Chapter 128 - 126 You're Just an Incompetent Lady_1

Outside the window, puffy white clouds drifted across the brilliant, sunlit sky. Inside the classroom, a heavy silence settled. The blonde girl, as usual, leaned forward, resting on her crossed arms on the desk, as she uttered a cold, hard truth through her faintly red lips. At least in Phoenix Academy Maggie's view, what she had said should have been a paradigm-shifting revelation for the good student Aozawa. The world of capital is very dark. But to her surprise, there was not much change in Aozawa's expression. When it came to human nature, Aozawa never regarded it too highly or too lowly. Human nature is complex, and this complexity does not simply refer to an individual. It means that different people have different characters, leading them to make different choices when faced with different situations. Those willing to stand up for others in times of crisis are undeniably upstanding individuals in their daily lives. A person who constantly engages in misdeeds would not likely be the first to leap to someone's aid when they are in trouble. For those high-and-mighty rising stars of capital, a mere word from them could cause a death. Naturally, the idea that human life was cheap could easily take root in their minds. It's not strange they play such games; it's a result of their day-to-day education. Aozawa never wasted anger on the dead. "Maggie, you don't need to take it too seriously. In that kind of situation, standing up couldn't have changed anything," Aozawa said, attempting to comfort Phoenix Academy Maggie. He patted her hand and added, "Occasionally, people need to accept their own helplessness. After all, you are just a young lady." Phoenix Academy Maggie was momentarily stunned, then she forced a bitter smile and said, "Aozawa, you really don't leave me any dignity, do you?" Though she spoke thus, there was no blame in her heart, and her expression eased significantly. Yes, the guilt in her heart stemmed from a thought. Had she exerted every effort, perhaps there might have been a slim chance of prevention. But such a possibility was nothing more than her pride playing tricks on her mind. The reality was that her direct opposition wouldn't have stopped the Iwasakis in their tracks. Just as Aozawa had said, a young lady would always be a young lady. Her mother would indulge her in some respects, but in others, she was absolutely controlled, not allowed to act recklessly—for instance, offending the other six families. Her mother would never permit her to do such a thing. Without her mother's support, her title as a young lady was merely nominal. She couldn't change anything. It really wasn't easy to come to terms with such helplessness. Phoenix Academy Maggie's eyes dimmed slightly; no matter how excellent she was, she could never escape the limitations of her age and student status. Aozawa casually asked, "Where is your party being held?" Phoenix Academy Maggie rested her chin on her chest and answered, "Outside Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture. The Iwasaki family has a piece of land there." Aozawa curiously asked, "Do the Iwasakis still live there?" "Yes, from what they said, they plan to stay there until the game is over before dispersing." "At this time, if someone were to kidnap them, wouldn't they make a fortune?" Phoenix Academy Maggie looked at him as if he were a fool, saying irritably, "The security there is equivalent to the Prime Minister's residence. There are forty armed bodyguards and hundreds of ferocious hunting dogs. Additionally, military drones equipped with bombs constantly monitor the surroundings. Any kidnapper would probably be taken out before they even got close to the estate." "HAHA," Aozawa laughed, having made up his mind. It was time to let Dio give capital a little shock. 「…」 Time slipped away quietly, and the four morning classes ended. It was noon again. Aozawa didn't head to the cafeteria for eel ramen. He walked toward the club building, basking in the cheerful sunlight. The Guzheng Club's window was open, and an elegant melody wafted out from within. He approached. Natsuka Yanagimachi played the guzheng with her back to him, giving off the air of a classical beauty despite wearing a school uniform. Ever since Aozawa had accidentally seen her frolicking with Hojo Shouko, Natsuka Yanagimachi had not shown her face to him. "Shouko, what's in the bento today?" "It's Tempura," Hojo Shouko replied, not playing the guzheng but getting up and walking toward the window. Her short black hair covered her ears, her skin pale and delicate, like milky jelly. She wasn't wearing an outer jacket, and her white shirt was stretched taut. As she walked, one couldn't help but anticipate the buttons bursting open. "I feel embarrassed having you prepare my lunch every day." Aozawa scratched his head. Drinking Ayatsuki Ayaka's vegetable juice in the morning, and eating Hojo Shouko's lovingly prepared bento at noon. The free food was delicious. Still, it gave Aozawa the unsettling impression of being a kept man. "Don't worry about it. Brother's manga relies entirely on Aozawa-senpai's hard work. Actually, I would also like to thank Phoenix Academy's Senior, but her attitude gives me no chance to express my gratitude," Hojo Shouko's soft voice carried a slight regret. She had tried to express her gratitude to Phoenix Academy Maggie, but the response had not been very receptive. "Maggie is just that type of person. She absolutely refuses to accept what she doesn't want to. Don't mind her," Aozawa comforted her, took the lunchbox wrapped in cloth, patted his forehead, and said, "Right, how about I treat you to a meal as a way to repay you for making lunch for me every day?" "Aozawa-senpai, you don't have