With Ren's involvement, retrieving the surveillance footage hit peak efficiency.
The Police Chief watched the monitors with an increasingly grim expression. The footage clearly showed the group of children on the street snatching the hearing aid from Shoko Nishimiya's ear and tossing it around like a ball. It also revealed that similar incidents had happened on school grounds as a joke.
School bullying—whether it happened on or off campus—was aggressive behavior primarily involving students. It included both direct and indirect harassment.
Even if the actions in the footage didn't cause direct physical harm to Shoko, they still qualified as indirect bullying. Ren's earlier report was by the book; no one could challenge his reasoning.
And that was precisely why it was serious. It meant Ren wasn't acting on a whim or for entertainment—he had a real cause.
The Chief sighed. Next... it was time to start calling people in.
Using the student rosters and parent contact information provided by the school, the previously quiet police station began to bustle with activity.
"Shoko! Shoko!"
After receiving the call from the station, Yaeko Nishimiya had dropped her spatula mid-cook, thrown on her shoes, and raced to the station without stopping.
The moment she entered, she saw Shoko sitting in the lobby, still signing rapidly with Ren. Yaeko lunged forward and pulled Shoko into a crushing embrace. Feeling Shoko's warmth in her arms, Yaeko trembled slightly, despite herself.
Hearing over the phone that her daughter was a victim of school bullying had terrified her.
"Onee-chan!"
Yuzuru Nishimiya, Shoko's younger sister, had followed Yaeko to the station rather than being left at home. Though she didn't fully understand what had happened, seeing her mother's frantic state made the sharp Yuzuru realize it involved her sister.
While Yaeko held Shoko, Yuzuru sat down beside her and tightly gripped Shoko's right hand to comfort her.
Shoko's eyes were filled with confusion. She didn't understand why her mother had brought her sister here. Feeling her mother trembling, Shoko used her left hand to pat Yaeko's back while her right hand squeezed Yuzuru's, returning their concern.
Once she confirmed Shoko was unharmed, Yaeko's panic finally began to subside. Noticing the confusion in Shoko's eyes, Yaeko realized the call likely hadn't come from her daughter. Her gaze shifted to Ren, who had been communicating with Shoko in sign language just moments ago.
"Yuzuru, stay with your sister for a bit. I need to speak with this student."
After instructing Yuzuru, Yaeko turned to the unfamiliar boy.
"Hello. I am Shoko's mother, Yaeko Nishimiya. Thank you for taking care of Shoko. Would you mind if we spoke over there for a moment?"
"Of course, Yaeko."
Ren had no reason to refuse. As Shoko's family, Yaeko was the person most entitled to know the truth.
"Mm-hm, Mom. Don't worry, I'll look after her," Yuzuru replied before turning to sign to her sister.
"Sister, Mom is going to talk to that older brother. Don't worry. I'll stay here with you."
Shoko didn't reply immediately. Instead, she looked at Ren with a worried expression. Yaeko had a very strong, assertive personality, and Shoko was afraid she might say something harsh to him.
"It's fine. I'll be right nearby talking with Yaeko. I won't be far."
"Don't worry."
Seeing the concern in her eyes, Ren smiled and signed back to reassure her. Yuzuru, sitting nearby, was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen an outsider sign with her sister so fluently.
"Mm-hm!" Shoko replied quickly.
Once Shoko was calmed, Ren stood up and followed Yaeko to a spot that was neither too close nor too far from the Nishimiya sisters.
"Hello, Yaeko. My name is Ren. You can just call me Ren."
He introduced himself simply.
"Hello, Ren. I am deeply grateful for your help. Could you tell me exactly what happened? What went wrong with Shoko?"
Yaeko knew Shoko's gentle nature far too well. She knew her daughter would never show up at a police station on her own. Everything had started with this boy. She needed to know what had happened that was serious enough for the police to treat it as a case.
"Today, Shoko..."
Ren described the events in detail before taking a more serious tone.
"I suspect this wasn't the first time. Shoko is the kind of person who would hide the bullying she faces at school to keep you from worrying, Yaeko."
"To prevent her from doing that again, and to make sure she isn't bullied when she returns to school, I reported it to the police immediately."
"I hope you can understand."
Posing as a guardian to file a report was something only someone with Ren's status could get away with; if an ordinary person tried it, the police would treat it as a prank. At worst, they'd haul you in for a few days for wasting police time. Of course, the fact that Shoko had clung to him so tightly helped—they looked like real siblings.
"I understand. Thank you so much, Ren."
Yaeko recognized the gravity of the situation. She moved to give him a deep bow, but Ren stopped her before she could. He was simply tired of the constant deep bows; they always made him feel awkward, like he was being put on a pedestal.
"Please, don't do that, Yaeko. I only did what I could."
"You're being too modest. To date, you're the only one who has ever done anything for Shoko."
Could bullying at school really be hidden that well? Unlikely. People just chose to be cold bystanders. If it doesn't hit you personally, you never feel the pain. And since the bullying didn't target them, the other kids treated it like entertainment.
Until now, Ren was the only one who had stood up for her. Yaeko was truly grateful. As for suspecting Ren of having ulterior motives... that was a joke. If he meant her harm, would he have brought her to a police station?
[No wonder Shoko said she 'accidentally lost' her last two hearing aids.]
The mystery was solved. Yaeko finally knew exactly where those expensive devices had gone.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the bullies and their parents to arrive.
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