The girl glared silently, and Shuichi Hayashi, too tired to press further, started to release her wooden sword.
Suddenly, he spotted the lead punk, still lingering, picking up a rock and hurling it at the girl's head.
"You little brat, die!"
"Look out!"
Shuichi instinctively raised his arm, shielding her head.
Crack!
The rock slammed into his forearm. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Shuichi kicked the punk down, twisted his arm, and pinned him to the ground.
"There's a police box nearby—go get help!"
The girl stood frozen, stunned.
The throbbing in his arm sapped Shuichi's patience. "What are you waiting for? Get the cops!"
"…Oh!" Startled, she bolted out of the alley.
"You want to go to prison for smashing someone's head with a rock?" Shuichi snapped, slapping the punk twice.
"Mind your own business…" the punk muttered, only to catch another slap.
"Mind my business? I'm saving your sorry hide. If you'd killed her, you'd be looking at over a decade behind bars!"
"I…"
"Still talking back?"
The pain in his arm and the frustration from last night's case boiled over. Shuichi unleashed a flurry of slaps, his hand reddening as the punk's face swelled.
"Wah, I-I'm sorry! Stop, please!" the punk sobbed, breaking down.
Just then, the girl returned with two officers from the nearby police box.
Seeing the bawling punk, the officers looked surprised. "Hayashi-san, what's…"
"After some heartfelt persuasion, he's repenting his attempted robbery and assault," Shuichi said, straight-faced, shoving the punk toward them.
The officers, stationed near the izakaya and familiar with Shuichi's police ties, didn't question him. "Don't worry, Hayashi-san. We'll take good care of him."
As the punk was hauled away, Shuichi clutched his bruised forearm, ready to head home.
The girl, wooden sword in hand, followed him, head bowed like she'd done something wrong.
"Why're you tailing me? This isn't your fault," Shuichi said irritably. "I stuck my nose in myself."
"Thanks for saving me!" she said, bowing deeply, her voice loud. "I owe you one!"
"No need for that. Go home. You're still in middle school, right? Don't be late," Shuichi softened, her earnest gratitude easing his mood. "I've got school too."
He headed toward the Mouri family's building, the girl trailing silently. Shaking his head, he let her follow. Thankfully, she turned away once he entered.
"Shuichi, what's with the pajamas this early?" Kogoro Mouri said, coming downstairs, startled. "If you're late today, Eri's gonna flip."
"Give me a sec to change," Shuichi called, heading to his room.
Lifting his sleeve, he checked his forearm—purple and swollen from the rock. Testing it, the bones seemed fine, just surface damage.
"Day's barely started, and I'm already cursed…"
Muttering, Shuichi changed into his Teitan High uniform, grabbed his bag, and headed out.
He met Kogoro and Eri Kisaki at their usual corner, and the trio walked to school.
"Didn't sleep well?" Eri noticed his bloodshot eyes. "We closed the izakaya early last night. Did Kogoro drag you into something?"
"Hey, what's that got to do with me?" Kogoro protested. "After closing, I went home, did my homework, and slept. I didn't even see Shuichi…"
He paused, realization dawning. "Wait, why were you in pajamas coming back from outside this morning?"
"Megure showed up past 1 AM needing help," Shuichi said, yawning, and gave a brief rundown of the case.
"So, Nishikawa's killer is dead?" Kogoro clasped his hands, relieved. "Great! Her spirit won't haunt me now."
Eri rolled her eyes, tugging Shuichi's sleeve. "If you're exhausted, take the day off."
"Nah, I can nap at school," Shuichi said dismissively.
As they rounded a corner, Teitan High came into view.
Shuichi yawned again when rapid footsteps and a panicked shout came from a nearby alley: "Get out of the way!"
Normally, he'd have dodged in time, but after a sleepless night, his reflexes lagged. A figure barreled out of the alley, knocking him to the ground.
The impact hit his injured arm, making him wince. "You!"
It was Yukiko Fujimine.
Sprawled atop him, a slice of bread in her mouth, she met his annoyed glare and tried to apologize, forgetting the bread.
As her mouth opened, the bread fell—right into Shuichi's mouth, where he bit down instinctively.
"My breakfast…"
Yukiko, still on top of him, gaped at the bread in his mouth.
Good thing he bit the side I didn't eat. No indirect kiss here!
Her odd focus shifted as Eri, fuming, yanked her up. "That's the second time you've crashed into Shuichi!"
"It was an accident!" Yukiko said, laughing nervously. "I stayed up late watching videos and overslept."
Kogoro helped Shuichi up. He pulled the bread from his mouth, handing it back with a scowl. "Running to school with bread in your mouth? What are you, a manga heroine?"
Yukiko stared at the bread, torn. It hadn't touched the ground, so it was technically edible, but Shuichi had bitten it.
Eat it or not?
Before she could decide, Eri snatched the bread, crumpled it, and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
"Let's go. School."
(End of Chapter)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.