An abandoned wooden house deep in Minhua Park.
Baishi Hui looked at Ran and Sonoko, who were tied up, with some disbelief.
He couldn't help but rub his eyes again and take a closer look!
He wasn't mistaken!
It really was Ran and Sonoko.
What exactly was going on?
Baishi Hui felt completely lost. How could the world change after he woke up from a nap? And Ran and Sonoko were tied up?
While he was still wondering, he suddenly felt a dizzy spell.
Memory after memory surged forth.
Gradually, Baishi Hui understood what had happened.
"He" was a student at Teitan High School. His parents had died in a car accident, and unable to bear the blow, he became addicted to pachinko.
Inevitably, he lost everything.
Then he borrowed from loan sharks, lost even his last penny, and owed a mountain of high-interest debt.
Under the coercion and instigation of those loan sharks, he eventually embarked on a path of illegal crime—kidnapping Suzuki Sonoko.
"Oh, what a terrible start," Baishi Hui sighed.
Kidnapping Suzuki Sonoko?
He truly understood nothing, so he feared nothing.
Did he really think that the Suzuki conglomerate's business grew entirely through legal and compliant commercial activities?
Which company that grew large and strong wasn't involved in both legitimate and illicit dealings?
Especially in Japan, where gangs are legalized.
Companies without some means would have been eliminated by the market long ago.
"But… Suzuki Sonoko, as the daughter of a conglomerate, should have some bodyguards with her. How was I able to kidnap her?" Baishi Hui was very confused by this.
Then his memories gave him the answer.
The method of kidnapping Suzuki Sonoko was very simple.
"He" wrote a love letter to Suzuki Sonoko and easily tricked her into coming here.
Ran had followed along to join the fun and was incidentally tied up with her.
"..." Baishi Hui didn't know what to say.
He could only lament that love-struck people were indeed easy to manipulate.
Never mind, now wasn't the time to think about these things. He needed to release them quickly.
Then he would apologize and strive for leniency, hoping they would be magnanimous and forgive "his" mistake.
Just then, Baishi Hui suddenly noticed a sound in his ear.
[Ding! System is starting...]
[Azu the Bandit System has successfully started.]
[Successfully bound to host!]
[Congratulations, host, on receiving the novice welfare package.]
[You have received an azu mask, an AK47, a Glock pistol, and twenty universal magazines.]
[Current mission: Accumulate 100 million Japanese Yen in ill-gotten gains.]
"You're giving me this?" Baishi Hui was speechless after seeing it.
How could a good young man like him, a law-abiding citizen, end up with such a system?
It wants me to go further and further down the path of illegal crime!
No, no!
As a transmigrator, he could reach the pinnacle of life by plagiarizing Shinichi Kudo's deductions.
Why be an Azu the Bandit?
Isn't this just narrowing his own path?
After thinking this, Baishi Hui ignored the system and walked over to the kidnapped Ran and Sonoko, removing the cloth from their mouths.
"You… you… what do you want to do?" Sonoko asked, her face full of fear, "I… I advise you to let us go!"
"As long as you let us go now, we can pretend nothing happened!!" Ran, though somewhat afraid, was still relatively calm.
"Hmm? Really?" Baishi immediately brightened upon hearing this, "If I let you go now, you really can pretend this never happened?"
"???" Ran and Sonoko, who were tied up, were clearly stunned.
They felt as if they had misheard something.
"Then it's a deal. I'll let you go, and you'll pretend this never happened." Baishi Hui didn't give them a chance to change their minds.
He immediately used a small knife to cut the ropes on their bodies.
"Alright! I've cut the ropes, you can go." Baishi Hui took two steps back, threw away the knife in his hand, indicating that he was no longer a threat.
The turn of events far exceeded Ran and Sonoko's expectations.
For a moment, even though they were freed, they were still a bit slow to react, unsure what to do.
Ran and Sonoko subconsciously exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
He just let them go?
Though confused, both of them still stood up and brushed the dirt and weeds from their skirts.
"Then… then shall we… go?" Ran asked tentatively.
"Yes, you can go." Baishi Hui even thoughtfully pointed the way, saying, "The exit is this way. Follow this small path, and you'll get out."
"Tha… thank you." Polite Ran, out of habit, thanked him, then quickly pulled Sonoko towards the exit.
Although she didn't understand why he had changed his mind, escaping now was the priority.
"Wait a moment!" Sonoko stopped, unwilling to leave.
Kidnapping her, then suddenly letting her go.
She wouldn't be satisfied until she understood the reason behind it!
Sonoko looked at the bandit in front of her, confused, "Why did you suddenly decide to let us go?"
"Sonoko!! Now is not the time for that!" Ran urged anxiously, very worried that he might change his mind again, and then they wouldn't be able to leave.
"Ran, you don't need to be nervous. If he didn't want us to leave, we wouldn't be able to!" Sonoko didn't care, instead looking curiously at the masked bandit in front of her, hoping he would give her an explanation.
Ran tried to persuade her repeatedly, but seeing that Sonoko had no intention of leaving, she reluctantly gave up that plan, silently stood in front of her, assumed a stance, and looked wary.
"Because my conscience found me! I was momentarily confused and did something wrong!" Baishi Hui reluctantly took the blame, admitting "his" mistake.
He tried his best to gain their sympathy, hoping to make a big deal into a small one, and a small one into nothing.
So, Baishi Hui began to play the victim… oh, it wasn't really playing the victim.
This was already his current character background, he said, "A while ago, my parents died in a car accident. And I became addicted to pachinko, eventually owing a mountain of gambling debts."
"Then those loan sharks incited me to do these illegal and criminal things."
"I don't know how, but I believed their nonsense and kidnapped you."
"Sigh… Now that I think about it carefully. I was really foolish, truly."
"I hope you can forgive my immature behavior."
After getting this answer, the two girls' faces clearly showed some sympathy.
Ran, who was beside them, also lost her previous wariness, and her tone softened considerably, saying, "So that's how it is. But, it's really good that you recognized your mistake, didn't continue to err, and turned back in time."
"Mm-hmm. We forgive you!!" Sonoko finally felt relieved.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "Can you take off your mask? Let me see what you look like?"
"Otherwise, I feel like this trip was for nothing!"
"Sonoko!!" This time, Ran was truly anxious.
What if he felt that they had seen his face and wouldn't let them leave? What then?
"Okay!" Before Sonoko could speak, Baishi Hui readily agreed.
Even if he didn't take off his mask, Shinichi Kudo would quickly deduce that he was a Teitan High School student based on the love letter clue.
Plus, he had already revealed his background.
It was no different from taking off the mask; a little investigation would reveal everything, so it was better to be frank.
Saying this, he took off the mask on his face to show his sincerity.
When Sonoko saw that the bandit was a handsome young man, her eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards as she muttered, "I think… since you've already kidnapped me, you should take responsibility for me!"