Chapter 33: Doubt

"There's a possibility that Yanagi-sensei has a history with the Yakuza," Sae stated, pointing out how suspicious it seemed.

Henry paused his hand on his chin, contemplating. "You're right. The way they acted when Yanagi-sensei arrived at the main gate and how obedient they were when he chased them out adds up. There's a possibility."

Yanagi Minoru, a man Henry recognized as someone pursuing the path of elegance. He wanted to deny it, but if Sae was right, it was like he was rolling out a red carpet to this seemingly refined individual who was, in fact, a dangerous figure from the underworld.

The seed of doubt had been planted. Sae found a strange satisfaction in the idea that Minoru had swiftly resolved the problem as if he were some big shot from the underworld.

Sae thought, 'Well, I doubt it, considering how dignified he looks. I never thought he could be involved in something like this. Although, the way he solved Ishigami's case so quickly might be... but the Academy won't ask anything about it. But for now, Henry also thinks the same as me. He'll doubt Yanagi, and that's enough to push him.'

"We'll see whether he truly embodies elegance or if he's just an imposter infiltrating our school," Henry declared, turning around with an elegant posture, his hands firmly gripping the cane. He looked at Sae solemnly. "Let's proceed with Plan A."

Secretary-chan widened her eyes, exclaiming, "Sir, are you sure about this!?" as if he were crazy. However, no one could change Henry's mind at this moment.

---

09:52 AM

"Um... I sincerely apologize for causing a ruckus this morning," Raku said, ashamed.

Turning around, he spotted a male student bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle. As he had mentioned before, Minoru knew all the students he would be teaching, but this particular person was familiar. His father, the leader of the Shuei clan, had called 001 in the past.

"It seems you didn't want such an extravagant escort. Don't worry. I'll call your family to the school since you're not the actual problem."

"Ahaha..." He laughed nervously. Raku lifted his head, wondering who this person was.

Despite being the son of a Yakuza, Raku's life was relatively normal, much like any other teenager's. The only complication was his clan, which always bothered him because he lacked backbone within it. Even when he asked them to stay behind, they would inevitably follow him without informing him.

Minoru turned his gaze back to the trio. "You three did a good job. However, challenging them like that is dangerous, Amanai..."

Kei and Moeha anxiously awaited Riko's response.

"I'm sorry..."

"Eh?" Kei and Moeha hadn't expected Riko to be this gentle.

Minoru nodded. "Good... and speak through the radio again if something urgent happens." He walked back to deal with a group of delinquents.

---

At the same time, while Minoru dealt with the delinquents...

The class named "Pet Day" had ended, and all the parents had already left the kindergarten. Still, in her bunny costume, she lied to the teacher, claiming she needed to use the restroom as an excuse to skip the dance class.

'Aqua left the school earlier for a morning drama shoot. Yanagin became popular on the internet after just one interview. Even if he weren't popular, he'd still be a successful man.'

She sat under the tree, hugging her knees, her expression revealing sadness and a sense of pathetic defeat. After all, everyone in her family shone brightly, their very existence proclaiming, "I'm the best!"

Meanwhile, she felt left behind, skipping the dance class because she couldn't bring herself to participate. Her body wouldn't move the way she wanted it to, a constant reminder of her past life as the girl who lost to cancer, named Tendouji Sarina. Every attempt to move her body ended with her falling to the ground. Even as Hoshino Ruby, she remained the same.

'Pathetic...'

She buried her face in her hugged knees, uttering the word to herself.

'Now, with Yanagin here, Mama won't be sad anymore. And without me, it seems they've become the perfect family, with Aqua as the genius son. Who needs someone like me anyway?'

She began to doubt if they needed a stupid daughter like her.

Poke! Ruby looked up and saw Anya poking her head.

"Want some peanuts?" Anya offered.

Ruby glanced at her hand and replied, "Um, thanks," before taking a handful.

Observing Anya, who was still wearing the costume, Ruby wondered if she was also running from class.

Anya began to sweat as she got caught. "Anya sucks at dancing, so Anya wanted to run from it and eat peanuts with you."

Ruby's spirits lifted at the thought of having a friend on the same page.

"Err—um… me too," Ruby admitted, and both of them shared a slow laugh. Anya sat beside her, lost in thought.

'My mission...'

Anya hadn't forgotten the reason she came here, although Anya was also serious about her inability to dance.

