Chapter 168: A Rare Moment of Peace
"How was your exam today?" Lying on her phone without even looking up, Komachi asked Hachiman.
"I managed to pass."
"Oh."
Then, the two siblings fell silent again. After all, given Hachiman's current situation, passing the exam was all that really mattered.
"And you? When is your midterm?" Although exam schedules vary slightly across schools in Japan, the differences aren't that significant. Sobu High had midterms this week, so it was likely that Komachi's junior high had exams as well.
"Wednesday and Thursday…" Komachi pouted, seemingly recalling something unpleasant.
"Then you're not studying?" Hachiman raised an eyebrow at her response. The exam was the day after tomorrow, yet Komachi was still lying on the sofa playing on her phone… She was truly fearless.
"I've basically learned it already. If I review the key points tomorrow, this so-called midterm will be a breeze." Komachi seemed entirely unconcerned about the midterm. After all, her goal was to get into Sobu High, the same school as Hachiman. She was well aware of the level of difficulty of her own school's exams.
"Alright, but don't come crying to me if you fail."
"I won't fail!" Showing one of her little tiger teeth, Komachi gave Hachiman a threatening look while placing his arm near her mouth, clearly hinting she might bite him.
"Okay, my adorable Komachi will definitely not fail!" Seeing the situation, Hachiman wisely raised the white flag of surrender.
"Hmph!" Hearing Hachiman's half-hearted surrender, Komachi snorted, pushed against his stomach, got off the sofa, and hopped onto the floor. Then, wearing slippers, she clacked her way into the kitchen.
After having dinner, the siblings slumped lazily on the sofa again.
"Onii-chan…" Lying on the sofa, Komachi idly played on her phone while swinging her legs toward Hachiman.
"Anything you need?" Hachiman squinted, enjoying the leisurely moment, asking lazily.
"Don't you have anything to do today? You're just lying on the sofa…"
"I have exams tomorrow, so no homework today." Besides, tomorrow's exam was in a subject Hachiman excelled at…
"What about you, Komachi? Don't you have anything to do?" He didn't have homework because of exams, but Komachi's exam was on Wednesday. Her teacher should have assigned practice problems, right?
"Since last Friday, the teacher told us to focus on reviewing, so no homework." Using the same lazy tone as Hachiman, Komachi explained her own situation of having nothing to do.
"I see. Then today is for proper rest…" Hachiman yawned. This month had been full of all sorts of troubles. Rarely encountering a calm evening, he didn't want to waste it.
"True…" Seemingly catching the mood, Komachi yawned as well. Not long after, probably because she was lying so comfortably, she actually fell asleep.
"…She's really asleep…" Hachiman, initially drowsy himself, instantly woke up upon hearing his sister's soft snore. Looking at Komachi's sleeping face, he shook his head helplessly, went upstairs to fetch a blanket, and covered her. Then, Hachiman sat beside her, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
.
.
.
Meanwhile…
"Kagura, be careful once you get into school!" While Hachiman and Komachi were resting at home, Tsuchimiya Kagura and Isayama Yomi got out of a black SUV and stood in front of Komachi's junior high school.
Looking at the dark school ahead, Isayama Yomi gave Kagura a serious warning before pushing the door open and going inside.
However, the security guard who should have been at the gate was nowhere to be seen.
Following Yomi, Kagura tightly gripped the hilt of her sword in her right hand, cautiously observing the surroundings.
This was her first time handling a B-class incident alone with Yomi. Without other companions, she had to remain highly alert.
"You don't need to be so nervous." Walking ahead, Yomi glanced back at Kagura's tense expression and chuckled behind her hand. Their abilities had already surpassed A-class, so dealing with a B-class incident should be fairly easy.
"I know, but I'm still a bit nervous…" Kagura nodded in agreement, loosening her grip on the sword and relaxing into a normal stance.
"This is just because you lack field experience. After a few missions, you'll be like me."
Seeing Kagura suddenly drop her guard, Yomi shook her head helplessly. Although she looked relaxed, she was still constantly monitoring everything within twenty meters. Any abnormal spiritual fluctuation, and her treasured sword, Lion King, could be drawn instantly!
By contrast, Kagura had many gaps in her defense.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a woman's scream pierced the night.
"…." The two exchanged a glance and sprinted toward the source of the scream.
"Ah!" Another man's scream came from their left.
Without hesitation, Kagura instinctively ran toward the sound.
"Kagura, come back!" Yomi wanted to warn her that the scream might be a trap, but Kagura had already been swallowed by the darkness.
"You careless idiot!" Seeing Kagura disappear, Yomi gritted her teeth and rushed toward the scream.
If it wasn't a trap, it meant someone was in danger. If it was, then she would save herself time hunting the spirit.
Soon, Yomi reached the building from where the screams had come. At the same time, Kagura arrived at the gymnasium entrance.
"Gurgle…" As Kagura reached the gym, the screams stopped. A round, rolling object came toward her feet.
"This is…" In the dim moonlight, Kagura realized the object she had mistaken for a ball was actually the head of the night guard! Looking at the guard's terrified face—whom she had known for less than two weeks—Kagura's body trembled violently.
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