Chapter 3: Father and Son

"You dumbass! How many times am I gonna have to tell you before you understand?"

It's a natural thing for a father to scold his son, and there are times when it could even be interpreted as an expression of love. That's why Dad reprimanded me in a harsh though quieting tone, even amidst all the sirens and watching eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'll apologize for my use of Divination."

"You could look a little more sincere. If you're gonna apologize, at least try to look the part."

Both innocent children and proud politicians need to apologize honestly for doing wrong. That said, I didn't particularly like the idea of being criticized for my judgement. Sure, it was wrong to break the rules, but at the time I had been the only one around to make sure they were being followed.

"While it's against the rules to use divination outside of the Academy, the culprit left me no choice."

It's reckless to go up against a person with a gun empty-handed, that goes double for an without a bracelet. Depending on how you use it, divination can be far more dangerous than a gun, and that's why divinators like us dutifully wear the Bracelets administered to us by the government.

"I know, students aren't penalized for use of divination in an emergency. Still, that's no excuse to poke your nose into this crap every time, is it?"

It wasn't the first time we'd had an exchange like this, which is why Dad sighed in the same resigned way as he had last time.

"People were in danger because of that . Nobody else was around, so I was the only one who could have done something about him."

Of course I don't want to go out of the way to put myself in danger, but I can't just turn a blind eye to something happening right in front of me.

"That stuff's our job. It's a student's job to study, and come to think of it, you screwed up in class the other day and opened a hole in the wall around the Academy, didn't you?"

"Ugh…"

"And I don't believe I've been briefed on your last test."

"Huh…? Well, uhh, I… I did fine. Yeah. Fine."

"You won't fool a detective if you can't even look him in the eye."

Suddenly the tables are turned. It's all because I tried cramming before the test by pulling an all-nighter, but was thoroughly defeated by sleepiness instead. How truly terrifying is this enemy of mine, the Sandman… It was my responsibility to stand up for myself after losing that battle, but even I could tell how obviously I was avoiding meeting Dad's gaze. As I uselessly racked my brain for reinforcements, help came from an unexpected outside source.

"Now, now, Shizuo-san, lay off him for a bit."

"Kuzunoha? You're done with the suspect?"

"Yep, he just left in the van."

"Got it. Put out the order for DUDO to stand down, then. I'm gonna talk with the people in charge of the scene."

Dad put out his cigarette in a portable ashtray. .

"We're gonna have a chat down at the station, Akashi. Stay here for a minute."

"Sure thing. I'll call Hina and tell her we'll be home late. Oh, we can go home together, right?"

"Who knows, that'll depend on you."

"That'll be no problem, then. I'm used to police questioning."

"Dumbass."

Dad turned around and approached an officer who was talking on a car radio. If it's anything like last time, we'll be leaving here in about five minutes.

"Akashi-kun, I know what I said to your father, but you really shouldn't do things like this. I tell you all the time, don't I?"

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, Maya-sensei. I really do regret having to disobey instructions."

"I can't even remember how many times I've heard you say that. I can't cover for you forever, you know! Haahh, maybe I'll make a mental note to dock you some marks."

"I-I don't see how that follows! Abusing your authority like that isn't playing fair!"

Not only a colleague of my dad's at DUDO (the Division for Uncatalogued Divination Ordinance, a kind of national police force) Maya-sensei is also a powerful Caster who teaches at the Academy. I'm indebted to her both publicly and privately, so she really has my respect.

"You're an excellent student, so you should be able to hold your own against an average opponent. When up against a criminal, however, you have no idea what he'll do when cornered."

"Continuously set up an escape route. Individuals can show startling strength when their retreat is cut off."

Come to think of it, that passerby had said the same sort of thing. I was a bit busy at the time, so I hadn't paid him much attention, but it wasn't really the sort of thing you'd say to a complete stranger, was it? Well, no matter how much I ponder it, with my brain the only conclusion I'm gonna be able to reach is: "he was kind of a strange guy, wasn't he?"

"Akashi-kun, are you listening to me?!"

"I am, I am! I won't forget your advice, Sensei!"

"Geez… The next time you cause trouble, I'm gonna have your dad give you an earful about it, okay?"

"Understood."

Also, you're getting extra homework. I'm gonna do everything I can to make your life hell, so get ready, okay?"

"... Understood."

As I watched Mayai-sensei walk over to where my dad was, I thought about how I'd probably still do the same thing if I found myself in this situation again.

"Hey, you there!"