Anya remembered seeing in Bond's vision that the clock tower would show 10:30. Unable to read time, she had already asked the teacher when exactly 10:30 AM was. She knew it was just halfway before that time and that she needed to hurry to bring Ruby on a mission to help Minoru.

From Bond's vision, she saw Minoru's dogs trying to get out of Teresa's apartment because it was locked. Two alternative futures unfolded—success and failure. The key was whether the seventh dogs managed to get out and go to Shuchi'in to help Minoru. Anya knew she had to do something about it.

'Anya already gave Ruby delicious peanuts...' Anya was proud of it but then realized something. 'Now what?' She thought with a serious dumb face.

"Hey, where's the first son?"

"Hmm? You mean Aqua? Why do you always call him the first son? About him..." Ruby became sad again. "He's busy shooting for a drama... Why?"

Anya gasped as she made a mistake.

'NOO! IF RUBY IS SAD, THEN ANYA HAS TO DO THIS ALONE!' She thought dramatically.

"Err… Anya wants to play with him too. But Ruby is enough for Anya."

"Eh? Sounds like a love confession. Come to think of it, you always sneak and spy on Aqua the whole time. Do you love him?" Ruby wondered if Anya had entered the realm of love built on childhood friendship.

Anya blinked her eyes a few times. "Love?" Then she looked up with a profound calculation.

Loid's face came to her mind. 'I love Chichi...'

Then changed to Bond. 'I love Bond…'

Then to Minoru's face. 'I love Boss-man…'

Then to anime. 'I love anime…'

Then a pack of peanuts. 'I love peanuts…'

Lastly, Aqua's face came to her mind. 'First son? Hm...'

"Not at all…" She shook her head innocently, claiming not to feel anything.

"Hmm. Why are you acting so cute to deny that?" Ruby squinted at her, finding it cute.

"Ruby-chan…! Anya-chan…! Where are you…? Dancing class has already started. So please come out…"

"Wha—" They both gasped at their worried teacher.

Emergency quest! Run or get caught and go to dance class!

Ruby stood up, looked around, and grabbed a rock. She threw it in a random direction, creating a harsh sound that convinced the teacher they were hiding there.

Ruby grabbed Anya's hand and said, "Anya, let's run."

"Whoa…" Anya's face lit up because the feeling was waku-waku. "Yeah!—ack." She held her mouth, "...sorry."

Two kids raced through the garden path, their cute costumes billowing in the wind as they reveled in the thrill of aimless adventure.

"Hey, where are we even going?" Ruby queried.

"Um..." Anya pondered for a moment. "Let's go to the field."

Upon reaching the field, Anya's face lit up with delight.

"Bond!"

"Brof! Huft! Huft!" At the mention of his name, Bond bounded toward her without hesitation.

"Wait, your dog is still here?" Ruby asked in surprise.

They paused, their hands sinking into Bond's large, fluffy fur.

"Now what? Any ideas?" Ruby inquired.

Anya tapped her chin, deep in thought. Drawing inspiration from spy anime, she suggested, "Hey, let's visit boss-man— I mean, Uncle's school. We'll hide beside Bond's fat when we're sneaking past Mustache Uncle at the gate."

In essence, they planned to slip out of the school gates like secret agents, using Bond's bulk as cover, and outsmart the security guard.

"Huh?" Ruby was taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

"Wait, that sounds fun. You know what? I also want to beat him for cheating on Mama. But if Mama finds out about this..." Ruby trailed off, nervously contemplating the consequences of ditching school for a visit to Shuchi'in.

Anya glanced at Ruby, seemingly able to read her thoughts.

[The mental image of Ruby performing a dogeza while Ai scolded her, slipper in hand.]

"That's scary," Anya remarked, her own anxiety evident.

But the plan was also possible since their kindergarten wasn't far from Shuchi'in, it was a 13-minute walk. But Ruby doubted it since they were both just small kids.

"Hmm... if we walk, it'll take too long."

"Easy. We'll ride on Bond's back," Anya suggested, patting Bond affectionately.

"Hehehe... this is crazy," Ruby chuckled darkly, her composure slipping away.

"Screw it! Let's do this, Anya," Ruby declared, playing her hand with a mischievous gleam in her eye. With that, Ruby just entered the rebellious phase!

"Heh..." Anya smirked in response, thrilled to embark on this daring mission with her partner.

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A/N:

To avoid confusion in this chapter, I suggest rereading the story from Chapter 24.