Chapter 214

"Naomi, school ended a long time ago. Aren't you going back yet?" After the class monitor of Year 1 Class B delivered the materials the teacher had requested to be collected to the office, he returned to the classroom while rubbing his sore arms. Having finally finished his duties as class monitor for the day, he only wanted to go home and eat the curry his mother made. However, upon returning to the classroom, he discovered one of his female classmates sitting in her seat with a grim expression, staring at her desk without moving, so he couldn't help but speak up to remind her.

"... Oh, is it that late already? I, I'll leave right now." The female student shuddered all over, only then snapping out of it as if waking from a nightmare, her expression flustered. Suddenly breaking into a cold sweat, she hurriedly grabbed her schoolbag hanging from the hook on the side of her desk and stood up, stammering as she prepared to leave.

"Naomi, are you really okay?" Seeing the state the female student was in, the class monitor couldn't help but walk closer with some concern.

As the class monitor, he had been paying close attention to the usual state and performance of his classmates, and Misaki Naomi had been out of it all day, looking completely soul-absent.

"I'm fine, thank you, Kudo-kun. I'll head back first." The other party did not give the class monitor a chance to get closer, grabbing her schoolbag and leaving the classroom.

Seeing this, the class monitor stood where he was with his arms crossed, a look of confusion on his face. His gaze then drifted to the desk next to Misaki Naomi's left, and he muttered, "Could it be that Heize didn't come to school today, making her feel uneasy? That makes sense; the two of them are usually very close, always inseparable..."

Misaki Naomi ran down the stairs, and it wasn't until she had rushed a hundred meters outside the school gate and was almost hit by a speeding truck that she suddenly stopped. The intense sensation of being so close to death gradually dispelled the numbness in her brain and body, and the sharp pain in her heart and lungs from running so violently finally forced her to reveal her true feelings. Her composure collapsed, and she crouched on the spot, crying loudly.

"That was dangerous just now, little girl." He Jia'an had arrived just in time to pull Misaki Naomi back from being hit by the truck. Looking at the high school girl crying in front of him, he felt awkward and at a loss; the harsh words he had originally intended to say suddenly vanished into thin air.

Misaki Naomi cried for a long time, and He Jia'an stood to the side feeling awkward for a long time. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians nearby, and he did not suffer the treatment of being arrested by an Enforcer.

"Thank you." Misaki Naomi raised her red, swollen eyes to thank He Jia'an, her entire face and arms covered in wet tears.

He Jia'an was somewhat silent, silently reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tissue he had swiped from the hotel for her: "Wipe it off."

Misaki Naomi thanked him again and wiped her face clean, but then realized the paper wasn't enough and silently looked at He Jia'an again.

He Jia'an understood what she meant, squinting his eyes and saying sternly, "Sorry, that was the only one."

Misaki Naomi was speechless, taking her own handkerchief from her skirt pocket to wipe her face.

Perhaps because her emotions had finally been vented, Misaki Naomi slowly regained some ability to think. She looked at He Jia'an's attire and felt it looked familiar, and after staring at his face for a long time, she finally noticed something and pointed at his face in surprise: "You are... that uncle from the convenience store yesterday!? Why do you have long hair?"

"... A wig... And if you don't mind, don't call me uncle."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me He Jia'an."

"Is Uncle from Shenzhou?" Misaki Naomi immediately guessed He Jia'an's hometown upon hearing the pronunciation of the name.

He Jia'an nodded and lied, "I'm here for a trip."

"Then shall I call you Mr. He?" Misaki Naomi thought for a moment and tested the waters.

He Jia'an nodded in silent agreement, then put on a serious expression and said again, "That was really dangerous just now. How are you now? Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?"

"I'm fine now." Misaki Naomi still had lingering fears and forced a smile, "Thank you so much. My name is Misaki Naomi, you can just call me Naomi."

"Why don't I see that female classmate who was with you yesterday?" He Jia'an asked a question he already knew the answer to; the bad uncle poked right at the heart.

Misaki Naomi, as expected, immediately pursed her lips, looking like she was about to cry again at any moment. She held back her grief and lowered her head, wanting to speak, but the first sound she made almost broke her tearful defenses. Her entire throat felt sore and hot, as if her sorrow were about to erupt.

He Jia'an felt it was enough, so he simply said, "Sorry, actually... I heard news this morning while taking a walk that a first-year female student from Kisaragi High School had committed suicide. Out of curiosity, I went over to take a look, and it turned out the deceased was the friend who was with you yesterday."

Misaki Naomi collapsed again, sitting on the ground in fear. While covering her face and crying, she spoke the truth in fragmented sentences: "It's all... Mimiko's phone call... It's all because of Mimiko's phone call... that Jiana died!"

"Mimiko?" He Jia'an blinked and silently recorded the name. Could it be that the Urban Legend was real?

Was the strange woman mentioned in that Urban Legend named Mimiko?

Seeing that the sky was getting dark again, He Jia'an said to the crying Misaki Naomi, "Naomi, the sun is setting now. I'll take you home; it's not safe to stay here." After all, this was still a road, and it was best not to linger if possible.

Who would have thought that Misaki Naomi would shake her head and refuse, saying in a panic, "I don't want to go home... I'm all alone at home, I'm scared."

Do high school girls these days have no sense of caution... He Jia'an felt speechless inside as the other party told a stranger like him her situation without reservation.

Of course, He Jia'an could also see that this timid little girl was probably truly terrified, to the point of "seeking medical advice in a panic," as if she could ask for help from anyone nearby.

"Then... let's go eat. I happen to be hungry too." He Jia'an thought for a moment and suggested. He patted his empty stomach, then suddenly thought of something and added, "By the way, you're treating. Consider it a reward for saving your life just now."

The high school girl sniffled and looked at He Jia'an in shock, but when she saw He Jia'an, who had disguised his face as a copper wall, gradually unable to keep his composure, she couldn't help but chuckle at his reddening ears.

"That's okay, right?" He Jia'an scratched his cheek.

"Okay." Misaki Naomi agreed immediately, then led this handsome uncle approaching forty to a nearby KM burger and fried chicken shop for a meal.

He Jia'an gorged himself, eating quite wildly like a starving ghost reincarnated, finishing a burger half the size of his face in three bites.

He Jia'an ate freely because when Misaki Naomi paid, he noticed she paid directly by card, and it seemed to be her own card. A few seconds after she finished paying, he received a text notification of the deduction, showing a balance of five figures in World Currency.

Seeing He Jia'an eating happily, Misaki Naomi's own mood improved a bit, and the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this meal?"

"A great choice. If you were to treat me to Western food or something like that, I'm afraid I wouldn't have eaten as satisfyingly." He Jia'an praised, "Thanks for the treat."

"You're welcome." Misaki Naomi, whose mood had relaxed slightly, began to look He Jia'an up and down. She discovered that his clothes didn't actually fit him well, and from head to toe, he didn't look like a tourist, but rather like...

Misaki Naomi chewed her burger elegantly and silently, while He Jia'an stuffed his face.

Suddenly, Misaki Naomi said to He Jia'an out of the blue, "Uncle doesn't have a place to stay, right? Do you want to stay at my house?"

"Huh?" He Jia'an almost spat out the cola he had just swallowed.