Scotch watched the robber running towards them, intending to subdue him when he got close. If Rye had any questions later, he could use the excuse that he didn't want the robber to harm Stelle.
However, as the robber approached, he seemed to feel threatened by the two men, or perhaps the approaching police made him realize there was no escape. He reached out to a lady standing slightly in front of Scotch and Stelle.
Scotch was momentarily distracted by Stelle, but he quickly reacted, wanting to stop the robber. Yet, Stelle was even faster.
She pulled the lady away with one hand and stepped forward to face the robber herself.
The criminal seemed startled by the sudden change, but since it was just a different hostage, he didn't pay much attention to the girl's 'self-sacrifice'.
"Stelle!" Scotch watched worriedly as the criminal pulled out a small knife and held it to Stelle's neck.
But Stelle, who was facing danger, showed no fear on her face. She even started chatting with the criminal: "Hey~, you know what? This is the third robbery I've encountered since coming to this world!" Her tone even carried a hint of excitement.
"Shut up! No nonsense!" The criminal, surrounded by police, clearly had no patience to listen to the hostage's ramblings, finding her noisy.
The knife pressed against Stelle's neck uncontrollably moved closer to her skin, making Scotch even more nervous at the sight. He couldn't help but signal Stelle with his eyes to calm down a little.
But clearly, Stelle, who had only just met Scotch, didn't have much understanding with him. Still unafraid, she continued to chat with the criminal: "Tsk, you're not very patient. It's rare to meet by such fate, let's chat and get to know each other.
I'm Stelle, still very young. I was recently abandoned by my mother and am now being looked after by an uncle I just met less than a day ago.
What about you? Who are you? Why are you robbing? Have you encountered any difficulties recently?"
The criminal was momentarily bewildered by Stelle's unusual reaction. It was his first time seeing someone talk so much under a life threat, and even introduce herself to him, the criminal threatening her!
Initially, the criminal thought she talked too much and hesitated, wondering if he should make her bleed a little to make her behave.
But then he heard that Stelle was still a minor and had been abandoned by her mother. He couldn't help but think of his own child, who was only about 6 years old and had also lost their mother, and a trace of reluctance arose in his heart. He subconsciously shifted the knife away a little.
The criminal tilted his head to look at Stelle's innocent face. Hearing her question, he answered hesitantly: "I, my name is Ogawa Yuuki. I was recently, recently fired from Chiteng Company. I worked at the company for over ten years, I still have loans, and my child is sick. I really have no money, so, so I acted on impulse today..."
"Mhm, mhm." Stelle listened, nodding repeatedly, looking as if she deeply empathized with Ogawa Yuuki. "Mr. Ogawa's company is too unfair, firing old employees just like that! And Mr. Ogawa is a father, right? Raising children is very expensive, Mr. Ogawa must have had a tough time recently."
"That's right... Little Yu is very ill, and ordinary hospitals can't treat him. And he's about to start elementary school; he's a good child..." Ogawa Yuuki thought of his son waiting for him in the hospital ward. Looking at the police who were vigilantly watching him, the movements of his hand became more hesitant.
Scotch watched with a twitching mouth as Stelle and the criminal chatted animatedly, a series of developments that left him somewhat bewildered.