NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
“Gugh! Aaaaaaa!?”
The stalker screamed in agony, rolling around after being struck in the face by a silver tray.
As expected, blunt force trauma is pretty effective. The only regret is that the hit turned from a clean “line” strike to more of a “surface” impact since it landed at an angle… but judging from the stalker’s reaction, it’s still good enough.
In fact, the silver tray I whacked him with got pretty dented. Considering it was a counter-hit against an adult man charging at me, and the tray itself is probably just cheap aluminum or something, it still packed a decent punch.
At least for this stalker, it was effective. The guy clearly doesn’t have any experience in fights. There’s no way someone like that could take a full-force hit to the face and stay fine.
Half of his will to fight is already gone, and he’s too busy writhing in pain, clutching his face, to even think about swinging his knife. And wow, there’s a lot of blood. I knew this would happen, but visually, it’s pretty brutal. Oh, and I can see what looks like teeth on the floor.
“Alright, and… ha!”
“Gii…!?”
That being said, there’s no way I’m going to let up now. There’s no good in showing sympathy to a criminal. Especially when the guy is a complete grudge-driven psycho with zero redeeming qualities.
So I deliver a relentless follow-up. Before he gets used to the pain and starts moving again, I stomp down on the arm holding the knife, putting all my weight into it.
“Drop that knife already!”
“Y-yiiih! Aaahhh, stop…!”
“Shaaargh!”
I confirm the stalker has dropped the knife in response to the pain. I immediately kick it away to neutralize the threat and back off into a defensive stance.
Thank goodness. The stalker’s threat level has significantly decreased. He’s gone from a dangerous guy with a knife who could do anything, to a pathetic, blood-soaked social misfit.
“Someone… ah, Sato, grab that knife! And could you stop standing there watching and help subdue this guy!? You’re one of the few men here, come on!”
“Normally, I wouldn’t charge at a guy with a knife! Seriously, Mizuki, aren’t you a bit too brave!? You didn’t hesitate at all, it’s like you’re used to fighting or something!”
“Of course I hesitated, I’m scared out of my mind! Just hurry up and grab the knife! And you, Kinoshita, get some hot water or a frying pan off the stove! Heated oil works too!”
“Why hot oil!?”
“To finish this guy off, obviously!”
“You can’t kill him!”
This is not the time for that! We have to stop this guy from causing any more trouble until the police arrive. The best move is to arm ourselves and intimidate him!
Just because we’ve disarmed him doesn’t mean I can relax. I can’t afford to let my guard down against a maniac who tried to attack us!
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Huh!?”
A sudden scream made me jump. I was distracted giving orders to the guys behind me, which is why I let my focus slip for a second.
I reflexively readied the silver tray again, lifting my arm to strike the stalker charging at me, but—
“…Huh?”
A strange sound escaped my lips. I had been expecting him to tackle me, but instead, the stalker was actually moving away from me.
“…”
Then came the jingle of the shop’s doorbell.
I looked up and saw the wooden door, styled to match the shop’s atmosphere, gently swinging. A few moments later, it shut with a soft bang.
“…Did he… run away?”
Even as I muttered that, I didn’t let my guard down. But still, the scene in front of me hadn’t changed. The stalker who had been writhing in pain just moments ago was gone, leaving only a pool of blood on the floor.
In other words, that’s what happened. Maybe he realized he was at a disadvantage, or maybe the pain completely broke his spirit. Either way, the stalker, after causing all this trouble, had tucked his tail between his legs and fled.
The moment I prepared to strike, what came into my view was the pathetic sight of a filthy old man’s retreating back. Honestly, it’s no surprise I was left dumbfounded.
“…Haaaaaaaah.”
Still, after all this time, I could finally process the situation. And that’s when the strength drained from me.
With a deep sigh, I collapsed to the floor. The silver tray clattered as it slipped from my hand.
“Damn it… what the hell even was all of this…?”
Ah, I’m done. Once I let my guard down, I’m completely drained. I can’t put any strength into my body. My hands are shaking like crazy. I’m finally starting to feel scared.
“Mizuki, are you okay!?”
“Ah… yeah… I’m fine. I just relaxed too much. Anyway, Sato, what about the hot water and frying pan?”
“You don’t need that anymore… we heard a man scream, so we hurried back together.”
“Oh, right. Ugh, I can’t think straight anymore.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Am I… oh, right! Kinoshita, what about the manager and Kondo!?”
“They’re in the back, so honestly… I think they’re okay.”
“Ah… well, they were both in the kitchen earlier.”
“How did you even charge in like that, Mizuki…?”
“The manager and Kondo were in danger, so what else could I do in that situation…?”
“You’re really brave…”
It wasn’t so much bravery. I just knew what was going on, so my sense of danger was maxed out. Plus, I promised to protect Kondo, so there was a sense of duty too.
“Still, what the hell was that guy even trying to do…? If he was going to run, he should’ve just given up quietly. I mean, I’m glad he ran, though.”
“I figured he’d run…”
“With those death threats you were shouting, that was the obvious reaction…”
“No way.”
That was all just spur-of-the-moment stuff, you know. Well, I was dead serious about it all, but from his perspective, it probably didn’t sound that real.
“I mean, Mizuki, you swung that tray full force right into his face without hesitation…”
“Yeah, your words had serious weight behind them. Were you really not a delinquent in high school? Like, some hardcore punk who got into fights all the time?”
“If I were, I wouldn’t be sitting here like this. I’ve barely ever been in a fight, and the most I’ve done is argue with people. And now I’m shaking like a leaf.”
“That’s what makes it scarier! Your character was completely different!”
“I was just forcing it, obviously…”
Honestly, I feel like my speech patterns are about to loosen up too. I’m holding it together, though.
“By the way, Mizuki, can you stand?”
“…I don’t think I can get up right away. Can I leave this to you for now?”
“Of course, understood.”
“Yeah, you shouldn’t push yourself right now.”
Yeah, seriously. You two need to handle this. I’m the one who stood at the front while the guys were hanging back during the most dangerous part. The least you can do is take care of the aftermath.
“Haaaaaah…”
And with that, I let out one last deep sigh.