Chapter 252: Life or Death Mad Dash!

The man in the baseball cap looked deeply at Himekoji.

“You are really good.”

he said aloud.

His tone seemed approving, but it also seemed pitying.

“Since this classmate is so keen, let’s swap with him.”

With the baseball cap man’s agreement, the bespectacled man finally let Tobe go.

“Okay, we still need one more. Is there any helpful, good citizen who wants to volunteer?”

The baseball cap man said this while glancing around, but students who met his eyes fearfully hung their heads down.

“No one at all?”

The baseball cap man shook his head and mumbled, feeling a little sorry.

“I want to… Mmph! Mmmph!”

Akiko was about to speak up, but Miura quickly covered her mouth and held her down.

Himekoji saw this and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He truly worried that Akiko might act impulsively and rush in recklessly with him. Given how the bad guys killed without hesitation, who knew what might happen after getting in the car?

This time, Miura was a huge help.

…

“Only one person won’t do. Your coldness really saddens me.”

The baseball cap man acted very disappointed, seeming fake and dramatic.

“If it’s about driving, I can handle it alone.”

Most people in that situation might try to drag someone else along for support, but Himekoji wouldn’t do that. He was used to being alone, whether facing choices, strange people, unknowns, difficulties, fears, or even death.

Alone, he could act freely and without worry.

Bringing a weak sidekick would only slow him down and get in the way.

“No, this goes against the rules.”

The baseball cap man wagged his finger and refused to take Himekoji’s suggestion.

“Do killing and crime really follow the rules?”

Yukinoshita glared at the criminal, her eyes burning fiercely. She asked this loud and clear.

“Of course, because rules get made by people like us.”

The baseball cap man answered carelessly, fiddling with his gun.

“All right, we’ve wasted enough time. Since no one else is stepping forward, it’ll have to be him again… Tobe, right?”

“Huh? Me… me again?!”

Tobe, who thought he’d dodged danger, heard this and got so scared his legs gave out, making him fall flat to the floor like he’d lost all hope.

Was he doomed today?

Himekoji saved him earlier, but now, no second person would risk their life to stand up for him like Himekoji had.

Plus, just hoping someone else would go “die” for him—wasn’t that too selfish?

He had to man up. He decided to act like a real man!

Thinking this, Tobe squeezed together what little courage he had, shaking as he got up from the floor.

“Hime… Himekoji-kun, I’m so sorry to drag you into this mess. I owe you my life. If… if neither of us makes it back alive today, I’ll die before you!”

Tobe yelled out these words crying hysterically, sounding very upset and brave.

Because of this, several students burst out crying loudly, and the scene turned gloomy, like a painful farewell.

“Ebina! I… I…”

Finally, Tobe, with tears rolling and red eyes, turned back to look at Ebina in the crowd, as if he wanted to say something.

But before he could finish, Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up, cutting him off—

“I’ll go with the Pervert-kun.”

As soon as she said that, Yukinoshita stepped forward first toward the criminal. Her steps were bold, daring, and cool.

“Oh? You? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t help a killer?”

The baseball cap man looked at Yukinoshita with interest.

“I’ll drive the car to the police headquarters for you.”

“Police headquarters?”

The baseball cap man clearly didn’t expect the girl to be so stubborn at this point, so he chuckled.

“It’s exciting! You and that young guy are both exciting. So it’s you two! I hope you both enjoy the fun and thrill of driving later.”

…

Himekoji took the driver’s seat, and Yukinoshita sat in the passenger seat.

It almost felt like a date road trip, except there was a gun barrel pressed to the back of Himekoji’s head.

“Drive well in a bit.”

The baseball cap man patted Himekoji’s shoulder from the back seat like he was cheering him on.

“Don’t look around. Keep your eyes ahead. I’ll count three, two, one, and then you drive.”

About thirty seconds later, the back seat got noisy again.

“Three, two, one!”

Himekoji hit the gas almost without thinking, but then he noticed something weird.

The baseball cap man’s voice came over the phone speaker.

…

“They escaped. They must have rigged the car with some door or opening at the bottom, leading to the sewer or something.”

Yukinoshita, who didn’t have to steer the wheel, figured it out before Himekoji.

“Bingo!”

The bad guy spoke up approvingly over the phone.

“You got it spot on!”

Because the rearview mirror inside the car had been removed earlier, Himekoji could only turn back to see the back seat—

The back seat was empty, except for a phone ringing on the line.

Huh?

Himekoji frowned, confused.

Had the bad guys just run off and left them? Were they free? Was the danger over?

But if so, why go through all that trouble of needing their help to drive just now?

Himekoji naturally wanted to hit the brakes.

“Don’t stop.”

However, as if knowing Himekoji would do this, the voice from the baseball cap spoke through the phone again,

“You can stop the car and see what happens. There’s a bomb installed inside.”

A bomb?

Himekoji’s grip on the steering wheel tightened instantly. His foot, about to press the brake, froze in place.

“Oh, and one more thing. From now on, if the car’s speed drops below 60 km/h, the bomb hidden in the car will automatically blow up.”

60 km/h?

The Movie Village had a speed limit of 30 km/h! This was double!

And it was the afternoon—the Movie Village’s busiest time of day!

Even so, Himekoji had no other choice. Jumping out would be even more impossible. Gritting his teeth, he stomped on the accelerator all the way.

Go for broke!

He couldn’t risk his life to test whether the threat was real or not. It wasn’t just his life inside the car—Yukinoshita was there too.

It was time to test his driving skills!

[Mt. Akina God of Driving has been equipped!]

The “Driving God” skill he’d drawn months ago along with the soccer skills came in handy at this critical moment.

The engine roared as Himekoji drove off, shooting down the road with Yukinoshita in the passenger seat.

…

“Yukino-chan… Akito…”

Yuigahama’s legs gave way, and she nearly fell. Luckily, Katou quickly steadied her.

“Call the police!”

Miura finally loosened her grip over Akiko’s mouth. Akiko immediately broke down and screamed.

“The police have been called! They’ll be here soon! They’ll be okay! They absolutely will be okay!”

Hayama could only offer verbal comfort like this. Inside, he was silently praying for Himekoji and Yukinoshita’s safety.

There was nothing else he could do. He felt utterly powerless.

Hayama, usually so perfect, now exposed his own helplessness.

But this couldn’t be helped.

After all, they were facing an extremely violent and heavily armed criminal, a murderer.

What could he possibly do?

“It’s okay? You’re not the hostage! You can say that easily!”

Akiko glared fiercely at Hayama.

Yes, she was furious at Hayama.

And she had every right to be!

Because, in her eyes, her brother, Himekoji Akito, had gotten involved to protect all of them cowards.

If Himekoji hadn’t stepped forward, anyone present could have been snatched by that criminal to become a hostage.

“I’m sorry.”

Hayama understood Akiko’s feelings and apologized.

But someone else felt even more guilty.

Tobe wept uncontrollably, a grown man crying his heart out like a storm.

“It’s all my fault! I’m sorry to Himekoji-kun! I’m sorry to Yukinoshita!”

Twice he had narrowly escaped death, and both times someone else had taken the danger he avoided.

He was truly the luckiest and most pitiful person.

The other classmates were also deeply moved.

“They stepped forward because of us…”

“Yukinoshita and the… and Himekoji-kun… they absolutely must be okay!”