Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressed the irritation in his chest, and looked at the flustered Izumi standing in the office.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"Here!!!"
Fugaku was almost startled by the girl's loud reply. Keeping a stern face, he reminded her, "There's no need to shout."
A visible blush crept over Izumi's embarrassed face.
That habit was entirely thanks to Chizumi-senpai's "training": whenever she heard someone call her name, she now reflexively barked out "Here!" at full volume, terrified that being a beat slow would anger him.
"Even I don't know why Chizumi has such a problem with Itachi. Maybe their personalities just clash."
Fugaku pondered aloud, "Don't let what Chizumi said upset you. I know you're one of the few friends Itachi still has, and right now he badly needs a friend at his side."
"Because… his best friend has already left him."
Izumi understood exactly who Fugaku meant by "Itachi's best friend."
Itachi had mentioned the boy to her—often.
Whenever the name Uchiha Shisui came up, the usually reticent Itachi would grow uncharacteristically talkative.
"Uchiha Izumi—"
"Here!!!"
Fugaku: "…"
Izumi: "…"
Mortified, Izumi wrung her hands, bowed, and apologized: "I'm terribly sorry!"
Clearing his throat, Fugaku said kindly, "If you feel Uchiha Chizumi isn't a suitable examiner, I can pull a few strings and find someone else for you."
He was genuinely worried the girl might be "ruined" by Chizumi.
Of course, by "ruined" he meant her life might be endangered—Chizumi had a track record.
Earlier he had said Izumi was "one of Itachi's few friends," but that was a lie. Since Shisui's death… Izumi was Itachi's only friend.
Harsh as he had been with his own son—harsh enough to nearly shatter their bond—Fugaku still saw himself as a father, and a father ought to look out for his child's situation.
Izumi paused.
"Change examiners…" she hesitated.
Chizumi-senpai's pressure really was enormous; one misstep and she would be scolded bloody.
But—
Biting her lip, she raised her head resolutely. "Fugaku-sama, I joined the Police Force to become a qualified officer! Chizumi-senpai may be strict, but I believe he'll train me into an excellent enforcer.
"It's only my first day under him, yet I've already learned so much. Maybe we just need time to adjust."
Izumi had never met anyone as uncompromisingly committed to justice as Uchiha Chizumi, even if his methods were extreme—or even if he clearly misunderstood Itachi.
But she was certain: he was a good man.
"I see…" Fugaku sighed. He had hinted as strongly as he could, but she still insisted on following Chizumi. There was nothing more he could do except remind her, "Remember: do not disobey his orders. Treat him as your superior."
"Yes, Fugaku-sama!"
…
The Next Day
With faint dark circles under her eyes, Izumi dragged herself out of bed—she had slept terribly, tormented by nightmares of the murderer, the dead child, and Chizumi berating her all day long.
She wondered how the Police Force had handled the bodies… and how utterly devastated the child's mother must be: husband dead, child dead—killed by her own husband. Too tragic.
Rubbing her eyes, she shook off those thoughts, tugged her sleep‑shirt back onto her shoulder, and glanced at the clock.
She jolted fully awake—almost choking on panic.
"Oh no! It's… it's nine o'clock! I'm finished! I forgot to set my alarm—and to ask Mom to wake me!"
No time to change into uniform, no time for breakfast: barefoot, she bolted out the door, her pale little face drained of all color.
And there, outside, stood her mother Uchiha Hazuki, chatting with none other than Uchiha Chizumi-senpai.
Chizumi's gaze slid toward her.
A ridiculous thought flashed through Izumi's mind—would suicide make for a cleaner death?
"Ah… Izumi, you're awake?"
Hazuki, who had raised her daughter alone, gave an apologetic smile. "Chizumi-sama came for you. I was about to wake you, but he said… he wanted to see how long you'd sleep."
Izumi stood dazed, convinced her end was near; she should have listened to that older kunoichi and written a will in advance—it would come in handy now.
"S‑Senpai…" Her voice trembled.
Chizumi looked at the terrified girl who had lost all sparkle. Expressionless, he said, "Get dressed. You're two hours late. Four hours overtime tonight. And all your weekends this month—no days off."
"Y‑yes… eh?"
"…What?"
Izumi stared, speechless. This was the man other officers whispered about as a demon who wouldn't hesitate to kill trainees.
For a moment she wondered if she was still dreaming.
"You thought I'd kill you, didn't you?"
She couldn't hide a single thought from him.
"The day you betray justice," Chizumi said blandly, "I will kill you without hesitation. Now you have thirty seconds. If you're not in front of me by then, you fail the assessment—go back to bed and sleep till tomorrow."
Izumi snapped upright.
"Yes, Senpai!"
She slammed the door, sprinting while stripping; a racket of clattering sounded within. At the 29‑second mark, a window on the second floor flew open; Izumi leapt out, landing squarely before Chizumi.
Panting hard, her uniform was crooked, as if thrown on randomly. She stood meekly at his side, head lowered, silent.
"Chizumi-sama," Hazuki began nervously, "Izumi is… a special child. Her personality differs from the other Uchihas. If she causes you trouble, please—"
Chizumi cut her off. "I only care whether she does her job. Let's go."
Izumi clutched her coat hem and followed obediently.
Only then did she notice the package in Chizumi's hand—take‑out from Ichiraku Ramen.
"I don't waste food," he said, tossing it; Izumi scrambled to catch it.
She remembered—Chizumi had told her they were to meet at Ichiraku this morning.
Shame welled up; her eyes burned.
"I'm sorry, Senpai…" Her voice choked.
"Rookie, what you should be sorry for is that your lateness made justice late."
Izumi clutched the ramen, head hanging.
"…I'm sorry."