Chapter 38: Calling Haruno
Time: April 20th, Sunday, 9:00 AM.
Location: Chiba Prefecture Station.
Destination: Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation.
Travel Companion: Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Yesterday, Hikigaya Hachiman, his sister Komachi, and Yukinoshita Yukino had left after finishing their meal.
The shop had operated as usual through the evening, closing at ten. Wages were paid, and I told Kondo Yuika and her friend that they didn't need to come in today. The two of them had promised to go to an amusement park together.
Warm sunlight bathed my skin, making my vision a bit hazy as a gentle breeze ruffled my short hair. Today, I was wearing a black trench coat over a white shirt, paired with brown leather shoes. Strapped to my back was a black sword bag containing two Shinai.
I'd been waiting here for over twenty minutes.
Pedestrians flowed past me in an endless stream—students, salarymen, everyone out to enjoy their day off. Every so often, someone would steal a glance my way, and a few younger girls even blushed as they passed.
In those twenty minutes, I'd already been approached five times.
Checking the time, it was now 9:10 AM. Ten minutes past our agreed meeting time. Why wasn't she here yet?
Suddenly, I felt the prickle of a gaze. I glanced toward the distance, only to see a head quickly duck back inside a white van!
I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and began walking toward the van. My left hand slipped into my pocket, gripping a heavy keychain and a pair of nail clippers that had a decent bit of weight to them.
Throwing them wouldn't kill anyone, but with enough force, they could certainly draw blood. I tightened my grip on my sword bag, ensuring I could draw its contents at a moment's notice.
If I wanted to avoid drawing a crowd, I'd have to neutralize the threat the moment I stepped into the car so they wouldn't have time to make a scene. That was going to be tricky.
Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten, five, three... I puffed on my cigarette as I walked, and just as I reached the van, the engine roared to life.
I didn't hesitate. My body dropped low as I pushed off in an explosive burst of speed. In an instant, I reached the door, pulled it open naturally, and slid inside.
"Good morning, everyone. Have you had breakfast yet?"
There were three people in the van.
To any pedestrians who saw me enter the vehicle, it looked so natural they probably just shook their heads, thinking they'd hallucinated. To them, it looked as if I'd simply teleported.
How was that possible?
It was a technique widely used in Kendo, commonly known as a Tsuki or a thrust. It utilizes the explosive power of the legs to move a short distance at extreme speeds, a feat meant to strike down an enemy from several meters away in the blink of an eye.
In a one-on-one or a small skirmish, the move was incredibly useful. The downside was the physical toll; your body had to be in peak condition to pull it off.
At most, I could use it five times a day, with the recovery time doubling after each use. The maximum distance was no more than five meters.
I could pull off the first two in quick succession, but the following attempts required breaks of one, three, and then five minutes. If I pushed past five, there was a high probability my ankles would give out. In a real fight with remaining enemies, that was a death sentence.
Five minutes later, I stepped out of the van. I took the cigarette butt from my mouth, crushed it under my heel, and tossed it into a nearby bin. I pulled a tissue from my pocket to wipe a small smear of blood from my hand.
There were three men in total. They were information gatherers—in Japan, they're called private investigators, the type that usually specializes in catching cheating spouses, like something out of a detective show. Real detectives who solve murders only exist in novels and anime.
Inside their camera, I'd seen photos of myself. There was also a folder containing the basic life data of the original Chishima Akishin—from infancy to the present. Parents, schools, cram classes, techniques learned... it was all there. I had to admit, Japanese PIs were remarkably efficient at digging up dirt.
While it was mostly mundane information that wouldn't cause much trouble if leaked, it wasn't the kind of stuff a regular person could just find; it likely required connections within the police force.
Upon entering the car, I'd first knocked two of them unconscious. I'd used a bit too much force, which is how I'd gotten the blood on my hand, leaving the last man to be interrogated with the nail clippers pressed against his throat.
The poor guy didn't realize they were nail clippers; he thought it was a real blade. He'd burst into tears of terror and answered every question I had with a trembling voice.
They didn't tell me who had hired them—they didn't actually know. All they knew was that investigating this target would pay a handsome sum.
