Officer Johnson, a stout man in his late 40s with a thick, grey mustache, surveyed the scene before him. His expression was a mix of confusion and curiosity. He had received a distress call about a robbery and assault in progress, but as he looked around the store, he saw no signs of disarray or struggle.
Johnson's eyes narrowed as he turned to his partner, Officer Rodriguez, a younger, leaner man with a shaved head. "What's going on here?" Johnson whispered. "The dispatcher said it was a robbery and assault."
Rodriguez shrugged. "I don't know, but it looks like a false alarm."
Just then, the cashier stepped forward. "Uh, sorry, officers... it's like this..."
Johnson's expression softened, and he nodded encouragingly. "Yes, ma'am? Please, go on."
The cashier took a deep breath. "I didn't know what was going on, but I slipped away and called you. I was the one who made the call."
Johnson's eyes widened slightly. "Okay, ma'am. Can you tell me what happened here?"
The cashier hesitated before launching into her story. "They came in here and demanded something from... from this man." She pointed to Mister Ramu, who nodded solemnly.
Johnson's gaze flicked to Mister Ramu before returning to the cashier. "Go on."
The cashier continued, "They wanted to take him out, and I was afraid. That's when I called you."
Johnson nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, ma'am. What you did was great. Following your instincts is important."
The cashier nodded, then pointed to Kai. "He's the one who saved us. He defended us and took care of those men." She gestured to the three men lying on the ground.
Johnson's expression changed from calm to surprised. "Wait, what? This boy took care of all these men?" He looked at Kai with newfound interest.
Rodriguez leaned in, his eyes wide with excitement. "Did he take down all three of them?"
The cashier nodded. "Yes, and the security guards who came in were beaten by those men." She pointed to the security guards, who were still recovering from their ordeal.
Johnson's eyes narrowed. "I think we need to hear more about what happened here."
Mister Johnson was shocked. He looked at Kai and said, "Young man, did you really take care of this? These men?"
Kai looked at him and said, "Yes, I did. All of the people around me can attest to that."
Johnson's expression was incredulous. "Really? I can hardly believe it. I mean, no offense, but look at you - slim body and all that. This only happens in movies or series."
Kai smiled calmly. "It wasn't hard for me to take them down. It was easy to get the situation under control and defend Mister Ramu."
Johnson's eyes widened. "Interesting. Yes, please, do go on."
Just then, Officer Rodriguez snapped Johnson out of his reverie. "Sir, sir," he said, as if to remind Johnson to focus on the case.
Johnson nodded, refocusing. "Yes, yes. So, can you explain what happened here? You were in the shop first, and you knew what was going on."
Kai hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Officer, if I told you what happened, would you believe me?"
Johnson's expression turned serious. "Of course, son. It's my obligation to take down everything you say and conduct a thorough investigation. The witnesses and suspects are saying it's not for me to believe or disbelieve - it's for me to gather facts and speculate on those facts."
Kai thought to himself, "Huh, all policemen are the same. They all want facts and investigations." He decided to tell Johnson what happened.
"So, officer, this man came in here, and they wanted to hit Mister Ramu. I stepped in front of him. They wanted to lunch a knife at me, so I took care of that knife."
Kai continued to recount the events, explaining how he had dismantled Gobler's men and defended Mister Ramu. Johnson listened intently, his expression growing more and more surprised.
When Kai finished, Johnson exclaimed, "Wow, quite a compelling case! So, you're sure that's what happened?"
Kai nodded confidently. "Yes, if you don't believe me, you can ask around. Ask the people, the cashier, or this little girl."
Johnson held up his hands. "No, no, no, sir. We believe you. We believe everything you're saying, and we'll take these men and lock them up."
Mister Johnson said to his officer, "Okay, take these men into custody. Take them under arrest for attempted assault and extortion."
As Mister Johnson stepped near to the men, they woke up from their ordeal. "You are under arrest," he said.
The men struggled a bit and protested, "We are innocent! We are innocent! This boy here, he tried to hit us! He's a monster!"
Officer Johnson was a no-nonsense person and said, "Just be silent. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you may say will be used against you in court."
