Kiraboshi understood the meaning of the “reconciliation” presented by her teacher—
…Wait, what?
Sensei, even for you, isn’t discipline in a friendship a bit much…? Is that even what you’d call reconciliation in the first place?
Kiraboshi, who had even stopped eating, looked back at her teacher, who calmly said, as if it were obvious,
“It’s considered a mistake by common sense. But think about it. DV and power harassment are rampant in the world, and wars still haven’t stopped. Doesn’t that show that violence has a certain value?”
“B-But Sensei, you just said that it’s good for friends to have an equal relationship…”
“That’s only in cases where being equal is beneficial.”
In Kageichi’s relationships, that would apply to Hako-san and Smith Nyamdoré, the employees of the Weapon Shop ‘My Shop’.
If their values are similar and they can resolve disagreements through dialogue, resorting to violence would only be a disadvantage.
“However, there are relationships in the world where only one side benefits. One side forces illegal overtime work for the company’s profit, one side raises taxes to gain profit, and one side pressures the other to become friends. Normally, it’s difficult to resist these pressures, but…”
“Thank you for the meal,” Kageichi said, putting his hands together.
He had finished his lunch without anyone noticing and was now savoring his tea again.
“We have the option of the Dungeon. It can conceal various pieces of evidence, you see.”
Kiraboshi had already experienced that.
She had experience beating up a woman in a Dungeon without leaving any evidence.
She remembered trying to cut someone up with a chainsaw.
At that time, she was only thinking about killing and tormenting…
Could she use that for the conditions of reconciliation?
“Of course, there are other methods. Prepare false evidence and claim that I was a bullied victim. Using other people’s assumptions and misunderstandings is a classic. I just eliminate them directly because it’s too much trouble.”
“…………”
“The important thing is to know that there are various options in the world.
Endure and pretend to be friends.
Thoroughly discuss it with the other person. Have a third party mediate and persuade. Ask your parents to mediate.
Completely ignore them. Get angry and talk back. Declare a break-up in front of your classmates and explain the reasons.
Sneak a wallet into the other person’s locker and lie that it was stolen. Hire someone to stalk them and drive them mentally.
Punch, kick, burn, slash, eliminate—or even target the other person’s family first, burn down their house, and make them unable to live without depending on you, that’s also an option.”
When you think about it this way, life is free, isn’t it?
“Or, there’s this option: run away. Drop out of school.”
“…Huh?”
“I don’t recommend dropping out of school to escape from dealing with others. …However, if you really have trouble with socializing—if you properly consider your future plans and decide that you can take responsibility for your life, that’s also an option. …It’s not a bad thing to run away from things you hate.”
However, you must be fully prepared and committed.
It’s impossible to escape from everything.
Don’t become social garbage who complains to their parents and whines on social media after dropping out of school, thinking it shouldn’t have turned out this way.
“It’s a choice. Think for yourself and choose. —The more options you have, the richer your life will be.”
Kiraboshi was still bewildered by the massive amount of information swirling in her head…
Finally, she opened her mouth.
“Sensei… among all those options, how have you been choosing?”
Kiraboshi had always felt that it was natural for her to have no choices.
Although her combat ability had grown, in terms of human relationships… she only knew how to endure or snap and kill.
So, choosing for herself was…
“The first thing to consider is whether it’s feasible. There’s nothing more meaningless than a plan that can’t be executed. …Next, it goes without saying, right?”
He is Kageichi Futsuu.
A very ordinary former salaryman who could be found anywhere.
“Safety, security, and no stress.”
“…………”
“After finishing work, I wholeheartedly enjoy my after-hours activities, sometimes indulging in a little alcohol, enjoying my hobbies of gaming and streaming, and then taking a leisurely bath. After that, I dry my hair, relax in a room with the air conditioning set just right, and sleep soundly with my head on a high pillow. Then, the next morning, I quickly open the curtains, squint at the sunlight streaming in, and stretch comfortably—isn’t that the best life?”
He has no other desires.
No financial desires to live a life of luxury.
No heroic desire to stand out more than anyone else, no desire to rise in the world.
