Standing at 185 cm tall with visible muscle lines on his arms, Bai Mo's imposing figure made many Japanese people instinctively step back. After all, one punch from this beast of a man could probably kill them.
Now, as this towering figure publicly grabbed a man by the arm and twisted it behind his back, the surrounding crowd immediately retreated, forming a wide circle. This left the restrained man and the girl beside him, Kasugano Sora, standing conspicuously isolated.
Yet the captured man continued to bluster: "Hey! Just because you're tall and buff doesn't mean you can lay hands on people! We live in a society of laws!"
"True, this is a society of laws. Sora, call the police," Bai Mo said calmly.
Kasugano Sora hesitated, then shook her head. "I… I don't have a phone."
"Ah—" Bai Mo realized he'd never asked about that. "Then use mine. It's in my right pants pocket."
"Mm." Though unsure what was happening, Sora instinctively trusted Bai Mo and reached into his pocket as instructed. After retrieving the phone, she tilted her head at him in confusion.
"The passcode is 1223—my birthday," he added.
Once unlocked, Sora quickly dialed the police. However, the mall security arrived even faster. Two guards, armed with batons, approached cautiously, wary of Bai Mo's intimidating stature. "H-hey, don't do anything rash! What did this guy do to you?"
"Perfect timing. Search his pants and jacket pockets," Bai Mo ordered.
"What? No! This is a violation of my privacy! I'll sue you!" the man protested.
"Shut up. One more word, and I'll dislocate your arm. Since when do thieves get to talk about privacy?" Bai Mo snapped.
"A thief?" The guards exchanged glances, then proceeded to search the man. From his pockets, they retrieved a pink women's wallet and a phone—turned off, but when powered on, it showed multiple missed calls. After dialing the most recent number, two girls came rushing over.
"Ah! That's my phone!" one girl exclaimed. "So it was stolen! I didn't just lose it!"
After verifying the phone's contents, the guards returned it to her. The pink wallet, meanwhile, was claimed by a middle-aged woman. With this, no one doubted Bai Mo's actions anymore.
As the guards led the thief away, Bai Mo received grateful thanks from both the girl and the woman.
"Thank you so much! If you hadn't caught him, my little sister Ui would've scolded me for being careless again, and Mom might've cut off my allowance for a new phone… Oh, Ui's my sister," the girl rambled.
Her bespectacled friend sighed. "Yui, you should thank him properly first."
"Huh? But Azusa, I am thanking him!"
Ignoring the airheaded girl, the woman bowed deeply. "Truly, thank you. The money wasn't much, but replacing all the cards would've been a hassle. The receipt for my daughter's hearing aid was in there too! Without it, we couldn't have upgraded the device today. I'm so grateful!"
Bai Mo waved it off as a simple act of justice. After bidding farewell to the woman, who hurried off for the hearing aid maintenance, the two girls remained, curiously studying Bai Mo and the shy Sora hiding behind him.
"Sorry for earlier—I got too excited. I'm Hirasawa Yui, and this is my friend Manabe Nodoka. Thanks again! Um… we didn't even get your name?"
"Yui! Manners!" Nodoka chided.
"Ugh—" Yui pouted but didn't argue.
"Call me Bai Mo. It was just coincidence—no need for formalities."
"No way! That was my precious phone!" Yui looked around, then suddenly grabbed a cat plushie from Nodoka's hands and thrust it at Bai Mo. "Here! A thank-you gift! I just won it from a claw machine!"
Nodoka facepalmed. This feels like watching a scumbag cheat right in front of me… and he's even giving away my present! But coming from Yui, it was somehow… expected?
Bai Mo declined, noting Nodoka's glare. "A verbal thanks is enough. My sister and I have things to do. See you."
"Wait! At least take the plushie! It's my heartfelt gratitude!" Yui called after them, puffing her cheeks as they left. "I feel kinda looked down on…"
Nodoka deadpanned. "So… about that plushie you 'gave' him? Since it's technically mine now, should I take it back?"
"Huh? Was it yours?" Yui blinked.
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T/N:
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