any unhealthy thoughts about me, do you?" Hojo Shouko spoke her mind, crossing her arms over her chest as she said, "Please don't. I only want to make lunch as a form of gratitude; I'm not ready to offer myself in return." "Shouko, sometimes you're so serious that I can't tell if you're joking or not. I just feel it's not right to always eat your food, so I wanted to treat you to a meal. If you don't want to, then forget it." "If treating me to a meal will make Aozawa-senpai more comfortable accepting the bento, I don't mind, but my schedule is full this week. Next Sunday at noon, you can treat me to a meal in Shinjuku." "Why can't I treat you to a meal this Sunday at noon?" "Because I don't have plans to have lunch with Aozawa-senpai this Sunday at noon." "But you don't have plans to have lunch with anyone else either, so what does that have to do with me?" Faced with Aozawa's questioning, Hojo Shouko boldly stated, "A schedule is made to be followed, not broken. If there's no plan to eat with Aozawa-senpai this week, then it can only be scheduled for next weekend." "Don't you find this bothersome?" "Not in the slightest." Hojo Shouko shook her head, continuing, "By arranging my schedule for the week, I will know what I am going to do next and what I will gain. Don't you think that's a great feeling, Aozawa-senpai?" "I prefer unexpected surprises." Aozawa shrugged, not continuing the conversation, and headed towards the academic building with the bento. He would have lunch with Hojo Tetsuji. After a full meal, he had to go to the detention center at the Metropolitan Police Department to have a chat about life with that criminal. Then it was time to deal with the Iwasakis. Using Schrodinger's Cat, an afternoon was enough time to go back and forth and solve the problem; there was no need to wait until evening. 「…」 「Chiyoda District, Metropolitan Police Department.」 In the meeting room of the detention center. The prisoner, widely denounced by netizens, was sitting carelessly on the bench. He was one meter eighty-nine centimeters tall, with coarse features, a buzz cut that revealed his scalp, and dressed in a grayish-white T-shirt and long pants. Hirano Toda picked up a piece of crispy fried pork cutlet, took a big bite, and then shoveled in several mouthfuls of rice, his mouth glistening with oil. The lawyer sitting opposite spoke up, "Remember, when you go to court tomorrow, say the lines we've given you. Don't forget them." The lawyer pushed forward a page of relevant dialogue. Clearly, the trial script needed to be pre-composed to ensure a smooth exoneration and leave no leverage behind. In court, this script detailed everything: the questions to be asked by both the prosecution and defense, the scripted responses, when the judge would speak, and so on. Before the trial began, everyone had to memorize their lines. The goal was to stage a very intense debate that would ultimately lead to an acquittal and immediate release. Hirano Toda nodded, swallowed the rice and pork in his mouth, and said with a grin, "Don't worry, I don't want to go back to eating prison food either." As a lawyer, Attorney Takahashi had made a fair amount of dirty money by getting all sorts of scoundrels acquitted, and he prided himself on being well-experienced. But this was the first time he had seen someone who could commit such a cruel murder and then act as if nothing had happened. The lawyer couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid at all that they'll come back as evil spirits for revenge?" Hirano Toda blinked, his expression one of surprise. "Attorney Takahashi," he said, "you don't believe in those absurd tales of gods and ghosts, do you?" Attorney Takahashi pushed up his glasses and said, "It's hard to say about those things." "HAHA, I thought intellectuals like you didn't believe in that stuff. There are no evil spirits in this world, so why should I be afraid of them? After I've killed them, they're just a pile of flesh waiting to rot. It's no big deal." Hirano Toda lowered his head and continued to wolf down his pork cutlet rice. He was a staunch atheist, not believing in karma or in ghosts and gods. The first time he killed someone, he had been a bit afraid that his victim would return as an evil spirit. But after killing many, he felt that killing humans was no different from killing chickens, ducks, or fish. Dead people were just a bunch of motionless chunks of meat; there were simply no evil spirits. "You do have a point." Attorney Takahashi patiently waited for Hirano Toda to finish his meal, then ended the meeting. The police officer escorting Hirano Toda said disdainfully, "Hurry up." "HAHA." Hirano Toda chuckled, completely failing to understand what these people were so self-important about, each one of them looking down on him for his heinous crimes. But compared to him, how much better could these people be? Just coasting through life, unwilling to do any real work—nothing but greedy tax thieves. And lawyers making dirty money for those influential people. What right or position did they have to mock him? Hirano Toda couldn't figure it out, and he didn't bother to try. His educational background had never been very high. He just hummed a song as he walked towards his cell. His brazen attitude made the policeman's expression grow even more disgusted. However, due to detention center rules and not wanting to resort to violence, the officer simply led him back to his room, and BANG! He forcefully slammed the door shut. "Thanks for your trouble," Hirano Toda said, knowing the officer disliked him and deliberately putting on a polite demeanor. The policeman's face was ashen. He didn't respond and walked away. "HAHA." Hirano Toda let out a laugh, turned around, and his smile instantly froze.