Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

The cicadas had not yet started to sing, and the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became exceptionally quiet.

A white cloud drifted across the azure sky.

Phoenix Academy Maggie appeared casual, but her heart was already thumping.

She wanted to know the answer.

Aozawa's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head. "Maggie, you have a very active imagination."

"Really?"

Phoenix Academy Maggie sighed inwardly. Then she suddenly realized her observational skills were weakening.

Or was Aozawa's feigned expression so perfect that she couldn't see any flaws?

She didn't think so.

The teacher who had once taught her how to detect lies had said that emotions affect a person's judgment.

Therefore, the best way to determine if someone is lying is to strip away emotions and discern the truth with the mindset of an uninvolved party.

Without being influenced by emotions, she could easily detect any lie in the world.

She had thought she could easily apply the knowledge her teacher had taught.

But the difficulty in practice was beyond her imagination.

At this moment, her emotions made her more inclined to believe Aozawa's words. She didn't even want to determine if he was lying.

In her heart, she hoped his words were true. Therefore, they were true.

"What a pity. I thought I would hear some news about you dating her."

Phoenix Academy Maggie crossed her arms, a tender smile playing on her slightly upturned lips.

Aozawa replied casually, "Sorry to disappoint your gossip-hungry heart."

"It's fine. Let me satisfy your curiosity with some sensational news instead. Yesterday, the CIA suffered many casualties at the hands of Dio. It's said not even bodies were left behind. Dio's Superpower seems to increase every Monday. Impressive, right?"

The information Phoenix Academy Maggie revealed was from a report submitted by the task force to the Police Director, who then provided a copy to the Phoenix Academy.

Those few simple sentences had cost the Phoenix Academy a considerable sum. In her mother's eyes, anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem.

"This is classified information; at least show me a look of shock."

"That's a secret far removed from me."

Aozawa shrugged, completely unconcerned that the task force had discovered Dio's Superpower increased weekly. He had never intended to hide this information; if they figured it out, so be it.

Now, he was only worried about whether Iroha would agree.

"Maggie, if you had a very tasty loaf of bread and you were hungry, would you share half of it if a passerby asked for it?"

The sudden question about human nature made Phoenix Academy Maggie pause. She didn't answer immediately but thought for a moment before saying, "Is the passerby very hungry?"

Now it was Aozawa's turn to pause. He had spoken offhandedly and shook his head. "Not particularly hungry."

"Then I definitely wouldn't give it to him."

"What if he were very hungry? Would you give it then?"

"My answer now would be yes, but if I were actually faced with that situation, I can only say I most likely would."

Phoenix Academy Maggie didn't give a perfunctory answer; she came to this conclusion after serious contemplation.

Her current thought was that if she found herself in such a predicament, she would rather depart this world embracing a noble moral principle than live a debased life.

If she were really in that position, her thoughts might change, or they might not.

"Well, for me, I'll never know the answer to that question in my lifetime."

Phoenix Academy Maggie shrugged and then curiously asked, "Why do you ask this?"

"I just suddenly felt like exploring human nature."

"You're getting stranger," Phoenix Academy Maggie muttered, very sure that something had happened between Ayatsuki Ayaka and Aozawa.

Was it really a confession?

She considered this possibility but felt it wasn't right. Ayatsuki Ayaka's expression wasn't one of sorrow or disappointment, nor was it the joy of a successful confession. Instead, it was a kind of baffled state.

As if she were faced with some unsolvable puzzle.

Ah, Phoenix Academy Maggie sighed inwardly.

She truly wished she could awaken a Superpower, to possess the Thousand Mile Eye and Acute Hearing, to see scenery beyond her line of sight and hear sounds from beyond her range of hearing.

That way, she wouldn't be so distressed.

She could watch Aozawa twenty-four hours a day.

The thought flashed through Phoenix Academy Maggie's mind. A thought like that is a bit inappropriate, she mused.

DING DONG DONG. The class bell rang, sweeping away the thoughts in her mind.

"Let's stop talking, class is starting."

"Yeah."

Aozawa replied and also took out his textbook, ready to focus his mind on learning.

Whether Iroha agrees is her business. I can't influence it.

Two consecutive classes passed. During the break that followed, Aozawa entered the classroom through the back door and noticed a group of boys gathered, seemingly discussing some major issue.

He didn't approach them.

In classroom 2-C, he didn't know many of the boys. The only one he had a good relationship with was Hojo Tetsuji. The only one he was somewhat acquainted with was Furusawa Kyoichiro. He barely knew the other boys.

"What are they passionately discussing?"

"I'm not sure."

"Aren't you a guy?"

Hearing Phoenix Academy Maggie's snide comment, Aozawa rolled his eyes and said irritably, "You know I'm not really close with the guys in class, so don't say such things."

