A Book Can't Be Judged By The Cover

Chapter 98: Police Encounter

For a normal person, being held at gunpoint would cause layers upon layers of panic in the brain which would then result in them either freezing up or panicking uncontrollably. Needless to say, being held at gunpoint is a traumatic experience that practically messes with the mind.

Not for Hajime.

In that instant, his mind then unlocked another memory that he had repressed for so long— his personal classes with his father. It’s not that he repressed it because it was an abhorring bad memory, but because it was one of the few good memories he had with his father whenever he was home and not out there on a business trip. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Every Sunday, when his father was still alive, Hajime would always find himself experiencing a new event in his life— be it foraging in the woods somewhere, shooting wildlife, or just applying to a language school. His father never failed to surprise him back then. Up to his death, everything came as a surprise.

Thinking back about it now, Hajime realized that all the things he experienced actually helped him out. Take free running as an example, had it not been for his father signing him up for free running training, he wouldn’t have had the skills to ditch the debt collectors who would constantly harass him.

And right now was no different.

The masked robber grunted at Hajime, his eyes turning into fine slits akin to a snake as he warned him not to speak. He must’ve thought that pressing the barrel of the gun against someone’s forehead was intimidating but to Hajime, it was a rookie mistake.

’How foolish.’ Hajime said to himself as he snapped the barrel of the gun downwards. It was one of the clean tricks Hajime knew after learning how to disassemble guns with his father on one of their ’sunday-together’s. The snap was clean, and it shocked the robber, causing him to freeze in that instant.

While the waitress cowered in fear, Hajime grabbed the handle of the gun and shoved it right at the robber’s chin. It was the masked man’s fault for freezing up like that after his gun was disabled. Before he knew it, he was knocked out cold, hunching over the table as his consciousness left him completely.

"What was that?!"

The two other masked men were a step too late as Hajime grabbed the M16 and chucked it at one of them. Without missing a beat, Hajime jumped over the chair, getting into Megumi and her group’s view before he elbowed the second man. With the second masked man unconscious, Hajime didn’t have a hard time dealing with the third man, giving him a nice punch by the jaw while he was still disoriented from the M16 which was thrown at him.

"Hajime?" Unsure, Megumi just had to ask the question since Hajime wasn’t facing him. At first, she wondered whether it was really Hajime or not, but after observing him, she was sure that it was him even though he never turned around.

Instead, Hajime reached out to the barricaded door and removed the barricade, letting the authorities in so they could apprehend the culprits. All this time, the authorities were right outside, cautiously assessing the situation since there were people inside the cafe. They knew that it was a hostage situation so they didn’t move recklessly.

However, Hajime’s display of combat prowess gave them the opening to catch the robbers. Though all they did was watch, they were just relieved that nothing worse happened during the unforeseen event.

"Hajime?" Megumi repeated a second time, this time she got up and ran towards him, ignoring her group mates albeit their obvious playful stares.

Since Hajime didn’t actually have much of a choice and since he couldn’t leave the place because the authorities still need to question him, he turned around, only to see Megumi’s concerned look invade his field of vision.

Why wasn’t she surprised? Why wasn’t she angry? Hajime felt even weirder, wondering why Megumi kept on showing concern even though she’d normally lash out against him. Counting now, she was supposed to react differently, and yet she was worried— or maybe she reacted normally in her mind, it’s just that Hajime’s conclusion wasn’t

"What are you doing here?" She asked, the image of Hajime breaking down in the middle of Ueno Park still fresh in her mind.

"I wanted some coffee, can’t I get some coffee?" He shrugged, dismissing the topic as one of the policemen pulled him from their conversation. In a casual manner, he waved at Megumi. The only thing they needed to do was a light interview with the authorities present, but as for Hajime who directly took a part in the incident, he had to be asked a couple of questions as the ’hero of the hour’ or something ridiculous like that which was going to be aired on television.

Hajime couldn’t care less though, in his mind, he was jumping around and pumping his fists in the air in celebration. He was able to protect Megumi when the situation called for it, further imprinting the fact that he was the right man for the job. With this, his bodyguarding duties would be more secure, and he won’t have to worry about the previous minor mistake that ensued earlier this afternoon. ’Maybe Franz would even forgive me for forgetting my bodyguarding duties!’ Hajime said to himself, a smile plastered on his face while the policemen asked him for identification details.

"Your parents are..." The policeman tipped his hat and stared at the tablet he was holding.

Hajime nodded and repeated his parents’ names, to which the policeman responded with an incredulous look, staring at Hajime from head to toe before writing a couple of things in his pocket notebook. He then whispered something to his fellow policeman. It was a quiet whisper that Hajime couldn’t hear despite straining his ears.

Seeing that Hajime was actually curious about what they were talking about, the policeman then stopped talking and cleared his throat. "Nothing, thank you so much for your cooperation, you can go ho— back now." The policeman continued. The reason why he paused midway was that Hajime clearly stated that he was currently on a school trip— and for a moment back there, the policeman forgot that fact.

"Ah, I see, thanks," Hajime muttered, hesitantly bowing down to the policeman before heading back to the Aoi Umi Dormitory.

"HAJIME!" Someone screamed from behind him.