Inside the police car, Shiori Fuyutsuki sat close to Ho Fei-yu, her two arms wrapped around his arm, and her head tucked behind his bicep like an ostrich.
Ho Fei-yu could feel the softness of her two papayas pressing against his arm, but he had no improper thoughts right now.
Even though they had only known each other for half a day, he had a good idea of what kind of person Shiori Fuyutsuki was. Strong, kind, and a little tsundere. Yet, when facing real danger, she was so vulnerable.
She was like a sailboat lost on a dark, silent sea, bewildered and terrified, unsure if the next giant wave would capsize her. Ho Fei-yu was acting as the lighthouse, a beacon of light in the darkness, providing her with a sense of security.
Soon, the police car stopped. Ho Fei-yu and Shiori Fuyutsuki followed the officers out of the car. Under the officers' direction, they were led into separate interrogation rooms.
Ho Fei-yu calmly answered all the officer's questions. His recorded video served as evidence. After giving his statement, he was released.
When he walked out of the interrogation room, Shiori Fuyutsuki was already standing outside the door. Seeing Ho Fei-yu emerge, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed his hand again. It seemed that only when he was beside her could the girl feel secure.
The older officer from earlier also followed them out.
"Young man, your actions were entirely self-defense, so there will be no problems."
"I have already informed this young lady's guardian, and they should be arriving soon. Please wait here for a moment." After saying this, the older officer turned and left.
Sure enough, a car soon stopped outside the police station.
A red car. A tall and a short, beautiful woman got out. One was Yui Nakaizumi, so the other must be her mother, Mao Nakaizumi.
Yui Nakaizumi immediately ran to Shiori Fuyutsuki, her moe face filled with worry. "Shiori-chan, are you okay?"
She had followed Ho Fei-yu's instructions and stayed put, waiting for the two of them to return. But after waiting for a long time, neither returned. She happened to see a police car and an ambulance drive past her, heading toward the convenience store. Thinking of going to rubberneck and checking why they hadn't returned, she turned around and walked briskly, but the vehicles stopped right in front of the convenience store.
She quickly ran up, pushed through the crowd of like-minded people, and saw Ho Fei-yu and Shiori Fuyutsuki getting into the police car, while Yoshihiro Shimoda was carried out like a dead pig.
Her small head was filled with big question marks, but the officers had cordoned off the area, and she couldn't get closer. Anxious, she quickly pulled out her phone and called her mother. Her mother drove over and picked her up. On the way, she saw her mother make a call and receive another call, before driving straight to the police station.
Shiori Fuyutsuki saw the concern on Yui Nakaizumi's face. Her heart warmed, but she remembered she was holding Ho Fei-yu's hand. Her pretty face flushed, and she quietly let go of his hand. The warm feeling in her hand vanished, though she was reluctant. She was too shy to hold a boy's hand in front of Yui-chan and Auntie Mao.
"I'm fine." Yui Nakaizumi's worry eased after hearing Shiori Fuyutsuki's words. But she still circled her, checking her over. Aside from her clothes being slightly disheveled, there seemed to be no major injury, and she was completely relieved, as she didn't know what exactly had happened.
At this point, Mao Nakaizumi walked up to them, limping slightly. Her mature and lovely face was filled with worry and self-reproach.
"Shiori-chan, I'm sorry..." She blamed herself for almost pushing this kind and strong girl into a pit of fire.
"It's okay, Auntie Mao."
"Waaah—" Shiori Fuyutsuki felt Auntie Mao's self-reproach and was heartbroken. She knew Auntie Mao often worked long hours to support the three of them, just so they could have a better life. She hadn't wanted to cause Auntie Mao any trouble, but unfortunately, she hadn't succeeded. Thinking of this, the girl couldn't help but cry again.
"It's all my fault, Auntie. I shouldn't have recommended you to work there."
