Chapter 257: Sweet Home Alabama
I can't think of a more accurate Title...
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After listening to Azaka's account, Mikiya's first reaction was relief, followed by a stern expression as he lectured his younger sister.
"Next time you encounter something like this, you must contact me immediately. It's too dangerous for a young girl like you to face such situations alone. Thankfully, you're alright."
Mikiya's serious tone and earnest expression didn't discourage Azaka. Instead, it brought a sweet smile to her face. She looked into her brother's eyes and said excitedly, "Are you worried about me?"
"Of course, you're my sister!" Mikiya nodded without hesitation.
"Just a sister, huh?" Azaka muttered in a voice only she could hear. Her radiant smile froze on her face. "Just a sister."
Mikiya, who was emotionally dense, didn't notice his sister's peculiar reaction. His attention was still on her last statement. "You said you want to bring justice to Hideo Hayama. What are you planning to do?"
Still recovering from the impact of being called "just a sister," Azaka replied listlessly, "Let's go together and present the evidence to Unlce Daisuke. Let him apprehend the culprit."
Daisuke referred to their uncle, Daisuke Akimi, who held a position at the Mifune City Police Department dealing with criminal cases. Due to their similar ages, he was considered a brother by the younger generation. By the way, he had a fondness for Touko.
"That's a correct judgment," Mikiya nodded slightly, exuding an older brother's authority.
Unfortunately, that authority didn't last more than a few seconds before it was shattered.
"Alright, Mikiya, stop putting on airs. Who are you trying to impress?"
"Shinji..."
"Miss Azaka did nothing wrong in this matter. No, it's more accurate to say she did exceptionally well."
Mikiya remained silent, listening attentively to Shinji's words.
"She anticipated the possibility of the victim being harmed again and protected her, secretly gathering evidence. Once the evidence is solid, we can handle the matter through the police without exposing ourselves. Can you think of a better way if it were you?"
"Well..." Mikiya stumbled for words, "At least they should have informed us."
"What could you have done? It's the Reien Girl's Academy. Even if you're Azaka's brother, it's not easy to get in there."
Visiting or meeting relatives of Reien Girl's Academy students required strict approval and constant supervision by school staff. Under such circumstances, even if Mikiya had exceptional investigative skills, he wouldn't have been able to utilize them effectively.
"Well, Azaka can't investigate alone either. What if she encounters danger?"
"I mean, aren't you underestimating your sister a bit too much? Though it hasn't been long, she is also a disciple of Touko Aozaka. Just a bunch of scumbags and a group of self-indulgent high school girls. What harm could they do to her?"
Shinji spoke as he raised his right hand and engraved a flame rune in the air.
The next moment, a ball of fire ignited in front of Azaka. She held the flame in her hand and casually molded it as if it were not fire but a lump of clay.
"Do you understand now? Miss Azaka can protect herself. Besides, she's not alone. There's Fujino—if I'm not mistaken, she gave you a few rune stones to crush in case of danger during your solo investigation, right?"
"Yes," Azaka nodded.
"Then there's no problem. If Miss Azaka is truly in danger, Fujino will rush to her aid. With her abilities, she could easily dismantle the entire academy. If all else fails, there's also Sakura, although I don't want her to get involved in such dirty matters."
"But, but—"
"Brother," Azaka walked over to Mikiya and sat beside him on the couch, gently holding his hand. "I know you worry about me, and it's because I know you would react this way that I didn't tell you. Your little sister has grown up. I'm not that little girl anymore. I can face many things. Please, when you worry about me, give me more trust. And please believe that I won't let your trust go to waste—okay?"
Faced with such a sister, a sister who bared her heart, what else could Mikiya say? All he could say was, "You must be more careful. If you encounter any problems, call me. Your brother will always stand behind you."
"Brother~"
"Cough, cough!"
Just when the atmosphere between the two was perfect, an untimely cough interrupted.
A woman wearing glasses suddenly appeared in the stairwell leading from the office to the lower floor.
"Oh my, what a lovely atmosphere. It seems I arrived at the wrong time."
Shinji turned his head and made a face, "Yeah, you came at the wrong time. Didn't you see that I was holding my breath just so as not to disturb them?"
"Well, I apologize then."
"Miss Touko, please don't make fun of us."
Mikiya truly lived up to his reputation as the "old man with wisdom." With just a few words, he extinguished Touko's desire to continue speaking. She gave a regretful look to her second disciple and slumped ungracefully beside Shinji.
Shinji picked up the coffee pot on the coffee table and poured a cup of coffee for Touko.
"Is the surgery over?"
"Not yet, but it's almost done. Justeaze is doing the final stitching. In half an hour, Enjou will become a true human."
The boy who was yelling at Shinji wasn't a human but a puppet created by Souren Araya. Although he possessed Enjou's memories and emotions, he was ultimately not human. Araya created him solely to have him take Shinji to the Ogawa apartment and, once the mission was complete, let him live or die on his own. Therefore, his life was much shorter than that of a human.
Shortly after Araya's death, Enjou's body began to malfunction, and he learned the truth that he was not human. When his body was on the verge of collapse, Shiki gave him two choices: either die as a puppet or undergo surgery by Touko and Justeaze to continue living.
Enjou chose the latter. He wanted to live, truly live, even if everything Araya had given him was false. But what came after that was real, and he hoped to experience more reality.
Granting his wish was not without cost. Enjou incurred a huge debt, and Shiki was his guarantor. Currently, this guarantor was waiting outside the operating room, ensuring that the "debtor" had indeed received the "debt" from the "creditor." It was the duty of the guarantor.
From beginning to end, Shinji had never interfered in Enjou's fate. He had no interest in him, and Enjou held no value worth Shinji's investment.
It's not that Shinji was heartless; it was simply human nature. Just like when you see someone lying on the roadside, nearly dying, and you can save them by giving them a piece of bread, most people would be willing to help.
But if that person has a complicated illness that requires a substantial amount of money to treat, many people wouldn't help, at most taking them to the hospital. Of course, if that person is a talented individual and helping them would bring greater benefits, then it's a different story.
Shinji didn't stop Touko and Justeaze from saving Enjou; he had done his part. He didn't believe that Enjou would be able to repay the debt because Enjou's origins were "Worthlessness"!
Touko and Justeaze's willingness to save him probably wasn't based on the belief that Enjou could repay the debt; rather, they wanted to see what someone like him, a puppet, could achieve.
Don't forget, that Touko is a "Grand" puppeteer, and Justeaze herself is a Homunculus (an artificial human) by birth.
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