Chapter 19: Swim Until the Seawater Turns Blue

Chapter 19: Swim Until the Seawater Turns Blue

“Why are the paper airplanes you fold so much prettier than mine?”

“Because whatever I do, I do better than other people.”

“Ew, show-off. Yours definitely aren’t as pretty as the ones my dad folds!”

“Your dad?”

“Mm, my dad...”

In the corner of the orphanage, there was a square-shaped sky at the corner of the walls.

That azure colour seemed to have been forcefully cut out as a piece, and such a scene also gradually faded away as the dream dispersed.

The figures of the little boy and little girl squatting in the corner also slowly blurred.

When he woke in the early morning.

Feeling that the spiritual energy inside his body had become much more abundant, the young man took advantage of the faint morning light and ran all the way to the rainbow-like bridge crossing the bay.

He found a suitable angle, a blind spot that the cameras in the distance could not capture.

Then he leapt down.

When the clear seawater soaked his body and washed him clean from top to bottom, he felt no pain from the fall and no discomfort at all. Instead, he felt as if he were part of the seawater, a drop of water within the current.

He easily swam to the shore and climbed up, dripping wet.

He shook his head.

Step by step, he walked toward the roadside. With every step he took, a little more of the moisture on his body evaporated.

It looked as though he naturally carried a winding mist around him.

By the time the morning sunlight gradually broke through the clouds, he was already standing on the busy street, with no trace of dampness remaining anywhere on his body.

Then he ran all the way home as if nothing had happened.

As for whether jumping down from the bridge was some necessary operation, it actually was not.

It was simply that Yatsuno Gen liked using this direct sensation to judge what level his physical functions had reached.

Now, the second layer seemed to have touched the edge of breaking through to the third layer.

It was still far from divine abilities like walking on walls and roofs or retrieving objects through empty air, but compared with an ordinary person’s physical quality, he had already surpassed it by quite a lot.

There was still one day before Saturday’s day off, so there was still class today.

In truth, high school courses were still far too easy for Yatsuno Gen. At least during his self-study life, he had already more or less finished the high school curriculum. Aside from joking around with those young boys and girls at school, everything else was just role-playing as a high school student.

It sounded somewhat arrogant.

But thinking about it, there was nothing much to it. After all, in most moments of life, was everyone not playing a role that did not truly belong to them?

The so-called human society had never been a free arena, but a vast makeshift troupe.

It performed all kinds of ridiculous, childish, and vulgar stage plays.

When he arrived at the classroom.

Miura Akihiko immediately leaned over and said with a sneaky look.

“You only just got here? Something big is happening today.”

“What big thing?”

Yatsuno Gen absentmindedly put down his schoolbag and pretended to take out his textbooks.

The morning sunlight shone through the window, as if symbolizing new hope, giving people a dazzling warmth.

The atmosphere of midsummer was becoming increasingly clear.

“It seems the police came. They are calling in some people who were relatively close to Teacher Yamazaki before to understand the situation.”

“They are asking students?”

Yatsuno Gen asked strangely.

Only last night, Asagiri Rin had specifically called to warn him to pay attention to a police officer... and it seemed to be a woman.

Was this really just a simple matter of understanding the situation, or was it actually using that as a pretext to begin screening people?

Miura Akihiko answered, “Apparently there seem to be some suspicious points, but they cannot find a breakthrough, so they are using this method to look for clues or something. But there is no need to worry. They also do not have the authority to casually investigate students. At most, they will ask a few questions.”

Yatsuno Gen looked at Miura Akihiko with some surprise.

“Has your intelligence network already become this comprehensive?”

Miura Akihiko looked somewhat proud.

“Of course. Covering the sky with one hand is not just something I say casually.”

Just as Yatsuno Gen was about to say something.

The year-group leader appeared at the classroom door. She glanced inside the classroom, then said.

“Is Classmate Kazama Sakura here? Come out with me for a moment.”

Yatsuno Gen looked toward that seat.

The youthful and sweet girl stood up with some surprise, seeming completely unprepared.

However, she still quickly hurried out of the classroom.

To others, this did not count for much. Today, it had already become a common sight.

Yatsuno Gen also did not take it to heart. As someone who knew nothing, her perspective was actually the same as most bystanders. She did not have sharp intuition, nor would she lose her composure because she had guessed some special possibility.

In truth, even so, Yatsuno Gen did not think he would be in any danger.

Just a police officer.

That was all.

About twenty minutes passed.

Even Miura Akihiko was somewhat concerned.

“Eh, why has Classmate Kazama been gone so long?”

“How long did the others take?”

Yatsuno Gen asked.

Miura Akihiko thought for a moment.

“About ten minutes or so, even faster sometimes. Could Classmate Kazama know something?”

Yatsuno Gen did not speak again.

Another five minutes later, Kazama Sakura finally returned to the classroom.

Yatsuno Gen looked over and happened to meet her gaze looking toward him. There seemed to be a faint trace of worry in it.

Seeing this look, Yatsuno Gen calmly turned his gaze away. In his heart, he had already prepared himself.

