Inside the room.
The kidnapper leader lay tied up on the floor. Only after the pain in his back subsided did his unfocused gaze gradually sharpen, and he realized what had just happened.
—He had originally planned to splash the tall passerby who had gotten caught up in this with cold water, force him to reveal the Disk's whereabouts, then dispose of both hostages... But before he had even picked up the basin, he and his underlings had been knocked down with a few punches, without even a chance to resist.
...Just what kind of Monster had that old man given the Disk to?!
As the thought spun through his mind, the kidnapper leader suddenly had an idea.
He immediately said to Akai Shuichi, "Don't hit me! Actually, this is all that old man's fault!—If he hadn't stuffed the Disk into your hands without permission, how could we possibly have attacked you? He should be your enemy!"
Shitara Jukichi's old face went pale as he instinctively retorted, "I didn't! I gave the Disk to that Mr. Tanaka, not this viol—cough, not this hero! This should be your fault!"
Who told you to drag people into your hideout at random without screening them first?! ...And where did this man even come from? Could he be from another force targeting the Disk, planning to silence everyone at the scene?
The kidnapper leader froze. "Wait, what do you mean? You didn't give the Disk to this guy?" He looked blankly at Akai Shuichi. "Then who are you?"
Akai Shuichi: "..."
I'm his friend.
He had wanted to say that, but he knew there was no need to explain himself to a kidnapper. So the words never left his mouth.
After pondering for a moment, he looked at the kidnapper leader and bluffed, "'That