After a mont of silence, Kotomi continued, "I want to know what punishnt the police have given to that female reporter."
"The punishnt is quite severe. After all, this wasn't just any ordinary press conference—it was a police press conference. This is the first ti such an incident has occurred, and the police believe that if they don't take strict action now, other dia outlets might attempt similar sches in the future.
To make an example, the undercover female reporter is the 'chicken' we need to kill to warn others. She has been sentenced to 50 years in prison and blacklisted from the entire dia industry. A-dia has been summoned for a eting with the police, and her superiors and other related personnel who instructed her to do this will also be spending decades behind bars.
dia Company B will undergo a full internal reorganization, with a large number of senior executives being dismissed. These dia outlets, if not dealt with harshly, will constantly look for ways to stir up trouble," Officer Hidori explained before letting out a short chuckle. "Heh, maybe now they're regretting their decision. For the sake of profit, they ruined their lives—and they deserve it."
After hearing the punishnt, Kotomi finally felt sowhat at ease.
"But this incident has already affected Isshiki and his daughter. I just found out that Iroha is being ostracized by her classmates at school. Officer Hidori, you were once a student yourself—you should understand how cruel social isolation among classmates can be."
Officer Hidori sighed sympathetically upon hearing this.
"Sigh... We thought the pseudonyms were disguised well enough, but we didn't expect such an unexpected factor like that female reporter. But you know that police enforcent power is often limited when it cos to schools. That's why so many cases of school bullying occur every year, and the police can do very little about it."
"I understand all that. I called you today just to find out the truth and let you know about it. I've said everything I needed to. What happens next is up to ," Kotomi said, preparing to hang up.
Suddenly, Officer Hidori was reminded of the ti when Kotomi had beaten Shikama Shika to the brink of death. Although she hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, judging by the bloodied and bruised state Wataru was in, it was clear that Kotomi had attacked with the intent to kill.
A chill ran down Officer Hidori's spine as she hurriedly reminded, "If you can handle this calmly, that would be for the best."
The assertiveness in Kotomi's tone vanished instantly, replaced by a sweet, teasing voice. "Hehe~ Officer Hidori, what are you talking about? I'm a very calm and lovely girl, you know~"
The sudden shift to a cutesy tone almost made Officer Hidori drop her phone. Her mouth twitched in frustration.
Why was she acting cute all of a sudden?
After hanging up, Kotomi lay back on her bed, debating whether to send Iroha a ssage.
After thinking for a while, she realized that Iroha must be exhausted from everything that had happened recently and was probably already asleep. She decided to wait until tomorrow to check in on her.
"She told Aimi not to tell , not wanting to worry... That little devil, do you put all your intelligence into teasing ? Silly girl..."
Kotomi hugged her blanket as if she were holding Iroha in her arms and whispered softly.
...
Chiba City General Hospital
After washing the lunchbox, Iroha picked up her schoolbag, preparing to go ho. Despite the fact that most of her classmates had been ostracizing her today, and even so teachers looked at her with avoidance in their eyes, she was determined to continue attending school.
In just six months, she would take the high school entrance exam and enroll in the sa school as Kotomi!
If she could get into Sobu High School, she would finally be free from those classmates who had been isolating her.
But... would things really turn out that way...?
Iroha Isshiki felt a sinking weight in her heart. She had heard that many of her classmates were planning to apply to Sobu High School. If they were to get accepted as well, would they continue to spread rumors in high school?
Would they still go around telling people: "Iroha Isshiki's mother is an unforgivable murderer. She's the daughter of a criminal—everyone should stay away from her!"
Suppressing the heaviness in her heart, Iroha packed the cleaned lunchbox into her bag and said to Tetsunosuke Isshiki, who was sitting on the hospital bed:
"Dad, I'm heading ho now. You should get so rest soon. I spoke to Aunt Motokawa earlier and asked her to help you with breakfast and lunch during this period."
"She already brought breakfast and lunch today. Iroha, you should hurry ho. Stay on busy streets and give a call when you arrive. Before you go to bed, rember to lock all the doors and windows," Tetsusuke reminded her with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm not a three-year-old kid anymore. Was dinner tasty today? If it was, I'll buy from the sa restaurant tomorrow."
Tetsusuke nodded earnestly. "It was delicious. Not too salty, not too bland, looked appetizing, and wasn't greasy. The restaurants near the hospital really know how to cook."
"I'm off then. If you get thirsty, there's warm water in the thermos on the nightstand. And if anything happens, just press the call button for the nurse."
"Got it, got it."
As Iroha was about to step out of the hospital room, Tetsusuke suddenly asked, "Iroha, how was school today...?"
Her footsteps paused briefly. After a mont of silence, she forced a natural smile and replied to her father with a cheerful expression:
"It was fine! I was very proactive in answering questions in class today. I'll make sure to study hard and aim to get into Sobu High School."
I raised my hand to answer questions enthusiastically today, but not once did the teacher call on . My classmates whispered behind my back, saying I was just pretending...
These words, however, Iroha kept buried in her heart.
Hearing her response, Tetsusuke finally let out a small sigh of relief. He remained unaware that Iroha had already begun to face isolation at school.
As Iroha left the hospital room and waited for the elevator, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. A familiar female voice called out:
"Heading ho?"
Iroha turned around to see Kumi Motokawa standing nearby, carrying a bag of items in her hand.
"Yeah, I have school tomorrow. Aunt Motokawa, I'll have to trouble you to take care of my dad for now," Iroha said, bowing slightly.
"Ah... Isshiki, that's too much. Your father is my patient—taking care of him is part of my duty as a doctor," Motokawa replied matter-of-factly, then glanced at the approaching elevator. "It's quite late. Your father must be worried about you going ho alone. I'll walk you back."
"Aunt Motokawa, aren't you busy?"
Motokawa shook her head gently and said softly, "I just finished work, and other doctors will handle the follow-ups. The elevator's here, let's go. Besides... I want to talk to you about your father."
Iroha was montarily stunned, and she more or less guessed what was coming.
Kumi Motokawa had always taken great care of Tetsusuke. Although she rarely expressed much in words, her actions made it clear that her feelings for him were anything but ordinary.
The elevator doors opened, and the light from inside illuminated the hallway.
"Alright, then I'll be in your care," Iroha said with a faint smile and stepped into the elevator first.
Seeing Iroha agree, a hint of joy appeared on Motokawa's face. She followed her into the elevator, ready to accompany her ho.
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