The small black kitten nestled in his arms as Ritsu cleaned up the trash and tossed it into the children's park bin. Then he stood and headed toward the parking lot.
After opening the car door, he felt it wasn't ideal to leave the kitten on the passenger seat. So he emptied all the cash from the black backpack into the trunk, unzipped the now-empty bag, and gently placed the kitten inside.
Ritsu fastened his seatbelt and sat in the car, thinking about what to name the kitten, when suddenly, he heard a boy shouting not far away.
"Damn it! Don't run! Put Ran down!!!"
"…??"
A silver-gray van sped past the street, followed by a black-haired boy clutching a soccer ball, chasing after it with all his might.
No matter how fast the boy ran, there was no way he could catch up to a van. Ritsu hadn't intended to get involved but his real job was a police officer. There was no way he could just ignore it.
He quickly pulled a white mask from his pocket and put it on. Starting the engine, he drove up beside the frantic boy and rolled down the window.
"Kid, get in!"
The boy froze for a second. He didn't have time to question whether this man in a cap and mask was trustworthy. He yanked open the passenger door, only to hear the man's cool voice again.
"Careful. Hold my cat."
Only then did the boy notice the small black kitten poking its head out of the backpack on the seat. He climbed in quickly, cradling the kitten in his arms, and said urgently, "Nii-san! Please catch that van, my friend's been kidnapped!"
"Put your seatbelt on… and hold tight."
After confirming the boy was secured, Ritsu slammed the accelerator. The Ford GT40 let out a low roar as it surged forward, rapidly gaining speed.
The boy's eyes widened. One arm clutched the kitten tightly, while the other grabbed the overhead handle. Just as it looked like the car would slam into a stone wall, Ritsu calmly spun the steering wheel and tapped the brakes, executing a flawless drift even in the narrow alley.
'Riding in this car is going to shorten my lifespan!' the boy couldn't help but think.
The van ahead noticed the sports car tailing it. Realizing something was wrong, the kidnapper floored the gas, trying to shake them off.
The roar of the engine drew the attention of pedestrians. Drivers waiting at a red light glanced into their rearview mirrors, watching as the van sped through the intersection, followed closely by the black-and-white Ford GT40 doing the same.
One driver looked up at the red light and excitedly sent a voice message to a friend. "Hey, I think I just saw a movie scene, so cool!"
A girl with drooping eyes nearby immediately shouted, "Cool my foot! Didn't you see the red light?! What if they hit someone?! Those idiots!"
"Yumi, don't be mad… how about I take you to a movie?" a young man in a gray suit over a black shirt said awkwardly, though he secretly thought she looked pretty charming like this.
The girl clenched her fists and declared, "Just wait! Next year I'm going to police academy training. Once I join the traffic division, I'm going to catch all these reckless drivers!"
Meanwhile, Ritsu sneezed while chasing the kidnapper. 'Weird… is someone talking about me?'
The boy glanced over, worried. "Nii-san, do you have a cold? Are you okay?"
"Yeah… a little. Don't worry, I won't infect you," Ritsu replied casually, seizing the moment to brush it off. Seeing the van turn left ahead, he accelerated and executed a risky overtake, forcing the kidnapper into a dead end.
In front of the van was a parked container truck. Crashing into it would spell disaster.
"Damn it!"
The kidnapper, who had successfully abducted two girls before, couldn't believe his luck had run out today. He grabbed a prepared knife, held it against the unconscious girl's face, and stepped out to threaten them.
"Move your car, or I'll—"
"Or you'll what?"
"I'll kill this girl!"
The boy jumped out of the car and shouted anxiously, "Don't hurt Ran! Kidnap me instead! My dad is a famous novelist, and my mom used to be an actress! You want ransom money, right? You'll get more if you take me! Ran's family doesn't have money!"
If Ran had been conscious to hear that last line, she probably would've woken up just to punch him.
Ritsu cast a surprised glance at the boy, who looked about ten years old. Brave, but reckless. A kidnapper might very well kill the hostage even after getting the ransom. Clearly, this girl named Ran meant a lot to him.
'Could it be…?' Ritsu thought, his eyes half-lidded. 'Kids these days really mature early.'
The kidnapper hesitated after hearing the boy's offer. Then his gaze shifted to Ritsu, and he smirked.
"Hey, toss me your car keys."
The boy turned to Ritsu. He was grateful for the help but he didn't expect this stranger to hand over such an expensive sports car.
"Here. Catch."
Ritsu casually tossed the keys into the air.
The kidnapper's attention immediately followed them. His knife hand instinctively lifted as he tried to catch the keys.
People always had reflexive reactions and those could be exploited.
Ritsu had been wondering how to knock him out without harming the girl. Now the opportunity had come.
He stepped forward nearly a full meter in a swift advance, maintaining perfect balance, a difficult Jeet Kune Do forward burst. His gloved left hand curled into a strike, and he jabbed directly at the kidnapper's eyes.
"AAAGH!!!"
With a scream, the kidnapper staggered back and collapsed onto the ground, dropping the knife. Clutching his left eye, he writhed in agony.
Ritsu immediately caught the girl the kidnapper had dropped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy run up and kick the fallen criminal a couple of times, pretty sharp for a kid, knowing to follow up.
The unconscious girl slowly opened her eyes, disoriented. Hearing the cries of pain nearby and recalling what had happened, she began to struggle in Ritsu's arms.
"Ran! Don't be scared, it's me, Kudo Shinichi!"
"Shinichi…?"
Mouri Ran finally saw the familiar face full of concern. Then she looked up at the young man holding her and met a pair of striking, sapphire-blue eyes.
'Such long eyelashes… such beautiful eyes…'
"Onii-san, did you save me?"
"…Yeah."
After setting her down, Ritsu opened the van's trunk. As expected, it contained all the typical tools of a kidnapper, like rope.
Taking out a five-meter-long coil, he hauled the still-writhing kidnapper up and struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
He tied the man to a nearby utility pole. Passersby looked on in shock, but young Shinichi quickly shouted to explain.
"Don't worry, he's not a bad guy! He's tied up a kidnapper! Please call the police!"
Understanding the situation, a bystander immediately took out their phone and reported the location, helping ensure the criminal would soon be taken into custody.
----
Bonus chap @100 PS