But I knew. Who else could it be but Yukinoshita Haruno? My actions just now were admittedly impulsive; doing this would only make Haruno more wary of me.
Then again, I also wanted information on the original owner of this body. Since the information was right there, it was only logical to take it!
At the very least, thanks to those three, I now knew that the original owner of this body was a perfectly ordinary person.
Though he'd lost both parents at a young age, he'd received a substantial insurance payout. That money had seen him through middle school, high school, and university. After graduating, he'd been placed in a teaching position at the school, until he finally died, drunk on the streets during a rainstorm.
He'd had a girlfriend in high school, but they'd broken up afterward—a very common life. Aside from the way he died, the detectives couldn't find much else, but it was enough to paint a profile.
As for the Kendo skills... there was no way to explain that, so I wouldn't. This world isn't yours to control; did you really think you could uncover everything just because you wanted to dig?
I pulled out my phone and dialed Yukinoshita Yukino's number. I'd exchanged numbers with several people yesterday.
"Moshi-moshi? Chishima-sensei?" Yukino's questioning voice came through the line.
"It's me, Yukinoshita-kun. Could you give me your older sister's phone number?"
I scanned my surroundings, but there was still no sign of Hiratsuka Shizuka. She wouldn't just stand me up, would she? Unlikely; we'd spoken half an hour ago, and she'd said she was awake and getting ready.
"Did something happen?" Yukino's voice tightened instantly. I could practically see her gripping her phone with white knuckles.
"I spotted three suspicious individuals taking photos of me. It seems they were sent by your sister. I'd like to have a word with her."
"...I see. Please wait a moment, Chishima-sensei. Nee-san doesn't mean any harm."
The line went dead. A few seconds later, a text message arrived. I dialed the number provided. As for how Yukino was feeling right now... that was easy enough to guess.
The phone rang for ten seconds before the other side picked up. Haruno's voice drifted through: "Yukinoshita Haruno speaking."
I watched the van as it began to drive away in the distance. "Haruno-san, this is Chishima Akishin. We've met before—I'm a friend of Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Oh! Chishima-sensei. What can I do for you? I'm actually in the middle of a meeting."
"I have a bit of business, Haruno-san. Your younger sister told me about your concerns. Yesterday, she came to my shop specifically to apologize because she was afraid of bringing trouble to my door. And today, I ran into the private investigators who were tailing me. What I want to say is..."
I spotted a brown van approaching. Shizuka was inside, waving at me. I signaled back with my hand.
"...Haruno-san, I am a teacher. Educating students is my job. If you feel that I am leading Yukinoshita-kun astray, just say so directly. I will refrain from discussing those principles with her in the future."
"..."
The other end went silent for a long moment before a voice tinged with a light laugh replied: "My apologies, Chishima-sensei. Something like this won't happen again! On the contrary, I hope you continue to guide Yukino. You are a fine teacher; please don't give up on her. I'll come by in a few days to apologize in person."
"We'll leave it at that, then."
I hung up and walked toward Shizuka's car.
What exactly was going through Yukinoshita Haruno's head? I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't want to know. I'd been blunt with her; if she didn't believe me, there was nothing more I could do.
As for her coming to apologize in person... I'd deal with that when it happened.
For now, I had Hiratsuka Shizuka to deal with.
"Who were you talking to on the phone? Get in the car already." Shizuka's pale, clean arm rested on the window frame.
"Yukinoshita Haruno. It's about what happened the other day. You heard what I said to Yukino, right? She went and told her sister..."
I walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and took a seat. I gave her a brief rundown of what had happened, including the detectives.
I left out the part about knocking them out.
"Haruno has gone too far this time!" Shizuka slammed her hand against the steering wheel in frustration. Investigating someone's private information without their consent was, after all, a legal gray area at best.
"Um... Chishima-sensei, Haruno doesn't have any malicious intent. She's just worried about her sister. She's been like that since we were kids, so please don't take it to heart. I'll give her a piece of my mind."
After her initial outburst, Shizuka went right back to defending Haruno. She didn't want me holding a grudge against her—after all, both of us were her friends.
Especially since, in this situation, I was clearly the one who had been wronged.
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