pertwk Page 55
Page 55
Hoshino Saori covered her forehead, which had been tapped, and muttered under her breath.
Seeing the natural interaction between the two, Ichikawa Yuu's tense mood relaxed a little, and she smiled gratefully and said, "Hi! I understand!"
When I get back, I will definitely practice even harder!
"Yes, remember, just do your best and don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Qingze spoke up again to comfort him.
The group left the club building together.
Afterwards, Qingze walked to the parking lot alone, got on his motorcycle, and drove away from the school.
Only after driving into a street where he knew no one did he finally let out a long-held sigh, completely losing his composure: "Ah—!"
The process of tutoring Ichikawa Yuon made him personally experience the anger of "parents tutoring their children with homework" that makes them want to hit them.
Damn it... This label is so difficult to deal with. I'll make sure the power boost I get is worth all the effort I put in today!
He silently shouted in his heart, took a deep breath, and continued driving towards Dongye Apartment.
……
After dinner, as usual, the five sparrows flew out of their cages on the balcony and silently disappeared into the night.
Aozawa then left Higashino Apartment and headed west.
Tonight's search plan is to first thoroughly search the western area of Shinjuku Ward, and then enter the adjacent Nakano Ward to conduct a comprehensive scan of the tag traces.
When the duration of the Birds' Eyes spell is about to run out, return to Higashino Apartment, put the sparrow in the birdcage, and then search other areas of Shinjuku.
This is to make the most of time and avoid waste.
He maintained a steady pace, jogging all the way.
Suddenly, through the shared view of the sparrows ahead, a bright red label clearly appeared in his mind.
【Rogue】
The man with this label looked to be in his early thirties, with a buzz cut that covered his scalp, a few pockmarks on his face, and very ordinary clothes. He was the kind of person you wouldn't notice if you threw him into a crowd.
From the sparrow's vantage point, Qingze could clearly see that the man was furtively reaching into the side pocket of a passerby's backpack.
He deftly used two fingers to pick out a bulging wallet, then quickly withdrew his hand, turned and left calmly, as if nothing had happened.
The wallet's owner, a young anime enthusiast, was completely unaware of this and continued excitedly discussing with his companion which limited-edition figurine they would buy later.
……
The Nakano Broadway Shopping Street, located near Shinjuku, is a famous anime and manga culture hotspot in Tokyo.
The slightly old building's exterior walls are covered with layers of anime posters. In the corner, the windows of vintage shops display classic Showa-era mecha models alongside the latest anime figurines, creating a unique atmosphere that transcends time.
Kenji Murakami really likes this place.
The reason is simple.
These fans who are immersed in the world of anime and manga generally lack sufficient awareness of the dangers in the real world.
Their wallets are often stuffed with cash, and they are easily distracted.
When chatting with friends, people often get so engrossed in their conversations that they become completely oblivious to the loss of their belongings.
He quickly walked to a secluded corner, opened the wallet he had just acquired, and found it stuffed full of banknotes.
No wonder he carefully selected such a fat sheep.
He contentedly slipped his wallet into his inside pocket.
After succeeding once, Murakami Kenji was not greedy and decided to stop.
He was just released from prison last month and doesn't want to go back to eating bland prison food so soon.
With this money, he could live a carefree and happy life for several days.
He took a black mask out of his pocket and put it on, then pulled up the hood of his hooded jacket and covered his head, while deliberately making a few suppressed coughs to disguise himself as a cold patient, before walking into a convenience store on the street corner.
He first bought a can of the drink he wanted, then strolled leisurely among the shelves, casually stuffing a few good-looking snacks inside his coat.
This is the "dinner" he prepared for tonight.
For a professional thief like Kenji Murakami, stealing has almost become an instinct ingrained in his bones.
If you enter a store and don't casually take something, you always feel uneasy, as if you're letting down your "skill".
After choosing his "dinner," he went straight to the front desk, leaving only his drink on the cashier's counter.
Standing behind the cashier was a young female clerk with a clear and pleasant voice.
But Kenji Murakami knew that it wouldn't be long before that pleasant voice would become sharp and shrill due to shock and anger.
He paid for his drink nonchalantly, then turned and walked out of the store.
His pace didn't seem fast at first, but the moment his front foot stepped out of the convenience store's automatic door, his speed suddenly increased, and he sprinted forward.
Ding Ding Ding!
The burglar alarm at the door immediately went off in a piercing blare.
The cashier at the front desk reacted instantly, shouting, "Stop thief!!"
late!
