Natsume Chie had originally thought that no one would come here at all.
So when Su Wen's sudden question mark startled her, she instinctively shrank into the corner in fear, haunted by shadows from the past.
The little calico cat she had been petting also arched its back and let out a threatening hiss,
its pupils narrowing into vertical slits within the shadows.
Yet compared to the wary reaction of the girl and cat,
what Su Wen cared about more were the many coin-sized bruises on the back of the girl's neck.
The shapes of those bruises perfectly matched the heels of certain leather shoes. Wounds left by an abuser deliberately controlling their strength made his stomach churn even more than a direct beating would have.
Seeing such obvious signs of bullying, Su Wen admitted that he felt somewhat disgusted,
and even: furious.
Thus, he fell silent for a moment before softening his voice further and continuing:
"Don't be afraid,
I'm a newly hired lecturer in the Department of Sociology."
Su Wen slowly crouched down. The knees of his suit trousers were immediately coated in years of dust, but he did not care. He merely took out his credential holder from his inner pocket, its genuine leather cover gleaming warmly beneath the sunlight.
"You can call me Shinonome Teacher.
I just completed my onboarding today and got lost on my way here."
The photo on the credential reflected faintly, revealing the vigilance and curiosity flickering in the girl's eyes, finally easing her guard somewhat.
Then, Su Wen's next words seemed to further close the distance between them:
"By the way, I'm new to this school and still don't know it very well.
So, could you introduce me to the school,
and to yourself as well?"
Upon hearing that,
the little