Yuki Uesugi was not clear about the exact speed of the small truck at the moment, nor did she have time to speculate on the driver's intentions. In that fleeting moment of reaction time, she only knew that the truck was speeding dangerously and they had to quickly warn Koga and her daughter to avoid it.
But this warning only remained at a general level of urgency, like walking on the road and noticing a car approaching from behind, and then reminding the people around you to "move to the side, there's a car coming"...... It was just that level of warning.
Therefore, when the truck approached at a horrifying speed, the three of them understood that the truck was not simply passing by.
The truck was aiming straight for them.
When someone sees a car coming towards them, they either freeze, unable to act, or desperately try to avoid it.
Koga, holding Yuki with one hand and pulling Mizuo with the other, ran towards the wall where the electric pole provided cover. But for a woman, it was difficult enough to protect two ten-year-old children in such a situation.
Before the three of them could get far enough away, the truck had already caught up with them from behind.
Koga knew exactly what would happen next, so without any hesitation, she pulled Mizuo in front of her, put Yuki down, spread her arms open, and held the two children in her embrace, using her own body as a shield to protect them.
- Yukino, even though it's selfish of me to say this, I entrust Mizuo to you.
In the next instant, a searing pain tore through Koga's back, causing her to lose consciousness.
When Watanabe Gengo finished tidying up the storage room, the owner of the coffee shop was no longer there.
The owner left a bunch of keys on the counter, intending for Watanabe Gengo to lock up before leaving. This was a well-established agreement between them.
- Since the shop is not open in the afternoon, I wonder if this coffee shop will go out of business if things continue like this... If it goes out of business, it will be troublesome to find another job...
Watanabe Gengo muttered in his heart, swiftly completing the remaining tasks, locking the door, and leaving the coffee shop. His smooth movements didn't resemble those of someone recovering from a broken leg at all.
No longer using crutches, Watanabe Gengo, with his foot still in a cast and bandage, became aware of the curious gazes from passersby.
- It seems like there's nothing wrong with this leg anymore...
He tried jumping a few times and doing a few kicks, realizing that his leg seemed to have recovered.
- It's already healed, I didn't even notice.
Watanabe Gengo pulled off the foreign object wrapped around his foot with one hand, intending to find a trash can to throw it away, but unfortunately, there were too few public trash cans on the streets of Japan. In the end, he had to awkwardly walk while being stared at by others, still holding the cast and bandage.
After walking a short distance on the way back home, Watanabe Gengo, who had excellent eyesight, noticed two lively figures at a T-junction in the distance.
They were Mizuo Koga and Yuki Uesugi, the two little girls.
Watanabe Gengo still remembered that he had made an agreement with these two girls and promised to help them with their investigation. As for the reward that was deemed insignificant to Watanabe Gengo at the time, he had long forgotten about it.
Regarding the investigation of the case, Watanabe Gengo spent several days trying to find any leads, but the other side was exceptionally skilled and experienced, leaving him with no progress. On the other hand, the puppet, Akao, who was arrested and imprisoned, seemed to have been killed in prison.
-Since we've encountered them, let's tell them about it for now.
However, Watanabe Gengo quickly dismissed this idea when he realized that Koga Shii was also with the children.
Although unintentional and unknowingly becoming an accomplice, a sense of guilt towards Koga Shii resided in Watanabe Gengo's heart.
