Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

Kyushu Makoto gently pushed open the door, observed for a moment, and then tiptoed inside.

The room is a standard couple's room, with a double tatami mat in the center, surrounded by tables, chairs, cabinets, and various appliances.

His eyes scanned the room carefully, trying to find useful clues.

Finally, his gaze was drawn to a framed photo on the wall cabinet.

He stared at the photo in the frame, frowning for a long while, before speaking softly:

"This is... Senior Karakawa when she was little?"

32. Is there something wrong with your family?

Kyushu Makoto slowly approached the photo frame and looked at the photo in disbelief.

This photo was taken at the school gate, with the words "Chenglan Girls' Middle School" written in large characters on the wall behind it. It looks like a graduation photo.

The person in the center of the photo is a middle school girl whose facial features are very similar to those of the current Karasu-senpai.

However, the girl in the photo has blonde hair and is dressed in the typical dark sailor uniform long skirt that is typical of delinquent girls. She carries a bamboo sword on her shoulder and looks at the camera with a fierce and impatient gaze.

If this photo isn't some kind of "delinquent girl cosplay photo," then was Karakawa-senpai a delinquent student during her middle school years?

However, the current senior student, Karasu, is not only an outstanding student with excellent academic performance and strong personal abilities, but also serves as the head of the school's elite organization, the "News Club," and is absolutely not associated with the word "delinquent girl."

The changes between junior high and high school are so drastic, what happened to her? ...Kyushu Makoto was puzzled and could only take out his phone to take a picture of this.

He rummaged through the other drawers a few more times and finally found a noteworthy photograph in the bedside table drawer.

This is a group photo of men in suits in an office. All of these men have fierce appearances; some are grinning wickedly at the camera, while others are openly displaying large tattoos on their arms and necks. On the wall behind them hangs a large calligraphy scroll that reads "Benevolence, Virtue, Righteousness, and Trustworthiness," making it look like a group photo of some Yakuza organization.

Standing prominently in the center of the group photo is a slicked-back man with slanted eyes and a menacing appearance. He bears a striking resemblance to Senior Karasu's father; it is undoubtedly him.

"So Karasu-senpai's father... he used to do this kind of thing?" Kyushu Seiya took a picture with his phone and then restored everything.

......

Meanwhile, the atmosphere of the conversation downstairs gradually became awkward.

After chatting with the Karakawa couple for a while, Professor Etori couldn't think of any new topics to discuss.

"That child hasn't returned for more than ten minutes. Has he encountered some difficulties?" Karasu Maiko asked worriedly, noticing that Kyushu Makoto had not yet returned.

"Ah...that..." Teacher Jiangniao didn't know how to answer and could only smile awkwardly.

"Kyushu Makoto, what are you doing?! Weren't you supposed to be coming for a home visit? Where did you go?!"... She shouted angrily in her heart.

"Excuse me, I'll go check on the child." Karasu Maiko rose from her seat, preparing to go to the restroom to check on the situation: "I hope he hasn't run into any trouble."

Upon hearing this, Teacher Jiangniao quickly stopped her: "No...no need, I'll go check on him!"

“It’s alright. You’re a guest, teacher, how could I trouble you?” Hiroyuki Karakawa stared at Professor Etori.

Although Mr. Karakawa's tone was gentle, his fierce gaze still sent chills down Ms. Etori's spine, making her legs weak and unable to stand up. She could only stand there and nod, "Okay, okay!"

......

When Karasu Maiko arrived at the restroom, she saw Kyushu Makoto standing at the door adjusting his collar.

"Are you alright?" Lady Yachuan asked.

"Sorry, I think I ate something bad from my lunchbox at noon." Kyushu Makoto grinned sheepishly.

Before arriving at the Karasukawa residence, Kyushu Makoto instructed Etori-sensei: "I will leave the table midway to use the restroom. If the couple thinks I've been away for too long and comes looking for me in the restroom, send me a text message with a '1'. If it's any other unexpected situation, send me a '2'."