He doesn’t even want friendship, empathy, or concepts like lovers, family, or a home.
He simply wants to live a peaceful, undisturbed, inconspicuous, and quiet life.
Kageichi Futsuu is just silently and diligently choosing the optimal solutions for that.
“If I wanted to, I could take other options. For example, reconciliation. …Even among those I’ve eliminated so far, there may have been reasons or circumstances to consider. If I had tried to talk, there might have been a way to resolve things peacefully. But caring about such things is just stressful for me. Therefore, I abandon understanding them and choose the option of eliminating them.”
That’s why Kageichi Futsuu is so dangerous.
He’s not a born serial killer or a madman, but the act of killing is mixed into his otherwise normal values—as if poison is lined up in a vending machine as a matter of course.
“And Kiraboshi-san, you have your own choices. I would choose immediate elimination, but you have your own sensibilities.”
“…My, sensibilities?”
“Just because you’re my disciple doesn’t mean you have to choose the same path as me. Rather, you mustn’t become me. …In martial arts, there’s the concept of ‘Shu-Ha-Ri.’ If you understand my concepts, finding your own style based on them is also a correct process of growth as a person.”
Kageichi hands his teacup to the waitress, asking for a refill.
Remembering that she had stopped eating, Kiraboshi hurriedly put rice in her mouth while…
She realized once again that this person was truly her teacher.
All the adults she had met so far had only forced their own ways on her.
But Sensei is different.
Rather, it’s the opposite.
He teaches his students how to hunt, talks about how to select their prey, and then lets them choose what they want to do.
He properly guides them if they’re wrong, but he doesn’t force them.
Through and through, this person shows her the path that will make her happy, without forcing it—showing her the possibilities and not denying them.
(…I really, feel happy to have become Sensei’s disciple.)
While shoveling rice into her mouth,
…She’s sure it wouldn’t get through if she put it into words, and it’s embarrassing, so she’ll keep it to herself.
Conscious that her cheeks are slightly red, she hides her expression with the rice bowl in her hand as she thinks.
(If I were ten years older… if Sensei were ten years younger…)
But. This Sensei wouldn’t care about age and wouldn’t be swayed by human emotions.
Because he finds it troublesome and bothersome to worry about others.
—Even though that’s not really the case.
Even though he’s a wonderful, wonderful Sensei.
But she also feels that such aspects are also wonderful, as she holds contradictory feelings, Kiraboshi thinks hard.
…After this, she should think and choose for herself.
She’s received enough hints.
If she relies on Sensei for the final choice and just receives the given answer like a chick, she won’t be any different from the old Kiraboshi.
That’s because she had blindly accepted the answers forced on her by her parents, teachers, and classmates, that she had developed a slave mentality.
In order to break down such a spoiled mentality—
After this, she’ll do it herself.
“…Thank you, Sensei.”
“Yes. Think carefully and choose wisely. If you need advice, feel free to ask anytime. …Ah, of course, if necessary, I can also help you deal with your friends—but it feels better to settle things yourself, right?”
“Yes!”
Adult intervention is no longer necessary.
High school students should speak with words, chainsaws, and brass knuckles, as befits high school students.
I see, this might be my friendship, my youth…
While thinking about things that are out of character for her, Kiraboshi puts her hands together and says, “Thank you for the meal.”
—Her hesitation has cleared.
She said she would consider her options, but the answer within Kiraboshi was as good as decided.
“…You’ve started to make a good face, Kiraboshi-san. Well, I know very well that you’re not the kind of person who would end things with simple dialogue.”
Perhaps sensing that expression, Kageichi chuckled.
Kiraboshi also received another refill of tea and returned the favor as a matter of course.
“I am your disciple, after all… Besides, if I were to do something a normal person would do here, it would be a letdown, wouldn’t it?”
“It seems my disciple understands her master quite well.”
After that, the two put their hands together and finished their meal, saying, “Thank you for the feast.”
After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, anyone would see them as…
A well-mannered pair, like a parent and child—just a very ordinary former salaryman and a high school girl.