One of the men sneered, "Do you know who we are?"
Mister Johnson didn't listen to them. He just cuffed them and took them outside.
He turned to Kai and said, "So, son, haven't got your name again?"
Kai replied, "Oh, my name is Kai."
Johnson said, "Okay, Kai. I would like to talk to you more about tactics on fighting and martial arts. Can you give me your number?"
He handed Kai his business card. "Here's my number. I'll give you a call, and we can talk about martial arts and combat skills. It would be interesting for my son, who is learning martial arts. You can train with him and teach him some more martial arts skills."
Kai thought to himself, "What? Is he recruiting me? What is he thinking? Is he trying to befriend me? Oh, this is getting interesting."
Kai said, "Yes, sir. I can teach your son if I have time."
Johnson offered, "I'll pay you, son. I'll pay you three hundred rand a day, and you'll get seven thousand rand a month."
Kai declined, "No, no need. I'll teach him freely."
Johnson said, "Okay, okay. I won't push any further."
Rodriguez, who had been waiting patiently, spoke up, "Uh, sir."
Johnson replied, "Okay, okay, Rodriguez. Why are you so impatient? I'm trying to do some business here."
Rodriguez persisted, "But, sir."
Johnson cut him off, "No buts. I'll get to you when we get to the office."
Johnson handed Kai his business card again and said, "This is my number, and this is my business number. Call me."
Kai took the card and said, "Okay, sir."
After the officers left the shop, the atmosphere returned to normal. The customers and bystanders who had witnessed the commotion began to disperse, buzzing with excitement.
Many people approached Kai, congratulating him on his bravery. "Great job, boy!" one man exclaimed. "Astonishing!" another chimed in.
An elderly woman asked, "Who's your father? He must be so proud of you!"
A young boy looked up at Kai with wide eyes. "Where do you go to martial arts school? Can you teach me some moves?"
Kai looked at the crowd of people gathered around him, all of them eager to meet the hero who had saved Mister Ramu. He thought to himself, "Is this what it means to be a hero? Do people only want to be friends with me because of what I did?"
A young girl pushed her way to the front of the crowd and exclaimed, "Brother Kai, you're amazing! You were like 'pow' and 'bam' and 'kick'!" She demonstrated the moves Kai had used to take down Gobler's men.
Kai chuckled and ruffled Kate's hair. "Thanks, Kate. But next time, I'll have to be more careful. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
Kate looked up at him with wide eyes. "I want to be just like you, Brother Kai! You're so brave and strong!"
Kai smiled and handed Kate a gentle smile. "You can be brave and strong too, Kate. Just remember to always be kind and help those in need."
As the crowd continued to gather around him, Kai glanced over at Mister Ramu and said, "I think this is my cue to leave. It was nice seeing you, Mister Ramu, and it was my pleasure to save you."
Mister Ramu smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. And don't forget, Kai, my daughter's birthday party is tomorrow night. You're invited to come and meet her. She's turning eighteen this year."
Mister Ramu was thinking, "I must get Kai close to my daughter. If I can get him to marry into our family, it will secure our future and increase our wealth and influence."
Kai, who had the ability to hear people's thoughts, picked up on Mister Ramu's intentions. He thought to himself, "Is this what my father warned me about? People wanting to control me and use me for their own gain?"
As Kai said his goodbyes and left the shop, he turned to his mother and asked, "Mom, are you okay?"
His mother smiled and nodded. "Yes, Kai, dear, I'm fine. But are you okay? What you did back there was amazing, but also a bit worrying. Where did you learn those moves?"
Kai shrugged. "I just learned them in my room, Mom. Don't worry about it."
His mother looked at him with concern. "Kai, be careful next time, okay? If anything happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself."
Kai smiled and hugged his mother. "I'll be careful, Mom. I promise. And this is all because of what happened at the restaurant. I just wanted to be able to protect myself and those I care about."
His mother nodded, understanding in her eyes. "I know, Kai. And I'll always be proud of you, no matter what. You're my brave and strong son, and I'll always be here to support you."