Chapter 29
Instructor Onizuka was speechless for a moment, but still answered first: "He will drop out."
[After all that fuss just to get someone expelled, why don't you activate your persuasion skill and get him sentenced to death? I guarantee the suspicion values will come flooding in!]
Hearing the system's instigation, Usuha Izuki maintained his cold expression on the surface while grumbling in his mind: [First, this kind of suspicion value risk is too high, no need to be aggressive. Second, what kind of person do you think I am?]
System: [Of course I don't think you're a psychopath who gets happy killing people you don't like. I just think you're definitely unsatisfied with this result.]
[It's fine. I knew it would be like this from the start.]
Usuha Izuki was very calm: [What expectations do you have for a country where the death penalty might as well not exist? Have you ever watched Japanese dramas? Forget that his first shot was accidental discharge and his second shot was me provoking him, and they were training rounds issued by the Police Academy—even if someone attempted murder at the Police Academy, they could just get expelled. Not even having to write a reflection essay and treating it like nothing happened is already pretty good.]
The system obviously didn't watch Japanese dramas and was greatly shocked: [Attempted murder can just be expulsion? You're talking about a Police Academy, right?]
[It is a Police Academy. You don't think everyone who gets into Police Academy is a good person, do you? How do you think corrupt cops come about? Believe it or not, there are at least seven people in this year who used to enjoy school bullying, and that guy is one of them.] Usuha Izuki exposed and mocked, [Being so naive, what kind of suspicion value system are you? You should go be a trust value system instead.]
System: [........]
After nagging the system into shutting down, Usuha Izuki slowly dealt with Instructor Onizuka: "I have no objections."
Instructor Onizuka: "......"
Suspicion Values from Instructor Onizuka started flowing out rapidly.
His tone also became somewhat hesitant: "You might be somewhat dissatisfied, I can understand that, but in his situation, he was also scared, and he can't possibly become a police officer in the future, so it's also punishment..."
Usuha Izuki used the particularly respectful language that the Samukawa Shinryu identity would pay special attention to, interrupting rather disrespectfully: "Sorry, what I just said was that I have no objections. You don't need to explain so much. I completely understand."
Instructor Onizuka: "......"
It's exactly because you said you have no objections that I feel something's wrong!
How could you have no objections? How is it possible for you to have no objections!
You were the one with a gun pointed at you earlier. Even if they were training rounds, at that distance they could still injure someone. Just expulsion is enough?
Wait, he seemed to skip over dissatisfaction... I get it. Having no objections doesn't mean having no dissatisfaction, right?
Instructor Onizuka barely convinced himself.
Usuha Izuki didn't say much more, just seemingly agreed, and harvested a large amount of suspicion values.
Not every time did you have to deliberately say weird things to be effective. As long as you grasped the technique and timing well, speaking normally could still farm suspicion values. This series of operations left the suspicion value system in awe.
Since Instructor Onizuka wasn't speaking, Usuha Izuki took the initiative.
"Did you call me here just to talk about this matter? I completely support the school's judgment."
For some reason, every time Instructor Onizuka heard him speak respectfully, he felt uncomfortable all over: "No, explaining his punishment to you was just one thing. I called you here because I have other things to say."
Looking at the police uniform-wearing youth standing across from him with a completely calm and composed expression, as if he really didn't think he had any problems, knowing he couldn't count on this guy to reflect, Instructor Onizuka could only painfully take the initiative to ask.
"Why did you provoke him? Don't you know that was very dangerous? What if you had really been hit?"
"I was wrong." The youth answered straightforwardly.
Instructor Onizuka was somewhat dazed: "..........."
Huh? You're admitting your mistake just like that? He thought this guy would make some excuses... Why would he admit his mistake so quickly? Is there really no conspiracy?
No, no, no, how could he think of his own student like that? Although this guy was indeed somewhat suspicious, he hadn't actually done anything truly wrong so far...
All of Instructor Onizuka's prepared dialogue died in the womb. This feeling of punching cotton made him only able to say dryly: "Then... since you know you were wrong, write a reflection essay."
When students were difficult to handle, it gave you headaches, but when students suddenly became easy to handle, it felt frustrating too. Life was truly unpredictable.
Usuha Izuki readily agreed.
Instructor Onizuka took a deep breath and started another topic: "Let me ask you something else. Have you learned gun disassembly from anyone before?"
"The textbook has diagrams."
"...So you're saying you looked at paper diagrams, then on your first hands-on attempt, you could disassemble single-handedly faster than I can with both hands. Is that what you mean?"
Usuha Izuki nodded.
Instructor Onizuka was expressionless: "Do I look very gullible to you? You could have at least said you'd disassembled model guns."
Usuha Izuki went with the flow: "I've disassembled model guns."
Instructor Onizuka: ".................."
The instructor stared at him for a long time, took several deep breaths, and mentally chanted "this kid is the victim, this kid is the victim" many times before he didn't shout out loud.
Previously he thought this guy was being completely careless in brushing him off, but now it seemed he was putting in some effort, just not much—directly copying his suggestion to his face, how was that okay!
Actually, Instructor Onizuka had many more doubts, but seeing this guy who had caused the biggest incident since school started still wearing his police uniform, standing properly in front of him, and remembering that he had become like this because Hagiwara Kenji had nearly been accidentally injured...
Remembering that answer from the interview that had troubled him and his colleagues for so long...
His various questions were thus put back in his stomach.
Since Samukawa Shinryu was still staying on this side of the world, still willing to wear the police uniform and stand calmly before him, perhaps it was better not to dig deeper and maintain the status quo.
"Sigh, forget it. Just be more careful in the future, don't do such dangerous things. This is a Police Academy—if something happens, find me, the instructor. Don't handle it yourself. Understand?"
