Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Undercover journalists who infiltrate criminal organizations alone, war correspondents who risk their lives to travel to war zones, and citizen journalists who, unafraid of threats from powerful figures, strive to help the vulnerable. They are all fighting against enemies a hundred times stronger than themselves, such as the underworld! To find the truth, they will stop at nothing! But in the end, they only sacrifice themselves!"

“I…” Karasu Saki looked confused.

"What kind of bullshit 'justice' is it, achieved by sacrificing innocent people?! You're not using any means necessary for justice at all; you're just making excuses for abusing your power and bullying others! I think you're just enjoying it!" Kyushu Makoto slammed his fist against the wall.

"You brain-dead stinking woman, what right do you have to associate with me!"

Kyushu Makoto grinned, staring at her with sharp, angry eyes.

"..." Karasu Saki first stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then turned her face away, her brows furrowing slightly, looking very uncomfortable.

She clearly wanted to argue something, and she absolutely did not want to submit to Kyushu Makoto, but these words struck her deepest soul, causing her to begin to doubt herself.

In junior high, he relied on his martial arts skills to cause trouble and send others to the hospital; in high school, he abused his power, extorted and coerced classmates, and ruined their youth...

Can such a pathetic act really grant her so-called "power" to defeat the underworld?

If Shangwen's grandfather, who used to praise her for being smart and promising, could see her in her current ugly state, would he really be able to rest in peace and become a Buddha?

"Who the hell told you to stay silent? Keep talking, you bastard!" Kyushu Makoto roared relentlessly. "If you think you're right, then refute me squarely! Rebut my words one by one!"

After a long pause, Karasu Saki lowered her head and asked in a pleading tone:

Did I really... do something wrong?

"Tell me, what exactly have you been striving for all this time?" Kyushu Makoto leaned closer, glaring at him angrily. "If you haven't even thought about this question, then you can't possibly realize that you've done something wrong!"

"I did it for..." Karasukawa Saki's voice was filled with pain, as if she was about to cry:

"I didn't want Grandpa Naofumi to die... I didn't want to see everyone die in front of me... If I had been strong enough, I could have stopped them..."

The horrific scene from sixth grade seemed to reappear before her eyes; people died in front of her, like worthless weeds. Karasukawa Sakifumi's eyes widened in shock, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"No...don't die...I want everyone to stop, I want to protect everyone..." Her eyes gradually became glazed over, her whole body trembled violently, and her emotions began to spiral out of control: "But back then...I couldn't do anything..."

"Smack—!" Kyushu Makoto flicked Karasukawa Saki's forehead with his finger to bring her back to her senses.

"Is this your deepest desire?" Kyushu Makoto gazed into her deep brown eyes:

"But hating your father, bullying classmates, abusing your power... these behaviors are putting the cart before the horse and will not give you the power to protect others."

"I know... I know everything..." Karasukawa Saki murmured apologetically.

"You've been running away because you're afraid that no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to protect others, so you become even more ruthless," Kyushu Makoto continued.

"But this kind of thinking has led you to another extreme. Tell me, what have you been protecting?!"

"I know it all... but what should I do..." Karasukawa Sakifumi pleaded softly.

"..." Kyushu Makoto thought for a moment, then clasped his hands together and said in a heavy voice, as if speaking with the force of a bell:

"Confront past mistakes and follow your heart. To wield great power, you must first have a strong heart."

"Face your mistakes and strengthen your heart..." Karasu Saki murmured in astonishment, gently touching her forehead.

“These are the principles my master taught me, and also my own life experiences. How much you can understand depends on your comprehension.” Kyushu Makoto frowned and said, “If you still can’t understand, I’ll have the chairman expel you from school.”

After a moment of silence in the infirmary, Karasukawa Sakifumi suddenly awoke from her reverie, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace.

"This is such a simple thing... and I have to be lectured by a junior. People will laugh at me if word gets out..." She laughed miserably.

"Kyushu Makoto, you're a complete freak. You should be taking revenge on me, instead of wasting your time talking nonsense to me."

“That’s just who I am, but this is the last chance I’m giving you to reflect on your actions,” Kyushu Makoto said calmly. “If it were those scumbags from Kamurocho, I would have sent them to the detention center to reflect on their actions long ago.”

"What a weirdo, such an incredibly weirdo..." Karasukawa Sakifumi burst into laughter through her tears, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm a hopeless weirdo too, actually listening to your lecture so seriously... Pfft, pfft... This is just too ridiculous..."

"There's nothing wrong with being an eccentric—at least you don't have to worry too much about the 'collective' opinion and can act according to your own will." Kyushu Makoto stood up and stretched.

"You should be able to go back to class now, right? I'll be going now, don't skip class!"

"Hey, Makoto Kyushu!" Just as Makoto Kyushu opened the infirmary door, Saki Karasukawa suddenly called out to him again, unable to resist asking:

"What are you living for?"

Kyushu Makoto glanced back at her, and without hesitation:

"Martial virtue."

