed open the door.
DING DONG. The clear sound of the doorbell rang out, and a maid at the door bowed. "Welco to the Maid Cafe, Master."
After delivering the standard greeting, the welcoming maid recognized Aozawa and smiled with pursed lips. "Master, would you like table number three?"
"Mhm."
Aozawa nodded. Last Saturday, because Ayatsuki Ayaka had joined them halfway through, Arakawa Reina hadn't been able to treat him. That al was his treat for Iroha. He was visiting today to give Arakawa Reina the chance to treat him.
"Nashi, your master has co again."
The welcoming maid turned her head and called out, curiosity flooding her expression. She hadn't forgotten that last ti this handso young man had a very pretty hot girl girlfriend by his side. Rumor has it Nashi has a secret crush on him? Does he have any thoughts of cheating? Clearly, he might, frequenting the Maid Cafe like this, obviously for Nashi's sake. The complex relationships among the three of them intrigued the welcoming maid.
Arakawa Reina knew what they were misunderstanding but couldn't explain. Explaining would be pointless anyway. The more you try to explain these things, the more troubleso they beco. So she simply pretended not to know, hurried forward with a sweet smile, and said, "Master, please follow ."
"Alright."
Aozawa nodded and headed towards the seat by the window. His usual spot was still vacant.
Aozawa sat down, glanced at the nu, and said, "Class President, what do you think I should have today?"
"Mr. Aozawa, I recomnd—"
Aozawa interrupted Arakawa Reina. "Class President, although we're classmates, here in this cafe, I'm the custor. You should address as 'Master.'" He then added sternly, "That's the professional conduct a maid should have."
Arakawa Reina was slightly taken aback, her face reddening as she said, "Master, I recomnd this pumpkin cake and the baked pudding. They're very delicious."
"Alright then, I'll have those two, and a latte as well." Aozawa then looked at the pictures on the nu. The pumpkin cake portion is quite generous, but even with the baked pudding, it still seems a little insufficient. "I'll also have an egg tart and a doughnut."
"Got it, please wait a mont, Master."
Arakawa Reina bowed and turned towards the kitchen.
Aozawa took out his phone from his pocket and opened a short video on YouTube. The Sato stabbing case was no longer trending. The number of people interested had dropped significantly, and no bloggers were predicting where Durant had fled. In just a few days, the key to trending topics had changed; more sensational news had erged. Stories like a famous idol secretly dating a boyfriend or a male celebrity having an affair dominated YouTube and TikTok. Now, without searching specifically, related videos weren't being promoted. Obviously, soone was deliberately suppressing traffic related to this incident, diverting public attention.
Aozawa typed "tropolitan Police Departnt, press conference." If he rembered correctly, the tropolitan Police Departnt was scheduled to hold another press conference today regarding Durant, who still hadn't been found after several days.
He found a video of the press conference. After listing a series of factors for their failure to capture Durant—the criminal's cunning, Tokyo's lack of surveillance, the sheer number of residents, and so on—the Police Director stated with a pained expression, "We at the tropolitan Police Departnt will overco all these difficulties as soon as possible.
"We have not yet provided a satisfactory answer to the victim's family, to Senator Sato, or to the public regarding their safety concerns.
"Our sincerest apologies!"
There were more people bowing this ti than the last—a full nine of them—demonstrating the sincerity of the tropolitan Police Departnt. Their bowing was, needless to say, perfectly synchronized.
Arakawa Reina approached with the desserts and, seeing his phone screen, curiously asked, "Aozawa, oh, sorry, Master, are you also following these events?"
"Sothing like this happening in peaceful Tokyo naturally makes a bit worried," Aozawa replied with a smile.
Arakawa Reina nodded repeatedly, looking like she had found a kindred spirit, her hands beginning to tremble as she held the coffee. "Tokyo is really dangerous nowadays, isn't it?"
Aozawa, noticing her trembling hands, rembered her tendency for wild imaginings and quickly said, "Actually, it's not that dangerous. Tokyo has tens of millions of people; the chances of you encountering sothing like that are very slim. Just don't work too late."
"That may be true, but accidents can happen anyti." After placing the coffee and desserts on the table, Arakawa Reina didn't leave but instead chose to sit opposite him. There weren't many custors at the mont, so she could choose to chat with her colleagues or sit here and talk with Aozawa.
"Sumr is a dangerous season," Arakawa Reina said, a shadow of worry on her brow. "It's so hot that clothes inevitably beco more revealing, making it easier to get hit on or targeted by unsavory individuals.
"Even a passing van might suddenly stop, and several large n could jump out and abduct soone.
"Pretty scary, right?"
Aozawa wanted to tell her that the likelihood of such an incident was incredibly low, but seeing her apprehensive expression, he chuckled and said, "Well, in that case, let be your Guardian Knight, Class President.
"If you ever find yourself in danger, rember to send a ssage.
"I will rush to your side imdiately."
