The men jumped back away from the plank of wood, and Hibiki used the opening to squat down and snatch the note.
Perfect! It worked.
Hibiki discreetly opened the message, hiding it from the men. He scanned it quickly, then threw himself on top of Kotone to shield her.
“What do you think you’re doing, kid?!” the leader shouted.
Here goes nothing!
“Hey! Up here!” I shouted down at the group, and they all looked up.
Almost immediately after this—
“Ack!”
“It’s so bright!”
“I can’t see anything—!”
Kei had managed to hack the twenty-something stage lights, point them all directly down at the men, and turn them all on at once. Lights this powerful would easily blind anyone who looked directly into them for a significant length of time.
Once the lights were on, I jumped down onto the stage.
“Hibiki!” I shouted as I charged at the men.
“Why, you little—!”
One of the men made a wild swing at me, but I ducked and swept his legs out from under him with a low kick.
“Wagh!”
First, we needed to escape from the stage.
“Hiyaaah!” I grabbed a different man by the arms and used his momentum to throw him.
This should give them a chance!
“Don’t let them get away!” the leader shouted, but the men still couldn’t see anything. Meanwhile, the three of us managed to get off the stage and ran through the audience seats.
Okay, I think we can get away now.
“I appreciate your help. But you’re Phantom Thief Red, right? Why are you even here?” Kotone said with confusion. Though she was wary of my presence, I got the sense that she trusted me.
“Let me guess…,” said Hibiki. “You have eyes on the Hanasato family. That’s how you realized there was a kidnapping taking place.”
There was a strong twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me.
“That’s right, and I thought you could use some help.” I stared him straight back in the eyes.
“So the power outage from before was your work, I take it…” Hibiki said bitterly. I guess getting saved by Phantom Thief Red didn’t sit too well with him.
“I’m glad you came to help Kotone. Thank you for that. But why?”
Hibiki was holding his left arm, and I noticed he was bleeding.
Kotone must’ve noticed too, because she produced a handkerchief and began to treat his wound.
It’s in character for him to not ask for help in a time like this…
I took a single step closer to Hibiki.
“Hibiki Shirasato. Whether you accept it or not, we’ll do the work we believe in. Right now, that means saving Kotone Hanasato. Maybe our goals are more common than you think,” I suggested.
“But…I can’t accept how you do things,” Hibiki said, looking slightly conflicted.
Kotone, who was working on patching up his arm, quietly added, “Hey, Hibiki. You’re a detective. Even if it feels like you need to take the long road, you pursue justice in your own way, and there’s nothing you have to change about that… That’s what I like about you—the brilliant detective Hibiki Shirasato.”
She’s right! That’s why everyone trusts you.
Hibiki glanced over at Kotone, then back at me, and our gazes met.
A few seconds passed. Hibiki was the first to cave.
“You’re right, Kotone,” he said. “I forgot what was most important to me.”
“Hibiki!”
“Yes… It seems our goals do align. For now, at least.”
A grin appeared on his face.
“That’s what I like to hear. Today, we’re on the same team.” I smiled back.
That settles it!
Hibiki and I both glared back at the stage. The men there were starting to get back on their feet, and they all glared back at us. Their faces were red and angry.
“I’m going to rush them head-on. I want you to take out anyone who tries to come at me from the side!”
“You got it!”
I was in much better shape than Hibiki, so I could still fight.
I knew if we fought among the chairs, the most people who could come at me effectively was two—I’d seen Hibiki use this tactic earlier.
“C’mere, you!”
The men rushed me with their fists up.
I flicked a sleeping gas pellet I had in either hand back at them. Each one broke against the attackers’ foreheads and the two men fell to the ground, asleep.
There’s more where that came from!
I jumped over the sleeping pair, crouched low, and charged the men behind them.
“You think you can take us head-on, you little pipsqueak?!”
One of the men who had his fists up like a boxer sent swift punches my way. I reached out and grabbed one of his punches when it was at its most extended and wrapped around the man.
“Gah, what are ya—?”
The man began to squeal, but I already had my hand on the back of his neck. I pretended I was going to push him forward, but then wrapped my other arm around his neck, pulling him backward and flying into the ground.
“Gragh!”
The man was knocked out cold.
You may be bigger than me, but aikido lets us fight on equal footing!
“Whoops!”
The next men came at me with a kick. I stepped back to avoid it, and I glanced at Hibiki. He was in the middle of his own fight.
If that’s the case…
“Hibiki!” I called out and our eyes met. I kicked off one of the seats and flew up into the air.
“What’s that supposed to do?!” the man in front of me shouted.
Sorry! This attack wasn’t for you.
I flipped midair into a spinning jump kick that hit Hibiki’s foe. The man didn’t have any time to react, and as my powerful kick hit the man square in the side of his neck, he fell flat onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Hibiki used the confusion to grab him by the arm.
“Hiyah!”
With perfect form, Hibiki took down the man with a shoulder throw. Caught completely off guard by the sudden switch, the kidnapper didn’t even have a chance to defend himself before he hit the ground.
Now that’s what I call a throw! Now that you mention it, I think I heard Hibiki has a black belt in judo.
We swapped places again and took on the incoming men.
“This is ridiculous… There’s only two of them!” the leader said to himself as he backed away.
He was the only one left of the twenty-odd men.
I glanced over at Hibiki. Our eyes met, and we nodded to each other.
We then both charged the leader together—until I almost immediately stopped in my tracks.
Shudder…
I felt a chill run down my spine. Something dangerous had me in its sights.
What is this feeling?!
I cautiously shifted my eyes toward the source, where I saw a lone man. He had tanned skin and sharp eyes that homed in on me and me alone. There was also a large scar across his nose that suggested he’d seen battles.
He must’ve been at least six-foot-two, and I could tell that he had trained hard—his arms looked like logs, and his chest was massive. He seemed a little younger than my dad, but this guy was probably a little more buff.
This is the man who got me from behind!
My chilly spine told me so.
“Who are you…?” Hibiki stopped and stared at the man with doubt.
“Stop! This one’s different!” I shouted, but as I did, the man made his move.