Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"It's said that she was a biker gang member back in the day who almost got a wanted poster on her!"

"In Wano Country parlance, she used to be quite a troublemaker," Kyushu Makoto sighed, commenting, "She really doesn't value her life."

"Actually, I can ride too. I guess I inherited my mom's talent; I picked it up after just a little practice~" Karasukawa Sakifumi suggested casually.

"I'm planning to take my motorcycle driving test soon, let's go for a ride together next time!"

“No problem, then I’ll look forward to it.” Kyushu Makoto didn’t object and readily agreed: “But please at least don’t drive recklessly like your mother, it’s very dangerous.”

"Okay, Grandpa Kyushu~" Karasukawa Saki pouted and joked, "Let's not talk about that now, they're here~"

"they?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kyushu Makoto heard the sound of wings flapping in the sky, as well as two occasional "caw caws".

When Kyushu looked up, he was surprised to find the sky filled with darkness—a large flock of crows had appeared in the sky at some unknown time.

"Whistle—!" Karasu Sakifumi made a ring with her fingers, put it in her mouth, whistled, and waved to them.

The crows seemed to understand her meaning and landed in the courtyard, with a few even landing on her shoulder.

Kyushu Makoto cautiously took a step back to avoid being hurt by the crows.

"Don't be afraid, these children are very well-behaved~" Karasu Saki patted the little head of the crow on her shoulder.

The crow also stared at her with its blank, almost silly eyes, and paced back and forth on her shoulder a couple of times.

Karasu Sakifumi laid a layer of plastic sheet on the ground and poured all the contents of the swill bucket onto it.

In an instant, the crows were attracted by the food and rushed forward to snatch it.

Crows are omnivorous, primarily feeding on carrion, insects, fruit, and small animals. However, crows living in cities are gradually adapting to human food.

"Are you raising them?" Kyushu Makoto asked with some surprise as he watched a crow come out carrying a bone.

“When we first moved here, we noticed a lot of crows circling around the backyard.” Karakawa Saki looked down at the crows feeding, her gaze gradually softening.

"I later learned that the original residents often fed the leftovers to the crows in the neighborhood. Over time, the crows from the area gathered here and practically made it their canteen."

“After we moved here, the crows still came every day and kept cawing. One day I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I poured the swill bucket in the backyard. They ate it happily and even helped me clean up the ground.”

"Later on, I became friends with them."

After finishing its food, a crow fluttered and hopped onto Karasu Saki's shoulder, raising one of its claws.

"Huh? Isn't this the earring that the neighbor lost before?" Karasu Saki turned her head and was pleasantly surprised to find a shiny ring-shaped object hooked in her paw:

"My neighbor said this earring was a wedding gift and even posted a reward for its purchase—I'm going to make some money from this!"

Kyushu Makoto stood to the side and watched for a while, then couldn't help but chuckle softly: "Is this their way of repaying a debt of gratitude?"

"Hmm~ They often bring me sparkly things. If our neighbors lose jewelry or small items, they always come to us first." Saki Karakawa reached out and rubbed the crow's little head to express her gratitude.

"These crows are adorable and very intelligent. They stop making noise as soon as I give them a command, and they actually started catching and eating the rats I complained about before. They were the first friends I made after coming to Tokyo!"

After the meal, several crows started playing with the senior student.

"Hehe~ It tickles, don't peck my face..."

"Oops, don't step on my pants!"

"..."

The senior student and the crows played happily together, and she would even deliberately imitate the crows' caws.

She then began to dance joyfully, in a style I couldn't quite place, a mix of pop and street dance. Crows circled around her, spinning and flying around her as if they truly possessed a near-human spirituality.

Makoto Kyushu stood by, admiring this peculiar scene, when a crow flew onto his shoulder.

Unlike other crows, this crow's eyes are slightly reddish, possibly indicating a rare genetic mutation.

After staring blankly at him for a while, the crow suddenly pecked at him hard, as if it wanted to bite off his face.

"Holy crap! What the hell?!" Kyushu Makoto cried out in pain, swinging his fist at lightning speed at the crow.

The crow let out a miserable cry, released its beak, and staggered away.

Kyushu Makoto's shout interrupted the crows' frolicking. Karasukawa Saki stopped and saw that blood was flowing from Kyushu Makoto's face.

"Kyushu-kun, what's going on?" Karasukawa Sakifumi rushed forward to check.

"I got pecked by a crow," Kyushu Makoto said nonchalantly, wiping the blood from his face.

“Strange, these crows don’t attack people…” Karakawa Sakifumi became somewhat confused and began to feel guilty.

She quickly used her horse whistle to scatter the other crows and said to Kyushu Makoto, "Let's go back first, I'll bandage you up!"

The two went into the house, and Karasukawa Saki hurriedly treated Kyushu Makoto's wounds. The Karasukawa couple then suggested that they go to the hospital to get checked out.

When the two left the hospital, the sky was already covered with a layer of sunset glow, which made the streets and buildings look golden.

Fortunately, after the doctor examined them, he said that the wound was not infected with any germs, which relieved the two of them.

