Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

"I know you. You performed very well at last year's sports meet and have excellent physical fitness. It's a pity you joined the archery club. If you were in our judo club..." The judo captain's face twitched. "Also, don't call me Groudon. My name is Akachi Takeshi!"

This name would be better Groudon.

Dongshan Shen smiled, glanced at the target's position, and without making any adjustments, directly nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

A small opening doesn't count as opening, and a small aim doesn't count as aiming.

The students watching were completely taken aback when Dongshan barely aimed, and with a whoosh, released the bowstring. Even a test shot wouldn't be this casual!

stamp!

The arrow pierced precisely through the judo captain's forehead on the wooden board and lodged itself in the tree behind him.

"Looks like I got it?"

"It's a hit! It's a hit!!"

"So cool! I want to learn archery too!"

"Lord Dongshan, Lord Dongshan!"

"Damn it, he got it."

The fickle students instantly abandoned judo and switched to kyudo.

They're not familiar with judo!

The judo minister looked completely incredulous.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. In order to deal with the archery club, he also had some knowledge of archery. He knew how terrifying it was to take over an unfamiliar bow and hit a target more than 50 centimeters away without even trying.

Unexpectedly, following in the footsteps of Takaya Imagawa, another exceptionally talented individual has emerged in the art of archery!

Is it possible that fate has forsaken my judo?

He clutched his chest, stumbled back a few steps, and was supported by his fellow members.

"minister!"

"Minister! We cannot give up!"

"We will win back in the future!"

Looking into his teammates' burning gazes, he felt a deep sense of bond, a passion that burned brightly with youthful energy! The judo captain's dark red face flushed with emotion, his eyes welled with tears, and his condition improved somewhat.

"Life is full of ups and downs. This defeat will only become nourishment for our future success! We can afford to lose! Let's retreat!"

With a wave of his hand, the newly built stalls began to be dismantled again.

The judo club came in full force, but left dejectedly.

Nan Chuan scoffed dismissively, "He's more dramatic than me."

The department members who returned after cleaning up the targets were speechless. How dare their own department head say that others were being dramatic?

"I exceeded expectations and am heading back." Higashiyama Shin handed the bow back to her. Now that the outcome was decided, nothing could stop the archery club from recruiting new members.

If nothing unexpected happens, he has once again inadvertently created a new campus legend.

"Hey, I was planning to prepare a victory banquet for our hero," Nanchuan said with a grin. "As expected of my handpicked archery Rayquaza!"

After waking up from numerous requests for photos, Shinichi Higashiyama bid farewell to Imagawa and prepared to return to his classroom.

"The parents of those people did come after all."

"Hopefully the police can stop them, sigh."

As he walked through the classroom corridor and passed the teachers' office, Higashiyama Shin, with his enhanced hearing, could clearly hear two teachers talking inside.

Those parents?

Were they those few bad parents who died?

This is not surprising; the timing is indeed about the same.

The person died on Monday night.

The death was confirmed that evening and on Tuesday. The family assisted and questioned the police. On Wednesday, the family rallied together to put pressure on the school and the police, which was broadcast on the news that evening. On Thursday, they gathered materials, put up white banners with black lettering, and began their protest.

“Our XX is a good child. That’s roughly how it’s put.” Chiba Shion took a sip of her green tea latte, the drink Higashiyama had prepared for her today. “It’s clear that the case is unusual. Not only was it delayed by two days before it was announced, but there seems to be no progress.”

"Are you interested in solving cases?" Higashiyama Shin had never seen her enjoy reading detective novels.

Chiba shook his head: "It's just a habit of paying attention to some details. That arrow just now was very powerful."

"Thank you for the compliment, I accept it." Higashiyama Shin gladly accepted.

From here, you can see the open space where the archery club is recruiting new members, so it's not surprising that Chiba knows what just happened, especially the commotion caused by the judo club, which attracted many people to press their eyes against the windows to watch.

Chapter 52: A Smile at the Corner of His Lips

"Ahem, um, Higashiyama-kun."

Class representative Oda Kuranosuke awkwardly interrupted the conversation between the two.

"Is there something you need, Class Representative?" Higashiyama Shin replied with a smile.

He's not someone who hates communication; as long as it's not just endless chatter, he can accept it.

Therefore, during middle school, his reputation was completely opposite to that of Chiba. One was Shin Higashiyama, who was like a gentle breeze and a "flower" on a high mountain; the other was Shion Chiba, who was as cold as winter and a lotus among thorns.

This aligns with his core philosophy of valuing harmony.

What if we disagree? Then we'll beat you until you kneel.

In his world, peace is paramount, and "I won't kneel before you" is a complete phrase.

However, he is definitely not a pushover. He is very careful about his actions and will make the other party pay a certain cost, even if it is a small matter to him. This makes people more grateful.

However, it also depends on the matter. If it is a good thing and does not harm others, he will naturally be happy to help.

"Um... I'd like to ask you some questions about the daily routines and things to keep in mind for the class representative," Oda said somewhat embarrassedly.

It's clear that he really wants to be a responsible class monitor.

Higashiyama Shin was pleased to see this happen.

So he nodded, took out his teaching tablet, and casually sent a document to the other party.

"This is a summary of my daily work over the past three years of middle school. Mr. Oda is always meticulous, so you will definitely be able to do a good job."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Oda was overjoyed. He took out his tablet, clicked to receive the message, and then said with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, "I heard there's a good family restaurant near the station. Are you and Chiba-san free today? My treat, let's go try it together."