51. Those who confront themselves

"Welcome! You came in yesterday to get your hair dyed...!"

At the barbershop after school, the slick-back-haired barber saw Karasukawa Sakifumi again.

"Hey, what happened to all those injuries on your face? Did you get into a fight?"

Upon seeing the bandage on the girl's forehead and her swollen cheeks, the hairdresser immediately approached her with concern:

"You didn't go and go fight one of those delinquents at school who's called the King of Beasts or something, did you? You're a girl, even if you're tough, don't be reckless!"

Karasu Saki smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "No, I just got a good talking-to~"

"Education? You were physically punished by your teacher?" The barber's eyes were serious.

"It's not that serious, Uncle." Karasu Saki pointed to the ends of her blonde hair and said apologetically, "By the way, I want to dye my hair back to black."

"Huh? Are you going to be a good student again?" The barber asked in surprise, taking out his razor blades.

“Hmm~” Karasu Saki nodded: “I’ve come to my senses and I don’t want to keep running away anymore.”

"Oh! Then I'll make an exception and dye your hair for free~" The hairdresser smiled with relief: "Although I don't know what you've been through, your eyes look much clearer than yesterday."

......

Back home, Karasu Sakifumi's parents anxiously surrounded her.

They received another call from the school teacher today, saying that their daughter had dyed her hair blonde and was causing trouble at school, and warned them that if this continued, Saki would be expelled immediately.

So no matter what, they were prepared to have a serious talk with their daughter, even if it meant using force to get her to sit down at the dinner table.

But when they saw Karasu Saki, they noticed that she had injuries on her face, although her hair had turned back to black.

"Saki, how did you get hurt?" Mrs. Karasu asked worriedly, patting her daughter's shoulder, completely forgetting that she was about to give her a good scolding.

Karasu Saki turned her head away awkwardly, her brows furrowed: "N-nothing, I just tripped and fell."

Although she hoped to change herself, she still couldn't let go of her pride when facing her estranged parents.

"By the way, I'd like to borrow some money from you tomorrow to compensate the classmates I extorted, and then apologize to them in person." Saki Karasawa mustered her courage and calmly made this request to her mother.

"I'll go out and work to pay you back later, just don't charge me interest like the loan sharks do."

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Yagawa were both stunned. Mrs. Yagawa carefully examined her daughter, then reached out and touched her forehead, wondering if she had a fever.

"What are you doing? I'm perfectly sober!" Karasu Saki's cheeks flushed slightly, and she scratched her nose with a hint of embarrassment.

"Well, I've reflected on my actions... I was really immature before."

"..." The Yagawa couple looked at each other in silence for a moment.

No, no, no, absolutely not! My daughter has been giving them the cold shoulder for almost several years now, how could she suddenly lower her stance and speak like that?

Mr. Yagawa asked somewhat uncertainly, "Wenwen must have suffered some kind of shock. Should we take her to the hospital to get her checked out?"

"Stop nagging! I'm not sick!" Karasu Saki said, biting her lip. "What I'm saying now... is what I really think."

Mrs. Yakawa picked up an envelope stuffed with money from the table and silently placed it in her daughter's hand.

“Wenwen, there’s 100,000 yen in here. That should be enough for you to pay back your classmates.” Mrs. Karakawa looked into her daughter’s eyes and said with concern, “I believe in your choice. Do what you think is right.”

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Hiroyuki Karakawa said anxiously, "How can you just hand over so much money to a high school student! Let me deliver it!"

"Do you want to show your face at Wenwen's school again with that gangster-looking face?" Madam Yachuan frowned, instead scolding her husband:

"You should admit it now! If you hadn't been bragging to Saki every day that 'being a yakuza is the coolest job,' how could she have turned out like this?"

"This...this can't all be blamed on me!" Hiroyuki Karakawa scratched his head, looking aggrieved. "Well...never mind! You just have to give the money to your classmate and don't cause any more trouble! Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook, Saki!"

"Okay, okay, you're so long-winded." Karasu Saki stuffed the purse into her clothes and stuck out her tongue in complaint.

"Ugh...you think I'm being long-winded..." Mr. Yagawa bared his teeth, choking slightly.

"Thank you anyway."

Before returning to her room, Karasuka Saki reluctantly said something.

Even now, Karasukawa Sakifumi still cannot let go of the estrangement between her and her father. However, she has already set her own goals in life and is no longer willing to let hatred blind her.

......

The next day, when Karasukawa Saki arrived at class, she found that her desk had been pranked again, stuffed with a lot of trash and waste paper.

The students looked at her with hostility, expecting her to lose her temper and go berserk again.

Given Karasukawa Saki's current situation, if she were to commit any further disciplinary violations, she would be expelled from school.

However, Karasukawa Saki smiled slightly and walked onto the podium.

"Classmates!" The girl slammed her hands heavily on the table, leaned forward, and shouted:

"Everyone...you really hate me, don't you!"

The students were all drawn to her and turned their attention to her.