!! Who gets the sense of redemption when a handsome guy who is usually laughing suddenly goes cold? So cool prprpr.
Don't you guys think Kuno is too cold-blooded? He's totally a villain in the making.
He's clearly just showing his true colors. I've said it a long time ago that he's a villain, just that not many people believed me.
He never had a "saint" persona to begin with! And what is wrong with what he said? A murderer should atone for their sins with their life; that's the best comfort for the victim's family!
If this level is called a villain, I think none of us can be considered good people.
Hearing Gojo Satoru's blunt words, Morofushi Hiromitsu's pupils shrank for a moment. The image of his parents lying in a pool of blood appeared in his mind again, causing his gaze to waver.
Yes, why on earth was he risking his life to save the murderer who brought him such nightmares?
"I... I really do hate him." Morofushi's voice trembled. "Back in middle school, I imagined countless times... if I could find the culprit, what methods I should use to take revenge on him."
His fingers clenched unconsciously, his nails digging deep into his palms, leaving behind several crescent-shaped red marks. But soon, his eyes became clear and firm again.
"However, if I just watch him die today, wouldn't I become the same kind of person as him?"
The fire dancing in his eyes was not a fire of hatred, but a kind of incredibly pure light, pure enough to illuminate the foundation of his soul.
"I cannot forgive myself for deliberately not saving someone when I had the ability to do so."
Gojo didn't reply, but he slowly loosened his grip on Morofushi's wrist. Time was ticking away second by second.
If I don't hurry over there, it really might be too late!
Thinking of this, Morofushi dragged his injured ankle, stubbornly running toward the sea of fire on the second floor. A sharp, stinging pain came from his joint, but as long as he gritted his teeth, the pain seemed to be forcibly suppressed.
I can do it... hold on...
Just then, he heard a sound that was barely a sigh.
"So—I already told you, don't push yourself too hard."
Morofushi sensed a gust of wind flash past him. When he blinked, he saw the black-haired, red-eyed youth standing on the highest step, the burning door frame twisting and deforming behind him, sparks landing on his police academy uniform and burning a string of tiny charred marks.
"Occasionally saying 'Please help me' is better than carrying it all on your own, right?"
The other person wore the familiar, slightly mischievous smile, as if the coldness from just a moment ago never existed.
[Ding! Impression value from plot character Morofushi Hiromitsu increased by 500 points!]
"...Eh?"
In truth, Morofushi hadn't planned on asking Kuno Nozomu for help. Entering a burning building was dangerous, and saving the person was his own decision. He could take the risk, but he didn't want his companions to get involved—that wasn't so much an obsession as it was an instinct.
"Don't just stand there, hurry outside."
Before Gojo finished speaking, he disappeared into the billowing smoke.
"Wait!"
Morofushi's hand paused in mid-air for a second, then dropped. He could no longer see the other person's figure. Reason told him that if he insisted on following him inside, not only would he be unable to help, but he might become someone who needed to be rescued instead.
Believe in Kuno... I must believe in Kuno.
Just like I believe in Zero and the others...
He pursed his lips and finally retreated toward the main gate. The heavy, clogged feeling in his chest was even harder to endure than the pain in his ankle. But he could only swallow those surging worries and turn them into faster footsteps.
At this time, the four people outside had fully unfolded the class flag marked "Blooming Cherry Blossoms," their four arms connecting to form a safety net as solid as a copper wall. They gripped the corners of the flag tightly, eyes fixed on the second-floor window without blinking.
As for Gojo inside the building, he found Tofori Hajime hiding in a corner, ready to accept death, without any effort at all.
"Hey, come here."
He didn't hold back at all as he grabbed his collar, crashed through the glass beside them, and jumped out the window, landing steadily in the center of the spread-out flag. The four of them tightened the flag surface simultaneously, perfectly buffering the impact of the fall. However, when they looked closely, they realized it wasn't Morofushi who had jumped out of the window.
"Kuno, why is it you?" Matsuda said "Oh?" in surprise. "I didn't see you just now, and I thought you had run away."
"Jinpei, you don't really think I wouldn't hit you, do you?"
In order not to distract the other four, Morofushi had been staying to the side without making a sound. It wasn't until he saw Gojo successfully jumping out the window with Tofori that he finally let his suspended heart drop.
"Phew... I'm glad you're okay, Kuno."
The other four noticed his unstable gait as he walked over, and they immediately understood why Kuno had gone to save him in his place. Thankfully, the sprain wasn't too serious; a bit of medicine and a few days of rest would have it back to normal.
Gojo patted the non-existent dust off his clothes and waved his hand. "Of course I'm fine~ This level doesn't even count as a warm-up."
After all, for the Six Eyes that could activate passive techniques at any time, fire and black smoke couldn't affect him at all. In short, there were no civilian casualties in this incident, the missing girl was saved, and the truth of the case from fifteen years ago was brought to light. It could be considered a happy ending.
The group looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief in unison. Only Tofori remained half-kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Why, why didn't you let me die..."
Morofushi said softly, "That's not going to happen. You have to face the judgment of the law and atone for your sins properly."
Sometimes, for criminals seeking death, letting them live is the best punishment.
"I know... I'm sorry to you..."