Higashiyama Shin politely declined, and Oda didn't dare to insist. He could only return to his seat with some regret and carefully look at the document.

“He’s a fan of yours. When he was in his third year of high school, someone said bad things about you, and he almost got into a fight with that person at the door,” Chiba suddenly said.

"I never thought I'd become a role model one day." Higashiyama Shin paused for a moment, then smiled and didn't seem to care much.

Chiba's eyes were serious: "You always underestimate your own excellence."

Shinichi Higashiyama: "."

Uh, am I really that good?

Yeah, whatever, that's just like me!

The last class of the day was Japanese by Ikeda Rui. As the school bell rang, he had just finished explaining the last point of knowledge.

"When school is over, try to avoid reporters and parents. Getting entangled with them will not do you any good."

"Yes."

"stand up!"

"Thank you for your guidance."

"Everyone has worked hard."

Ikeda Rui nodded, packed up his presentation materials, and left.

He returned to his office in silence, and the previously natural conversation inside immediately subsided.

After he returned to his seat, the other teachers quickly and quietly packed up their things and left the office one after another.

Ikeda Rui silently wrote something, and after more than half an hour, he got up, got a cup of tea in the empty office, stood by the window, and calmly looked at the parents and reporters gathered at the school gate.

Principal Asano, along with the school security team and instructors, cooperated with the police to stop those people and prevent them from harassing students leaving school.

After observing for a while, he returned to his seat, picked up his briefcase, left the office, and walked out of the school.

"Minister, I'm going home now."

The video game club had set up a recruitment area that looked like a temporary game demo room. Higashiyama Shin, who was in charge of guiding new recruits, saw Ikeda Rui walking out of the teaching building and said goodbye to Kanai, the club president.

Jin Jing checked the time; it was almost five o'clock. He had already attracted most of the people he could. The rest were just super popular people who didn't play games and weren't "charmed" by Higashiyama Shin, so there was no need to recruit them.

"Ah, okay, okay, that's about right."

Higashiyama Shin removed his "village chief" NPC badge, called Chiba who was sitting on a chair not far away reading a book, and the two of them walked out of the school gate one after the other, keeping a safe distance of about ten meters from Ikeda Rui.

The noise at the school gate was quite loud, but it was much better than when school had just let out.

"Principal Asano, I heard from a funeral home employee that the deceased had marks on his wrists from being bound. Is there some kind of shady dealings within the school?!"

"I heard that the teaching building where the student was killed has been abandoned for three years without any physical barriers or electronic surveillance. Does the school admit to any negligence in security management? Can you provide the building's security inspection records for the past three years?"

"Principal Asano, as the legally responsible person for safety, have you considered resigning? Has the school board initiated accountability procedures against the management?"

"Officer, the parents have accused the school of negligent homicide. When will the prosecution intervene? Are there any teachers or staff involved? Will they face criminal charges?"

The reporters were like tireless repeating machines, constantly asking the principal and the police questions, even if the principal kept a straight face or said no comment.

The victims' families sat at the school gate, spreading out a large white cloth, holding white banners, and carrying portraits of the deceased. Some bowed their heads in silence, some were emotionally distraught, and some silently wiped away tears.

"It's you! Ikeda! Did you kill our child?!"

A sharp female voice instantly drew everyone's attention. Among the family members, a woman with red and swollen eyes from crying stood up unsteadily and pointed at Ikeda Rui, who had just stepped out of the school gate.

Ikeda Rui looked at the woman, his eyes flickered slightly, and then silently shook his head.

"It's you! Murderer—give me back my son's life!!"

In the crowd, mixed among the reporters, a middle-aged man with a vicious face and bloodshot eyes pushed through the crowd and rushed towards Ikeda Rui with quick steps, the cold light of a knife flashing in his hand.

"Be careful!!"

One of the policemen's expressions changed drastically, and he shouted.

About ten meters behind Ikeda Rui, Higashiyama Shin shielded Chiba behind him, his expression knowing.

The reason he left school with Ikeda Rui was because he saw that Ikeda Rui had a minor ailment displayed on his profile.

This level of ferocity will not endanger life; it will only result in minor injuries, not even considered serious.

Therefore, he had no intention of taking action.

"Ah!"

Many people in the crowd covered their mouths, staring in astonishment at the scene before them.

The man's knife had already been thrust out, but it failed to pierce Ikeda Rui's abdomen. Incredibly, Ikeda Rui managed to grab the section of the blade near the guard.

Blood dripped from Ikeda's hands, but his face remained expressionless.

"Your children's deaths have nothing to do with me."

His voice grew colder.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened as he realized that no matter how hard he tried, the knife wouldn't budge.

The next second, he was pinned down by several police officers who finally reacted, and handcuffed.

Reporters swarmed forward like sharks that had smelled blood, their flashes going off incessantly.

The woman who had just stepped forward to accuse Ikeda was also surrounded by a large number of reporters.

"You accuse Mr. Ikeda of being involved in your child's death. Do you have any direct evidence or leads to provide? Have you submitted any relevant materials to the police?"

"Ikeda's disarming skills were very proficient. Did you know he used to be involved in violent gangs? Do you suspect he has a criminal record?"

"Did your son leave a will before he died? Did he have any threatening text messages from Ikeda on his phone? Could you disclose those messages?"

The woman covered her face, seemingly frightened by the scene.

But Higashiyama Shin saw that there was something lingering at the corner of her mouth.