Kyushu Makoto, of course, did not tell his teacher the reason for doing so; he simply told her to obey orders.

So when Mrs. Karasawa got up to leave, Professor Etori secretly sent a text message to Makoto Kyushu on his phone. Makoto Kyushu also rushed downstairs, which is how he happened to meet Mrs. Karasawa in front of the restroom.

Although he couldn't get into Karasukawa-senpai's room, Kyushu Makoto did find an unexpected surprise in her parents' room. The next step is to use these clues to try and dig deeper.

Back at their seats, the group continued their conversation in a seemingly serious manner.

"Speaking of which, does Karakawa-san aspire to be a journalist?" Ms. Jiangniao continued, trying to find a topic to discuss.

"She must be your only daughter, right? I thought she would inherit this izakaya~"

"No, no, running an izakaya is just a hobby we started after moving to Tokyo. We don't expect our daughter to inherit it," Mrs. Karakawa said with an embarrassed smile.

"When we first opened the izakaya two years ago, my husband couldn't even make tamagoyaki properly!"

"Hey...you two must have put a lot of effort into running this izakaya, right?" Kyushu Makoto chimed in curiously.

"Did Mr. Karakawa accidentally cut off his right pinky finger while practicing chopping vegetables? Is that why he got a prosthetic finger?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere at the tea table suddenly became tense for a moment.

Mr. Karakawa looked flustered, quickly checked his right hand, and nodded in admission: "Yes, I was chopping vegetables by accident."

Mrs. Yakawa quickly tried to smooth things over with an exaggerated tone: "Yes, yes! There was blood all over the kitchen, it scared me so much that I even dialed the wrong emergency number!"

Teacher Jiang Niao stared at Kyushu Makoto with a reproachful look, as if to say, "It's really impolite to talk about this kind of topic!"

Ignoring his teacher's gaze, Kyushu Makoto continued, "Speaking of which, Mr. Karasukawa is really trendy; his wrist tattoo is very cool~"

Upon hearing this, the Yagawa couple's expressions simultaneously turned serious.

Mr. Karakawa subconsciously tightened his cuffs and glanced nervously at his wrist. Maiko Karakawa gave her husband a reproachful look, then cautiously observed Ms. Etori's reaction.

"Just kidding, the tattoo on your wrist isn't showing~" Seeing the couple's overreaction, Makoto Kyushu couldn't help but laugh.

"Ms. Etori, what exactly does this child mean?" Hiroyuki Karakawa stared at Ms. Etori with hostility and asked in a low, calm voice.

"Eh? I...I..." Once again, Jiangniao Teacher was glared at fiercely by those terrifying, slanted eyes with three whites showing. She broke out in a cold sweat and was too frightened to speak.

"Mr. Karasawa, were you involved in the yakuza before?" Kyushu Makoto asked bluntly.

“Little friend, even though you don’t know why you came to this conclusion, you can’t just slander others like that!” Madam Yachuan was taken aback, and immediately warned her with a serious expression.

"I've heard that in Wano Country, gangsters have to cut off their little fingers when they leave their organizations, to show they're severing all blood ties with the gang," Kyushu Seiichi said with a smile, speaking with conviction.

"With current medical technology, even if you accidentally cut your finger while cooking, you can go to the hospital to have it reattached. Cutting it off would just be asking for trouble."

"So what?" Hiroyuki Karakawa looked at the female teacher across the table, his questioning tone tinged with anger.

"Teacher Jiangniao, what nonsense is this student spouting?"

Kyushu Makoto, however, placed his hands on the table with his fingers interlaced and said, “To be honest, I’ve dealt with gangsters like you a lot before, so I’m very familiar with the stench you guys have. Mr. Karasawa happens to have that smell... the smell of blood, the smell of decay, and the smell of menace... This is not the kind of stench that ordinary people would have.”

"You bastard..." Hiroyuki Karakawa frowned, a few veins bulging on his temples. "What nonsense are you spouting..."