Sure enough, when the year-group leader entered the classroom again, her gaze instantly shifted to where Yatsuno Gen was.

“Yatsuno Gen, come here for a moment.”

Her way of addressing Yatsuno Gen was clearly different.

After all, most teachers in the school knew this young man. Aside from his handsome appearance attracting attention, he was also perennially in the top three of the year group. His excellent and stable grades, and his regular scholarship awards, made him familiar to the teachers even though he did not often appear in the office.

Yatsuno Gen stood up and followed this year-group leader, surnamed Takamiya, toward the office. On the way, she was still comforting Yatsuno Gen.

“It is only a routine police inquiry, and there will not be any follow-up consequences. Just answer normally, and do not worry about anything else. If she does anything with an illegal procedure, you can also tell me immediately.”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Takamiya. I think the police should have a good sense of propriety.”

Yatsuno Gen answered with a smile.

Takamiya sighed.

“I really do not know what these police officers are thinking. Not only did they investigate all the teachers, they are not even sparing the students. Do they think this matter could have something to do with you all? It is truly rotten.”

As she complained, they arrived at the office door.

This was an unfamiliar office. Yatsuno Gen had never entered it before, and it seemed to have been specially cleared out today.

“All right, go in.”

Teacher Takamiya even took the initiative to open the office door for Yatsuno Gen.

After Yatsuno Gen nodded in thanks and walked in.

The office lights were not on, and even the curtains had been drawn more than halfway shut. A faint amount of light shone into the office, landing right in the center of the table inside.

In other words, the people sitting on both sides could not enjoy that light.

It was as if someone was deliberately creating darkness.

Yatsuno Gen calmly walked in and saw the figure seated on the other side.

She was wearing casual clothes, not a police uniform.

A very stylish black jacket, paired with fitted jeans below. She sat perfectly straight, her long black hair neatly falling behind her shoulders and back.

Even though he had not yet seen her from the front, judging from her aura and presence, there was no doubt that she was definitely a beauty above the passing line.

When she heard the footsteps and turned her head.

It was a coldly beautiful, peerlessly refined face, with long, slender brows matched with her cold yet aggressive gaze.

It made her seem extremely invasive.

Only, at this moment, she revealed a smile whose meaning was unclear.

“You are Classmate Yatsuno Gen, correct? Please sit.”

Yatsuno Gen’s gaze paused on her face for an instant, then he sat opposite her, likewise bathed in darkness.

“Hello, Officer.”

He said.

The woman’s smile in the darkness was certainly beautiful and lovely, but in this deliberately manufactured gloom, it carried an indescribable sinister air.

This did not seem like the temperament a police officer should have.

The atmosphere of the entire room thus became tense and high-pressure, even though she was smiling.

In front of the woman was an open notebook. On it, some names seemed to be recorded, along with some lines drawn out, as if she were making a relationship chart.

She first said to Yatsuno Gen, “My name is Morita Chinatsu. I am an officer from the Shoujitsu jurisdiction. You should know why I called you here, right?”

Yatsuno Gen shook his head.

“The only major thing that happened recently was Teacher Yamazaki’s accidental fall from a building, right? If it is something else, then I do not know.”

Morita Chinatsu nodded. Her elbow rested on the table, and she propped up her fragrant cheek as she looked at the young man with interest.

“Very calm. I thought you would pretend to know nothing and wait for me to interrogate you.”

“Why would I pretend to know nothing? This matter is not exactly a secret, right?”

Yatsuno Gen answered very normally.

But the woman’s dangerous-looking eyes gradually narrowed.

“It is indeed not a secret, but your mental fortitude surprises me. Are you not afraid of the police?”

Yatsuno Gen looked at her strangely.

“Is the sacred profession of the police meant to make people afraid? It seems that only criminals should fear it.”

“Well said. As expected of a good student who can steadily place in the top three every exam at this high school. Actually, I called you here because I am very curious about your experiences.”

“Is that so?”

“Abandoned from childhood, raised in an orphanage relying on social welfare and help from related people. But you left the orphanage very early to start working part-time and studying on your own. You even relied on your excellent grades to test into this nationally top-ranked high school. All tuition was waived, and you can even receive scholarships. You could be considered a model example of an unfortunate person reversing his life.”

Yatsuno Gen smiled shyly.

“Life is still very long. It is too early to call it a reversal now.”

“Indeed. Right now, it still seems to be at the level of an ordinary person... but I think with your appearance, your excellent grades, and such strong independence, you will definitely succeed in the future.”

“Thank you for your blessing, Officer Morita.”

“Of course, all of this is built on the premise that you do not break the law or commit crimes.”

She lifted her beautiful eyes and suddenly looked straight at the young man before her.

Yatsuno Gen was not startled or surprised either.

He merely nodded.

“I will remember Officer Morita’s reminder and be a good citizen who obeys the law, is kind, and respects order.”

“Mm.”

Just as Morita Chinatsu seemed about to end the questioning and nodded gently.

Suddenly, she raised her head and stared straight at Yatsuno Gen.

“Why do I feel that you are even more special than I imagined?”