Chapter 41: A Parent-Teacher Meeting

Ruah watched from afar as Himari got into the car with her father.

Having stayed up for three nights, her eyes kept drooping, and her mind was hazy, but now was not the time to succumb to sleep.

‘Hoshikawa Toshio’s visit is scheduled for three hours total.’

It was a long time, but barely enough for Ruah to make her ‘preparations.’

After confirming that the faculty members and the Hoshikawa family’s car had completely left the runway, Ruah emerged from behind her hiding place.

She was dressed in sweat-soaked training clothes, a wooden sword in her hand.

“Hmm.”

After glancing around, Ruah immediately walked towards the helicopter Hoshikawa Toshio had arrived in.

“Hey! Little girl! You can’t come here!”

A guard stationed near the helicopter spotted Ruah and stopped her. Of course, they wouldn’t leave the helicopter unattended.

‘I expected there would be people here.’

Ruah took a deep breath and hesitantly approached the guard.

“I, I have something to do…”

“Something to do? What is it?”

The guard knelt down to the shy child’s eye level. His demeanor was friendly.

“W-Well, I’m a fan of… Mr. Hoshikawa Toshio.”

Ruah held up a permanent marker she had prepared. She was nervous in front of the stranger, but her nervousness seemed to make her appear even more childlike.

“I-I want his autograph.”

“Haha!”

The guard let out a hearty laugh, amused.

“Wow, today’s visit wasn’t officially announced. How did you know about it?”

“M-My father is… a teacher here.”

One lie makes it easier to tell another. Ruah came up with a natural-sounding excuse.

“But what to do. The Head of the Family won’t be back for a few hours.”

“C-Can’t I wait here? I really want his autograph…”

“Hmm…”

The guard looked around. No one was there.

“But you can’t touch the helicopter, okay?”

Perhaps thinking he could manage a single child, the guard allowed Ruah to approach.

“Thank you! I’ll just look!”

After bowing politely, Ruah let out a gasp of admiration and walked around the helicopter to the other side.

‘I’m getting used to acting like a child.’

Out of the guard’s sight, Ruah settled down in a suitable spot and put on the white coat she had prepared. Maintaining her body temperature was important, as she would have to remain still for a long time.

“Oh, right.”

She took out her phone, sent a message to Himari, and then turned it off. She needed to focus now.

“Phew…”

She composed herself and stepped forward with her right foot.

She placed the wooden sword at her left hip and rested her right hand on the hilt. She bent her knees and looked straight ahead.

It was the stance of the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu].

“I apologize again, Head of the Family. I am deeply ashamed.”

In the chairman’s office.

Chairman Pyo Younghan of the Felix Foundation bowed his head deeply. As the incident had threatened the safety of a student, it was only natural for him to apologize on behalf of the Academy.

“Frankly, I’m disappointed. I entrusted my only daughter to this place, and this kind of incident occurs.”

Listening to Hoshikawa Toshio’s words through the interpreter, Chairman Pyo nodded heavily.

“We’ve mobilized all of the Felix Foundation’s resources to resolve the situation and have severely disciplined the person responsible. I promise you on my name that this will never happen again, so please calm your anger, Head of the Family.”

“Hmm…”

With her father contemplating with his eyes closed, Himari anxiously fidgeted with her fingers. She couldn’t interrupt their conversation, but she knew that her fate would be decided here.

“No, this won’t do.”

Hoshikawa Toshio opened his eyes and spoke.

“I’ll be taking Himari with me.”

“Are you saying you’ll withdraw her from the Academy?”

“The formalities don’t matter. She will return to Japan with me today.”

“Father…!”

His daughter looked at him with pleading eyes, but Hoshikawa Toshio didn’t budge.

“I, I want to continue attending this school!”

“You’ve had enough new experiences. It’s time for you to fulfill your duty as the heir to the family.”

“But…!”

Countless thoughts raced through Himari’s mind.

What is Teacher doing? Can she persuade my father? If I appeal to the chairman, will he listen? I haven’t even said goodbye yet.

What if, right here, I expose the fact that my father caused the incident?

“Father.”

After much deliberation, Himari spoke with a heavy heart.

“The incident that occurred this time—”

—Buzz.

Just as Himari made up her mind, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry.”

[Don’t say anything. Just come with your father.]

It was a message from Ruah.

“…?”

The message was cryptic.

“What is it? Didn’t you have something to say?”

“Ah, that…”

Himari hesitated, unsure of what to say to her impatient father. She had originally intended to confront him about deliberately causing the incident, but Ruah’s message telling her not to say anything made her uncertain.

‘Telling me to come with my father… does that mean I should follow his instructions for now?’

—Leave the rest to me.

Himari decided to trust Ruah’s words.

“No, I’m sorry. I think I was mistaken.”

