Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his heart, and looked at Izumi Uchiha, who was helplessly standing in the office.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"R-right!!!"
Fugaku was almost startled by the girl's loud shout. He kept a stern face and reminded her, "No need to shout so loudly."
Izumi's embarrassed, delicate face flushed with two visible patches of red.
It was all due to training under Chizumi-Senpai. Whenever she heard someone call her, she almost instinctively shouted "R-right!" — afraid that responding too slowly would anger Chizumi-Senpai.
"I don't even know why Chizumi has such strong opinions about Itachi. Maybe their personalities just don't match?"
Fugaku pondered, "You don't need to take what Chizumi said to heart. I know you're one of the few friends Itachi has. Right now, he really needs companionship."
"Because…"
"His best friend has already left him."
Izumi knew who Fugaku meant by "Itachi's best friend."
Itachi had mentioned him before, often in fact. Whenever he spoke of that person, Uchiha Shisui, the usually quiet Itachi would become unusually talkative.
"Uchiha Izumi…"
"R-right!!!"
Fugaku: "…"
Izumi: "…"
Izumi clasped her hands together, so embarrassed she wished she could disappear into the floor, and hurriedly bowed, apologizing politely: "I am terribly sorry!"
"Ahem."
Fugaku kindly said, "If… you feel that Uchiha Chizumi isn't suitable as your examiner, I could arrange for you to have someone more appropriate."
Fugaku was concerned that this young girl might be 'ruined' by Chizumi.
Of course, this "ruin" wasn't about innocence — it was about life itself. Ichizumi had precedent!
Fugaku had earlier said Izumi was one of the few friends Itachi had — that was actually a lie.
After Shisui died…
Izumi became Itachi's only friend.
Even if he were strict with his own son, even if he had done things to push Itachi's limits to awaken his eyes — things that almost tore apart familial bonds — Fugaku knew he was still a father.
A father…
Had to think about his child's circumstances a little.
Izumi paused.
"A new examiner…?" She hesitated. Chizumi-Senpai was extremely strict, and one misstep and she could be scolded mercilessly.
But…
She gritted her silver teeth, lifted her head, and said seriously, "Lord Fugaku, I joined the Police Force to become a competent law enforcer! Chizumi-Senpai may be strict, but I believe he will train me to become a capable and excellent enforcer!"
"Although today is my first contact with Chizumi-Senpai, he has already taught me so much. Perhaps the two of us just need time to adjust to each other."
Izumi had never met anyone like Uchiha Chizumi who insisted on justice so firmly.
Even if his behavior was extreme, even if he seemed to misunderstand Itachi…
He was definitely a good person!
"I see…" Fugaku sighed. Even though he was giving her a clear hint, Izumi still insisted on following Chizumi. He had no choice but to remind her, "Remember, do not disobey his orders. Treat him as your superior."
"Yes, Lord Fugaku!"
Izumi nodded solemnly.
The next day.
Izumi, with faint dark circles under her eyes, sluggishly got out of bed — she hadn't slept well, plagued by nightmares of the criminal, the child, and being scolded harshly by Chizumo.
She had no idea how the Police Force handled the bodies of the criminal and the victim…
Nor did she know how despairing the child's mother must be.
After all, her husband had died, the child had died, and the child had died at the hands of her husband — it was truly tragic.
Izumi rubbed her eyes, shook off the chaotic thoughts, tugged at her slightly slumping pajamas, and glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside.
She suddenly snapped awake.
She nearly suffocated from shock.
"Ah no!"
"It's… nine o'clock! This is bad! I forgot to set the alarm last night! And I forgot to tell Mom what time to wake me up!"
It was too late to change into her Police Force uniform, too late for breakfast. Izumi dashed out barefoot, her pale little face drained of color.
Then, she saw her mother, Mrs. Uchiha Hazuki, talking to her senpai, Uchiha Chizumi, outside the door.
And then…
She saw Senior Chizumi's gaze turn toward her.
A ridiculous thought crossed her mind — if she committed suicide, would her death look more presentable?
"Ah… Izumi, you're awake?" Mrs. Uchiha Hazuki, who had raised her daughter alone, looked apologetic. "When Chizumi-kun came for you, I intended to wake you, but he told me not to. He said… he wanted to see how long you would sleep."
Izumi stood frozen, dazed.
She felt she was doomed — she should have listened to this female Uchiha-Senpai and written her will in advance. It would soon be useful.
"S-senior…"
Her voice trembled.
Uchiha Chizumi looked at the girl, pale and stripped of her usual glow by fear and helplessness. Expressionless, he said, "Change your clothes. You are two hours late today. Tonight, you will work overtime for four hours. All weekends this month, your days off are canceled."
"Y-yes… huh?"
"…Ah?"
Izumi froze, staring in disbelief at the senior who, according to others in the Police Force, was practically the "Demon King who kills exam trainees without hesitation."
For a moment, she felt like she was dreaming, unsure if she had woken up.
"You thought I would kill you. Right?"
Izumi: "…"
Her thoughts could not be hidden in front of Senior Chizumi!
He said flatly, "On the day you betray justice, I will indeed kill you without hesitation. For now, you have thirty seconds. If you're not in front of me in thirty seconds, your exam will fail, and you can go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow morning."
Izumi shivered violently.
"Yes! Senpai!"
She hurriedly closed the door, ran while changing clothes. The room echoed with "crackling" sounds. At twenty-nine seconds, a second-floor window opened, and she jumped down, landing steadily in front of Uchiha Chizumi.
"Hu, hu…"
Her little heart was racing. The Police Force uniform was worn crookedly, as if shoved on in a hurry.
She stood carefully beside Uchiha Ichizumi, head lowered, too afraid to speak.
"Chizumi-kun, Izumi is a special child. Her personality is different from other Uchiha. If she causes trouble, please forgive her…"
Mrs. Hazuki's words were cut off by Chizumi: "I only care whether she can do her work properly. Let's go."
Izumi clutched the corner of her uniform and obediently followed Chizumi.
At that moment, she noticed he was holding something — it looked like a takeout bag from Ichiraku Ramen.
"I don't waste food," Chizumi said, tossing it casually, scaring Izumi into catching it.
She immediately remembered that Chizumi-Senpai had said they were meeting at Ichiraku Ramen this morning.
Izumi's eyes reddened with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Senpai…" she said, her voice choking slightly.
"New recruit, the reason you should be sorry is for being late, not for following justice."
Izumi held the Ichiraku ramen bag and continued to hang her head.
"I'm sorry…"
(End of Chapter 7)