Seeing the scene of Tofori crying on the ground, a classic confession background music automatically played in Gojo's mind. Hmm, anyone who's watched Conan should know it. As for whether Tofori was genuinely repentant or just hopeless, that had nothing to do with him. Gojo didn't mind saving people, but only innocent ones who were ready to be saved.
In reality, he had indeed thought about changing the original plot and just letting this guy die—but shortly after this thought appeared, it vanished due to Morofushi's firm gaze. If he really let Tofori die, it would be no different from a "private lynching" for Morofushi, which ran counter to the justice he pursued as a police officer... perhaps it would even evolve into a mental block for him. That wasn't a scene Gojo wanted to see.
Thinking of this, he shook his head and muttered, "Seriously, he's like a fool."
It was unclear if he was talking about himself or that stubborn cat-eyed youth.
The people calling Kuno a villain earlier, stand up! This is clearly a little angel, right? The roommate group is the best.
Morofushi is the real angel! The determination to even save his enemy is too high.
Using the class flag to catch people is awesome! A total classic scene.
The image of Tofori being dragged around is inexplicably funny, Kuno, you really aren't holding back at all hhhh.
Wuwuwu, Kuno is truly a good kid, I thought he was going to turn evil earlier, I misunderstood him.
Hearing this, Furuya seemed to recall something and snickered. "Looks like someone is saying one thing and meaning another again?"
Matsuda joined in. "I wonder which tsundere guy said he wouldn't protect others..."
Gojo blinked his eyes, his face written with "I don't understand you." "Is Jinpei talking about himself?"
"What's that? Don't play dumb!"
"What's that~ Don't play dumb~"
"I told you not to copy me!"
While they were bickering, Hagiwara suddenly remembered something the group had long forgotten. "Right, the instructor said we had to finish cleaning before five o'clock, right?"
"Oh... Huh? Only twenty minutes left?"
While the others were shocked and anxious to rush back to school, Gojo remained very calm. "Anyway, Instructor Onizuka can't really expel us, let's just slack off."
"But the instructor is already very dissatisfied with us, if we mess this up too..."
"We solved a kidnapping case today, and an old murder case from fifteen years ago, isn't that enough to make up for our previous 'crimes'?"
"Hmm... You have a point."
There is a law that when someone around you starts to slack off, a group of people will slack off together. They sent Tofori to the police station and helped contact the missing girl's parents, and only then did they return to school leisurely. Before Instructor Onizuka could get angry, Furuya rattled off the prepared speech.
"What? You happened to discover the kidnapped girl, happened to arrest the kidnapper, and that guy just happened to be the suspect in the murder of Morofushi's parents?!"
Although it sounded absurd, as if they were making up a story, with the testimony of the others, Onizuka believed most of it. Especially Morofushi, who always had excellent conduct; he probably wouldn't joke about something like this.
"Alright, wait for me to make a call to see if this is true, you guys go back first."
Gojo struck while the iron was hot. "So we don't have to clean, right? After all, matching wits with a criminal is really stressful~"
"Don't you think it's pretty interesting?" Instructor Onizuka threatened, "If I find out you're lying, just wait to clean the bathhouse until graduation!"
No matter how scary the instructor's threats were, at least they really didn't have to clean today. The six members of the Onizuka class relaxed their hearts and walked toward the cafeteria together.
"Busy with this and that all day, I'm starving..."
"Right? It's good that we don't have to clean the bathhouse, or I wouldn't have an appetite to eat."
"Cleaning the bathhouse is one thing, it's good we weren't asked to clean the toilets."
"Hey hey, if you keep talking, I really won't have an appetite!"
Morofushi noticed Furuya seemed to want to say something and asked proactively, "What's wrong, Zero?"
"Actually... I hid a part of the facts from the instructor before." Furuya said in a low voice. "Regarding the bomb disposal part, I didn't tell him anything."
The others suddenly realized. Just like the unauthorized use of firearms, dismantling bombs without permission and expert guidance was also against school rules.
"No wonder he let us off so easily." Matsuda pondered. "If he finds out later, won't we really have to clean the toilets?"
"...Very likely."
Gojo decided to slack off to the end. "Let's wait until he finds out. What if he never finds out—anyway, anyone want to come play video games tonight?"
"I'm in, I'm in! This time I'll wash away my previous shame!"
"Relaxing occasionally is not bad either."
"Sure, I have no objections."
In the end, everyone voted yes except for Date. The tall, rugged-looking young man smiled apologetically. "Can't help it, since I've already promised to spend time on the phone with my girlfriend."
Gojo: "..."
Class rep, you'll be ostracized in a small group of single dogs like this!
On the other side, Instructor Onizuka was answering a call in his office.
"Hello... are you sure?"
"I know... the person has been caught, right?"
"Good... understood."
Instructor Fujii, who was drinking tea, saw his old friend's inscrutable expression and couldn't help asking, "What, did those troublemakers in your class cause trouble again?"
Instructor Onizuka snorted. "Indeed, they cause more trouble than the last. But it's not all bad, that's for sure."
"Is that so?" Instructor Fujii chuckled. "You were saying before that you wanted them to clean the toilets?"
"As for that, let's keep it for next time."
The reflection on the glass window beside him showed the corners of Onizuka's mouth slightly upturned. "Let's change it to double training for now."
"After all..."
"Tomorrow is another day."