A Saiyan's Journey

Although she was skeptical about what Shin said, Shizuka Hiratsuka still left, utterly confused.

After all, Shin's usual behavior had been pretty decent, so even though she couldn't understand why Yukinoshita Yukino would actively seek him out, she decided to tentatively believe Shin's explanation.

After Hiratsuka left, Shin glanced toward where she had been standing and, with a helpless smile, said:

"Well? Did you hear what you wanted?"

Standing in the spot where Hiratsuka had been, Megumi Katou appeared—she had stepped out of the classroom when Hiratsuka called Shin over earlier.

She had then stood calmly beside Hiratsuka, openly listening in on their conversation.

Hiratsuka, in her usual oblivious manner, hadn't noticed Katou at all. She left without even glancing at her.

Shin wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but ever since they started interacting, Katou seemed increasingly fond of using her low presence to take actions like this.

It was almost as if, as long as Shin could see her, it didn't matter if others noticed her or not.

"If you're talking about Hiratsuka-sensei trying to matchmake you and Yukinoshita, then I guess I heard something interesting," Katou replied earnestly. Her expression was calm, but Shin could detect a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes.

Obviously, she was joking. There was no way she genuinely believed Hiratsuka's earlier words were about matchmaking him and Yukinoshita.

It was more likely that Hiratsuka was simply worried about Yukinoshita's inability to interact normally with others and wanted Shin to help her adjust.

It felt like Hiratsuka was treating him as some kind of therapist.

"So, Shin-chan, what were you up to yesterday?"

As they walked back into the classroom side by side, Katou sat at her desk, turned to face Shin at the seat behind her, and asked curiously:

"You had me help excuse your absence early in the morning. Something urgent must've come up, right?"

"Well… I guess you could say it was business-related," Shin thought for a moment before giving her a vague response.

It wasn't exactly suitable to tell her outright that he was helping the Kiryuin yakuza group connect with the Shinomiya family.

After all, technically, the Shinomiya family's dealings could be considered "business," couldn't they? While the Kiryuin group was still a yakuza organization, their future plans—leveraging the Shinomiya family's influence—aimed to evolve into a blend of legal and illegal operations.

By then, calling it business wouldn't be wrong. In fact, the Kiryu group already managed establishments like bars, which could be considered legitimate business ventures.

"You know how things are with my family. I'm starting to learn the ropes of business now; otherwise, I won't have any money in the future."

Katou knew about Shin's orphan status. She had realized it during her visit to his empty home last time.

Of course, she couldn't have guessed that, just the day after her visit, someone else had moved into his house. And if things went as expected, yet another person would join him after today.

After all, Irisviel didn't seem to have anywhere else to go, and this world didn't have the Einzbern family.

"I see... Shin-chan has it tough," Katou said, seemingly understanding his situation. Although her interpretation of his life likely deviated significantly from the truth, she still gave him a look filled with sympathy.

But despite knowing about Shin's circumstances and "understanding" his actions, Katou couldn't help but ask:

"Does this mean you're not planning to go to college?"

Shin's academic performance was consistently above average, so attending university wouldn't be an issue if he wanted to. It all depended on his decision.

In Japan, under the concept of "happy education," many students opted to join the workforce right after high school. Academic ability and family circumstances were common factors influencing such decisions.

From Katou's perspective, Shin starting to learn "business" now suggested he might not intend to pursue higher education after graduation.

This left Katou feeling conflicted—because she still wanted to go to college.

In the original story, she had been admitted to Fujikawa University, and in this world, she hadn't changed that aspiration.

But now, her wish wasn't just to attend university; she also wanted to go to the same one as Shin. If Shin decided to enter the workforce after high school, wouldn't that render her wish impossible?

Sure, they could still maintain a relationship even if they didn't attend the same university… but they wouldn't be able to spend as much time together. The thought made Katou feel a little disappointed.

"University, huh… I haven't decided yet. I'll think about it when the time comes," Shin said after a moment of thought, twirling a pen between his fingers.

There was still a lot of time before graduation, so he hadn't considered what came after.

Given his current situation, it wouldn't matter even if he didn't go to university. If he didn't find anything or anyone worth his attention there, he might skip it entirely.

But the future was unpredictable, so he wasn't closing off the possibility. Since his purpose in this mundane world was to relax, if university could provide him with that, he might decide to attend.

During lunchtime, Shin went to the rooftop again with Katou, who had prepared a bento for him.

At the rooftop entrance, however, they found two people who had arrived before them.

"Good afternoon, Shin-kun," Ikuyo Kita greeted him cheerfully, her face beaming with joy. Her gaze also lingered briefly on Katou behind him.

"This must be Katou-san, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Ikuyo Kita, a friend of both Gotou-san and Shin-kun."

Gotou Hitori stood awkwardly to the side, her expression conflicted.

Even though she had known Shin longer than Kita had, their interactions made it seem like Kita was the closer friend.

Hmph! No matter how familiar Kita acted with Shin, she didn't know about his underworld connections… this little secret was something only I know!

Gotou sulked internally, her mind brimming with imaginary grievances.

"Hello, I'm Megumi Katou," Katou greeted Kita politely, though her gaze grew subtly contemplative as she glanced at the calm Shin beside her.

She had already known that Gotou would be bringing someone along for lunch, but, as expected, it turned out to be a beautiful girl.

Although Katou believed her relationship with Shin was quite close, she couldn't help but feel a slight sense of urgency in moments like this.

Should I be more proactive…?

Katou's mind swirled with conflicting thoughts.

To be continued…

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