Mo Bai was escorted out of the police station amidst praise.
Standing at the police station entrance, with a banner and medal in his left hand and a red envelope of prize money in his right, he still hadn't quite processed what had happened.
You might not believe it, but he had actually felt right at home inside the police station.
"Is this the intimidating power of Shinjuku's top brass?" Mo Bai mused, looking down at the clear Snowy Mountain Cherry Blossom badge.
His act of "somewhat excessive" self-defense had ended with him being warmly sent off by the police. The flasher was not only severely injured and crippled, but according to the elegant, bald Chief, he would also be facing numerous charges. He wouldn't be causing Mo Bai any more trouble in this lifetime.
"I'll keep this favor in mind for now." The five hundred thousand yen prize money felt a little heavy in Mo Bai's hands.
"Speaking of which, how can a guy that scrawny be a flasher?" Mo Bai quipped.
"Perhaps excessive protein precipitation led to osteoporosis," Xiao Bai's retort was sharp. "Besides, you've absorbed the residual essence of over a dozen malevolent spirits. Your physical condition is now among the absolute peak of humanity."
"That's why the result was comparable to a martial god's mighty kick."
"Hello, you must be Mo-kun." A mature man, who looked reliable at a single glance, stood before Mo Bai, interrupting his telepathic conversation with Xiao Bai.
"Yes, and you are?"
The man's pair of steadfastly dead-fish eyes were particularly striking, leaving a deep impression on Mo Bai.
"I am Producer Takeuchi. Thank you, Mo-kun, for stepping forward." Takeuchi's solemnity was evident in his standard ninety-degree bow. "If that flasher had found Sagisawa Fumika, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"Thank you, truly."
"Sa-gi-sa-wa Fu-mi-ka?!" Mo Bai had never imagined that he would one day sit together with an idol... and even get yelled at by her.
However, as a seasoned Kugimiya Rie fan, Mo Bai was completely unfazed and even wished for the classic "Baka, Hentai, Urusai!" trifecta.
"You're too kind. I only did what anyone would have done in that situation." Connecting the man's name with the mention of Sagisawa Fumika, Mo Bai figured out who this man was.
The undeniably popular character from The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls, who had consecutively won first place in popularity polls.
A man who, by his own unique traits, was even more popular than a whole host of young female idols.
Known in fan circles as Takeuchi P of the "Enchanting Dead-Fish Eyes."
"This is a thank-you gift from Sagisawa Fumika. She has an event in Akihabara, so she couldn't come to thank you in person."
Mo Bai took the bag and peeked inside, discovering what appeared to be the very same encyclopedia of food ingredients from the bookstore that had met a cruel fate at his hands.
That Sagisawa Fumika... she seemed even more straightforward than a steel-plated straight man like himself.
Mo Bai's expression was slightly awkward.
"I also have work in Akihabara, so I must be heading back."
"Thank you again, Mo-kun."
"Uh, don't mention it."
"Miss Gokou Ruri, are you sure you won't reconsider becoming an idol singer? Your voice is truly, truly, truly distinctive." As soon as he finished bidding farewell to Mo Bai, Takeuchi turned around to scout the young woman behind him.
"Go-kou Ru-ri?!" Mo Bai began to doubt his eyesight. The girl behind Takeuchi was clearly the young female cashier from the bookstore.
He had run into three highly popular characters today, yet he hadn't recognized a single one of them just by their faces.
"I... can I think about it?" Gokou Ruri's attitude was hesitant.
"Yes! This is my business card. If you decide you're interested, please be sure to call me." After respectfully handing over the card, Takeuchi hurried off toward the station.
"If you're thinking of becoming an idol, you can trust him. He might look gloomy, but he's a really dependable guy," Mo Bai said from the side, seeing Gokou Ruri's indecision.
As for whether Gokou Ruri would become popular?
Mo Bai could whip out the "Hyogo Kita, Rain, 19°C, 60%/40%" meme on the spot and throw it in the face of any doubter.
Look at this! What is this?! You punk!
Do you understand what an ear-gasm is? My great Kana-chan can fight on for another five hundred years!
"...I'd better not." Gokou Ruri's eyes dimmed a little as she made up her mind.
This dazzling path, which seemed so close, was somewhat unrealistic for her.
"Thank you for saving me. Thank you." Watching her petite figure turn and leave, Mo Bai seemed to recall that Gokou Ruri's family situation wasn't very good. Otherwise, a middle school student her age wouldn't be working a part-time job during spring break.
A job like being an idol, which required a long-term investment before seeing any returns, really wasn't suitable for her.
"Wait." Mo Bai caught up to Gokou Ruri in a few quick strides. "You forgot something."
"There's a share of this five hundred thousand yen prize money for you." Under Gokou Ruri's puzzled gaze, Mo Bai patted the fifty Fukuzawa Yukichi bills in his pocket. "Let's split it fifty-fifty."
After some back-and-forth, Mo Bai ultimately used two hundred fifty thousand yen to successfully hire Gokou Ruri until the end of spring break, as well as for her free time after school for one semester, and also obtained the girl's home phone number.
===
"Finally back." Returning to the familiar shopping street, Mo Bai stretched lazily.
Before he could even relax, he saw a powerfully built young man, much taller than his own standard 1.8-meter frame, standing in front of his little shop.
Mo Bai's eyes narrowed.
The generic-faced, sturdy youth's legs were trembling. He knew what was about to happen.
"You're... Da Ji, right?"
The sturdy youth's eyes filled with grief and indignation. As expected, he hadn't been able to escape this fate.
The sturdy youth's name was Wang Daji. He was the eldest son of Wang Xiang, the owner of the "Auspicious Fish Shop" across from Mo Bai. Besides him, Wang Xiang had two other sons: the second son, Wang Zhongji, and the youngest son, Wang Xiaoji.
Wang Xiang had always been very satisfied with his three sons' excellent qualities of being down-to-earth and hardworking, so he always spoke well of them to others.
As they were both ethnically Chinese, Mo Bai's relationship with Wang Xiang was quite good.
And so, on a fine, sunny afternoon, the inevitable occurred.
To this day, Wang Daji still remembered Mo Bai's maliciously gleeful smile as he uttered the same opening line as today.
"You're... Da Ji, right?"
Wang Daji was instantly KO'd.
Wang Zhongji claimed to be completely unfazed, but the result...
"You're Xiao Wang, right?"
Wang Zhongji died on the spot.
Wang Xiaoji trembled, accepting his fate with tears in his eyes.
"You... must be Xiao Ji, right?"
All three brothers were defeated by a single sentence.
Humiliating? No! This was a dark history he couldn't bear to look back on!
"Brother Mo, can you please stop calling me that?" Wang Daji pleaded with a miserable look on his face.
"Alright, Daji. By the way, Daji."
"What did you come looking for me for?"
"Didn't you guys go out to sea with your dad to fish in some competition?" Mo Bai remembered that before Wang Xiang left, he had given him a lot of ingredients for Soul Repose Noodles and asked him to keep an eye on his shop.
"My dad fell ill."
"Huh? What about the competition?"
"That's why I came looking for you, Brother Mo, isn't it?" Wang Daji said with a shy smile.
________________________________________
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