Chapter 33: Chilhood Shadows |
As Tsugawa, the library director, turned around with an unpleasant expression, the elevator had already reached the floor below.
He glared furiously at the changing numbers on the display screen and rushed towards the stairs, intending to intercept someone on the first floor.
*****
While Tsugawa competed with the elevator's speed,
Inside the elevator, Conan praised the kids, "Well done!" as he pressed the elevator button, planning to make it stop midway. This was to avoid being cornered by the director on the first floor.
However, before he could press the button, the downward trend of the elevator had already slowed down, and it seemed like it was about to stop.
Conan's first reaction was that his classmates had finally shown some cleverness—without him saying anything, they understood that going to the first floor was not an option now.
But, on closer inspection, Conan suddenly found that the inner floor buttons did not light up.
...In other words, the elevator would stop on the second floor not because they chose it, but because someone outside pressed the button for them!
An image of the director's gloomy face flashed in Conan's mind, and a chill ran down his spine.
He originally thought his plan was enough to fool the enraged Tsugawa. Who knew that this time, the director actually anticipated his anticipation, seeing through his plan to get off the elevator midway and leisurely waiting for him to take the bait!
*****
Conan's face turned pale. He pressed the door-close button, hoping to stop the elevator.
But it didn't work. He could only grit his teeth and watch the elevator come to a halt.
At this moment, Conan deeply felt what it meant to regret not having what you need at the right time.
—If only he had taken a hefty volume book with him when he hastily grabbed something. Now, he wouldn't be facing this embarrassing situation of having "enhanced leg power shoes" but nothing to kick.
*****
Under the despairing gaze of a few children, the elevator finally stopped on the second floor.
Conan crouched down and swiftly twisted the switch on his sneakers.
—No other option; since there was nothing to kick, he had to try the sliding maneuver again.
This time, if he used the enhanced leg power shoes to kick Tsugawa's legs or some other part as he passed by, there might be a slim chance.
Thinking so, Conan leaned against the back of the elevator, and as the door opened, he forcefully kicked off the wall, sliding out.
However, just before Conan executed his well-planned kick, a telescopic baton lightly flicked against him.
Conan's trajectory suddenly deviated, and he tumbled, hitting the adjacent wall with a thud.
Conan: "..."
Wait a minute.
Did that baton that tripped him look so familiar?
Conan jumped up in surprise, delighted to see Jiang Xia standing at the elevator door.
*****
Jiang Xia, holding an extended baton, didn't ask Conan why he suddenly played the role of a floor-cleaning machine.
He looked at the three kids inside the elevator and ordered concisely, "Come out."
Genta and Mitsuhiko squeezed together, watching Conan fail spectacularly, feeling that they weren't a match either, and nervously walked out.
Ayumi, however, was a bit calmer than the two boys.
She recognized Jiang Xia as the person who had rescued her and Conan in the dungeon the last time.
Encountering danger again, Brother Jiang Xia unexpectedly appeared... As Ayumi thought about it, sparkles of admiration twinkled in her eyes.
*****
When the naughty kids exited the elevator,
Jiang Xia passed by them and entered the elevator.
Then he pressed the button for the 1st floor.
As the elevator doors gradually closed under the dumbfounded gaze of the kids, just before they shut completely, Jiang Xia glanced at them through the crack and said, "Stay put, no noise."
The four kids instinctively stood at attention, nodding in unison.
*****
In the library stairwell,
With a ferocious expression, Library Director Tsugawa, wielding a metal pipe, headed straight for the first floor.
Running to the elevator, he was delighted to find it still descending from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor.
He didn't dwell on why he could run so fast, thinking that extreme anger activated his unlimited potential.
*****
Soon, with a "ding," the elevator stopped on the 1st floor.
Tsugawa eagerly reached out, grabbing the opening slit of the elevator door, saying, "Let me see where you're going this time..."
Thud—
A slender black figure swept through the door crack, precisely knocking on Tsugawa's forehead.
Tsugawa's vision blurred, and before he could recover, he received a heavy blow to the abdomen.
He flew backward, hitting the wall and sliding down. Amidst the confusion, the director saw a backlit figure walking out of the elevator—it wasn't the "weak little brats" he thought; instead, the person looked even taller than him.
...When did this person enter the library?!
How much did he know about drugs and corpses? What's the connection with those kids? Can he still be silenced in time?!
Tsugawa, looking at the approaching Jiang Xia, then glancing at the raised baton, panicked, "...What do you want?!"
"To return a book," Jiang Xia casually tossed "Detective Handbook" onto him, "and incidentally, to play the hero."
With the fluttering sound of pages, the elevator door closed behind Jiang Xia. The bright elevator light converged into a narrow line, eventually disappearing altogether. The corridor instantly returned to darkness.
Just before the last ray of light vanished, Tsugawa, looking at the "ordinary citizen returning a book," heard the swooshing sound of the swinging baton, then lowered his head to see the person looking at him, revealing a slightly eerie smile filled with anticipation.
Tsugawa: "..."
...Don't come any closer!!!
*****
Fifteen minutes later,
Inspector Megure anxiously arrived with his team. They found a bluish-purple Tsugawa in the library—a swollen pig... no, a swollen library director.
"..." Officer Satou reached out, lightly poking Tsugawa, eliciting a painful groan.
She breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, he's not dead.
*****
On the side, three kids stared vacantly, standing quietly like chickens.
When Jiang Xia moved, they collectively shivered, huddling together, too frightened to make a sound.
Jiang Xia didn't approach them.
He merely walked to the side of Satou, apologetically lowering his voice, "Sorry, Director Tsugawa shouted that he wanted to silence a few kids. The corridor was dark, and he was familiar with the library. I was afraid he might escape and harm the kids. In my haste, I accidentally went too hard..."
The phrase "a few kids" simultaneously surged to the lips of the three, a word resonating—
Lie!
However, they swallowed it down in silence.
"...," They dared not speak.
Moreover, although Jiang Xia was a bit ruthless, he did save them.
Based on their simple emotions, the kids felt they couldn't do something as treacherous as betraying their benefactor.
*****
Miwako Satou didn't notice the terror in the eyes of the kids.
She patted Jiang Xia's shoulder, encouraging him, "You didn't do anything wrong."
To be honest, after learning about what Director Tsugawa had done, Officer Satou almost wanted to praise Jiang Xia for "hitting well."
...But unfortunately, police officers couldn't say such things.
So, she could only kindly remind, "However, don't act so impulsively in the future. If, by any chance, the culprit dies, you might get into trouble too."
"Okay," Jiang Xia nodded gently, "I'll be more careful next time."