“You have no need to hide it anymore~” Kyushu Makoto smiled smugly: “If you refuse to admit it, I might as well spend some time investigating the yakuza organizations in Chiba Prefecture and then inquire about a yakuza man named “Karasawa”. Maybe I can find some clues?”

Upon hearing this, Hiroyuki Karakawa's face turned completely dark, and Mrs. Karakawa also wore a solemn expression as if facing a formidable enemy, as if she were ready to get up and grab a kitchen knife at any moment.

After a long pause, Hiroyuki Karakawa lightly slammed his hand on the table and spoke: "Since you know I'm a member of the yakuza, how dare you play games with me like this? You little brat, didn't your parents teach you not to provoke the yakuza?"

His voice became deep and calm, like an assassin announcing a death list, and his terrifyingly small eyes stared straight at Kyushu Makoto and Etori-sensei.

"Eek... the underworld?" Teacher Jiangniao's face turned pale, she was so frightened that her soul almost flew out of her body, and she didn't dare to move an inch while sitting on the tatami.

She never expected that one of her students would be born into a gangster family, and that she would now be sharing a room with real gangsters.

Although the era of organized crime is over, it doesn't mean that ordinary people can mess with the underworld at will; otherwise, there's always a way to die that suits them.

Sensing the teacher's fear, Kyushu Makoto patted her shoulder and pulled her back, shielding her behind him.

"I'm sorry, but my adoptive father used to teach me... 'Gangsters' are worse than pigs and dogs, beasts who make money through illegal businesses and bullying ordinary people. None of them are innocent." Kyushu Makoto grinned, one hand on the table, the other gripping the plastic scissors in his pocket, his eyes filled with a hint of ruthlessness as he spoke:

“If conditions allowed, I’d kill as many as I could! Speaking of which, I’ve killed a few 'gangsters' before, do you think I’d be afraid of a retired gangster like you?”

The boy's words were sincere, like crystal without a trace of lies or impurities, yet they only made the faces of the Karakawa couple even more somber.

"You ignorant brat... do you know what you're saying?" Hiroyuki Karakawa clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, as if he was about to punch the boy in the face and teach him what a real mastermind was.

What struck Hiroyuki Karakawa as odd was that the boy, despite being just a high school student, possessed a chilling smile and exuded a menacing aura no less than his own as a former yakuza member, as if he too had taken several lives.

Just when the atmosphere was about to explode with tension, Kyushu Makoto breathed a sigh of relief and his tone became lighter:

"Well, there's really no need to be so tense. Although Mr. Karakawa used to be a member of the yakuza, I can't just shout 'I'm here to avenge those who have been persecuted by the yakuza' and start a fight with you, can I?"

"Mr. Karakawa must have retired from his life of crime. He probably brought his wife and daughter to Tokyo to avoid acquaintances and start a new life. Am I right?"

"..." As if he had been told the truth, Hiroyuki Karakawa hesitated for a moment, then slowly loosened his fist.

Kyushu Makoto continued, "In that case, you probably just want to be a law-abiding citizen now and don't want to get into any more trouble, right?"

The reason Kyushu Makoto brought up Mr. Karasawa's yakuza identity was mainly to verify the authenticity of the "yakuza group photo," and at the same time to dampen the Karasawa couple's arrogance and take control of the conversation.

Now that his objective has been achieved, Kyushu Makoto is ready to give the other party a way out before getting straight to the point.

"It seems that Mr. Jiangniao and this student haven't come for a simple home visit... No, the teacher is probably just accompanying them, isn't he?" Mrs. Karakawa seemed to have seen through the purpose of their visit and asked Kyushu Makoto helplessly:

"What do you want?"

33. I was lying to you.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for your Karasu family. I’m here for your daughter,” Kyushu Makoto said earnestly.

The Yagawa couple looked at each other for a while, not understanding what was going on.

Is it for our daughter? Or is he interested in our daughter and has come to propose marriage?

No, no, who would bring their homeroom teacher to propose marriage? Besides, this annoying brat, if he dares to touch our precious daughter, we'll break his legs!