"Hayashi's cooking is honestly delicious," Yuka Takahashi said with an approving nod. Over the past few days, she'd been mooching off her friend's bento boxes. "He's our age, yet he's top of the class, a genius at deduction, and now a master chef? How does someone grow up learning that much?"
"Shuichi's had a tough life," Yukiko Fujimine replied, her voice softening. She recalled a conversation from two weeks ago, when Hayashi Shuichi had opened up about his past over lunch. "When he was four, his parents died in a car accident. After that, he had to live with relatives."
"The adults in that house were always busy with work, so it was usually just Shuichi and his younger cousin. He had no choice but to learn how to cook."
"Wow," Yuka said, her face clouding with sympathy. "Hayashi's really had it rough, hasn't he?"
The two girls chatted as they strolled, their footsteps leading them near the public restrooms behind the gymnasium. Suddenly, six or seven senior girls appeared, encircling them like predators.
"It's you!" Yukiko's eyes narrowed as she recognized the two leaders—girls she'd seen yesterday in the underpass, acting as shills for a con artist posing as a psychic.
"You remember us, huh?" the girl with wine-red hair snarled, her teeth gritted. "Thanks to your meddling, you little brat, we lost a sweet source of cash."
"So, how are you gonna make it up to us?"
"Make it up?" Yukiko's voice was ice-cold. "You helped a scammer rip people off, and you expect me to compensate you? In your dreams."
"Hmph, figured you'd be a smartmouth," the girl with dark brown hair snapped, her eyes glinting as she barked orders. "Drag them to the girls' restroom and teach them a lesson. Let's show this punk how to respect her seniors!"
Japan's obsession with hierarchy ran deep, not just in workplaces but in schools too. Underclassmen were expected to bow to their seniors, step aside in hallways, and follow their orders. This rigid pecking order often fueled school bullying, a grim reality of Japanese campuses.
Faced with the circling seniors, Yuka's fear was palpable. She tugged at Yukiko's sleeve, urging her friend to flee with her.
But Yukiko stood her ground, unfazed. She'd grown up in Gunma Prefecture, a place long dubbed Japan's "land of fierce wives." Legend had it that Gunma men valued a fiery spirit over gentle charm when choosing a partner. From ancient times, Gunma women handled household affairs and often stepped into the spotlight as their husbands' strategists and allies.
"Think numbers scare me?" Yukiko scoffed. "Lay a hand on us, and I'll report you to the police as that fake psychic's accomplices. You'll all end up in jail!"
"Pfft, who're you fooling?" the wine-red-haired girl sneered, her arrogance unshaken. "We've been at this for ages, and those useless cops never touched us."
"Besides," her crony chimed in with a mocking laugh, "we're not the masterminds. That psychic hasn't been caught, so why would the police bother with us?"
Ugh, Inspector Samezaki and his lot have such a lousy rep they can't even scare a bunch of schoolgirls, Yukiko thought, rolling up her sleeves, ready to throw down.
Yuka, though terrified, refused to abandon her friend.
"When the fight starts, run," Yukiko whispered to Yuka. "Get to the classroom and find Shuichi. He'll know what to do."
"What about you?" Yuka asked, her voice trembling with worry. "I can't just leave you to get beat up!"
"Don't worry, it's just six of them," Yukiko said, thumping her chest with confidence. "I've been learning some fighting moves from Shuichi lately. I can handle this."
Yuka wasn't sure if her friend was bluffing, but with no better options, she nodded. "Okay, I'll bring Hayashi back as fast as I can!"
She turned to sprint toward the school building, but before she could take two steps, two seniors blocked her path.
Yukiko lunged to help, but despite her fiery spirit, her fighting skills were no match for these delinquent girls. Her earlier bravado was just to reassure Yuka. She and Hayashi Shuichi had only known each other for two weeks, and though she'd mentioned wanting to learn self-defense, their busy schedules left no time for lessons.
Six against two—it took less than thirty seconds for the seniors to pin Yukiko and Yuka's arms, restraining them completely.
"What happened to 'handling us'?" the wine-red-haired girl taunted, raising her hand to slap Yukiko.
Her accomplice grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Are you nuts? If you hit her out here and a teacher sees, we could actually get expelled."
"Ugh, this brat's got me so pissed!" the redhead growled, shooting Yukiko a venomous glare. Together, they shoved the two girls into the girls' restroom.
…
Class 1-A, First Year
Kogoro Mouri and Hayashi Shuichi were finishing lunch, now engrossed in a game of shogi. Kogoro had borrowed the board out of boredom, but he was a terrible player, and Shuichi wasn't much better. Two novices battling it out made for a surprisingly heated match.
"Shuichi, where's Eri?" Kogoro asked, glancing at their friend's empty seat.
Without looking up, Shuichi replied, "Where else? The library, obviously."
"Eri's working so hard to study abroad," Kogoro said after a pause, his tone serious. "Shuichi, you shouldn't hold her back."
The three of them had grown up together, and Kogoro had watched Eri pour years into her dream of studying overseas. He was genuinely thrilled for her. But he never expected her to skip the Teitan exam last Saturday.
Eri hadn't told him why, but Kogoro wasn't clueless. He knew her decision had everything to do with the friend sitting across from him.
"I know how hard Eri's worked for her dream," Shuichi said, finally looking up, his expression earnest. "But right now, going abroad—especially to America—isn't a good idea. Even if she hadn't skipped the exam, I'd have found a way to convince her to stay."
"And why's that?" Kogoro pressed, frowning. "If you're standing in the way of her dream, you'd better have a good reason."
The reason, of course, was the anti-Japanese sentiment brewing in America over the next few years. But Shuichi couldn't say that outright. "Eri's dream is to become a lawyer. Studying abroad is just one path to that. The law program at Tokyo University is excellent—Eri can achieve her dream there too…"
(End of Chapter)
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