A member of the student council came on stage and began reading each line one by one.
When it came to returning home alone, they consciously emphasized this topic, suggesting that after school, at least two people should travel together.
If you really can’t find a classmate, try to take the busy main roads and avoid alleys in residential areas.
Hearing this, Hachiman’s lip twitched slightly.
Traveling together sounded easy, but for someone like him, accustomed to being alone, it was even less realistic than walking alone at night.
Moreover, the incidents had happened inside both Tobe’s and Ooka’s homes.
Even if you walked with ten people, when you reached your doorstep, you still had to open it alone.
If this killer was stalking your home, you were done for.
After the PPT was finished, the academic director came back on stage and spoke for a while.
Then a middle-aged police officer in uniform came out, sturdy and strong, with broad shoulders and a radio hanging from his belt.
He said he was from the Life Safety Division of the police station, and today he had been invited to the school to conduct a simple self-defense lesson.
Renji estimated that at best, he would be at the rank of assistant inspector.
“First, always lock your doors and windows when you go out.”
The police officer’s voice was loud but rapid, as if he was reciting a script he had repeated countless times, just going through the motions.
“Second, if you notice anything unusual at home, such as signs of the lock being picked, an open window, or something that shouldn’t be there inside, don’t enter recklessly — call the police immediately.”
After covering these basics, he taught a few simple self-defense techniques.
For example, how to break free when someone grabs your neck from behind, how to protect your head and vital organs when pinned to the ground, and he even called a PE teacher up on stage for a demonstration.
The two of them stood on the podium and performed a few moves.
Some students in the hall watched intently, but most lowered their heads in a daze, their eyes vacant, lost in thought.
“If you really encounter this knife-wielding killer, can these few moves really protect you? Just turn around and run — that would be more practical.”
Renji watched the police officer and the PE teacher gesturing on stage, thinking that self-defense was close combat.
If you get closer, my knife will be closer too.
Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
Moreover, Renji felt that he was just going through the motions; he thought other nearby schools would probably go through the same thing.
The self-defense technique lesson lasted nearly twenty minutes.
Renji felt like he was about to grow mold; he wanted to know if anyone nearby would come close enough to use their self-defense techniques on.
Hachiman watched all these moves and remembered them — not because he wanted to learn.
If he really encountered danger, he wouldn’t be that stupid, since he was well aware of the limitations of these things.
The self-defense taught by the police was meant for ordinary people who could be pushed back and counterattacked, and such a situation might be relatively effective.
But if someone was waiting for you at the door, someone who had already staked out the place and was holding a knife, then these self-defense techniques would most likely be useless.
After the police from the Life Safety class finished teaching, it was the principal’s turn to personally come on stage and give a closing speech.
The principal was an elderly man with graying hair, usually appearing only at opening and graduation ceremonies, and he loved to quote famous sayings from famous people.
This time, he stood in front of the podium, was silent for a while, and finally spoke just a few short sentences.
“Everyone.”
“I’ve been working at this school for over twenty years — from teacher to now principal.”
“Over the years, I’ve seen off countless graduates, attended numerous home visits and parent-teacher conferences, and resolved countless minor disputes between students.”
“But today, for the first time, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to comfort the students of Class F, and how to reassure all of you.”
The principal’s voice trembled slightly.
He took off his glasses, wiped them, then put them back on, his voice becoming even deeper than before.
“The only thing I can say, and the most pale and helpless thing: please, everyone, protect yourselves.”
“If you have anxieties or fears, don’t hide them alone. Teachers, parents, and everyone present — we are all here with you.”
The students in the gymnasium heard the principal’s speech and burst into enthusiastic applause.
Hachiman looked at the elderly man with white hair on stage.
He could feel the sincerity in the principal’s words — the most instinctive sense of guilt a teacher feels when faced with their inability to protect their students.
But sincerity doesn’t mean usefulness, and guilt doesn’t equal safety.
It’s like a shepherd watching their flock being torn apart by wolves — in any case, it’s useless if the wolf isn’t dealt with.
After the assembly ended, each class filed out in turn.
Hachiman followed the crowd, occasionally bumping shoulders with someone nearby, but not feeling much of anything.
Exiting the gymnasium, the light outside made him squint.
The sky was even darker than at noon, clouds pressing low, and the wind carried the smell of rain.
Rain was bad.
At this particular time, it made committing crimes easier.
Rain helped wash away information left at the scene and masked the smell of blood on their bodies.
Renji walked half a step ahead, then suddenly turned around and asked in a very soft voice.
“What did you think of that self-defense technique just now?”
Hachiman looked at Renji and answered almost without hesitation.
“Not very good.”
“You think so too?”
Renji put his hands back in his pockets and also looked at the gloomy sky.
It was good that it was going to rain.
“In the end, these things just make the survivors feel like they’ve done something, rather than just standing by and watching. At least the school is holding safety lectures, and when others talk about it, the school remembers to do this.”
Hachiman didn’t say anything.
He remembered the series of safety precautions the academic director had read out, the self-defense skills the police had taught, and the principal’s trembling voice.
All these elements together formed a complete ritual, where everyone played their part.
The school fulfilled its duty of reminding, the police provided professional guidance, and the students listened attentively.
But after the ceremony ended, everything went on as usual, except that the killer didn’t come and wasn’t greatly affected.
Hachiman didn’t know who this strange masked killer was, but he vaguely felt that this person was probably quietly and patiently advancing their plan somewhere in the city, piece by piece.
Compared to the endless rhetoric and tabulated safety tips in the gymnasium, the killer’s plan was definitely far more precise and accurate.