Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

“Thank you, Etori-san,” Kyushu Makoto repeated.

"Alright, alright, I know! I'll show you!" Unable to bear his insistent request, Teacher Jiang Niao could only say, feeling wronged:

"Don't tell anyone, or I'll be in big trouble!"

After saying that, Ms. Jiang Niao took out a file book with a lot of sticky notes from her drawer. This was the student information file of the class she was in charge of last year.

Teacher Jiang quickly flipped to the page with "Sakifumi Karasu," and what caught her eye was a student photo of that short-haired senior.

Kyushu Makoto took the file and quickly began to read it:

"Saki Karasukawa was born in Chiba Prefecture and graduated from Seiran Girls' Junior High School. During her high school years, she moved to Tokyo to study due to her parents' job changes."

"There are relatively few school evaluations of her during junior high school. Most teachers said she was a 'mischievous and lively child,' but they did not mention her performance in other aspects."

"She excelled academically during her three years at Xiujin Academy, actively participated in activities, demonstrated exceptional organizational skills, and showed outstanding overall performance. Her goal upon graduation is to become a professional journalist."

"Her parents currently run an izakaya called 'Karasawa-ya,' and their family income is stable with no unusual family circumstances."

After reading the materials, Kyushu Makoto only summarized the above few useful pieces of information.

"So, Karasawa-senpai isn't a local." Kyushu Makoto closed the file and placed it on his desk.

"At first glance, there is nothing suspicious about her personal information, except that the information about her junior high school years is a bit vague."

After he finished speaking, he fell into deep thought.

He had hoped to glean some clues from Senior Yagawa's profile and seize any useful leads. However, it now seemed that things were not so simple.

These materials alone are far from enough to investigate Senior Karasu.

“Since that’s the case…” Kyushu Makoto frowned and made a surprising decision:

"I'm going to visit Karakawa-senpai's house! Come with me, Etori-sensei!"

31. Surprise home visits

On the third day after school, Kyushu Makoto and Etori-sensei deliberately chose different times to leave the school separately.

To avoid being noticed by the newspaper club, they chose to meet at a coffee shop near the school, and then went together to Karakawa-senpai's house.

Yesterday, Ms. Jiangniao called the Karakawa family, citing her desire to "understand the students' living conditions," to request a home visit.

The Karakawa couple run an izakaya (Japanese pub), and they are quite agreeable, saying that "you can come and visit anytime during their off-hours." So, Ms. Etori made an appointment to visit them today.

"I can't believe I actually did something like this with you..."

Along the way, Teacher Jiangniao sighed wearily, walking like a puppet with its strings cut.

Even though she was no longer Karasukawa Sakifumi's homeroom teacher, she still used the school's name to conduct a private home visit on her behalf...

If the school finds out about this violation, a warning would be the least of their worries.

But this was Kyushu Makoto's request, and she couldn't refuse... or rather, she had long since lost the ability to turn back.

"Don't be discouraged," Kyushu Makoto comforted her. "Helping students who have been falsely accused is also a teacher's duty, isn't it?"

"Ah, right, right, excellent teacher... I understand... excellent teacher..." Teacher Jiang Niao put on a listless, dead fish-like expression.

On the crowded tram, Teacher Jiangniao was squeezed into a corner and took a short rest against the wall.

Kyushu Makoto took out his phone and searched for information about "Karasawa-ya".

With the internet so readily available these days, you can easily find information about most nearby shops and their reviews by netizens simply by opening any social media app or map plugin.

According to online information, "Karasawa-ya" is an izakaya that opened in the last two years, which coincides with the time when Karasawa-senpai came to Tokyo to study.

This izakaya doesn't seem to have any special features, but it's good value for money, has a friendly atmosphere, and has almost no competitors in the area, so it's doing quite well.

After browsing the menu pictures of "Karasawa-ya", Makoto Kyushu found the restaurant's reviews:

"The proprietress is a beautiful and talkative woman, perfect for a bachelor to go drinking (laughs)."

Aren't you afraid your boss will beat you up for posting comments like that?

"The proprietress is very cool. Last time I was harassed by a drunk man at the store entrance, it was thanks to her help that I was able to get through!"

Does "landlady" refer to Karakawa-senpai's mother? Perhaps she's someone with a strong sense of justice?

"The owner of this shop looks really fierce! When I first saw him, I thought he was some kind of wanted gangster assassin! Well... but after spending time with him, I found that he's actually quite warm and friendly. You really can't judge a book by its cover!

After reading through more than a dozen comments, I found that at least half of them said the boss looked fierce, so it seems to be more than just one case.

After reading most of the comments, the train was almost at its stop. Kyushu Makoto put away his phone and got off the train with Etori-sensei.

After walking for a while, the two finally stopped in front of the shop with the "Karasawa-ya" signboard.

It's not open yet; the store has a "Closed" sign hanging at the entrance, and the doors are locked.

