Justice Kick

## Chapter 30: Justice Kick

The final message left by Uchida brought the suffocating atmosphere to a head.

Almost everyone could imagine Uchida being trampled underfoot by Ishikawa, struggling to get up again and again, only to be forced back down by Ishikawa each time.

But he still tried desperately to reach for that phone, wanting to tell his tormentor:

"I forgive you."

He had clearly forgiven Ishikawa, even naively believing that such a bully might still find their way back to the right path.

Yet Ishikawa still killed Uchida, in an extremely cruel manner.

Thinking of this, everyone present seemed to struggle for breath, just like Uchida struggling and dying in despair.

"How could someone lay hands on such a kind child?"

"This Ishikawa is practically a devil!"

The heinous act ignited public outrage, and a chorus of hateful shouts rose from the crowd:

"He should be sentenced to death!"

"Yes, we absolutely can't let this trash return to society!"

"Murderer, go to hell!"

"Scum!"

"How dare he still be alive?"

"It's sickening just breathing the same air as him!"

"…"

Insults surged one after another.

It was as if invisible flames ignited fiercely in the air.

And Ishikawa, who had been stiff and silent due to his mental breakdown, finally reacted:

Hearing those utterly vile insults, he finally realized, belatedly, that his own life was about to be completely ruined.

This ruin wasn't referring to imprisonment, but rather isolation and bullying from society as a whole:

Yes, while bullying is generally recognized as an evil act, Japanese society has a peculiar tendency to collectively bully bullies.

Especially murderers like Ishikawa, whose methods are heinous, who incite public outrage, and who have a terrible social impact—

As soon as the media exposes him and the hype builds up, indignant citizens will spontaneously run to his home to throw rocks, graffiti, send threatening letters, and leave animal carcasses.

The murderer's parents, wife, and children will be scorned, isolated, and even violently bullied for a long time.

After all, as family members of a murderer, even if they are inexplicably beaten up by "justice warriors" they don't even know, they can only quietly endure it, treating it as "atonement" for their family.

"No… it can't be…"

Ishikawa didn't care much about what his family might suffer because of him.

What he feared was the "special treatment" he would receive in prison and in society once his notoriety spread and public outrage was incited.

Suddenly going from bully to bullied, Ishikawa couldn't accept such a terrifying reality.

"Ishikawa, come with us."

At this moment, the police officers surrounded him with handcuffs.

The case was already clear, and Ishikawa had confessed in public, so it was almost time to take him back for questioning.

But at this point, Ishikawa completely broke down mentally:

"No, I don't want to go in!"

"I don't want to go to prison!"

The police officers, their faces cold, completely ignored Ishikawa's frenzy:

Their role as the Japanese police had been weakened to merely apprehending suspects and tying up loose ends; how could they possibly go easy at this stage?

"Don't come near me!"

"Don't you dare come near me!!"

Ishikawa's expression became extremely frantic.

It was as if the last thread in his mind had completely snapped.

At this moment, like a cornered mad dog, he turned around and started to "jump the wall."

"Oh?"

Seeing Ishikawa suddenly turn and flee, Lin Xinyi's eyes lit up.

He happened to be blocking Ishikawa's frantic escape path, becoming the first obstacle in Ishikawa's escape.

So, without hesitation, Lin Xinyi moved aside, clearing the way.

He was hoping Ishikawa would run, and the harder he ran, the better.

Anyway, there was a police cordon behind him, and beyond the cordon, a throng of onlookers stood.

If Ishikawa were to just run past them in a crazed state...

He would either be forcibly stopped by police officers and have two more charges added: resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

Or he would be blocked by the crowd and then beaten to within an inch of his life by the enraged public.

From Lin Xinyi's perspective, he more eagerly anticipated the latter, and the more severe the outcome, the better.

So, just like that...

Lin Xinyi moved aside, and Ishikawa swiftly darted past him, his eyes red as he fled forward.

Lin Xinyi then turned around.

As he turned, he saw...

"Miyano!"

Lin Xinyi's expression changed:

The Miss Miyano he was supposed to protect had somehow ended up standing behind him.

He had cleared the path for Ishikawa, meaning the obstacle in front of Ishikawa was now Miyano Shiho.

"Miyano, get out of the way!"

Lin Xinyi instinctively called out a warning.

