Chapter 7: It's Essential to Write Your Will in Advance
Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressing his annoyance, and looked at Izumi, who stood awkwardly in his office.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"HERE!!!"
Fugaku was almost startled by the girl's loud shout. He maintained a stern face, reminding her, "No need to be so loud."
Izumi's pretty face visibly flushed crimson with embarrassment.
It was all because of Senior Ikeizumi's "training." As a result, whenever someone called her name, she reflexively shouted "Here!", terrified that a slow response would anger him.
"Even I don't know why Ikeizumi has such strong opinions about Itachi. Perhaps their personalities just clash?"
Fugaku mused, "You don't need to take what Ikeizumi just said to heart. I know you're one of Itachi's few friends, and Itachi needs a friend's companionship very much right now."
"Because…"
"His best friend has already left him."
Izumi knew who Clan Head Fugaku's "Itachi's best friend" was.
Itachi had mentioned him to her before, even frequently. And every time he spoke of the person named "Uchiha Shisui," the usually taciturn Itachi would become quite talkative.
"Uchiha Izumi…"
"HERE!!!"
Fugaku: "..."
Izumi: "..."
Izumi clasped her hands in front, so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. She hastily bowed politely and apologized, "I am so sorry!"
"Ahem."
Fugaku kindly offered, "If… you feel that Uchiha Ikeizumi isn't suitable to be your examiner, I can make some arrangements to help you choose a more suitable one."
Fugaku was worried that this girl would be harmed by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Of course.
This "harm" wasn't a threat to her innocence, but to her life itself. Uchiha Ikeizumi had a precedent for it!
Fugaku's earlier statement—that Izumi was one of Itachi's few friends—was actually a lie.
After Shisui's death…
Itachi's only friend left was this child, Uchiha Izumi.
Even if he was strict and harsh with his own son, even having done things to Itachi that almost shattered their family bond in order to make him awaken his Sharingan, Fugaku still considered himself a father.
A father…
Should always consider his child's situation.
Izumi paused.
"Change examiner, huh…" She hesitated. Senior Ikeizumi did put a lot of pressure on her, and if she made even one mistake, she'd be thoroughly reprimanded.
However.
Izumi bit her lip, then looked up seriously. "Lord Fugaku, I joined the Police Force to become a competent enforcer! While Senior Ikeizumi is strict, I believe he will train me into a competent and excellent enforcer!"
"Even though this was only my first encounter with Senior Ikeizumi, he has already taught me so much. Perhaps he and I just need some time to get used to each other."
Izumi had never met anyone who adhered to justice as firmly as Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Even if the senior's actions were extreme, and even if he seemed to have some misunderstanding about Itachi.
He was definitely a good person!
"Is that so…" Fugaku sighed. He had been quite clear in his hint, but this child Izumi still insisted on staying with Uchiha Ikeizumi. There was nothing more he could do but warn her, "Remember, do not defy his orders. Treat him as your superior."
"Yes, Lord Fugaku!"
Izumi nodded solemnly.
....
The next day.
Izumi, with faint dark circles under her eyes, groggily crawled out of bed—she hadn't slept well last night, having several nightmares filled with images of the criminal and the child's corpse. She even dreamt of being harshly scolded by Senior Ikeizumi all day long.
She wondered how the Police Force had handled the bodies of the criminal and the victim…
And she wondered how despairing the child's mother must be now?
After all, her husband was dead, and her child was also dead. And the child had died at the hands of her husband—that was truly tragic.
Izumi rubbed her eyes, shook away the jumbled thoughts in her head, tugged at her pajamas, which had slipped off her shoulders due to restless sleep, and then glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table.
Izumi suddenly snapped awake.
She was almost suffocated by fright.
"Oh no!"
"Ni… nine o'clock! I'm doomed! I forgot to set my alarm last night! And I forgot to tell Mom to wake me up!"
There was no time to change into her Police Force uniform, nor to eat breakfast. Izumi even rushed out the door barefoot, her fair face drained of color from fright.
Then.
She saw her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, talking to her senior, Uchiha Ikeizumi, just outside the door.
After that,
She watched, wide-eyed, as Senior Ikeizumi's gaze fell upon her.
Izumi suddenly had an absurd thought—would it be a better death if I just killed myself?
"Ah… Izumi, you're awake?" Mrs. Uchiha Hazuki, who had raised her daughter alone, showed a hint of apology on her still-charming face. "When Lord Ikeizumi came to find you, I was going to wake you up, but he told me not to. He said… he wanted to see how long you would sleep."
Izumi's expression was blank.
She was completely dazed.
She felt like she didn't have long to live. She should have listened to that female Uchiha senior and written her will in advance; that way, it would come in handy very soon.
"Se-Senior…"
Izumi's voice trembled.
Uchiha Ikeizumi looked at the girl, who had lost her spark due to fear and helplessness, and said expressionlessly, "Change your clothes. You're two hours late today, so you'll work four hours of overtime tonight, and all your weekend leave for this month is gone."
"Yes… huh?"
"...Ah?"
Izumi paused, looking incredulously at Senior Ikeizumi, who, in the words of other Police Force seniors, was practically "the great demon king who kills assessment students without hesitation."
For a moment, Izumi felt as if she were in a dream, thinking she hadn't woken up yet.
"You thought I would kill you. Didn't you?"
Izumi: "..."
My thoughts are completely transparent to Senior Ikeizumi!
Uchiha Ikeizumi said calmly, "The day you betray justice, I will indeed kill you without hesitation. Now you have thirty seconds. If you're not in front of me within thirty seconds, your assessment score will be failing, and you can roll back into bed and sleep until tomorrow morning."
Izumi immediately jolted.
"Yes, Senior!"
She quickly turned and closed the door, stripping off her clothes as she ran. A "clatter" of sounds came from inside the house. At the twenty-nine second mark, a window on the second floor was pulled open, and Izumi quickly leaped down, landing steadily in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Huff, huff…"
Izumi's little heart was pounding wildly. Her Police Force uniform was askew, as if she had just thrown it on.
She stood cautiously beside Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Head lowered, daring not to speak.
"Lord Ikeizumi, Izumi is a special child. Her personality is different from the other Uchiha in the clan. If Izumi has caused you any trouble, please, Lord Ikeizumi…"
Mrs. Hazuki's words were cut short by Uchiha Ikeizumi. "I only care if she can do her job. Let's go."
Izumi clutched the hem of her clothes, obediently following behind Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Just then, she suddenly noticed a bag in the senior's hand.
It looked like a takeout bag from Ichiraku Ramen.
"I don't have a habit of wasting food," Uchiha Ikeizumi said, giving it a casual toss, making Izumi quickly catch it in fright.
Izumi immediately remembered that Senior Ikeizumi had said yesterday that they were supposed to meet at Ichiraku Ramen this morning.
Izumi's eyes turned red with shame.
"I'm sorry, Senior…" Her voice was slightly choked.
"New recruit, the reason you should be sorry is for your tardiness, and for the justice that was delayed because of it."
Izumi carried the Ichiraku ramen.
Continuing to hang her head.
"I'm sorry…"