"It's not your fault, Auntie. I asked for it myself." Mao Nakaizumi had used her connections to find a decent job for the perpetually lazy Yoshihiro Shimoda. It happened that her daughter and Shiori-chan were looking for summer jobs to earn tuition and living expenses. She thought of her brother and recommended the two of them to the convenience store, thinking they could look out for each other as relatives. She never expected...
"Ahem, the culprit has been arrested, and nothing bad happened. Isn't that a good thing?" Ho Fei-yu was a little speechless watching them vying to take responsibility. Shouldn't they be condemning that fat bastard?
"You're right! It's good that he didn't succeed. I can't believe that ungrateful wretch was so awful, alas." Mao Nakaizumi responded after hearing Ho Fei-yu's words. Ever since Yoshihiro Shimoda attempted to assault his classmate, she should have known what a terrible person he was. But out of guilt and family ties, she tolerated Yoshihiro Shimoda living off her and even tried to get him a respectable job.
"Eh!? You must be Fei-yu-kun." Mao Nakaizumi suddenly realized that the young man next to them must be the one who saved Shiori-chan. When she received the police officer's call, she already had a general idea of the situation.
"Yes."
"Hello, thank you, thank you so much for helping Shiori-chan." Mao Nakaizumi quickly extended her hand, wanting to express her gratitude.
"It's nothing. Any man would step up when such a beautiful girl like Shiori-chan is being bullied."
Shiori Fuyutsuki looked at Ho Fei-yu's profile after hearing his words. She seemed to recall the previous scenes, and a blush appeared on her face. Her heart sped up uncontrollably, a strange wave of heat swept over her body, and her moist purple-brown eyes gained a hint of redness.
Ho Fei-yu also extended his hand and shook Mao Nakaizumi's hand. It was soft and slightly cool.
After they separated, Mao Nakaizumi unconsciously curled her hand, feeling the warmth Ho Fei-yu had left behind. Her heart fluttered slightly.
Just then, another car approached and stopped near them.
"Fei-yu-kun, are you alright?"
"President Takahiro, why are you here?" Ho Fei-yu was puzzled. He hadn't told Taro Takahiro about this, had he?
"Heh heh, actually, Ms. Mao told me. When I heard you were in trouble, I rushed over immediately." Taro Takahiro answered cleverly. This way, he put Mao Nakaizumi in his debt and showed Ho Fei-yu that he cared for him. Although he didn't know the exact nature of Ho Fei-yu's relationship with President Kurashiki Reika, it must be significant given how much President Kurashiki Reika was looking out for Ho Fei-yu. If Ho Fei-yu put in a good word for him, wouldn't he be on his way to the peak of life, becoming a CEO and marrying a beautiful, rich woman?
"Thank you for your concern, Taro-kun. I'm fine."
"Then, would you like..." Taro Takahiro subtly hinted at Ho Fei-yu. With his means and connections, a simple word to the relevant people could ensure Yoshihiro Shimoda would be skinned alive even if he didn't die.
Ho Fei-yu shook his head. The NTR should be executed by the dedicated NTR Hunter.
"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Mhm." Taro Takahiro didn't say much to Mao Nakaizumi. After all, Yoshihiro Shimoda was Mao Nakaizumi's brother, and her brother had offended Ho Fei-yu. He was afraid of getting burned, especially since the oppressive presence of President Kurashiki Reika was too strong.
Taro Takahiro got into his car and hesitated for a moment before making a call. He respectfully recounted everything he knew about the incident in detail. Although the voice on the other end of the phone was calm, serving a powerful person was like serving a tiger. Taro Takahiro vaguely remembered the last time her voice was this calm was with a person who was two-faced.
The next day, that person never showed up for work, seemingly vanishing from the face of the earth. He guessed the person was probably sleeping forever at the bottom of Tokyo Bay, keeping company with fish and shrimp.
Hanging up the phone, he shivered. His clothes were unknowingly soaked with cold sweat.
"Hoo—" Taro Takahiro let out a long breath, then started his car and drove away from the area.