"Ah!" She barely had time to let out a small yelp before closing her eyes, tensing her body in preparation for the pain of hitting the ground.
But she never hit the ground.
Instead, she felt herself fall into a warm embrace.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Haruto had somehow appeared right beside her.
'He caught me.'
In that instant, Utaha suddenly understood why some cliché light novel scenes sold so well. Because right now, her heart was uncontrollably racing.
After savoring the moment for a second, she hurriedly straightened up.
"Kouhai, you're really... just like a male protagonist."
Unlike Eriri, who was never honest with herself, Utaha was the type to say what she felt directly.
Just with a bit of literary flair in her wording.
However, Haruto's gaze was still locked onto the woman who had bumped into her.
"Sumimasen."
The woman bowed in apology, then turned and quickly walked away.
Utaha huffed.
"Seriously, she didn't even apologize properly after bumping into someone. She's worse than a plankton."
But in the next moment, she saw Haruto put down his shopping bags and stride forward.
Her eyes widened.
'Kouhai wouldn't actually go as far as hitting someone just for me, would he!?'
This thought flashed through her mind, and she quickly reached out to stop him.
But Haruto moved far too fast.
In the blink of an eye, he had already caught up, using a grappling technique to pin the woman to the ground.
The woman screamed in terror.
This was Chiba's busiest shopping street, so the scene immediately attracted a crowd. Such a bold act of violence in public was extremely eye-catching.
People were already pulling out their phones to record.
Utaha hurried over in a panic.
"Kouhai! Stop..."
But before she could even finish her sentence—
She saw Haruto, while holding the woman down with one hand, casually brush his other hand over her body.
When he lifted his hand, there was a pink wallet in it.
Her eyes widened in shock.
That was her wallet.
"When did she—?"
Taking the wallet, Utaha opened it and immediately saw her student ID inside.
"When she bumped into you, she swiped it. She's a repeat offender—report her to the police."
Haruto said.
This woman was quick with her hands.
Unfortunately for her, Haruto's eyes were more precise than the most advanced high-speed cameras. Unless someone had a reality-warping cognitive interference ability, fooling his perception was impossible.
Seeing this, the crowd quickly understood what had happened.
Someone started clapping.
Acts of heroism like this always earned applause from bystanders.
Utaha finally snapped out of her shock and pulled out her phone to make a call.
After hanging up, she looked at Haruto, the image of his swift and decisive movements replaying in her mind.
She had to admit, he looked incredibly cool.
Not long after, officers from the Chiba Police Department arrived.
Haruto released the woman, handing her over to the police.
The woman still tried to argue her way out of it.
But with so many witnesses around...
And countless surveillance cameras covering the shopping street...
Caught red-handed, there was no way to escape.
"Hello, I'm Inspector Megure. Would you mind coming with us to give a statement?"
After getting the woman into the police car, an officer approached Haruto and Utaha.
The two nodded and got into another police car.
"You've got some serious skills, kid. Not only did you protect your girlfriend, but you also caught a criminal—impressive."
Inside the car, Inspector Megure praised him with a grin. He had already reviewed the surrounding store's surveillance footage.
Haruto's movements were indeed remarkable.
Hearing this, Utaha glanced at Haruto, curious about how he would react.
They had just been mistaken for a couple.
Would he flusteredly try to explain, like a typical light novel protagonist?
But under her gaze, Haruto simply smiled and didn't correct the misunderstanding.
"Kouhai, you really are a playboy."
Utaha teased.
This guy was way too smooth.
Haruto tilted his head in confusion.
How did he end up being called a playboy again? Sure, he had some improper thoughts, but he hadn't acted on them yet.
(T/N: Yet?)
Inspector Megure, watching through the rearview mirror, felt a little awkward.
So this kid...
Young people these days sure are wild.
But then again, he was good-looking, skilled, and had all the makings of a heartbreaker.
"Speaking of which, boy, you look familiar."
Inspector Megure saw the awkward atmosphere so he decided to change the subject.
This statement was not a lie; he was truly familiar. Haruto smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.
He was nominally affiliated with the Chiba Police Department, which had falsified documents, but the photo was real.
It was normal for the other party to find him familiar.
However, now that this identity was exposed, there was no way to explain it to Utaha.
Fortunately, Inspector Megure didn't probe further into this sense of familiarity.
---------------
Inside the Chiba Police Department, Haruto and Utaha went through the formalities.
The recording officer was very friendly.
Since there were no doubts, the statement was completed quickly, and the two soon met up again in the police department hallway.
"Thank you for your help this time, Kouhai. Once school starts, I'll treat you to a meal."
Utaha shook her pink wallet.
Of course, repaying him was just an excuse, asking him out was the real goal.
Even though they had only met twice, Utaha had already realized that she had developed quite a liking for this Kouhai.
So, she decided to take the initiative.
Haruto smiled and nodded.
Having lunch with a beautiful Senpai was quite pleasant. Though, for the most part, he wouldn't actually be attending classes at Sōbu High School.
Just as the two were about to leave the police department and bid each other farewell…
A police officer came running after them.
"Excuse me, could you both wait a moment? There's something I need to trouble you with..."
The two turned around, puzzled.
"That woman would like to meet with you both."
The officer said this.
Haruto frowned.
Not because of the officer's request, but because of his wording.
That woman?
She should be called a criminal.
In the end, Haruto and Utaha followed the officer to the interrogation room. Through a glass partition, they saw the woman again.
On this side of the glass, there was also a young girl.
The woman was crying pitifully, putting on quite a show.
When she saw Haruto and Utaha, she cried even more tragically.
"You two, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I acted out of greed and did the wrong thing."
The woman sobbed as she apologized.
"I know my actions were a crime and shouldn't be forgiven, but I have a young daughter. Without me, she will die! Please, I beg you, at least spare the child; she's innocent!"
Her cries echoed throughout the room.
The police officer lowered his head and said helplessly,
"This is the situation. She has a daughter and is her only guardian. If she receives a severe sentence..."
"We wanted to ask if you two would be willing to issue a letter of understanding so that she could receive a lighter sentence."
Before Haruto could respond, Kasumigaoka Utaha became furious and questioned:
"Officer, may I know your name?"
"Uh, Takagi." Officer Takagi was stunned by the question.
"Officer Takagi, are you trying to use moral coercion to help a criminal?" Utaha said coldly. "Aren't we the victims here?"
With one sentence, Takagi was left speechless.
Seeing that they weren't falling for it…
The woman played her final card.
"Ai, my poor daughter! Beg them, or Mommy will be executed!"
Through the glass, the woman cried out to the girl.
The girl trembled slightly before finally stepping up to Haruto.
After a long pause, she looked up, revealing her tear-filled starry eyes.
"Big brother, please let my mother go... I can't live without her..."
Her voice trembled, her face was pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor.
Seeing this, even Utaha hesitated to speak.
Haruto looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow.