After returning home, Shiraishi Shin took the daily necessities out of his travel bag and put them back in their original places. Then, he sat on his sofa for a while and took out his phone to scroll through the latest news.
The news frequently reported cases of missing persons, and some people had even discovered severed limbs in parks or on remote roadsides. This left many citizens in a panic, wondering if wild tigers or lions were roaming the city—otherwise, where could these severed limbs have come from?
"Are those damn Amazons again."
Shiraishi Shin shook his head as he read. There was no doubt that the Amazons were behind this. One had to realize that there were thousands of Amazons in the city. Perhaps some of them were still being suppressed by inhibitors and hadn't started eating people yet, but that was only a matter of time.
Checking the time, it was already past two-ten. Shiraishi Shin changed out of his school uniform into casual clothes and headed out, riding his motorcycle to the market to buy various ingredients for hot pot.
After finishing his shopping, he hung his bags on his bike. As he passed by a glutinous rice ball shop, Shiraishi Shin braked to a stop.
"I should buy two skewers for Mahiru."
Shiraishi Shin thought about how Shiina Mahiru had endured a difficult childhood; now that she had met him, she deserved to live a sweeter life. He immediately got off his bike and entered the shop to make his selection.
At the same time, a traffic police car signaled and pulled over in front of the rice ball shop.
"Nothing is happening anyway, so I might as well buy two glutinous rice balls to treat myself."
Traffic officer Sumiko Ozawa thought to herself as she stepped out of the vehicle. Just as she was happily about to enter the shop, she noticed the motorcycle parked to the side.
She walked up and circled the motorcycle, scrutinizing it. It felt familiar. Suddenly, she slapped her right fist into her left palm, a look of realization dawning on her.
"I remember now! Isn't this the bike from the other day? The one with the strange rider, no license plate, illegal modifications, and speeding? You little brat, I've been so frustrated ever since I lost you last time. Finally, I've caught you! Heh heh!"
Sumiko Ozawa pouted in annoyance. Recalling the speed of that motorcycle, it had been absolute insanity—even she, a professional traffic officer, had been left in the dust immediately. Now that it was in her hands, she would definitely slap those silver handcuffs on him!
Sumiko Ozawa snorted, then lay in wait nearby, ready for the guy to walk right into her trap. She didn't believe for a second that he wouldn't come back for such a cool bike.
Before long, Shiraishi Shin came out of the shop with the glutinous rice balls. He walked over to Eternal and straddled the bike. Before he could even start it, Sumiko Ozawa, who had been lying in wait, rushed out with a pair of handcuffs, aiming to slap them onto Shiraishi Shin's wrists.
Shiraishi Shin subconsciously dodged, then threw a backhand punch that struck the person in the face, knocking her to the ground.
"Ah!"
Sumiko Ozawa was knocked flat on the ground. She turned her head, glaring furiously at Shiraishi Shin, and snapped, "How dare you assault a police officer!"
"Huh?"
Shiraishi Shin froze for a moment. Only then did he realize that the person he had just knocked down was actually a beautiful policewoman with long, dark hair. Although she was only a traffic officer, she was still police, and therefore a sworn officer.
Shiraishi Shin defended himself, "That was just subconscious self-defense. If you were suddenly attacked by a stranger jumping out at you, wouldn't you react?"
Sumiko Ozawa stood up, clutching her face, then put one hand on her hip and said, "What you said might be a fact, but all in all, the bottom line is that you're in the wrong."
Shiraishi Shin was speechless. "Big sister, can we be reasonable here? And why exactly were you ambushing me?"
"Who are you calling 'big sister'? I'm only 21, okay? I'm still young!"
Hearing Shiraishi Shin call her 'big sister' made Sumiko Ozawa instantly flare up.
"It was just a figure of speech. Fine, beautiful lady, why were you ambushing me?"
Shiraishi Shin rephrased his question. The traffic officer was indeed a beauty—fair-skinned, youthful, and energetic, with looks that were beyond reproach; she was the pure, innocent type.
Sumiko Ozawa pursed her lips, then walked up to Shiraishi Shin with her arms crossed.
"You were riding an illegally modified motorcycle without a license plate, and you were speeding on Wednesday. I was the traffic officer chasing you from behind—Officer Sumiko Ozawa. I remember shouting at you through the loudspeaker, and not only did you not stop, you actually accelerated. Isn't that right?"
"Wait, are you sure the person you saw was me?"
Shiraishi Shin did recall seeing a traffic officer chasing him, but since he was in a hurry at the time, he hadn't paid it any mind and had just slipped away.
"Of course! It's this very bike. Although the rider was wearing strange clothes and a black cape at the time, since this bike is yours, that person in the strange outfit must have been you. Now, I'm going to arrest you, and this will be my first achievement in the few days I've been an officer!"
Sumiko Ozawa couldn't help but laugh. She had only been a traffic officer for a few days, and now a merit had delivered itself right to her doorstep.
"Actually, I was speeding that day because I was on my way to save someone. I had no other choice. How about you just write me a ticket? There's no need to go to the station, right?"
Shiraishi Shin hadn't expected to cause such trouble. No wonder people said Japan was small; he had actually run into the same officer again. If he had to go to the station, while he wouldn't end up in a cell, it would still be a hassle and a waste of time.
Sumiko Ozawa tapped her right foot. "No way. This isn't just a simple case of speeding. You modified your vehicle—look at the design of this bike, and the speed it was capable of wasn't normal for a motorcycle. Plus, you assaulted an officer. Even though I jumped out and startled you, you still punched me; my face is still a little swollen."
Shiraishi Shin sighed. "It seems we can't reach an agreement."
Sumiko Ozawa smiled sweetly. "You'd better come with me quietly, sir."
"Help... Help me!"
Just then, a blood-curdling cry for help came from nearby, drawing the attention of passers-by, who all turned to look.
A young man with a flashy, punk-style haircut was running away in terror. As he ran, perhaps due to sheer panic and fear, the grown man ended up tripping over his own feet on flat ground.
Terrified, he scrambled to turn around, sitting on the ground as he looked back. Before him, a man with a relaxed demeanor, wearing only a long-sleeved shirt that left one shoulder exposed, walked slowly toward him, holding a silver briefcase in his hand.
The punk-styled man screamed in terror, "Stay away! Help! Help! He's a monster!"
The man smiled, sounding dissatisfied. "How annoying. To call me a monster? What part of me looks like a monster?"
"You stay here and don't move. If you run, see what I do to you later."
Sumiko Ozawa said to Shiraishi Shin, feigning fierceness, before rushing over.
Shiraishi Shin crossed his arms, leaning against Eternal as he watched the sudden situation unfold.
Meanwhile, the curious passers-by gathered around to see what was happening.
Sumiko Ozawa approached the punk-styled man and asked, "I'm a traffic officer, my name is Sumiko Ozawa. What kind of conflict are you two having?"