(1/3)
Looking through the gray fog, Ren saw a muscular, overweight man pinning a woman with long brown hair to the ground.
The man's hands were wrapped tightly around the woman's neck, his expression twisted with anger, like he had a deep grudge against her.
Ren frowned.
"Tsk, what a pain."
Sheesh. He always said he wouldn't meddle in other people's affairs, yet here he was, already stepping out of his room.
The man was choking her in the hallway.
How impatient could he be?
"Why?! Why are you avoiding me?!"
The man's voice was crazed as he squeezed harder.
He looked like he had been abandoned or maybe even cheated on.
Ren didn't bother thinking too much about it.
He took a few steps forward and kicked the man square in the face, sending him flying.
"Cough… cough…"
The woman, freed from the man's grasp, gasped violently, clutching at her throat.
She was in bad shape, the strangulation had done some real damage.
She stared at the man who had just been kicked away, her face still filled with the lingering terror of nearly dying.
Even now, she could still feel the suffocating grip around her neck.
But aside from the fear, there was also deep confusion.
She knew the man who had attacked her.
What she didn't know was why.
"Are you okay?"
"…"
The woman hesitated, then shook her head slightly.
"Call the police."
This wasn't just assault.
It was breaking and entering.
It was attempted murder.
If she reported it, the man would definitely go to prison for years.
Ren carefully observed the woman's reaction.
There was confusion. Sadness. And a bit of hesitation.
---
"…Alright. I'll call the police."
After a brief pause, the woman pulled out her phone and made the call.
The police would take some time to arrive.
For now, the man Ren had just kicked lay unconscious on the ground.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"…I'm fine. Thank you."
The woman gingerly touched her throat. It still throbbed with pain, and even speaking made her voice hoarse.
After a moment, she slowly stood up.
She bowed slightly to Ren, a gesture of gratitude.
"Thank you. If you hadn't helped me, I might have…"
"No need to thank me."
Ren waved a hand dismissively.
At least she wasn't trying to frame him. That would've been annoying.
Now that he got a better look at her, the woman had slightly disheveled brown hair, but her delicate features were still noticeable.
Her clothes were thick, making it hard to tell much about her figure, but her silhouette was well-proportioned.
Well, it wasn't surprising that a woman like her would attract stalkers.
But something felt off.
This wasn't a random stalker attack.
This woman wasn't being followed she had been ambushed in her own home by someone she knew.
Ren was curious, but he didn't pry.
He simply stood beside the woman, waiting for the police to arrive.
Ten Minutes Later
Four officers arrived, one woman and three men.
The older, slightly chubby policeman wearing a round hat took the lead.
He walked over to the unconscious man and checked his condition.
Seeing that the man was merely knocked out and didn't need emergency treatment, he immediately pulled out a pair of handcuffs and secured him.
"Alright, take him away."
The senior officer gave a silent signal to the female officer.
She nodded in understanding and turned to the woman.
"Miss, are you feeling okay? I need to ask you a few questions about what happened."
"…I'm fine."
The female officer led the woman inside to discuss the situation further.
Outside, the middle-aged policeman in the round hat turned his attention to Ren.
"Sir, can I ask what happened here?"
"I live next door."
"I heard a woman scream, so I came to check."
"I saw a man strangling her, so I kicked him away. That's all."
The middle-aged officer nodded.
"Don't worry. There won't be any legal issues on your end."
"In fact, no matter how you look at it, you stopped a crime in progress."
"Your intervention wasn't excessive, and you didn't cause unnecessary harm."
"…Are you still a student?"
"Yes."
"In that case, this case is pretty straightforward."
"If you're busy, you don't need to go to the station to file a formal statement."
It wasn't entirely by the book, but the situation was clear enough to make an exception. Ren understood.
---
"What's your name?"
"Megure Juzo. You can call me Inspector Megure."
Megure Juzo.
Ren glanced at the middle-aged, slightly overweight police inspector.
So this was Inspector Megure.
And that tall woman from earlier…
That was probably Sato Miwako.
She had that sharp, professional look, a suit jacket, skirt, and an almost office-lady vibe.
If not for her neatly cropped short hair, she wouldn't even look like a police officer.
Megure pulled out a business card.
"Here's my contact information."
"If you ever run into trouble, don't hesitate to call."
Ren took the card, glancing at it thoughtfully.
"That guy tried to murder her."
"Is there any chance he'll be let out soon?"
"…Just in case."
Megure sighed.
"It depends on the victim's testimony."
"If the case shifts from criminal to civil, he won't be locked up as long."
Ren frowned.
"…If things go south, I might have to consider moving."
"Hah!"
Megure chuckled, lowering his hat as he patted Ren's shoulder.
"Don't worry, that's unlikely."
"If we confirm this was trespassing, then this is attempted murder."
"That's a whole different situation, he won't be able to dodge jail time."
"…Alright. Got it."
"Go home and get some rest."
"Thanks."
After thanking him, Ren turned and headed back to his apartment.
Megure watched him go, smiling faintly.
"Not many young people step in to help like that these days."
He had deliberately observed the situation.
This kid had courage.
Frankly, he'd make a decent cop.
More reliable than Takagi, at least.
Speaking of Takagi… Megure sighed.
The guy had been in the Metropolitan Police Department for years now, starting from a rookie officer, slowly working his way up.
Even after all that time, he still hadn't made any major progress.
It was frustrating.
"Inspector Megure, I finished the preliminary questioning."
"Alright. What's the situation?"
"The victim and the suspect dated in high school."
"But they broke up after only a month."
"That was seven or eight years ago."
"…That doesn't matter."
"Yes, sir."
"Then that settles it."
"This is attempted murder with trespassing."
"There's no way he's getting off easy."
Megure was confident, the nature of this case wasn't going to change.