"I'm so sorry!" Karasukawa Saki bowed deeply to Kyushu Makoto, appearing extremely remorseful.

"How could this happen? Crows don't attack people..."

"Who knows? Just like not everyone is a good person, not all crows are obedient crows." Kyushu Makoto didn't take it to heart.

"I can't believe you get along so well with these little animals... I've seen a different side of you."

Karasuka Sakifumi pursed her lips casually, then said as if she had something on her mind, "Actually... sometimes I feel like I'm inextricably linked to crows in this life."

"That's not such a bad thing, is it?" Kyushu Makoto thought for a moment and asked in return, "I remember in Wano Country, aren't crows animals that symbolize good luck?"

“But Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who said those words, died in that battle.” Karasukawa Sakifumi leaned against the railing, looking somewhat forlorn, and muttered:

"Ultimately, crows are just unlikable birds, symbolizing misfortune and death. Nobody likes them... My dad, my mom, and I are all like that... Kyushu-kun probably still dislikes me, right?"

My senior seems to have something on her mind, and maybe she needs my help with psychological counseling... That's what Kyushu Makoto's intuition told him.

After a moment's thought, Kyushu Makoto said frankly and earnestly, "That's right, Karasukawa Sakifumi. I hate you, and I will never forgive you in this lifetime."

“Eh…” Karasu Sakifumi’s eyes widened slightly, her already dejected expression becoming even more disappointed. Then, as if resigned to her fate, she shook her head, hesitant to speak.

"

Even crows, disliked by many, will repay the kindness of the humans who feed them, which is why you can consider them friends.” Kyushu Makoto, however, abruptly changed the subject, revealing a relaxed smile:

"People have both good and bad sides. A charismatic person will strive to discard the bad side and elevate the good side. They struggle, repent, and redeem themselves in this way... just like trying to draw a perfect circle freehand, constantly pursuing all the beautiful things and qualities in the world."

"The journey they pursue can never reach its end, but they are determined to go on, and that is precisely the charm of humanity. I really like people like that, just like you now, Senior Karasu."

Karasu Saki was startled, her deep brown eyes blinking rapidly in surprise, the setting sun casting a reddish glow on her face.

After a moment of cryptic contemplation, Karasu Sakifumi chuckled softly, "Hey, where did you learn this philosopher-like way of speaking?"

"I've forgotten. Maybe I read it in a book, or maybe I made it up on the spot." Kyushu Makoto laughed heartily and frankly, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Don't think that just because you're a crow, no one will like you. In my eyes, your willingness to atone for your past sins is very courageous, and I hope you can keep it up."

Kyushu Makoto paused for a moment, then continued:

"If you lose your motivation to live because you're afraid no one will like you, then let me like you instead."

Karasukawa Saki listened quietly beside her, then involuntarily looked up at the undulating clouds under the setting sun, and sighed thoughtfully:

"You... do you even use 'liking' as a tool to comfort others?"

Then, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly jumped over and gave Kyushu Makoto a hug.

"But it's precisely because you're such an oddball that I like you so much, Kyushu-kun... just as a friend, of course~"

The senior student had a slender figure with faint muscle definition. Unlike the sweet and cloying junior student, Mizuhashi, who was like a sticky rice ball, she was like a gushing spring, radiating a continuous stream of refreshing vitality.

The two were about the same height, and the senior's short hair gently brushed against Kyushu Makoto's face, releasing the refreshing scent of mint shampoo.

"I'm not sure if friends can hug so intimately?" Kyushu Makoto put his hands in his pockets, making sure he didn't accidentally touch any part of her body.

"You're so old-fashioned~" Karasukawa Saki took two steps back after loosening her arms, then bent down slightly, looking up at him with a mischievous grin:

"Friends can hug like this!"

As she spoke, Karasukawa Saki stuffed another bag of lunch into Kyushu Makoto's hand, ran a few steps away, then turned back and waved to him.

"See you tomorrow, my ally of justice!"

73. There are also differences among teachers.

Two days later, Professor Ushiwakamaru took the initiative to contact Makoto Kyushu.

"I've already spoken with Mizuhashi-kun, and I'll be making a home visit today." Ms. Ushiwakamaru stood upright, her hands tucked into her trousers.

"Kyushu-kun, do you want to come along?"

"I couldn't ask for more!" Kyushu Makoto naturally agreed.

He didn't know this teacher, Ushiwakamaru, very well, so it was always good to keep an eye on him.

The Mizuhashi family's house is a detached house. Although it is located in the Adachi Ward, which has a relatively poor security situation, the interior decoration of the house does not look like that of a poor family.

When Kyushu met Mizuhashi's parents, his first impression of them was that they were snobbish and stubborn adults.

There was also a little boy playing PS4 in the living room; he seemed to have the potential to become a troublemaker.

These are all first impressions given by Makoto Kyushu with a biased perspective. After all, Adachi Ward is a well-known "hotspot" in Tokyo, with low levels of public safety and low resident quality. It's as if Mizuhashi's junior has a genetic mutation to have such a well-behaved personality.