Takayanagi Grabs the Evidence
Takayanagi’s PoV
“I always watch your videos. Keep up the good work!”
I said to Uncle Gourmet. It seemed he had already finished shooting his video for the day, as he responded with a warm smile.
“Oh, really? I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you!”
“Um, sorry if this sounds a bit abrupt, but in your last video, you mentioned witnessing a fight between some teenagers…”
He looked slightly puzzled but nodded.
“Yes, I did mention that.”
There was no need to hide anything here. Even Aono’s mother, standing beside me, wore a surprised expression.
“I’m Takayanagi, a high school teacher. A student in my class was attacked around that same time. I want to involve the police, but without evidence, I can’t even start an investigation. Could you show me the video from that incident? Just to confirm if the boy being beaten was my student.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if he would agree. Public scrutiny towards streamers has become intense in recent years, with concerns over privacy and compliance. Uncle Gourmet, in particular, follows a strict policy—getting filming permission in advance and avoiding busy hours to minimize disturbance.
But if there was even a shred of possibility, I would go to any lengths to see this through. Especially if it was for the sake of my students.
“Hmm, what should I do…”
I quickly offered my business card.
“I know this isn’t objective proof, but here’s my business card. If needed, I can also show you my driver’s license. Additionally, this restaurant is owned by the parents of one of my students…”
Uncle Gourmet glanced towards the kitchen, and the owners—Aono’s mother—nodded firmly.
“If you insist… I still have the video data. Please wait a moment.”
I let out a small sigh of relief, though my shoulders remained tense.
“Here it is.”
The sounds of a bustling city filled the air as the video began playing. A sharp scream rang out: [Kyaa!!]
Someone shouted, [There’s a fight happening!] The camera swung towards the commotion.
It wasn’t a fight—it was one-sided violence. An enraged boy was striking another with unchecked aggression.
The boy on the receiving end was thrown to the ground. Though the audio was faint, the attacker’s voice carried an unmistakable tone of anger.
Beside the aggressor, a young woman stood calmly. She didn’t intervene, nor did she attempt to stop him. She spoke a few quiet words before walking away with the attacker.
The camera focused briefly on the injured boy.
[Hey, are you okay? You shouldn’t force yourself to walk. Maybe you should lie down for a while. …Hey, hey, kid!]
The boy, staggering, managed to get up and walked away from the scene.
Uncle Gourmet’s voice lingered softly: [I hope he’s okay…]
The video cut off there.
I swallowed hard. On the screen were unmistakable faces—Aono Eiji, Amada Miyuki, and Kondo Seiji from the soccer team.
“What do you think? Is this the footage you were looking for? I’ve already submitted this video to the police. You might be able to get more information by consulting with them…”
“Thank you. I was almost certain it was my student. Could you please share the police station’s location so I can follow up?”
After obtaining the location, I turned to Aono’s mother and shared the details of what I had seen.
“As I suspected, it was Aono-kun. The video clearly shows him being attacked.”
Her voice grew cold, sharp with restrained anger.
“Sensei, I might cause trouble for the school, but I will never forgive those who hurt Eiji. I will never forgive them.”
A typical teacher might have tried to advocate for the offender’s future. But our school is different.
“No, Aono-san, this is your decision to make. The school has no authority here. More importantly, it’s our duty as teachers to ensure students understand when they’ve done something wrong. A student who strays like this could one day do something truly irreversible. It’s also our responsibility to guide them and offer a chance for redemption.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry, Onii-chan. I’ll go with Takayanagi-sensei. Please don’t tell Eiji just yet. I want to confirm everything first.”
Without wasting any more time, we headed to the police station where the video data had been submitted.