Chereads / Cursed Zero / Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 - Aftermath

Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 - Aftermath

Hinata sat outside the medical room, waiting for an update on Rowan and Kisu's conditions. Just then, the door to the medical room swung open, and someone walked out. "Haruto-Sensei, are they okay?" She asked. Haruto nodded with a smile. "Yeah, they're okay. They just need to wake up; the doctor said they should wake up in an hour or so," he answered. Hinata heaved a sigh of relief. "And here I was stressing," she replied. Haruto sat down next to her and said, "Don't worry, I was stressing as well. You just have to have faith in them," he said. Hinata chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I should," she replied. "Haruto-Sensei, do you think we can start training soon?" Hinata asked him. "You know, most people, after facing a near-death experience, tend to take a break," Haruto told her. "I guess I'm not like most people. But I want to become stronger," she replied. "Y'know, yesterday I found out how useless I was; I couldn't do anything to help Kisu and Rowan. And instead, they put their lives on the line, just to get me out of that situation," she explained. Haruto chuckled. "What's so funny?" Hinata asked as she heard him chuckle. "Y'know, when I was a first-year student, I was thinking about how to pass on that responsibility. It just shows how the new generation wants to jump in to help as soon as they can," he explained. Hinata frowned. "New generation? Just how old are you?" she asked. "I'm only 26," Haruto replied. "You're 26!?" Hinata shouted. "Yes, is that so hard to believe?" Haruto asked. "Not really, now that I think about it. You just seem much older and wiser," Hinata said with a sheepish smile. Haruto chuckled. "But, yes, I will help you get stronger, Hinata." Hinata smiled. "I mean, it is your job, so you can't say no," she replied. Haruto sighed. "I'm just filling in for Sora," he replied. "So you're not an actual teacher?" Hinata asked. Haruto simply nodded. "I like to get my hands dirty. It's ironic; at first, I didn't want to do the work, but now I love it," he stated. Hinata just chuckled, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable silence; it was relaxing, and the vibe was just perfect. Just then, both Hinata and Haruto heard someone walking towards them say, "Haruto!" Haruto turned his head towards the noise and got up from his seat. "Miss Kobayashi, nice to see you," Haruto said. "Ditto," she replied. "So what brings you to Soul Society Technical School?" Haruto asked. "Urgent, business," she said in a serious tone. Haruto nodded. "Hinata, I'll be back," he told her. Hinata nodded. "Okay, Sensei!" Haruto and Miss Kobayashi then walked somewhere private so they could talk. "So what is this 'urgent' business you wanted to talk about?" Haruto asked. "It's about the incident regarding your first year's," Miss Kobayashi replied. Haruto made a gesture with his hand, implying she should continue. "There are three things I'd like to discuss. The first, regarding the first year, is Kamano Kisu. He is currently being interviewed for promotion from a 3-star exorcist to a 4-star exorcist," she explained. Haruto frowned. "What for?" He asked curiously, "That leads into the second topic: in the rubble of the wherehouse, my team found the bodies of several four-star exorcists. Which means the spirit's bare minimum is a 4-star spirit," she added. "And what's the third thing we're going to talk about?" Haruto asked. Miss Kobayashi took a deep breath and said, "One of the bodies found in the remains of the building belonged to one of the higher-ups, Mr. Ito." Haruto's face went pale. "That can't be possible; I talked to the old geezer less than three years ago!" Haruto exclaimed. "That's the confusing part, but I have a few theories," Miss Kobayashi replied. "And what are they?" Haruto asked. "You see, the residuals found on Mr. Ito are different from the ones found on the other people, which include his bodyguards." Haruto frowned once again at her words. "So you're saying that someone else killed him?" Miss Kobayashi nodded. "Yes, not to mention the residuals found on his bodyguards also match up to the ones found on Kisu and Rowan, which means they're from the spirit. And this proves that someone else must have killed him, but that's not even the most questionable part about this case," she said. "Then what is?" he asked. "The fact that the residuals point to Me Ito's death, being roughly one month prior to his body being found." Haruto took a step back. "W-What?" he asked softly, still trying to rap his head around the situation. "That's impossible," he said. "Listen, Haruto, the truth is, I have no clue either; my best guess is that whoever killed him is impersonating him. And I don't think it's a coincidence that we found his body," Miss Kobayashi replied. Haruto rubbed his temples, "More theories, huh?" Miss Kobayashi replied, "It's an educated guess, but my guess is that I don't think whoever killed Mr. Ito would be so reckless with hiding his body. Think about it: if you were to kill someone and steal their body, wouldn't you hide their body in a secure place? And that place just so happens to be the place, a higher-up told you to send the first year's." Haruto nodded. "This is a shitload of information to take in, but I get you. I'll contact Sora; if this is true, then something bad might happen, and I'd rather have the strongest exorcist by my side when it happens," he said. "That's a smart move, Haruto; I too would rather have all my ducks in a row." Miss Kobayashi said: "What's that supposed to mean to me?" Before Haruto could even finish asking his question, Miss Kobayashi's phone rang. She picked it up and began to talk for a bit before hanging up. "My crew found some more things, and I have to check it out so I'll see you around Haruto," she said before she left. Haruto said goodbye before he took out his cellphone and dialed a number. "Look, Sora, we gotta talk, and it's urgent…"