[Hayata Saotome Arc 3] Let’s see which way this goes.

“I’m telling you, it’s true!!”

The boy’s voice rang out at the front desk, causing the uniformed officer to cast a weary glance his way.

“We’ve heard your story, now just calm down, alright?”

“But seriously! Those guys are totally shady, I swear!”

The boy—Hayata Saotome—was desperate.

Still wearing the hood of his dark sweatshirt, he gestured wildly, doing his best to explain.

“They were saying stuff like how secondhand shops are easy targets, or that next time they’ll go for designer brands only—”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll look into it properly. Now head home and stay safe, okay?”

The young officer at the front desk tried to gently usher him toward the exit.

A middle-aged officer watching from further back sighed, clearly fed up.

…Watching the whole exchange from the hallway’s shadow was Kosuke Kaname.

Looks like it’s time.

“…Well then, let’s see which way this goes.”

Hands still buried in his pockets, he sauntered lazily over to the reception area.

Noticing Kaname suddenly, Hayata instinctively stepped back, wary.

Still, he couldn’t hide the desperate look in his eyes. He refused to back down.

“Please! Someone’s got to believe me!”

The boy’s earnest voice brought Kaname to a halt.