And now Bocchi had imagined Renji as someone who could read your thoughts at a glance and analyze your personality within three minutes.
Another reason Renji had chosen Bocchi was that he thought the script might end with a main actor or a guest star in the group.
At this moment, Hachiman was holding the can of cold green tea that Renji had “specially” bought for him, suddenly feeling that Renji was truly extraordinary compared to the people he had met over the years.
Although Hachiman wasn’t arrogant or boastful, he still maintained self-awareness, having gained years of solitude and insight after many wounds.
This allowed him to clearly see the phenomena presented and see the truth within.
Renji gave Hachiman a very pure feeling, not too concerned with external interference or influence.
Hachiman himself was an isolated, marginalized person, so he didn’t fit in and wasn’t swayed by the external atmosphere.
Renji’s words didn’t seem isolated; on the contrary, they were more like being isolated by others from Hachiman.
Moreover, Renji was considered his first friend.
Hachiman opened the can and took a sip.
The cold green tea slid down his throat, easing the nerves that had been tense all morning.
Renji had no idea what Hachiman was thinking about right now.
Looking out the window at the still-active students, Renji’s thoughts had already shifted to Yamato, who had left.
“If we make a move tomorrow night, the police might confirm the interval between my crimes. Besides, Yamato lives alone, but he probably won’t dare to live alone anymore.”
“After all, Yamato just wants to train and live alone, not like Ooka, whose parents work outside the city.”
“The police will probably also be watching, but maybe not.”
Originally, Renji thought the police might assign people specifically to protect Yamato’s safety, but then he thought that perhaps there wouldn’t be anyone, since there were many reasons.
Even if they did send people, at most it would be one or two low-level patrol officers watching nearby, and they might just relax — they wouldn’t take it too seriously.
He figured that if he stopped, they wouldn’t investigate further and would apologize privately to the family.
After the second class in the afternoon, which was usually close to the end of the school day, if you had a club, you’d go there for activities; if not, it was your own time.
But now everyone had to gather in the school gymnasium to attend an extremely time-consuming emergency safety lecture.
Hachiman and Renji followed the crowd to the gymnasium.
For some reason, Hachiman felt that this didn’t look like a safety seminar, but rather like a funeral.
Hachiman walked in the middle of the group, surrounded by classmates, but no one talked to him, and he didn’t start conversations with anyone.
This state was quite comfortable for Hachiman compared to usual.
Normally it was like this, but in such unusual times, it became a natural protective coloration.
No one would accuse him of being unsociable or cold.
Suddenly, Hachiman felt his phone vibrate.
He didn’t check it directly, but glanced at Renji, then saw that Renji was holding his phone and signaling to him.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re going to a funeral?”
Hachiman couldn’t help but let out a sound when he saw the message on his phone.
Really, bro?
Are you really pure enough to say everything you’re thinking out loud?
Hachiman didn’t know what to reply, typed a few words, then deleted them, and finally managed to respond with a helpless smile.
Hachiman didn’t know that from Renji’s perspective, that smile was no different from sarcasm.
The gymnasium had already been divided by class, but only the second-year students had come.
Perhaps because the victim was a second-year student, Renji found this quite abstract.
Class 2-F was positioned against the leftmost wall.
Hachiman consciously stood at the end of the line, and Renji stood next to him, asking.
“What did that smiling emoji you just sent me mean?”
“I don’t believe you don’t think so.”
Hachiman was momentarily stunned by Renji’s words, not understanding why he was insisting on the question.
Besides, how did you know I really thought that?
“I just… I didn’t know how to respond to your question, so I could only smile.”
“I see. Next time, don’t answer like that — it’s sarcastic.”
“?”
Hachiman couldn’t understand why a standard smile was considered sarcastic, but Renji wasn’t going to explain.
The academic director was the first to come out on stage.
He was a balding man in his fifties, wearing a suit buttoned all the way up and a neatly tied tie.
Renji felt that he knew how to keep everything under wraps.
The academic director stood behind the podium, resting his hands on the edge of the podium, silent for about five seconds.
“Classmates, I think everyone already knows. Two students from Class 2-F of our school have both met with misfortune within just three days.”
His voice came through the microphone, echoing through the empty gymnasium.
No one in the hall spoke; the incident had long since spread throughout the school and even the surrounding area.
“The police are currently investigating at all costs, and the school is doing everything possible to cooperate with the investigation.”
The academic director paused tactically for a moment before continuing.
“But before the killer is caught, we must protect ourselves. That’s why we’ve gathered everyone here today to emphasize some safety precautions.”
The large screen behind him lit up, showing a PPT titled “Student Safety Guide · Emergency Revised Edition.”
Hachiman looked at the PPT and immediately understood that it had been rushed into production.
Each safety precaution was preceded by a numbered digit, with detailed explanations in small print below — classic methods.
Try not to return home alone, avoid remote roads, don’t stay out on the streets after dusk, don’t easily open the door when strangers knock, and immediately report to the police if you encounter suspicious situations.
Renji didn’t even want to look; he had no reason to, and the danger wouldn’t fall on his head anyway.
Renji’s gaze began to scan the surroundings.
Although he usually liked to walk around the campus and enjoy the scenery, only when gathered in this state could he see more fully.
Then the academic director asked the student council to give a speech, essentially just reading from the PPT, nothing to argue about.