The sky gradually darkened. It was around seven in the evening, and Ran, sitting in the car, immediately spotted Mr. Anno returning home.
She promptly rolled down the window and called out:
"Mr. Anno!"
Mr. Anno was a thin man in a suit with messy hair.
He looked rather like a young Hideaki Anno.
So this really was Hideaki Anno, then?
Looking at Hideaki Anno outside the car window, Fujino was momentarily speechless.
I really want to whack this old bastard with the Wooden Sword...
Outside the window, Anno recognized Ran at once. He looked at his old classmate's daughter in puzzlement. "Isn't that Ran from the Mori family?"
"What are you doing here?"
"It's been ages, Mr. Anno!"
Ran responded cheerfully, greeted Anno, and began explaining why they were there.
She was reasonably good at organizing her account. She explained how his mother had been scammed, then fainted from anger at the scammer (been knocked unconscious by Fujino), how the scammer had broken into his home, and how the scammer had been arrested.
Anno was bewildered. I only went away on a trip. How did all this happen?
He had never imagined that while he was away, a scammer would break into his home and trick his mother, nearly swindling her out of ten million yen.
Seriously, who could have seen that coming?
Certainly not Anno.
After sorting through the events, he asked anxiously:
"Is my mom all right?!"
Fujino spoke up, comforting him in a concerned tone. "Don't worry. Your mother only fainted because she got a little worked up over the scam. The police and ambulance crew have already taken her to the hospital."
"That's a relief..."
"Don't worry too much. I examined her too. It's nothing serious."
Watching Fujino so attentively comfort Anno, everyone in the