"Yes, survival." Higashino Kanade gave a soft snort and said disdainfully, "Survival is not a reason for them to deprive others of their right to survive. Are the weak supposed to be eaten by the strong? Everyone is struggling to survive, so why do they choose to do evil? They're nothing but a rabble."
Higashino Kanade looked at the fat middle-aged man and asked scrutinizingly,
"Then why did you stop me? Out of kindness, or do you have some other motive?"
"Sir, you truly are no ordinary person." The fat man smiled, stroking his beard as he said, "A bit of both, I suppose. I'm a merchant, and a merchant's most important asset is his eye for people. I can tell you aren't ordinary, so I wanted to do you a favor—consider it an early investment."
"Was it that obvious?"
Higashino Kanade glanced over his robe. He had wrapped himself up tightly; ordinary people should not have been able to tell.
"It's your bearing, sir. Your bearing is very different from these refugees. You're like a torch among fireflies. Don't underestimate a merchant's eye."
The fat man smiled confidently and pointed at his shrewd eyes.
"Ahhh—help! Someone save me!"
While Higashino Kanade had been talking with the fat man, the knife-wielding man had already dragged the woman away by her hair, intending to leave the crowd.
"Enough chatting. I'm going to save her."
Higashino Kanade ignored the fat man, pushed through the crowd, and walked toward the knife-wielding man.
The fat man studied Higashino Kanade's back, hesitated, then lowered his head and asked Ayako,
"Miss, what is your father's name? I feel like I've seen his face somewhere before. If it weren't so dark tonight, perhaps I would recognize him."
The knife-wielding man dragged the woman along as she struggled