"Scumbag. All you know is how to hang out with girls."

Phoenix Academy Maggie pursed her lips, not bothering to hide the scorn in her eyes.

Aozawa didn't bother responding. He had already used his Catalyst sensing ability to eavesdrop on the boys' discussion and then deactivated it.

He suppressed his surprise and pretended to play on his phone. He opened TikTok, and the recommended short video was the current trending topic.

"I think I've guessed what they're discussing."

"What is it?"

Phoenix Academy Maggie leaned in curiously, trying to peek at his phone screen from the side, not noticing their proximity was a bit too intimate.

Or perhaps she noticed but didn't care.

Aozawa tilted his phone towards her, making it easier for her to see.

"It's this one."

The short video's caption read: TRAGEDY! SHRINE BURNED DOWN!

From the video, the fire looked quite fierce.

It also had text describing the perpetrator as a man from the Philippines.

The current death toll was eleven, including visiting Diet members, shrine staff, and worshippers.

"Tch, World War II heroes... Does this blogger even know what role Japan played back then?"

Phoenix Academy Maggie couldn't help but remark, "In a manga, they'd definitely be the kind of scum who deserve to die."

Unlike the six major financial conglomerates, the Phoenix Family rose to prominence after the war. Kochou had educated her on historical truths, not the revisionist versions.

She was well aware of how crazy and twisted Japan was back then.

"Yeah, Durant stormed in with a gun, shot the visiting Diet member, and then set the place on fire. You could say it was deeply satisfying."

Aozawa watched the fire in the short video. It looked like the blaze had completely burned the "toilet" clean.

With a light swipe of his finger, the next short video made things even clearer.

The murderer had been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Many Diet members clamored for his death sentence, saying it was a desecration to the Emperor and an insult to the soldiers who had bravely sacrificed themselves for the country.

Phoenix Academy Maggie asked curiously, "Why would Durant risk his life to burn that place down?"

"Not sure."

Aozawa shook his head, having already made a decision. If such a man were to be executed for this reason, then Heaven truly would be blind. Good people should live long lives.

「Noon.」

Aozawa was on the rooftop.

He bit into one of Shouko's handmade meatballs. He chewed a few times; the 100% pure meat combined with Shouko's special sauce was incredibly delicious.

It was a hundred times more delicious than store-bought meatballs.

He swallowed the meatball, closed his empty bento box, and said with a smile, "Tetsuji, I'm going to take a nap, so I'll head out first."

Hojo Tetsuji glanced at him and asked, "Are you all right?"

Aozawa paused his movement of getting up, somewhat surprised. "Why do you suddenly ask that?"

Hojo Tetsuji said with a serious expression, "My grades may not be great, but I can still tell some things. You're hiding something. If it's convenient, you can tell me. Of course, if you want to play it cool and bear it all yourself, that's fine too. It's your choice."

"Haha, I never thought I'd be comforted by you one day."

Aozawa laughed and touched his face. "Is my expression that obvious?"

"Your expression is fine, but we're friends."

As he said the word "friends," Hojo Tetsuji pushed up his sunglasses, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Shouting about things like friendship and passion didn't fit the image of a delinquent.

"I can still vaguely sense that you're not your usual self. You're hiding something."

Aozawa remarked with a sigh, "So, not only do you look like a beast on the outside, but you also have beast-like intuition, huh? Sometimes, I really envy your straightforwardness. Tetsuji, what's your take on a man wanting two women?"

"That's the worst," Hojo Tetsuji answered truthfully.

Aozawa touched his nose and gave a wry smile. "What if that man is me? What would you say then?"

Hojo Tetsuji thought for a moment and said, "Good luck then. Since you want to do that, you'll have to work harder than most."

Aozawa teased him about his double standards, "Tetsuji, you just said that type of man is the worst."

Hojo Tetsuji replied confidently, "That's for other people. As for you, I understand you. You're not some coward who shirks responsibility and runs from difficulties. Since you want to pursue two people, you will surely make them both happy."

"Haha, Tetsuji, if you were a girl, I might just fall for you."

"Even if I were a girl, I'd only have eyes for Little Sayuri," Hojo Tetsuji answered with conviction.

Aozawa smiled, thinking such an answer was very much in Tetsuji's style.

"Tetsuji, thanks for the encouragement."

"Don't mention it. You've helped me a lot too. If we started listing thank-yous, we'd be here all day," Hojo Tetsuji replied impatiently. He hated such lengthy, sentimental displays of gratitude.

Aozawa didn't dawdle either, waved his hand, and continued down the stairs.

Before dealing with Iroha's issue, he needed to visit the arsonist first.