Episode 28 – Detachment From Idealism

When I get home, my step sister arrives home earlier than me, which is unusual. I was a little surprised because this rarely happens.

“Oh, you’re home late today.”

“I had to stop by a bookstore….”

“Hee, so you read a book.”

Isn’t that a bit much?

My step sister, on the other hand, has been staring at the computer for a long time. That should be a limited number of school supplies. The reason why he was allowed to take it out was probably because of his position as the student council president and the trust he had built up until now.

“Look, we have a test coming up soon……”

“……You’re right, it’s only a couple of weeks away. You should get good grades this time and make your mother feel at ease.”

“……Well, I guess.”

Then I went upstairs and went back to my room. I was tired of my step sister’s sarcasm, but also my shoulders were stiff for the first time in a long time because I had been up late all day doing something I wasn’t used to doing.

Double-tailing is more tiring than I thought it would be. There are multiple groups of people to worry about, plus I have to be very careful not to get noticed. In my case, I had to make sure no one was watching me, so I had to expend a lot of extra effort.

But I guess they took the bait easier than I thought.

I don’t know how well Shinkai can do now, but at least she must not be stronger than she was then. Perhaps she no longer knows how to improve herself because she no longer has my guidance. If that’s the case, even those guys have a chance to win.

(And I’ll encourage them to do so.)

That would make the vague tactics clear. At least Shinkai is unaware of the threat that is looming over her. The ability to sense danger is not something that can be taught by trying to teach it, so luck was on my side on this one.

“If I, too, had been at that time…..”

I have some crisis-sensing skills. I have a gut feeling that I’m in danger, or I’m aware of someone’s eyes on me, and many of these are almost unconscious. Ironically, I acquired this ability after the day of the incident.

(If I had that power that day, would anything have changed?)

I don’t know the answer to that question anymore. Time that has passed can no longer be turned back, and that’s impossible unless I reincarnate. Well, no doubt, I would be living more quickly than I am now.

Perhaps, even next to me like this……no.

“Tachibana Kanata is already dead. That’s why I know what I have to do.”

I will thoroughly hunt down Shinkai Sakura.

At first I thought about pressing her to insulate herself, but on second thought, there was no need to do that. I could just hammer a big nail into her head so that she couldn’t do anything outrageous. And at the same time, destabilize her mind.

If my hunch is right, those single-minded guys will take action tomorrow. I was on them all day today after school, and I witnessed the moment they smiled. That’s the look of a man blinded by desire.

“……That’s right, I mustn’t forget that one.”

I pull something out of my breast pocket and start charging it. This is my secret weapon that will be crucial tomorrow. It will be a waste of time and money if it doesn’t work properly.

I developed this secret weapon after the incident. It’s a great item to make sure I don’t have to get hurt anymore.

“Well, I’m going to do some preparation exercises for the first time in a long time.”

Come to think of it, I haven’t done any flexibility exercises recently because I’ve been focusing so much on muscle training. For the first time in a while, let’s start with yoga.

I changed out of my uniform into something more comfortable and relaxed my body, and went to bed as usual that day.

※

I went to school that day and attended classes as usual.

The test was less than two weeks away, and the students around me were gradually shifting their minds to the test. The school is a college preparatory school, so test scores are very important. It gives us an idea of which schools we should go to, and if we neglect subjects we are not good at, we will end up just short of a red mark.

By the way, if you get a red mark on a test at our school, you will be banned from club activities for a month. And I heard that there is a re-test after a hard make-up test. I have never taken the test, so I don’t know what it is, but I hear it’s pretty tough. I heard that the test is given both in the morning and after school. Even students who usually don’t bother with it are desperate to take it, because if they don’t do it, they will be retained in school even if they don’t want to stay.

(The prediction this time is a little wider than usual……)

As I said, the prediction is a bit wider due to the grade level. The difficulty level is not so bad, but the wider prediction means that there are more assignments. It’s a hassle to do everything in advance. I think I’d rather finish everything in advance…….

By the way, Yukihana was quietly studying by herself. And in between, she was working on the predictive questions, and it looks like she’s getting better and better at it. I’m rooting for you, yeah, for sure.

“……”

I observed Kisaragi during my lunch break.  It has nothing to do with this plan, but once this matter is over, let’s get back to dealing with her. As expected, kicking her out of the school is a high risk, so I can only make her get suspended, but…

“Ahaha, and then–.”

Kisaragi is chatting and laughing with another friend, different from Yukihana. 

I’m sure she will invite Yukihana to join that group when the time is right. And then she might have lunch with her. In the end, it’s hard to tell whether they are good friends or not.

No matter how many times I see her, the way she always cares about others is the same as before….

(Ironic……really, what a lot of crap.)

After all, there should be no heroes like her. I see that now.

Justice is something that those who have not broken until the end stand up to the public. And those who cannot include themselves in the masses are not heroes at all. It’s a selfish self-satisfaction by hypocrites.

(Shinkai may not be able to do it, but…..may be suitable for Kisaragi.)

I wonder if the reason I think that is because my mind is weak because I haven’t thought about that time in a long time. But I freeze it with emotional manipulation in the name of reason. What I need is a ruthless choice.

And then after school came as usual. I’m supposed to make the after-school patrol again. It’s a role I didn’t like at first, but on this particular day, it’s perfect.

(Anyway, I guess I’ll just have to stay in the classroom for now.)

I leave the classroom, go down the stairs, and step onto the first years floor. It hadn’t been long since homeroom, so the first-years were still hanging out. Some students were cleaning up, others were gathered together chatting with their phones in hand.

It looked like a normal day, and it was hard to believe that the kid who has antisocial behavior is attending the school. Maybe the person themselves doesn’t want that either.

(……There they are.)

I looked around the classroom one by one and found the people I was looking for. They are……Riku and Kai. It seemed that they were not going home, but were alone together looking at their phones and waiting for the time to pass. They both stared at the small piece of paper. I knew they had noticed it.

My trick is definitely working against them. And judging by the smirk on their faces, they are going to take action today. Hopefully it will all be over by the end of the day, but in the end it depends on what they do.

“Shinkai Sakura……you chose to be a hero to help someone instead of a tragic heroine. Now, show me that determination again.”

If my prediction is correct, I’m sure the ending will be……

I went to the place where the event would take place and made my final preparations.

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