Kenji Murakami smiled smugly to himself.
With the speed he's unleashed right now, once he rushes out the door, the little girl behind him simply can't catch up with his footwork.
However, right in front of him as he fled, a tall man seemed to notice the commotion, turned around, and appeared to want to be a hero and block his way.
"Get out of my way if you don't want to die!"
Murakami Kenji shouted, trying to intimidate the other party with his imposing manner.
The man seemed intimidated by his ferocity and instinctively dodged to the side.
Murakami Kenji was secretly delighted and sped forward.
Just as he brushed past the other person, a strong and powerful hand, like an iron clamp, swiftly grabbed the back of his neck by the collar.
A tremendous force suddenly pulled him backward, the collar instantly tightening around his neck, almost suffocating him. His forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and he was abruptly frozen in place.
Immediately afterwards, Qingze twisted his wrist and exerted force from his waist and abdomen, making a clean and neat move to knock Murakami Kenji to the ground, and pinned him firmly to the ground with his knee, unable to move.
At this moment, the female cashier also chased after them aggressively, carrying a bamboo sword for self-defense.
Seeing that the thief had been subdued, a look of joy immediately appeared on her face, and she quickly bowed to Qingze, saying, "Sir, thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, it's easy."
Qingze smiled, searched the subdued man for the unpaid snacks, and then pulled out the stolen wallet.
He opened his wallet, glanced at the driver's license inside, and then casually pulled off the man's mask, pretending to compare them.
"Looks like you're a habitual thief."
Qingze sneered, "The person on this ID doesn't look like you at all."
"That's a photo of me when I was young..."
Kenji Murakami struggled, trying to argue his way out of it.
Qingze was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and directly said to the female shop assistant next to him, "Young lady, please call the police."
Chapter 64 You are the fox!
Upon learning that the thief had been caught on the spot, the Nakano Police Station immediately dispatched nearby patrol officers to the scene.
Not long after, a police car with flashing red and blue lights stopped in front of the convenience store.
The car door opened, and a police officer with a square face got out.
He spotted the thief firmly under Qingze's control at a glance, and a look of surprise flashed across his face as he said, "Isn't this Murakami?"
"You were doing this eight years ago, how come you haven't improved at all after eight years and are still just a thief?"
Kenji Murakami glanced at the police officer and, recognizing him as an old acquaintance, immediately lost his friendly demeanor. He retorted sarcastically, "Ha, eight years ago when you arrested me, you were just a lowly patrolman. Eight years later, you're still a patrolman. Why don't you try to climb the ranks?"
These sharp sarcasm made the police officer's face darken instantly. He immediately stepped forward and said to Qingze, "Sir, thank you very much for your bravery. Please hand the person over to me."
This guy's a repeat offender; now that he's been arrested, he'll probably be in jail for several more years.
"You just wait, when I get out, I'll make sure you regret it!"
Before being taken away, Murakami Kenji turned around and uttered some harsh words to Aozawa.
However, to Qingze, this threat sounded utterly ridiculous.
At the rate at which his strength is growing, by the time this guy is released from prison, the world will probably have already changed.
"Are you pretending I don't exist?!"
The officer angrily slapped him on the back of the head and forcefully dragged him toward the police car.
Just as Murakami Kenji was shoved into the police car, the bright red "Thief" tag on his head wriggled, quickly merged, and turned into a beam of red light that entered Qingze's brow.
The familiar warmth spread from top to bottom once again, and Qingze was captivated by this feeling of growing power, no matter how many times he experienced it.
The police car drove away from the convenience store with its siren blaring.
The female shop assistant, her face beaming with gratitude, bowed to Qingze again and said, "Sir, thank you so much for today!"
"If it weren't for you, the loss of the stolen goods would probably have been deducted from my salary..."
Qingze glanced at Zhu Jian leaning against the front desk and laughed, "Even without me, with your skills, catching up with that thief shouldn't be a problem."
"Ha ha……"
The female shop assistant smiled awkwardly, instinctively shielding the bamboo sword with her body, and explained, "No, it's not..."
"I was born into a family of swordsmen, and grew up surrounded by my father, learning a little bit of the basics. It's nothing special."
Normally, she didn't feel there was anything to hide about practicing kendo, but in front of this handsome and righteous man, she inexplicably wanted to hide all the aspects of herself that might seem "unladylike" and only show the gentleness that a young girl should have.
She mustered her courage and extended an invitation: "Um... to express my gratitude, would you mind if I treated you to a late-night snack?"
"I still have some things to take care of."