"Excuse me!" Teacher Jiangniao knocked on the door and called out, "Are Mr. and Mrs. Yakawa home? I am a teacher from Xiujin Academy, and I am here for a home visit today."

A short while later, the shop door was opened, and they were greeted by a middle-aged woman.

The woman was around forty years old, with flaxen braids, and maintained a good figure, indicating that she exercised regularly.

"Hello, teacher." The middle-aged woman placed her hands on her lower abdomen and bowed slightly politely: "I am Sakibun's mother, Karasukawa Maiko."

"Mrs. Yagawa, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Teacher Jiangniao also bowed and smiled politely.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Karasukawa!" Makoto Kyushu greeted her first.

"Who is this boy...?" Karasu Maiko looked at him curiously.

"Oh! This is my student assistant!" Teacher Jiangniao quickly smoothed things over using his prepared lines:

"He wanted to be a teacher in the future, so I let him study under me!"

"Oh, I see~" Karasu Maiko said with admiration, "You are a kind and warm-hearted teacher, I admire you."

"Hahaha...Thank you for the compliment..." Teacher Jiangniao laughed sheepishly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mrs. Yakawa led the two into the living room.

A man with a small ponytail was sitting in front of the tatami table.

If one word could describe this man, it would be "middle-aged tough guy." His physique is slightly inverted triangle, with muscles subtly visible beneath his floral shirt, and he wears motorcycle-style sunglasses and black gloves.

Most importantly, the man's face was terrifying. Especially his slanted, wide-set eyes, which exuded a chilling murderous aura even through sunglasses.

According to the saying "appearance reflects the heart," this man is guaranteed at least one meal a day for three children.

"Honey, you don't need to wear sunglasses when you're greeting the teachers, right?" Karasu Maiko complained to her husband.

"I was just worried that my eyes would scare the teacher," the man said, scratching his head and smiling sheepishly, his tone surprisingly kind.

"Excuse me, Professor Etori. My name is Hiroyuki Karasukawa. Welcome to my humble abode!"

After the four were seated, Karasu Maiko served them hot tea.

Hiroyuki Karakawa picked up his teacup and took a sip, but Makoto Kyushu noticed that his hand movements were a little strange.

Mr. Karakawa held the teacup with his right hand, but he only used four fingers, with his little finger raised like a delicate orchid finger, without exerting any force.

How could such a rugged man drink tea with his fingers curled up like a delicate flower?

What's even more intriguing is that the moment Kyushu Makoto met Mr. Karasukawa, he sensed a familiar aura about him; it was as if he had seen someone with that same aura somewhere before...

It seems like it was when I assisted the police in a crackdown on organized crime in my past life?

After finishing their tea, Ms. Jiangniao chatted with the Karasukawa couple. Their conversation mostly revolved around Karasukawa Sakifumi's performance at school; it was really just idle chatter to kill time.

As for Makoto Kyushu, he left the room at the very beginning of the conversation, citing the excuse of "going to the restroom."

The Karasu family home is clearly a typical two-story detached house, with the first floor converted into an izakaya (Japanese pub) and the second floor serving as a private living area.

The fact that the Karasukawa family was able to buy a duplex detached house in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo two years ago, and have the start-up capital to open an izakaya (Japanese pub), suggests that their financial situation is not bad.

Kyushu Makoto didn't intend to go to the restroom. Instead, he put on rubber gloves he'd taken from the school's chemistry lab and quietly went up to the second floor.

His initial goal wasn't to extract useful information through a "home visit," since the Karasawa couple might not know what their daughter had done wrong at school. Besides, even if Kyushu Makoto explained the whole story to them, the Karasawa couple might still be protective of their daughter and vehemently defend her.

With things having come to this point, Makoto Kyushu decided to sneak in and investigate, going directly to Karasukawa-senpai's room to uncover clues.

Kyushu knew that what he was doing was against the law, but if he continued to act superior in the face of the despicable and shameless news department, he would only end up in a complete defeat.

Why should good people be held at gunpoint and not be allowed to pull out a gun and point it back? To fight fire with fire is a right that every "good person" should have.

After going upstairs, Kyushu Makoto found Karasukawa-senpai's room based on the name on the doorplate.

He was certain that Senior Yagawa was still at school handling the news department's work and hadn't gone home.

"Click, click—"

Kyushu Makoto gently turned the handle twice, only to find the door locked.

"Damn it... So girls lock their room doors?" Kyushu Makoto frowned, took out two wires from his pocket, and tried to insert them into the keyhole.

In his previous life, he did know a senior apprentice who had worked as a locksmith, and he learned a few lock-picking skills, but only at the beginner level.

The lock is a bit complicated; even if he's lucky, it will take him more than ten minutes to open it. If he's unlucky, the wire might break off inside the keyhole, which could cause a lot of trouble.

He frowned and thought about it for a moment, then gave up.

Out of sheer luck, he went to the room of the Yagawa couple and gently turned the doorknob.

"Click—" Luckily, the room of the Yagawa couple was not locked.