Queuing at the bank worked much like taking a number at a hospital: first you register, then sit and wait for staff to call your name.
Hayashi Maki looked at the robber pressing a gun on the teller to hurry up and fill the bag and couldn't help feeling speechless. It was his first time running into something like this.
Unlike the incident with Shino Asada, this was a full crew—nine robbers. There had been ten, but one had basically offed himself and been "finished" by his teammate.
The bank manager who hit the alarm with his life was now on the floor, barely breathing. The other bystanders crouched on the ground, trembling, terrified that a twitchy robber would shoot them for nothing.
Of the nine robbers, the boss stood at the counter while the other eight herded people into the center, covering the four corners and keeping guns trained. A few eyed the quaking crowd smugly, wrists idly rolling their pistols.
At last the teller stuffed the bag full and handed it over, shaking. Just as the robbers were about to bolt, sirens wailed.
"Damn it! Cops still showed!"
They cursed, then fired a few more rounds into the already downed bank manager's legs. Watching the man convulse on the ground, Hayashi Maki winced. The guy was gutsy—calling the police with his life.
"Inside, listen up. You're surrounded. Put down your weapons, hands on your heads, and come out slowly."
The officer in charge was someone Hayashi Maki knew—Kōsaka Daisuke. Megaphone in hand, he tried to talk them down.
"Stuff it! We've got over a dozen hostages. Don't play games, cops. Get us a getaway car or we'll start pulling the trigger!"
Daisuke frowned. Hostages—this just got tricky. Where had these guys come from, waving guns around like this?
"Starting now we'll kill one hostage every minute. Be smart and meet our demands!"
One loudmouth robber shouted to the outside, then let his gaze prowl the hostages. Spotting Mai Sakurajima and Mafuyu Kirisu, several robbers' eyes lit up.
"What gorgeous women."
They licked their lips. If they were already robbing a bank, wasn't "having some fun" fair game? Sharing a look, four of them leveled guns at Mai and Mafuyu.
"You two—up! Come have some fun in the back. Move it!"
Both women blanched, bodies trembling. They knew exactly what their looks drew—and if they followed those men, they'd be violated.
Hayashi Maki's eyes iced over. He'd planned to watch the situation a bit, but these idiots staring at Kirisu-sensei and Mai-senpai like prey? Unforgivable. Without hesitation, he stepped in front of them.
"Oh? Pretty boy's not afraid to die—trying to play hero?"
One robber especially hated handsome guys; his wife had run off with one, he'd gambled everything away, and now he was stuck robbing banks. He loathed posers like Hayashi Maki in front of beauties.
"Kid, know what this is? A pistol. Believe I'll blow your balls off?"
He aimed at Hayashi Maki's crotch, finger taking up slack—
Hayashi Maki had no interest in more talk. His palm snapped across.
A blur—before the robber could fire, he was swatted spinning like a top into the wall and slid down broken and unconscious.
Under Mai and Mafuyu's stunned gazes, Hayashi Maki moved like a war god. Smack, smack, smack—before the rest could pull triggers, they grunted and crumpled to the floor. In under a minute, it was over.
Dusting his hands, Hayashi Maki pulled out his phone and called Kōsaka Daisuke.
"Uncle Daisuke, you can come in. I've taken care of the robbers—I just happened to be inside."
"What? That's some coincidence! I'm coming in with the team!"
Delighted, Daisuke ordered his officers in to cuff the unconscious thieves.
"Haha—good thing you were here, Hayashi Maki, or this would've been a mess."
If hostages got hurt, the department's reputation would suffer; if the robbers got away, it'd be worse.
"Total coincidence. I never thought I'd run into a bank heist just coming to do an errand—most people won't see one in a lifetime."
Relieved, Daisuke clapped him on the shoulder and waggled his brows. "With skills like yours, you sure you don't want to join the force after graduation? You'd rise fast."
"Sorry, Uncle Daisuke—I'm a light-novel author. No need for me to be an officer. But I moonlight as a detective now and then—if you get a tough case, I can help."
Hayashi Maki hadn't forgotten Daisuke's daughter, Kirino Kōsaka, and her bestie—the angel Ayase Aragaki—so he didn't mind helping Daisuke stack some wins.
"Haha, great. Next tough one, I'm calling you."
After a brief chat, Hayashi Maki said his goodbyes and left with Mai and Mafuyu.
Mai had suspected Hayashi Maki wasn't simple, but seeing him single-handedly handle a squad of armed robbers so effortlessly still shook her. He was like a movie lead—handsome and formidable—which gave her a clearer picture of his strength. And—thinking she was staying at his place—she felt oddly reassured.
Mafuyu was shaken too. She hadn't realized the brat could fight like that. Which meant… she might never be able to resist or refuse him again. What was she supposed to do?
While Mafuyu fretted, Hayashi Maki first walked Mai-senpai home, then tugged Mafuyu along for a little shopping. Obvious as daylight—any bystander could see what he was up to. But Mafuyu couldn't pry her hand free; she shot him a glare and, grumbling inside, let it happen.