At that moment, Shinichi suddenly came to his senses. Looking up, he saw the teacher standing directly in front of him.
"Playing games in class, huh?"
The teacher held up Shinichi's phone, showing him the screen, which was still displaying the game.
Shinichi initially wanted to offer an explanation, but in the end, he gave up. Saying something like his hand had a mind of its own would sound way too chuunibyou.
When the school bell finally rang, Shinichi used the excuse of feeling unwell to ask the teacher for permission to leave early.
"Izumi's acting strange today. Should we visit him after school?" Yuko Tachikawa said, resting her chin in her hand while staring at Shinichi's now-empty seat.
"Maybe he couldn't figure out how to apologize and felt awkward staying in class with Satomi," Silvain said as he flipped through a class schedule on a sticky note.
"I wouldn't rule that out, but I don't think Izumi's the type to run away," Tachikawa said, visibly frustrated. "I even promised to help him apologize to Satomi."
"Found it," Silvain said with surprise. He had indeed found the chemistry class on the schedule. While his knowledge of chemistry was limited, he recognized the chemical name for sulfuric acid. With something like that, he might have a better shot at killing a Parasite.
"By the way, Yuko, does our school have a kendo club or something similar?"
Faced with Silvain's question, Tachikawa thought for a moment before answering.
"I remember Yuuji from our class is in that club. If you have any questions, just ask him. Are you thinking of joining?"
Silvain put away the schedule and smiled. "I'm really interested in kendo."
After that, he spent the rest of the class idly watching the scenery outside the window. He had no interest in the lesson content.
He waited like that until school ended.
"Yuuji, wait a second." As Yuuji was about to leave, Silvain called out to him.
Yuuji was a little surprised by the sudden call, but he stopped and looked at Silvain. "Is there something I can help you with, Silvain-kun?"
"I heard you're part of the kendo club. I wanted to ask if you're still accepting new members."
"Oh, you want to join? Sure, that's no problem. I'll take you to meet the club president. Once the paperwork's done, you'll officially be a member."
Yuuji then brought Silvain to a tall student ahead of them—Tanaka Nakata, the president of the kendo club.
Tanaka was wearing the club's uniform, which resembled traditional Japanese samurai attire.
"Have you practiced kendo before?" Tanaka asked as he handed Silvain a registration form.
Silvain filled out the form and replied, "I trained for a while. It's a great sport."
"Alright." After confirming everything was in order, Tanaka extended his hand. "Welcome to the kendo club. We usually meet at 5 p.m. You're welcome to come train then."
"Got it. Unless something comes up, I'll be there."
After leaving the club president's office, Yuuji began explaining more about the club.
"Our kendo club is one of the biggest in the school. We have over 300 members, including students from all three grades. When you meet upperclassmen, make sure to greet them properly."
"Some seniors don't have the best tempers," he added with a bitter smile, clearly speaking from experience.
"Got it. Thanks, Yuuji-san. Let me treat you to lunch sometime."
"No need. I usually go home to eat."
After parting ways with Yuuji, Silvain checked his pockets and found a few 10,000 yen bills. It seemed this was his weekly allowance. If he managed his spending carefully, it should be enough.
He found a nearby ramen shop, sat down, and ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen with extra toppings.
He savored the food slowly. The noodles were soft, and the broth was flavorful. He even finished the soup, though he noted it was a bit greasy—probably due to the heavy oil content.
That afternoon, Shinichi still didn't return to class.
Chemistry was held in a special classroom, unlike other subjects. The teacher in charge was a soft-spoken woman with black-rimmed glasses. She was conducting a small experiment at the front of the class.
Silvain noticed that strongly corrosive chemicals, such as acids and bases, were locked in a cabinet that required a key. Security was tight, and ordinary students clearly wouldn't have access.
"This is a problem. Am I really going to have to steal the key?" For a moment, Silvain couldn't think of a better solution.
Right now, there weren't many Parasites at school, but if he waited a few more days, things would get much worse.
"Silvain-kun, are you feeling unwell too?"
Tachikawa noticed him frowning and asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking... what kind of excuse would I need to ask the teacher for the cabinet key?" Silvain joked.
"You don't need an excuse."
Tachikawa casually pulled out a key ring from her pocket.
"?" A huge question mark practically appeared over Silvain's head. "Are you serious? Why do you have the key to the chemistry cabinet?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Because I'm the class rep for chemistry. I'm responsible for cleaning and managing the cabinet. So... guess why I have the key?"
"That's perfect." Silvain really hadn't expected Tachikawa to have the key.
"Can I borrow it? Please?" Silvain looked her straight in the eye. He understood that if anything were to go missing, she would be the one suspected.
"Those chemicals are dangerous. What do you need them for?" she asked, clearly puzzled.
"There's a special reason, but you'll find out soon." Silvain couldn't exactly tell her there were man-eating Parasites in the school. No one would believe it without seeing it for themselves.
"Here, take it. Just be careful when you use them. Make sure the bottles are sealed tight."
Tachikawa tossed him the key.
Noticing the confusion in his expression, she added with a laugh, "I borrow stuff from there too for experiments. As long as you don't take too much at once, no one will notice."
(To be continued.)