NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
A scream. That’s not something you hear often in daily life.
At first, I didn’t think much of it. Sighing at the murmurs around me, I figured maybe someone had spotted a cockroach. I thought to myself, “Not now, please. We’re too busy for this.”
—
“Ugh!?”
—
But then, following the scream, I heard a man’s voice—likely the manager’s—groaning in pain. That sound made it impossible not to realize that something was terribly wrong.
—
“What the…!?”
—
I hurriedly turned toward the direction the scream came from, near the entrance. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see clearly, but I could still pick up on some things.
Angry shouts, more screams, customers panicking, staff frozen in shock. In the midst of the chaos, I heard words like, “He’s been cut!” and “The manager’s arm is bleeding!”
—
“Oh, no…!!”
—
And then, I felt the blood drain from my face. I saw Kondo-san standing near the entrance, frozen in shock, along with the profile of a man who looked vaguely familiar.
—
“Are you kidding me…!!?”
—
I finally grasped the situation and broke into a run. With all the information at hand, the conclusion was obvious.
The worst-case scenario I’d imagined had actually come true. An enraged stalker, wielding a knife, had barged into the store!
But come on, seriously!? Sure, we were on guard for the “worst-case scenario,” but I never thought he’d actually go this far, damn it! And to charge right into the store—he’s out of his mind!
—
“Move! Let me through!”
—
People were finally starting to understand what was happening, and panic spread throughout the store. It wasn’t that big of a place, so I had to push my way through the customers scrambling to get away from the entrance. Somehow, I made it to the scene.
—
“Ugh…!”
“No way… Why…?”
“Haha! It’s Kondo-chan’s fault! After all that leading me on, the moment I showed my feelings, she calls me a stalker! Even dragged the police into it! Don’t mess with me, okay!?”
—
The manager was groaning in pain, blood pouring from his left wrist. Kondo-san stood there trembling, stunned. And there was the stalker, holding a knife, ranting out of sheer hatred.
I clicked my tongue instinctively. What a sickening sight. And on top of that, it was a dangerous one. The stalker’s eyes were wild with anger, and the manager, the only other guy here who could have helped, was already injured.
Damn it! Why did this have to happen today, of all days!? The few male staff members who could confront a knife-wielding lunatic were nowhere to be found! Aside from me and the manager, the only ones were two guys from the kitchen, and one of them is as skinny as a twig!
Asking the customers for help? Not an option! There were hardly any men here at this hour, and even if there were, I doubt anyone would risk their life to help. Same goes for any random person who might have overheard the commotion and jumped in to help—who knows if such a “hero” would even appear.
And don’t get me started on the police. They definitely wouldn’t be here yet. Someone, whether a customer or staff member, must’ve called them, but with the distance, it’s going to take at least fifteen minutes for them to arrive.
That means, for now, I’m the one who has to deal with this knife-wielding piece of trash. I have to stop him from doing any more damage, including protecting Kondo-san! …Oh, and my only “weapon” right now is the silver tray I was using for service. Damn it!
—
“Kondo-san, are you okay!? Get to the back, quickly! And take the injured manager with you!”
“Mi-Mizuki-san? Th-the manager… the manager was suddenly cut by that man…”
“I know! That’s why you need to move! It’s dangerous here! Manager, can you still move?”
“Oh, it’s you! You bastard! You’re that guy who was getting all chummy with Kondo-chan! Who the hell do you think you are, coming out of nowhere, huh? Playing the hero, are you!?”
“Shut up, you piece of trash!”
“Hiii!?”
—
I slammed the silver tray against the wall to intimidate him. I knew it wasn’t really my style, but I’d reached my limit.
Look, I get it, okay? In situations like this, you’re supposed to avoid provoking the other person, right? You’re supposed to talk them down, stall for time until the police arrive, right?
But… Come on. Watching Kondo-san tremble in fear right in front of me, having my entire schedule messed up, and on top of that, worrying that the stalker might shift his attention to me… My nerves are shot.
I’m beyond fed up. I could list a million reasons why this pisses me off, and now, this. A lunatic causing a scene in the store, the manager getting injured, and some knife being waved around at me for some ridiculous reason… Honestly?
Even someone like me, who’s usually pretty calm and self-aware, is about to snap. If I could, I’d grab a knife from the kitchen and stab this guy myself!
—
“After all the trouble you’ve caused everyone, huh? A worthless creep who took a high school girl’s friendly smile seriously and started stalking her? An out-of-control loser who threw a fit because the cops got involved? Who are you calling trash!? You’re the piece of garbage here, you pedo-neet freak!”
“I-I’m not a neet! I’m a writer!”
“I don’t care, you idiot! Either way, you’re a criminal now!”
—
I slammed the silver tray against the wall again. I couldn’t care less about his job! Once you’ve hurt someone with a knife, your career doesn’t mean anything anymore!
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“Wh-what the hell’s wrong with you!? Can’t you see I’ve got a knife!? I’ll kill you, you little brat!”
“You think I’m scared of your knife!? I use knives every day in the kitchen! If you want to scare me, bring a survival knife or a Chinese cleaver!”
—
Sorry to break it to you, but that flimsy knife you’ve got looks like one of those cheap ones from the dollar store. I know way more about that kind of knife than you do.
Sure, knives are dangerous, and if you stabbed me, it’d hurt. But a cheap knife like that doesn’t have much cutting power. The fact that the manager isn’t bleeding out proves it.
You must’ve caught him off guard with a surprise attack, but the blood loss isn’t too bad. I’m worried that his wrist might’ve hit a vein, but from what I can see, a few stitches should fix him up.
That’s all a cheap knife like that can do. This isn’t a manga. A knife like that has no real power.
And right now, I’m wearing a thick uniform. Even if it hits me, it won’t do much. Sure, it might cut my skin a bit, but that’s about it.
If you’ve worked in a kitchen, you’re bound to cut your arm at least once, and in my current state of mind, my anger would probably override any pain.
It’s adrenaline. I can handle it. The reason the manager is in pain is because he was caught off guard, panicked, and overwhelmed by fear.
Otherwise, he would’ve been holding his wound and moving on his own. He wouldn’t be letting Kondo-san pull him to safety—he’d be the one protecting her, standing between her and the attacker.
—
“Don’t act tough just because you have a knife, old man. Shaking like that while holding it makes you look pathetic.”
—
Basically, I’m not that scared of the knife. Especially when it’s in the hands of some out-of-shape middle-aged guy.
What I really need to watch out for is a stab attack. You know, the kind of move you see in yakuza movies, or someone going wild with repeated stabs.
Other than that, there’s no real threat. As long as I keep my cool and protect my vulnerable spots, I’ll be fine. No need to panic, no need to fear.
—
“S-shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Fine, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you right now!!”
“Shut up and die!!”
“Huh!?”
—
Let me make this simple: swinging a knife around like that is nothing compared to getting hit in the face with a vertical silver tray, idiot! My reach is way longer! In street fights, blunt objects always beat knives! Haven’t you ever read delinquent manga!?