Seeing Instructor Onizuka's helpless yet relieved expression, seemingly not planning to ask further, Usuha Izuki felt somewhat unaccustomed.
"...I understand."
"Good, you may go."
Usuha Izuki saluted and left the office.
Hagiwara Kenji was waiting for him at his dormitory door. Seeing him return, he first looked over his expression, disappointed that he couldn't read anything, then had to ask: "Are you okay? What did the instructor say to you?"
"He told me to write a reflection essay." Usuha Izuki took out his key to open the door, letting Hagiwara Kenji in.
"Haha, when I went to the washroom, I heard everyone complaining about writing reflection essays."
After all, the entire class of students, except for the two involved parties, had just been scared silly and done nothing wrong, yet inexplicably received dozens of pages of reflection essays to write. Everyone felt it was an undeserved disaster and complained bitterly, deeply resenting the person who had fired the gun.
We didn't offend anyone!!!
However, today's incident was more direct than any verbal education. These students would probably firmly remember details like checking the safety and gun muzzle direction in the future.
Usuha Izuki didn't respond, just sat at his desk and pulled out manuscript paper.
Hagiwara Kenji asked curiously: "Have you written reflection essays before?"
"...No."
"Then do you know how to write one?"
"No." Usuha Izuki glanced at him. "Will you help me write it?"
"Sure." Hagiwara Kenji readily agreed. "After all, you were standing up for me~ Ow."
His movement to lean closer to the desk suddenly stuck, then he smiled awkwardly: "My tailbone hurts a bit, but the examination showed nothing serious, just bruised... I'm saying this hoping you won't blame yourself. You were trying to save me after all, and training rounds can be fatal too."
"...I told you it wasn't for you, just incidental."
Usuha Izuki's brow furrowed unconsciously.
The system spoke sarcastically: [What's wrong with admitting you stood up for a friend? But it's a pity about his suspicion values—look, he doesn't really suspect you much anymore.]
[He only considers me a friend because he thinks I'm a good person who acts heroically, but you know what I'm actually like... I don't plan to let him understand me, and I don't think this counts as friendship.] Usuha Izuki spoke coldly, [I just purely dislike having cockroaches around me constantly staring at me, so I got rid of it incidentally.]
System: [Fine, I believe you, okay? I really can't stand you people. I'm not a heartless system—what's wrong with making friends? What's so bad about admitting it?]
[I said this doesn't count as friendship. He doesn't really...]
[Come on, with your terrible acting skills, without the "Black Screen Aura" you're nothing. I think aside from being talkative, he understands your true nature better than Vodka... What's with this weird mental cleanliness obsession? Your mother might not even truly understand you. Have you never had friends?]
Usuha Izuki: [........]
System: [........]
This silence full of complex meanings made the system decide to shut up.
What kind of strange host had it bound to? If it weren't for the fact that the main body really hadn't trained much, it would suspect this guy had been a lone wolf assassin in his previous life.
The next day, Usuha Izuki handed in the reflection essay that Hagiwara Kenji had helped write.
Instructor Onizuka looked at the familiar handwriting and fell into silence.
Did that kid Hagiwara forget he had written many reflection essays last year too?!
Instructor Onizuka mentally chanted "this is the victim" several times again before barely ignoring this and indicating it was acceptable.
As soon as Hagiwara Kenji returned, Instructor Onizuka complained to him about this: "You could have at least had him copy it over once. How could he just hand in what you wrote directly?"
Hagiwara Kenji looked surprised: "I did tell him to copy it over. He didn't copy it?"
"...You're quite brazen about it."
After leaving the office, Usuha Izuki had been in low spirits since yesterday, and after handing in the reflection essay, his mood dropped even further.
The system found it incomprehensible and began psychological counseling.
[You're too career-focused. My previous hosts, even knowing it was for points, still felt bad when misunderstood. You didn't mind being suspected before, but how can you be so uncomfortable being treated kindly... It's just lower efficiency, right? With your methods, you'll quickly earn it back from others! Don't be so anxious just because I often pressure you—that was because I didn't understand your capabilities before... These small amounts, if you don't get them, don't get them. We look down on such things anyway...]
Usuha Izuki ignored the system. When he walked into the classroom, the students who had been discussing something suddenly fell silent.
Actually, Usuha Izuki had heard from outside—everyone was discussing yesterday's guy dropping out. Seeing him, the other party involved, feeling uncomfortable was normal.
Soon, everyone shifted topics to discuss other things, though their attention couldn't help but remain on Usuha Izuki.
Not caring about these people, Usuha Izuki's gaze wandered around the classroom, then he walked toward someone.
That person wasn't quite sure at first, but when Usuha Izuki stopped beside his desk, he stood up flattered: "Samukawa-kun..."
His eyes were bright, seeming very delighted to be singled out by Samukawa Shinryu.
"I remember, you and that guy are neighbors?" Usuha Izuki asked.
The student was stunned for a moment, then understood who "that guy" referred to, and was overjoyed that Samukawa Shinryu actually remembered such details about him: "Yes, he's my neighbor... Is there anything you need me to help with?"
"Mm..." Usuha Izuki pondered, "Then help me pass along a message."
"What is it?"
"'You still owe me an apology.'"
The student excitedly agreed.
Usuha Izuki returned to his seat and calmly organized his textbooks.
The system vaguely sensed something: [...What are you planning to do? I remember you said you had no objections to the school's handling and had expected it all along?]
[I'm not planning anything, just having someone pass along a message.] Usuha Izuki acted nonchalant.
[Oh, I thought you were planning to take revenge again because of your friend's tailbone that's fine now.]
[I told you already.]
Usuha Izuki coldly tapped his textbook on the desk.
[I don't need friends.]