"Eh, no, that's not necessary." Arakawa Reina quickly waved her hands, sighing inwardly. Here I am, earnestly sharing my troubles with Aozawa, but his expression makes it seem like he's completely joking. Could I ssage him whenever I was in danger, and he'd appear right away? Please, I'm not a three-year-old child.
Arakawa Reina sighed inwardly once again. To most people, my worries are probably just baseless fears. I also know my fears might not materialize, but I can't control this terror welling up inside . A vicious criminal is wandering through Tokyo. The tropolitan Police Departnt deployed sixty thousand officers and searched for days without finding Durant; that alone speaks volus about his cunning. If an ordinary person like encountered Durant, I'd have absolutely no way to resist, and then sothing terrible would happen. After... *that*... happened, I'd be threatened: if I dared tell anyone, my whole family would be killed.
Arakawa Reina shrank her shoulders as if she could feel ropes tightly binding her body.
Aozawa noticed the grim expression on her face and comforted her, "You don't have to be afraid. Based on Durant's actions, you can tell he's a person with a sense of justice. He won't lay a finger on you."
Arakawa Reina's eyes widened. "A sense of justice? Didn't you see how terribly the victims' families were crying? He's a cold-blooded executioner!"
"Class Rep, justice isn't about refusing bloodshed and struggle; it's about needing to walk the correct path." Aozawa took a sip of coffee and continued patiently, "Class Rep, do you know what that shrine is dedicated to?"
"The soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Emperor."
"Japan during World War II was no good thing, you know." Aozawa began to recount that bloody part of history to her.
The more Arakawa Reina listened, the more astonished she beca. "Mr. Aozawa, you know so much."
Aozawa said modestly, "You can find out about that history with a simple internet search. Just don't listen to those popular 'historical experts.'
"Those types are usually history professors skilled at distorting facts.
"Also, if you write the actual correct answers on your exams, you won't get any points."
Arakawa Reina laughed. "Mr. Aozawa, thank you for your explanation. I feel more at ease now." She patted her chest. For days on end, she had been fearing Durant, who was on the run, but after hearing Aozawa's explanation, she realized things were different from what she had imagined. Durant isn't such a heinous criminal after all. She sighed in relief.
"It's nothing. I'm happy to, especially since you're treating to this delicious pumpkin cake, Class Rep." Aozawa smiled, forked a piece of cake into his mouth, and chewed it slowly, his mind pondering what to blow up next.
But such thoughts were quickly overshadowed by the thoughts of tomorrow. Tomorrow was Monday. The power of Marked Detonation would weaken, and a new superpower would be added. At tis like these, Aozawa always felt an excited anticipation, like he was about to draw a lottery.
「The next day.」
Six in the morning, on the dot.
The alarm clock on the nightstand went off punctually.
Aozawa swiped his phone screen to stop the alarm, eyes still closed. He took a deep breath and then opened his eyes.
Superpower: Will-o'-the-wisp.
Aozawa was montarily stunned. His first thought was of the Soul-Cutting Knife from *Bleach* that manipulates a person's five senses. Is this ability about controlling the five senses? he wondered but didn't use Will-o'-the-wisp right away. He would find ti to test what kind of abilities Will-o'-the-wisp had, perhaps later or at noon.
Aozawa got up and took out two iron balls from his backpack. These were iron balls he'd bought to test his Marked Detonation ability. He held them in both hands. The Marked Detonation ability activated, and a black chrysanthemum pattern erged on the surface of the right ball. He then tried to mark the left ball but failed. The weakened Marked Detonation couldn't mark multiple targets; it could only mark one.
After confirming this, the idea of detonation flashed through Aozawa's mind. The black chrysanthemum pattern on the surface of the right iron ball cracked, and the next second, fire burst from within, thin wisps of black smoke rising. The iron ball shattered swiftly, and even the ash vanished without a trace.
Judging by the force of the explosion, the weakening only seed to prevent marking multiple targets. To be sure about the specifics, I'll still need to test it on people or buildings. The iron balls are too small, after all.
Pondering these things, Aozawa got up, changed into his school uniform, walked to the door, and called out, "Good morning, Chitose."
"Hm." Morimoto Chiyoda responded, her eyes fixed on Aozawa.
"Is there sothing on my face?" he asked.
"You look exceptionally handso today," Morimoto Chiyoda replied with a smile. According to the task force's speculation, if Aozawa really is Dio, he likely gained a new superpower today.
"Since you put it that way, how about you get a taste of this 'exceptionally handso' ?"
"It must've been my imagination. Go brush your teeth and wash your face quickly; you've got sleep in your eyes," replied Morimoto Chiyoda with a look of disdain.
"Handso guys don't have sleep in their eyes," Aozawa retorted with a laugh as he made his way to the bathroom.
Morimoto Chiyoda narrowed her eyes, noticing Aozawa seed particularly cheerful today. Was I just being paranoid?
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