A Saiyan's Journey

"Why did you suddenly lock the guest room?"

During breakfast, Sayu Ogiwara curiously asked Shin.

Earlier, when she was about to clean up, she noticed that Shin had locked the guest room, which puzzled her.

After all, she had been tidying the house these past few days and had even seen the inside of the guest room. There didn't seem to be anything particularly special in there.

"I put some important things inside. Don't worry about it," Shin casually replied.

The truth was, Irisviel, a full-grown person, was inside, and explaining that to Sayu Ogiwara would have been tricky.

Irisviel was still in a deep slumber, waiting for Shin to replenish her mana and wake her up. She currently looked like a comatose patient. To an outsider, it might seem as if Shin had kidnapped a disabled person.

Instead of wasting energy explaining Irisviel's origin, Shin decided it was better to wait until he could restore her mana and wake her up. At that point, Irisviel could explain her own situation. Her own account would surely be more convincing than anything Shin could say.

"I see."

Sayu Ogiwara nodded without further questioning.

In truth, after spending a few days with Shin, Sayu Ogiwara had sensed that his background wasn't simple.

At the very least, the money he had given her the other day was far beyond what an ordinary high school student could afford.

Moreover, yesterday morning, she had seen someone who appeared intimidating waiting downstairs in a car to pick up Shin. The person had acted with great respect.

For someone timid, such an encounter might have instilled a sense of fear, as Shin's connections seemed far from ordinary.

However, Sayu Ogiwara didn't feel the slightest concern. Though Shin was typically cold and aloof, his care for her was genuine.

Even though she had only been here for a few days, Sayu Ogiwara already felt more at home than she ever had at her original home. Compared to her family, Shin made her feel far more comfortable.

"I'm done eating."

Shin set down his bowl. Interestingly enough, despite his Saiyan physique, his appetite hadn't grown as massive as that of a traditional Saiyan.

Perhaps his body had only acquired Saiyan abilities but hadn't undergone a full genetic transformation?

Shin often felt that every time he entered a mission world, he was bringing his original body with him.

While he had been assigned various identities and gained some special abilities, the sense of familiarity with his body was unmistakable.

Unable to figure out why, Shin simply decided not to dwell on it. After all, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"It tastes great."

"Hehe..."

Sayu Ogiwara beamed with a smile. Even a simple compliment was enough to make her feel motivated.

Her mother would never have praised her at home.

"Oh? Shin, you're back? Is everything okay? Why did you suddenly take a day off?"

When Shin entered school, he encountered Shizuka Hiratsuka in the hallway. She looked at him with a curious expression.

As a teacher who genuinely cared about her students, she was naturally worried that something might have happened to Shin, especially since he had asked Megumi Kato to request a leave on his behalf that morning.

To be honest, when Megumi Kato first came to request leave for him, Shizuka Hiratsuka had almost missed it, nearly mistaking it for Shin skipping class.

It wasn't until Megumi Kato came to the office a second time to clarify that Shizuka realized Shin had formally requested leave.

"It was a family matter," Shin replied casually.

Naturally, he couldn't say that the Shinomiya family had an issue with the Kiryu Group, and as the group's secret boss, he had to go along.

Using "family matter" as an excuse was the easiest way to brush it off.

"...Family?"

Hearing the excuse, Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at Shin skeptically.

If she remembered correctly, Shin was an orphan, wasn't he? His parents had been missing for years.

Because of this, Shizuka Hiratsuka had previously paid extra attention to him, ready to step in if his background as an orphan caused any personality issues.

However, Shin turned out to be cheerful and got along well with his classmates. He hadn't faced bullying due to his background, which put her mind at ease.

She never expected to hear the word "family" from Shin...

Even though she doubted his excuse, Shizuka Hiratsuka was too tactful to confront him with something like, "Aren't you an orphan?"

Instead, she looked at Shin with a hint of pity and said gently:

"Although I don't know why you took leave, if you ever face any difficulties, you can always talk to me. I'll do my best to help you."

Shizuka Hiratsuka assumed that using "family" as an excuse might be tied to some unresolved family issues.

Shin didn't know what Shizuka had imagined, but seeing her drop the matter, he nodded and headed toward his classroom.

"Oh, by the way, Shin, you haven't been to see Yukino lately, have you?"

As he was about to enter, Shizuka called out again, her tone curious.

"...I'm not a member of the Service Club," Shin replied with a strange expression.

Did his behavior at school really warrant being pushed toward Yukino Yukinoshita like a problem child?

"I know, but didn't you and Yukino get along pretty well before?"

Shizuka didn't push him toward the club as she had with Hachiman Hikigaya in the original story. Instead, her focus seemed more on Yukino herself.

"You know Yukino's personality. It's rare for her to have someone she can talk to, so I'm a bit concerned."

Because of Yukino's sister, Shizuka had always kept an eye on her and hoped to correct her reclusive tendencies.

However, she hadn't found an effective way yet. Shin's appearance had been a breakthrough, but since their last interaction, he hadn't visited the Service Club, which worried Shizuka.

"I see."

Shin understood her intent. She wanted him to interact more with Yukino, encouraging her to make friends.

While he currently had no reason to approach Yukino... actually, he did have one.

"Perhaps she'll come to me herself later, so don't worry too much, Ms. Hiratsuka."

He thought of the task he had given Yukino to observe Yotsuya Miko.

The next time Yukino encountered Yotsuya, it might prompt her to seek him out again.

For now, Shin had developed the ability to handle evil spirits, though he hadn't encountered Yotsuya recently and had nearly forgotten about it.

To be continued...

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