Chapter 40
By coincidence, Sato Miwako had a detective father, so she had always aspired to become an excellent detective. Therefore, she didn't always go home when leave was available, but stayed at the Police Academy to enrich herself with materials from the library that couldn't be obtained outside.
When she passed through the corridor after borrowing books, she was originally just casually admiring the scenery outside the window, but inadvertently spotted Samukawa Shinryu.
At first, Sato Miwako only saw Samukawa Shinryu, because his aura was so outstanding that even just a peripheral glance could immediately identify who that figure belonged to.
Sato Miwako was upstairs, and from her angle, Samukawa Shinryu's path ahead was blocked by tree canopies, so she took two more steps before discovering there was someone opposite Samukawa Shinryu.
Just from that one glance, Sato Miwako's previously casual mindset immediately changed.
Her qualities as an excellent detective made her realize at first sight that the person's mental state seemed abnormal.
Moreover, this state was very familiar, as if she'd seen it recently... Ah!!
Sato Miwako leaned against the windowsill to look down, finally remembering this person was that guy who had been expelled before. His current frantic and neurotic appearance was even more unsettling than when he fired the gun in class.
Wasn't this guy already expelled? What was he doing coming back now? Just thinking about it felt wrong.
Sato Miwako hesitated whether to continue watching, as it felt like eavesdropping, which wasn't quite right. But the atmosphere made her unable to feel at ease—that was someone who dared to fire a gun in front of so many people. Who knows if he'd harm Samukawa Shinryu this time.
Her feet stopped in place, unable to decide whether to stay or go. Just as she was struggling, the situation below suddenly changed. She heard a shout full of anger and malicious joy: "Kill you!!!" She was so startled she almost dropped her books and quickly leaned against the window to look, but found the tree canopy severely blocked her view, making it impossible to see what was happening with those two people.
Sato Miwako had to quickly call Instructor Onizuka while reporting and rushing to the scene.
"I just heard that guy say he was going to kill Samukawa-kun... huff, I'm running downstairs... huff..."
Instructor Onizuka also quickly informed his colleagues that something had happened, then ran toward the destination himself while comforting Sato Miwako, who had almost witnessed a classmate being killed: "Samukawa's judo and grappling techniques are very good, so there should be no problem..."
Though he said this, he was actually beating drums in his heart.
The other party seemed to have come prepared, so he might be carrying weapons.
As everyone knows, when facing someone with weapons, even if it's just a minor wielding a knife randomly, the lethality is substantial. Unarmed people should try to avoid confrontation whenever possible.
Grappling techniques aside, although the other person had been expelled, he had also learned these techniques and should know how to counter them, making Samukawa truly dangerous...
If he had known this would happen! He might as well have let Samukawa Shinryu go out! This way he might not have been found, and this incident wouldn't have occurred!
But how could he have expected that Samukawa Shinryu could encounter such things without even leaving the school? Theoretically, the Police Academy should be extremely safe!
What could this be called but impossible to guard against!
Thinking that a murder case might occur in the Police Academy, where an expelled student killed a current Police Academy student, Instructor Onizuka's mindset completely collapsed, and he felt terrible overall.
Maybe when he finished teaching that class last year and felt his heart wasn't quite right, he should have considered retirement...
Sato Miwako was busy running downstairs, and Instructor Onizuka was also preoccupied, so for a moment the phone only had the sound of running and rapid breathing. Therefore, when Sato Miwako's footsteps suddenly stopped, Instructor Onizuka's heart tightened: "How is it?"
"Uh..."
Sato Miwako was silent for a moment: "It seems fine now. Samukawa-kun has already dislocated both that guy's knife and shoulder."
Instructor Onizuka: "..........."
"Sato-san, you came at just the right time. Please notify the instructor for me."
Seeing Sato Miwako, Samukawa Shinryu calmly gave instructions. His slender leg was stepping on the attacker's back, one hand roughly turning the head of the person lying on the ground, while the other hand efficiently dislocated the screaming person's jaw with a couple of cracks.
The malformed screams immediately rose another pitch.
Samukawa Shinryu wiped his hands on the other person's clothes, then straightened up and kicked the other person again with his withdrawn leg.
"Quiet. Keep screaming and I'll break your legs too."
Sato Miwako: "..........."
Instructor Onizuka: "..........."
—Is this something a police officer should say?!
"...Sato, tell him to restrain himself." Instructor Onizuka said wearily. "Someone will arrive soon, and it wouldn't look good if they saw this."
Although he knew Samukawa Shinryu was the victim, the perpetrator was too miserable, and he appeared so vicious that it could easily cause unnecessary rumors... Honestly, there were already enough rumors about Samukawa Shinryu at the Police Academy—no need to add more!
Sato Miwako coughed, and Samukawa Shinryu's dark red eyes swept over.
That overwhelming pressure like mountains of corpses and seas of blood made her stiffen momentarily, but Sato Miwako quickly realized Samukawa Shinryu wouldn't harm her. She forced herself to meet those unsettling eyes and said rationally:
"Samukawa-kun, the instructor already knows and someone will come soon. You... please restrain yourself a bit."
Anyone who didn't know better would think you were some arrogant murderer waiting for police to come and taunt them!!!
Samukawa Shinryu answered absentmindedly: "It's fine. I can put it back for him. This is just to prevent him from wanting to resist and causing secondary injury—it would be troublesome if I couldn't control myself."