“Is that so.”

Hoshikawa Toshio turned his gaze back to Chairman Pyo.

“Anyway, Himari is the heir to our family and the sole successor of the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu]. I can no longer leave her at this dangerous Academy.”

“…”

“I’ve already lost a son. If something happens to Himari and the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu] dies with her, can you take responsibility?”

The chairman bowed his head heavily. The justification was on Hoshikawa Toshio’s side. No matter how much the Academy cherished its students, it couldn’t cherish them more than their parents.

“There’s just one thing I want to say.”

Chairman Pyo spoke.

“Student Hoshikawa Himari is excellent. Her grades are outstanding, and she has good relationships with her peers. She has the potential to become a skilled Hunter in the future. I hope you, as her father, wouldn’t limit her potential to just one path.”

“…”

Hoshikawa Toshio raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but that was all.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The two men stood up.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“?”

The chairman’s words stopped the Head of the Family, who was about to turn away.

“Do you happen to know a Hunter named Park Haengsin?”

Hoshikawa Toshio’s eyebrow twitched.

“…I don’t.”

“Is that so.”

A brief silence fell between them.

“Well, alright.”

“…”

“The withdrawal procedure takes time. You’ll have to wait a little. I’ll contact the relevant department, so please look around the Academy facilities in the meantime.”

“Though I’m not inclined to, I will.”

Leaving the chairman’s office, Hoshikawa Toshio looked down at Himari.

“Pack your things. I’ll give you time to say goodbye to your friends.”

“…Yes.”

The next few hours passed quickly.

Himari packed her belongings in the dormitory. However, she didn’t say goodbye to anyone. She trusted Ruah and was certain she would stay.

About three hours passed, and it was time for Hoshikawa Toshio to conclude his visit.

That also meant it was time for Himari to leave the Academy.

“Are you ready?”

“…Yes.”

Carrying the bag she had brought with her when she first enrolled, Himari followed her father towards the runway.

As they approached the helicopter, the rotors began to spin slowly.

“Don’t be disappointed. This is for your own good.”

“…”

Himari almost scoffed at her father’s words. For her own good? Such a cliché.

“To cause such a major incident and only gain this much, isn’t it a loss for you?”

Hoshikawa Toshio frowned at his daughter’s pointed remark.

“You knew?”

“Yes.”

“…You are the heir to the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu].”

Himari pressed her lips together at her father’s stern voice.

“It may seem excessive for just one person, but from our family’s perspective, it’s a small price to pay.”

If it meant bringing Himari back to the safety of her cage, this investment was nothing. On the contrary, the time Himari spent studying abroad in this foreign country was a greater loss.

—That was Hoshikawa Toshio’s thinking.

“What if someone had died?”

“There’s no way anyone would die from mere C-rank Mega Wasps.”

Himari bit her lip at her father’s nonchalant words.

“By the way, the person you’re serving as a ‘moon’ hasn’t shown their face at all. I was waiting for them to come and try to persuade me.”

“…”

“You need to improve your judgment of character, Himari.”

“That person…”

“Hmm?”

—Thump-thump-thump.

The twin rotors of the Chinook helicopter spun furiously. It was ready to take off as soon as they boarded.

“She will come.”

Hoshikawa Toshio tilted his head and looked around. There were only the family’s employees carrying luggage.

“There’s no one—”

—Crackle.

At that moment, both Himari and her father flinched.

A murderous intent that only those who had trained with swords for a long time could sense—an all too familiar murderous intent—sent shivers down their spines.

They instinctively reached for the swords at their hips. But the enemy was nowhere to be seen.

“Where…?”

Hoshikawa Toshio couldn’t finish his sentence.

—Clang!

Suddenly, a sharp sword strike from behind carved a deep vertical gash into the helicopter’s fuselage. Not only that, but the sword strike also sliced through the furiously spinning rotor blades.

“Attack!”

“Protect the Head of the Family!”

The bodyguards rushed to surround Himari and her father, while others quickly searched the surroundings.

“…How?”

Despite the urgent situation, Hoshikawa Toshio simply stared blankly at the gash on the helicopter and the cleanly severed rotor blade, muttering to himself.

It was impossible.

Weak and incomplete though it was, this mark was undoubtedly the [Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu].

A skill that only he and his heir, Himari, could use in this world.

“We caught her!”

At that moment, two bodyguards brought a limp, white-clad figure before him.

Looking closer, it was a young girl. A young girl wearing a white coat and holding a wooden sword.

“Ha… ha…”

She was gasping for breath, and her left arm was bruised up to the elbow.

“N-Nice to meet you.”

Despite her condition, the young girl looked at the stunned Hoshikawa Toshio and Himari and smiled faintly.

“I, I’d like to… request a… parent-teacher meeting.”