A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 47

Chapter 47   Searching for the Attacker and Final Exam

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“Senpai. I’m heading over now.”

After leaving the hospital, I called Senpai as I walked. I was feeling a bit rushed, so I skipped the pleasantries and just got straight to the point. But if it’s Senpai, she’ll understand.

“Oh? Are you done talking already?”

“Yes. Your investigation is finished too, right?”

“Well, sort of~. I did what I needed to do, I guess~. Haa~. I haven’t used my ability properly in a while, so I’m a bit tired~.”

“Thank you for your hard work. So, were you able to ‘see’?”

Senpai is usually lazy and careless, a weirdo who’s only interested in drawing. But her ability is the real deal.

Senpai—Amamiya Touka’s ability, commonly known as ‘Heaven’s Eye.’ Its power allows her to see anything on Earth, read people’s minds, and even see into the past… With this power, no one is better when it comes to vision, and this case will be solved in no time.

Up until now, all we had was a uniform, and even after searching the area, we found nothing. It probably got blown away by the wind or something.

Of course, even Senpai can’t see into the past if she doesn’t know the location. We might have been able to trace the uniform’s movements and figure it out, but her ability to see the past is exhausting, and she can’t use it repeatedly in succession. That’s why we couldn’t identify the culprit or the crime scene until now.

But this time, it’s different. We know the exact location of the attack, so all she needs to do is look.

“Yup~. It’s a total shocker, but I’ve seen exactly who did what~.”

“I see. Have you already moved to secure the culprit or…?”

If they’ve acted, then fine. But I didn’t think so. After all, the culprit is inside the academy. Even if we know who it is, it’s not something Japan’s authorities can easily intervene in.

And if they managed to defeat Toko and the others, the mask person must possess considerable strength. Dispatching the right force to apprehend such a person isn’t going to be easy.

So, the culprit shouldn’t have been captured yet.

“Nah~. Nothing like that yet~. Anyway, calm down a bit~. We’ll talk in more detail when you get here, okay? Mochi’s got some snacks ready, waiting for you~.”

“…You’re right. Sorry, I was in too much of a rush.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~. That’s just who you are, after all~. If you weren’t in a hurry, I’d be more worried~.”

Senpai let out a deep breath and, with a tone different from her usual carefree attitude, chuckled softly.

“Because you, unlike selfish people like me, are a real ‘hero.’”

With those final words, the call ended. I took a deep breath before heading toward Senpai’s place.

——◆◇◆◇——

“–––Now, we will begin the training for the first semester final exam. Everyone, stay focused. Even though this is just training, it’s dangerous enough that someone could die if they’re not careful. Don’t let your guard down.”

After visiting Toko in the hospital and speaking with Senpai about the culprit, they learned who the culprit was but didn’t take any immediate action.

I really wanted to move. The bastard who indiscriminately attacked people and hurt my friend—I wanted to take them down as soon as possible.

But doing so would interfere with this exam, so we decided to delay any action until after the exam was over.

I argued, saying, “What if more people die because of this slow response?” But the decision from above remained unchanged.

I get it, though. The academy went to great lengths to set up this final exam. The teachers are busier than usual, and they even brought in external personnel just to conduct the exam. If something extra happens now, the whole exam could be canceled.

Even if we postponed it, summer vacation starts in two weeks. It would take about two weeks to prepare everything again, which means it wouldn’t happen before the break. Changing the summer vacation schedule to accommodate the exam isn’t an option either, especially when there are students here who are heirs to major companies or actual royalty, with packed schedules.

Aside from the exam’s impact, there’s also the need to investigate the culprit’s associates and backers, and prepare for their capture. It makes sense that they need time to gather information.

The ideal plan is to let the culprit roam free for now, catch them off guard, and capture both the culprit and his accomplices once everything is ready.

As a result, we decided to neither cancel nor delay the exam, while making sure the culprit’s allies wouldn’t escape. Dealing with the culprit was pushed to the back burner.

And to top it off, they didn’t even tell me who the culprit was. They said that if I knew, I might act on my own, so they couldn’t risk telling me. After all the times I’ve cooperated with the higher-ups… it’s great to know how much they trust me.

Apparently, they’re keeping an eye on the situation to prevent any further casualties, but I can’t say I feel all that reassured…

Still, no matter how much I think about it, nothing will change. My protests won’t make a difference. So, I’ve been going about my daily life, suppressing my frustrations until today—the day of the final exam, one of the reasons they wouldn’t tell me the culprit’s identity.

“I look forward to working with you all today.”

Each team of four gathered with their weapons and equipment ready.

“No need to be so formal! We’re all in this together, right? Relax, Sakura!”

“…Looking forward to working with you too, Ri… Rinrin.”

Kujou seemed a bit hesitant as she greeted Rinrin, still not fully accustomed to calling her by that nickname.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say exactly what Rin’s saying, but yeah, don’t worry about it. We’re on the same team, so feel free to loosen up.”

“No, this is my usual attitude.”

Well, that’s true. Even in class, she speaks like that and behaves the same way with the other classmates.

Still, I think it’s more of an act, and she could probably be more relaxed if she wanted to. After all, she acts that way around Toudou.

That reaction is likely reserved for Toudou, who’s like a sister to her, but I think she can be a little more easygoing with us too.

Not that I’d ever force her. It’ll just have to happen naturally.

“Anyway, today’s the practical exam. Is everyone ready?”

“All set!”

“No problems here.”

“I’m good to go too.”

It’s a relief that everyone made it here safely without injury or illness. If we had been attacked by the culprit behind the disappearances, we wouldn’t even be able to participate in the exam.

As I thought about that, the image of Toko, who couldn’t participate, crossed my mind.

“Now then. Unlike the last time, this won’t be a simulation. This time, the test will take place in an academy-prepared location where you will be fighting actual monsters. Unlike the previous mock battle, where you faced a single opponent, this will be an encounter with an unknown number of enemies. Simply put, it’s much closer to real combat, which means the risks are higher.”

This exam is a massive undertaking, with even external personnel hired for the occasion.

And that’s no surprise. We’re heading to a location where real monsters live, and we’re going to hunt them.

“Although the teachers will be patrolling, there’s no way to completely eliminate the danger. In the worst-case scenario, you may lose your life. Are you prepared for that? If anyone feels hesitant, please say so now. I won’t hold it against you. Dragging along someone unwilling to fight would only be a burden. So, how about it?”

Since this is a real combat test, there’s always a chance of death. In the last simulation, some people got injured, but no one died. The monster’s illusion disappeared just in time, and the teachers stepped in to help.

But that won’t happen this time. The monsters won’t vanish, and the teachers won’t intervene as quickly.

Well, they will help, but there will be a time lag before they step in, longer than in the mock battle. During that delay, we might get attacked. That makes this test far more dangerous than the last one.

“I’m fine. If I were afraid of dying, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

“I feel the same. I accepted that risk when I enrolled in this school.”

“Looks like we’re all good. We should be fine.”

Everyone understood the dangers when they entered this school. We all chose the path of fighting monsters, so no one is backing out now.

Maybe some students became scared of fighting monsters after the last simulation, but at least no one in our group feels that way.

“I see. Well then, I look forward to working with you all again.”

After hearing our responses, Kujou took a deep breath and said that quietly.

And with that, our strategy meeting began. Though, it was mostly just confirming what we had already planned and adjusting based on the actual conditions we encountered at the site.