Sato Miwako: "..........."
To prevent him from resisting and you seriously injuring him, you directly disabled him so he couldn't move... In the future, won't you kill someone first to prevent them from committing suicide?!
No, how did her thinking become strange again...
"Little Shinryu!"
Hearing the school broadcast, Hagiwara Kenji, who was nearby and arrived faster than Instructor Onizuka, rushed over with a group of people.
"Are you alright?!"
Hagiwara Kenji nervously supported Samukawa Shinryu's shoulder, looking him up and down, trying to visually identify any injuries.
"I'm fine. He's the one with problems."
Hagiwara Kenji's gaze lingered for a second on Samukawa Shinryu's torn clothes. Although there were no bloodstains, he still couldn't help lifting the fabric to look, and only after confirming there were indeed no injuries inside did he look at the person on the ground.
Since the broadcast hadn't mentioned who the attacker was, Hagiwara Kenji only now recognized the other party's identity.
"Isn't this Honda? Was it because of resentment over being expelled?" Hagiwara Kenji frowned.
Samukawa Shinryu: "So it was Honda."
For some reason, Honda, who had been resigned to his fate and quietly waiting for someone to reset his dislocated jaw, suddenly began struggling violently again, his eyes full of anger and hatred as he glared at Samukawa Shinryu, as if he wanted to pounce and bite him to death once his jaw was fixed.
Hagiwara Kenji coldly protected Samukawa Shinryu behind him: "Let's leave now. The school can handle things here. I'll take you to the infirmary for a checkup."
Strange, even when he was expelled, Honda's reaction wasn't this intense. Why, half a month after expulsion, did he suddenly harbor such hatred toward Little Shinryu?
Although Samukawa Shinryu declared several times that he was fine, Hagiwara Kenji still insisted on taking him to the infirmary and having the doctor perform a comprehensive examination.
Meanwhile, Honda finally faced internal interrogation at the Police Academy after having everything that could be reset put back in place.
"I didn't intend to kill him at first. I brought the knife just to scare him." Honda, having once been admitted to the Police Academy, knew what the crime of premeditated murder entailed, so he stuck to his story. "Later, he provoked me, and I accidentally lost my sanity."
Instructor Onizuka had given up considering his reputation and was purely business-like: "How did he provoke you?"
"He said..."
Honda's eyes began showing those blood-colored pupils again, without the contempt he had imagined, only cold indifference.
"—'Had enough fun, Yamada?'"
So the rational string in his mind snapped.
I'm Honda! Honda!!
How could such an excellent person who could recite textbooks at a glance possibly not remember who he was! He was expelled because of Samukawa!
Samukawa had changed his life, the persistent auditory hallucinations like a curse made him unable to sleep day and night. Once the pride of his parents, he now had to face neighbors' whispers. Friends who once revolved around him abandoned him, and even the trash he had once bullied dared to point fingers and mock him for being expelled from the Police Academy...
Every day, every day, whenever he let his mind wander slightly, Samukawa Shinryu's figure would reappear. In his hallucinations, he had been killed by Samukawa Shinryu countless times. Samukawa Shinryu had become his deepest nightmare...
He had mustered courage to come face Samukawa Shinryu. Bringing the knife was indeed with ruthless determination, harboring thoughts of seriously injuring the other party just to see Samukawa Shinryu show weakness, so he could understand this guy was nothing special and escape his self-frightening hallucinations.
His mind was full of Samukawa Shinryu, but Samukawa Shinryu didn't even remember his name.
How could he accept this?! It was too unfair!
Although Honda himself didn't want to say much, those interrogating him were real police officers, and the nature of a former Police Academy student attacking a current Police Academy student was too serious. Many people harbored resentment, and they quickly figured out the situation.
Since the Police Academy couldn't find a better excuse this time and couldn't use reasons like "accident" to diminish the severity of the incident, plus it was impossible to expel someone twice, Honda was eventually transferred to the Metropolitan Police for criminal charges and would face trial at a later date.
Hagiwara Kenji was very concerned about this matter. As soon as the school's decision was announced, he borrowed Honda's interrogation record to read, wanting to understand why Honda's hatred was so persistent.
Hmm, unemployed at home after expulsion... news wasn't hidden well, people knew he was expelled from the Police Academy, so public pressure suddenly increased—understandable.
After the neighbor returned, he relayed Samukawa Shinryu's message saying Honda still owed him an apology. Honda considered this a threat... insomnia, mental instability, persecution complex...
I see, no wonder he impulsively did such an irrational thing. Insomnia really affects thinking.
While thinking, Hagiwara Kenji continued reading down, seeing Honda claim that Samukawa Shinryu calling him 'Yamada' was provocation...
Huh?
Hagiwara Kenji suddenly realized something.
Not even remembering someone's name showed he didn't take them seriously, yet he still asked someone to specifically relay a message to Honda... Little Shinryu's behavior was a bit strange.
Was he dissatisfied with the school's decision to merely expel?
At this moment, a conversation with Samukawa Shinryu from long ago suddenly surfaced in Hagiwara Kenji's mind.
[If the law cannot give you justice, what would you do?]
[I wouldn't do anything. When he wants to kill me, I'll be able to collect enough evidence.]
Hagiwara Kenji's breathing caught.
—Little Shinryu, did he deliberately guide Honda to commit a crime?