dmims Page 61
Page 61
"Yes, ma'am."
The two men bowed their heads in response, then gently closed the door.
Zhou Ye and Nami entered the principal's office.
The room was spacious, decorated in a calm and luxurious style, and filled with a faint aromatherapy scent.
Yuriko Takashiro sat behind a large mahogany desk, her hands folded on the surface.
Her eyes, however, revealed a sharpness beyond her years.
Behind her stood two women, dressed in dark business attire that allowed for easy movement, with their hands hanging naturally at their sides and their posture upright; they were clearly also capable bodyguards.
[Quite a show of force. It seems the Takagi Zaibatsu wields considerable power. Compared to the original story where they were only in Tokoname City, they're doing quite well in Raccoon City now. This setup doesn't seem like a simple questioning.]
Nami wore a professional smile, but her eyes quickly scanned the room's furnishings, especially the items that looked expensive.
Wow, the offices of the rich are really something else. I wonder which corner they're hiding a safe in?
Yuriko Takashiro looked up at the two people who had entered.
Her gaze first fell on Zhou Ye, lingered for a few seconds, and then turned to Nami.
"Teacher Zhou, Teacher Tohsaka."
She spoke, her voice still steady.
Let's get straight to the point.
"Were the things you said in the meeting room earlier the truth?"
The question was direct, without any preamble.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Zhou Ye gave a perfectly timed, slightly helpless smile.
He took a step forward and stopped at a suitable distance from the desk.
"headmaster."
He spoke, his tone carrying a double meaning.
"This is natural."
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't look at what you shouldn't look at; this is the way to save your life."
This statement is like a stone thrown into a calm pond.
The two female bodyguards behind Yuriko Takagi tensed up almost imperceptibly.
Nami immediately responded, her voice carrying just the right amount of "fear" and "earnestness".
"Yes, Principal!"
She leaned forward slightly, her hands even clenching together a little, showing her nervousness.
"Zhou Ye and I are just ordinary people!"
She deliberately emphasized the words "ordinary people".
"We can't afford to offend any big shots or tycoons."
"We were just unlucky to get on that awful train. We were lucky to survive, and all we want is to live a safe and peaceful life!"
Nami, however, had the look of a frightened commoner on her face.
Yuriko Takagi watched the two of them sing in unison.
She didn't speak immediately, but tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
Tap. Tap.
The only sound left in the office was the monotonous knocking.
Zhou Ye's warning and Nami's attempt to distance herself—two completely different reactions—both point to the same core issue: they don't want to say more.
Is this a warning to me, or something I'm trying to hide?
Yuriko Takagi's mind raced with thoughts.
[This Zhou Ye is definitely not just an ordinary teacher. His video footage was handled too meticulously, leaving only chaos and zombies, but no discernible clues.]
[And that girl from the Busujima family... Is there some kind of unspoken understanding between them?]
She stopped tapping and leaned forward slightly.
"How to save your life?"
She repeated Zhou Ye's words, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.
"Teacher Zhou, this is Fujimi Academy, this is my territory."
"Here, I need to ensure the safety of every student and faculty member."
"The Zodiac Train incident involves many teachers and students of our school, and I cannot ignore it."
Her tone became more forceful.
"You say I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't look... So, what should I ask? What should I look at?"
[They've started putting pressure on me. Trying to use their status and location to intimidate me? Too bad, I respond better to gentle persuasion than force.]
Zhou Ye sneered inwardly.
"Principal, you flatter me."
Zhou Ye's smile remained unchanged, but the warmth in his words dropped slightly.
"What I mean is, knowing some things isn't necessarily a good thing."
"Like the parents of those students who died, it's kinder to let them accept that their children died in an accident or attack than to tell them that their children might have turned into cannibalistic zombies."
"More, isn't it?"
He stared directly at Yuriko Takagi.
"The truth is often cruel, and... it can lead to unnecessary trouble."
Yuriko Takagi's pupils contracted slightly.
What Zhou Ye vaguely mentioned in the conference room, he has now brought up again on his own initiative.
She was silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing her options.
"Does Teacher Zhou seem to know something?"
She tested the waters again.
Nami quickly interjected:
“Principal, we really don’t know anything! When we were running for our lives, we thought we heard some strange noises and saw some things… that didn’t seem to be caused by an accident… but it was too chaotic, and we’re not sure…”
She spoke while observing Yuriko Takashiro's reaction.
Zhou Ye did not stop Nami from speaking.
He looked at Yuriko Takagi.
"Principal, all we can provide are the images from the conference room."
"As for the deeper things, we really don't know, and we don't want to know."
"We are just ordinary people who want to survive."
He repeated "ordinary people" again.
Yuriko Takashiro leaned back in her chair, her fingers interlaced.
She glanced at Zhou Ye, then at Nami.
The atmosphere in the office remained tense.
"Ok."
She spoke slowly.
"Since both Teacher Zhou and Teacher Tohsaka have said so."
"For now, I trust you."
[Temporarily? Heh, it's not that easy to fool them.]
Zhou Ye thought to himself.
“You’ve been through something terrible, you need to rest.”
Yuriko Takagi showed a formulaic expression of concern.
"The school will make arrangements for your subsequent work and life."
"Thank you, principal."
Zhou Ye nodded in greeting.
Nami also thanked them, her face showing a grateful expression.
"You can go back now."
Yuriko Takagi waved her hand.
Zhou Ye and Nami exchanged a glance but said nothing.
The two turned and walked towards the office door.
Behind them, Yuriko Takagi watched their retreating figures with a deep gaze.
Until the office door closed again.
The office door closed behind Zhou Ye and Nami, blocking their view. Yuriko Takagi's composure vanished instantly; she picked up the internal phone on the desk and quickly dialed a number. The call connected quickly.
"it's me."
Yuriko Takagi's voice was cold, revealing no trace of the emotional fluctuations she had experienced during her confrontation with Zhou Ye.
"Ah."
A deep male voice came from the other end of the phone: Takashiro Soichiro, her husband.