The police had arrived to take the snatcher into custody. After a brief interview, they listened as Kouhei explained what happened. They gave him a stern warning not to do anything so reckless again, which was fair. He understood their concern—he hadn't thought about the danger. The guy could've had a knife or even a gun, and Kouhei wouldn't have been able to dodge that.
With their warning delivered, the officers loaded the snatcher into the squad car and sped off toward the station. Kouhei stood there, watching the car disappear down the road, relieved it was over but also feeling awkward under the weight of all the stares directed at him.
"Oh, right. I've got to get back to Aria-san and return this to the old lady," he muttered to himself, clutching the purse.
He started walking back toward the park. The crowd of onlookers began to lose interest, their attention shifting elsewhere. Yet, among them, one person couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.