But Miyano Shiho seemed to be in a daze, still standing in front of the already mentally unstable Ishikawa.

Having no other choice, Lin Xinyi abandoned his plan to lure Ishikawa to his doom and decided to intervene directly.

"Get back here!"

Lin Xinyi leaped forward, displaying movements far swifter than Ishikawa's.

Almost without suspense, Lin Xinyi grabbed Ishikawa by the collar from behind.

He pulled back on the collar with his left hand while simultaneously pressing his right palm onto Ishikawa's lower back and pushing forward. Ishikawa immediately lost his balance and began to uncontrollably fall backward.

But Lin Xinyi didn't simply let Ishikawa fall to the ground.

He stepped forward, extended a hand, and caught Ishikawa's neck as he fell backward.

Muscles contracted, his wrist flickered, and a subtle force transferred from his palm to Ishikawa's neck.

Ishikawa's neck twisted, and his entire head uncontrollably slammed into the nearby wall.

Thud!

His brain made intimate contact with the wall, and blood slowly seeped from the broken skin.

The entire process was as fluid as flowing water, smooth, concise, and imbued with a pure aesthetic of violence.

But Lin Xinyi had actually held back intentionally.

On one hand, he hoped Ishikawa would get back up and do something even more self-destructive; on the other hand, he didn't want to overdo it and get himself into trouble.

Otherwise, with that one move, if he had used full force, even if the guy somehow survived, he would have been a vegetable for the rest of his life.

As it was, with Lin Xinyi's deliberate restraint, Ishikawa only sustained minor injuries.

He clutched his injured head, shakily stood up, his face contorted with madness and viciousness:

"D-damn it!"

"I'm leaving! Don't you dare stop me!"

As he spoke, Ishikawa actually pulled a Switchblade from his pocket.

He pressed the mechanism, the blade sprang out, and he adopted a crazed demeanor, as if ready to take someone down with him.

"This..."

Lin Xinyi didn't feel relieved by the other party's increasingly self-destructive behavior; instead, a faint worry began to creep in:

Damn it, this little bastard...

Suddenly shouting, running, and brandishing a knife...

Is he trying to intentionally feign madness to get himself categorized as mentally ill?

Lin Xinyi was a bit unsure.

And Ishikawa was still wildly waving the blade, whether truly mad or just pretending.

"Enough!"

Just as the police officers were nervously preparing to respond, a seemingly delicate figure suddenly rushed forward.

It was Miss Mouri Ran.

She had endured long enough.

At this moment, the long-suppressed anger finally erupted completely within her.

She fearlessly charged towards Ishikawa's blade, moving as fast as a streak of lightning.

The blade was utterly useless against this "phantom."

Mouri Ran launched a kick, her slender leg creating a powerful gust of wind in mid-air.

Before anyone could even register how the girl's skirt billowed and settled from the force of the kick, Ishikawa was struck squarely in the chest. He flew backward like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the wall behind him.

"Hiss…"

Everyone gasped, staring intently.

Ishikawa was half-embedded in the wall, which itself was caved in on one side.

He and the wall now shared a much more intimate relationship, truly becoming one.

Such a kick likely knocked him halfway to death.

"This…"

Inspector Megure's expression was awkward; he had no idea what to say.

But Mouri Ran turned around fearlessly, her expression calm as she said, "He used a knife just now, and he wasn't in his right mind."

"If I hadn't taken appropriate self-defense measures in time, I might have been killed."

"Uh…"

Inspector Megure's expression remained subtle.

While a madman with a knife is certainly dangerous, he didn't seem to warrant you 'defending' yourself like that.

"I'm still a minor."

"Worst case, my mom will help me with the lawsuit."

Mouri Ran stated this with clear logic.

It was evident that she had prepared herself mentally for this intervention—even if it meant a lawsuit, she was determined to strike this person.

"Ahem, ahem."

Inspector Megure cleared his throat twice, then said with a stern face, "Uh, yes…"

"Ran was almost fatally injured by a knife-wielding assailant, so her defensive actions are completely normal."

"Everyone saw that, right?"

"Yes, yes!"

"It's too dangerous for a criminal to pull a knife on such a delicate girl!"

The police officers nodded in unison, working together to build police-civilian solidarity.

The atmosphere on site was harmonious, filled with laughter and joy everywhere, except for Ishikawa, who was still embedded in the wall.