The man propped himself up on one elbow and struggled to lift his head from the ground.
"You damn brat... You hit me?!"
His fury instantly overwhelmed the pain in his body.
He swayed to his feet and glared daggers at Kazehara Tetsu.
"You damn brat... You actually played me! You ruined my big chance!"
Kazehara Tetsu ignored his yelling and didn't even bother to argue.
He simply turned around and pulled two filthy rags from a pile of discarded junk nearby.
Then, right in front of the man, he wrapped them around his hands.
"I should thank you. You've saved me a lot of trouble."
Kazehara Tetsu's voice rang out calmly. He flexed his cloth-wrapped fists, feeling the thickness was just right.
"I'd planned to set up a few more steps and get you to hand over the evidence yourself... But since you've so eagerly chosen the most direct solution, I won't stand on ceremony."
The man couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying.
"Quit acting all mysterious... You think you can scare me like this?!"
"No, I'm just giving you a warning in advance."
"Clench your teeth. Otherwise... it's going to get ugly."
The clerk was thoroughly enraged by his attitude.
"Quit running your mouth! I only tripped because I let my guard down!"
He roared and charged at Kazehara Tetsu once more.
This time, he watched his footing. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
But just as the distance between him and Kazehara Tetsu closed to within a step,
Kazehara Tetsu shifted half a step to the left.
The man's vision blurred. The figure he'd expected to send flying with his charge had slipped out of his path.
Before he could react, a tremendous impact slammed into him from the right, striking him