At the bank, the queue worked like a hospital registration line: take a number first, then sit and wait for a staffer to call your name.
Mafuyu Kirisu and Mai Sakurajima sat to Hayashi Maki's left and right, the air between them… delicate.
With a sigh, and feeling the tension had simmered long enough, Hayashi Maki broke the stalemate.
"Small world, Kirisu-sensei. You here to withdraw cash too?"
"Mm."
Mafuyu nodded. "Not just a withdrawal—I need to send living expenses to my sister in college."
"Oh, your sister, Miharu."
"Huh? You know her?" Mafuyu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Hayashi Maki's lips curled. "Of course. 'Know yourself and your enemy and you'll never lose.' If a man's going to make a move on a woman, how could he not learn about her family?"
That earned him a flushed, indignant glare. What a schemer!
And the way he was holding hands with the woman beside him—Mafuyu found the sight an eyesore. That night… he'd held her hand just as closely when he kissed her.
Mai was a little annoyed too. He was holding her hand, yet flirting with another woman—what was that supposed to mean?
Hayashi Maki suddenly felt pressure on the top of his foot.
A slim calf in black stockings had lifted; a little dress shoe was now planted on him.
While standing on him, Mai smiled politely at Mafuyu. "Kirisu-sensei, I'm Mai Sakurajima from Class 2. Do you remember me?"
"Second year… oh—you're the former child actress!"
"That's right."
The two women began chatting, and Hayashi Maki was promptly sidelined. He didn't mind—so long as it wasn't a full-blown love-battle.
Except… why had Mafuyu stepped on his other foot too?
If they wanted to compete, did they both have to stomp him?
With cameras everywhere, Hayashi Maki couldn't exactly pull both beauties into his arms; he sat there calmly and listened to them talk.
Before long a staffer called the next number. It was Mai's turn.
Naturally, Hayashi Maki rose with her and went to the counter—still hand in hand. Mafuyu eyed their joined hands and pursed her lips, a faint sourness in her chest.
When Mai finished, it was Mafuyu's turn. Hayashi Maki didn't leave; he sat back down. He was planning to invite Mafuyu to go buy groceries together afterward—though… she didn't seem good at cooking. Could she shop for food? Whatever. The invite was just a pretext anyway. He just wanted to be with her.
Mai, seeing how eager he was to wait, felt a stab of resentment but couldn't leave. She needed his "special effect" to suppress her vanishing phenomenon, so she reluctantly stayed by his side.
"You know, in light novels, when the leads go to a bank, a robbery usually happens," Hayashi Maki mused.
Mai, who'd been reading a lot of novels lately, rolled her eyes. "It's broad daylight. You think you're dreaming? A bank robbery now? This isn't the Land of the Free & Pretty."
Hayashi Maki gave her hand a playful squeeze. "Just saying—plot tends to work that way. You've gotta give the protagonist a chance to show off in front of the heroine."
Feeling him knead her fingers, Mai's cheeks colored. She shot the lech a look but didn't pull away. Without noticing, she'd already started relying on him. Having her hand held gave her a strange sense of safety.
They were still hovering in that flirty, heart-thumping space when several men with nylons over their faces stormed in.
The leader swung an axe at the teller window—only to have it bounce off hard enough to nearly hit his buddy.
Enraged, he yanked a pistol and aimed at the uniformed clerk. "What kind of glass is this—why's it so tough?"
The clerk stared, legs shaking. "I-it's imported glass."
"Figures! That's why an axe won't scratch it!"
"Is it bulletproof?"
"N-no… please don't—" She was on the verge of tears. Not wanting them to test it, she blurted that it wasn't.
"Good. Lady, you're cooperative. We're just here for money—no one gets hurt. Everyone, hands on your head and squat. Don't blame us if we pull the trigger!"
Mafuyu—who had just returned to Hayashi Maki's side—squatted with her hands on her head along with Hayashi Maki and Mai.
Having heard Hayashi Maki and Mai's earlier exchange, then seeing robbers actually show up, both women couldn't help glaring at him.
"You jinx!"
Hayashi Maki's mouth twitched. He'd only been joking. Who knew?
"Don't move, or we shoot! Squat down!"
About ten robbers, nylon masks, only their eyes showing. The boss shoved a big leather bag through the slot. "Fill it. Be smart and you won't get hurt."
"Y-yes…"
The teller trembled as she stuffed bills into the bag. The business-suited bank manager, squatting with hands over his head, edged his body a little at a time. If the cash went, he was finished; he had to hit the alarm.
A shot cracked.
"Bang!"
"Ahh—my leg!"
The manager screamed, clutching his bleeding thigh.
"Tch. I had my eye on you. Moving around—planning to hit the alarm? Trying to die?"
The gunman blew the smoke from his barrel with a sneer.
Even so, the manager slapped the red button.
The alarm wailed—and more shots rang out. A few more holes blossomed in the manager; his body jerked, then went still.
The bank erupted in screams.
"Ah! He killed someone!"
"Don't kill me—I'm just here to—"
"Shut up! All of you, down!" One robber fired into the ceiling—
—and, by dumb luck, hit the chandelier. It fell and knocked him cold.
Silence fell.
"Idiot." The boss was speechless. The underling was useless. He calmly put a bullet in his unconscious teammate.
The other robbers—guns trained on the crouching crowd—didn't so much as blink. They were here to get rich; they couldn't let a fainting fool get in the way.
The casual murder terrified everyone.
Hayashi Maki could only sigh internally. That manager… risking everyone's safety to grandstand, hitting the alarm with his life—really?
He reached out and gently took Mafuyu and Mai's hands. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Mai relaxed a lot. She knew he was special. And she herself seemed special too. "Should I try my ability? Maybe I can go invisible and then—"
"No. Too risky. With me here, your ability won't work anyway."
Mafuyu didn't understand what they were whispering about, but she squeezed Hayashi Maki's hand hard, eyes turning firm. As a teacher, she had a duty to protect her students.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!