BWDC:SDDK Chapter 14: Meet at the Old Place? Where is the Old Place?
Touto Bank was as peaceful as usual.
At least, it appeared that way through Ren Ichimonji's invincible Bat-Eyes. With just a quick scan of the interior, he could be certain of one thing. This public security mission had likely been triggered at a "potential occurrence" time point, meaning the actual criminals had not yet begun their crime.
This, at least, gave him a little time to observe.
Ren Ichimonji monitored the situation inside Touto Bank, casually grabbing the handle of the main door as he prepared to enter.
Then, the door wouldn't budge.
Ren Ichimonji: ?
A college student sitting against the wall reading Weekly Shonen Sunday looked up. He locked eyes with Ren Ichimonji for a moment with a gaze that was both clear and incredibly foolish. Then, he made a pushing motion.
"Ahem..."
Ren Ichimonji coughed twice, pushing the door open with some embarrassment. It was mainly because this was his first time encountering a security event that hadn't happened yet, so he was a bit tense.
He scanned the people inside the bank. There weren't many customers coming to handle business today; counting himself, there were only five or six people. On the other hand, there were seven or eight bank tellers.
Seeing this, Ren Ichimonji sat down next to the college student, took a sip of his coffee, and narrowed his eyes slightly. He cast a look of disapproval.
The number of bank tellers exceeded the number of customers. Based on his experience watching so many episodes of Detective Conan, there was an 80% chance that there was an inside man among the tellers who would cooperate with the bank robbers arriving later...
It had become such a cliché that he was almost sick of seeing it.
"Hey man, what brand of coffee are you drinking?" the college student next to him asked, his nose twitching as he turned his head curiously.
Hearing this, the corner of Ren Ichimonji's mouth curled up. He took another sip before answering. "It's Bat-brand coffee, of course. Batman personally brewed this for me in the Batcave."
"How about that? Jealous?"
He was the system-appointed Batman. Since he brewed the coffee himself, how could it not count as Batman brewing it for him?
Faced with this unexpected answer, the college student was stunned.
Wait, does Batman even drink coffee? And which Batman are you even talking about?
"Wait... wait a minute, Ran... you're running so fast..."
Suzuki Sonoko's voice rang out at the entrance of Touto Bank. Ren Ichimonji looked up toward the door in surprise.
At that moment, he could see Ran Mouri, who was carrying a bag yet running with a steady pace and calm demeanor, pulling along her exhausted and panting best friend.
Wait? Why are you two running so fast? I'm doing a mission, are you doing a mission too? Just because you're important supporting characters in the anime doesn't mean you can wander around Beika City relying on your plot armor!
"Eh, it's Bat—Mr. Ren Ichimonji!"
Ran Mouri spotted Ren Ichimonji sitting in his seat immediately. It wasn't that her eyesight was particularly amazing, but rather that no one else would bring a cup of coffee to handle business at Touto Bank.
The panting Suzuki Sonoko looked up and happened to catch Ren Ichimonji's puzzled gaze. Her face instantly turned red. With a quick pivot, she hid behind her best friend, only stepping out after she had adjusted her breathing.
That way, she wouldn't look so pathetic. As for what just happened... she would forget all about it as soon as the sun rose!
Still, it's a bit strange.
Sonoko tilted her head, looking at Ren Ichimonji as he drank his coffee. She and Ran had thought he was running so fast because he had some urgent business to attend to. But now, he was just waiting in line like everyone else.
Was it because Ren Ichimonji's moral standards were too high, or because his "urgent business" wasn't actually that urgent? The second young lady of the Suzuki family was somewhat troubled by this.
Ran Mouri, however, was not. She happened to be here for business anyway, and since her best friend had an interest, she didn't mind acting as a wingman.
Even though every time she acted as a wingman for Sonoko, the boy Sonoko liked would end up coming over to talk to her instead, haha...
She grabbed the handle of Touto Bank's main door, preparing to push it open.
At the same time, a field officer in the bank's staff area was also holding a bag, hand on the back door, preparing to push it open and leave.
The two doors opened in opposite directions at almost the exact same time.
The moment Ran Mouri and Suzuki Sonoko entered the lobby, the field officer who was about to leave suddenly fell straight to the ground, enjoying a high-quality, peaceful sleep—
The bank robber had appeared.
This masked robber had rushed in the moment the field officer opened the back door. Then, he used the butt of his gun to strike the unsuspecting officer, taking the "first blood" on the spot. He even fired a shot directly toward the ceiling!
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the lobby. Many of the bank staff and customers were frozen like wooden chickens, paralyzed with fear.
Ran and Sonoko, who had just pushed through the door, were stunned. Given the situation, should they keep going in, or just walk back out?
Seeing the robber's gun pointing in their direction, Ran measured the distance between them and abandoned the idea of a direct assault. She could only helplessly raise her hands along with Sonoko, assuming a non-resistant posture.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced toward where Ren Ichimonji had been sitting. She froze.
The man holding the white coffee cup, who had looked so conspicuous, was gone.
It wasn't just Ran who noticed. Sonoko, who had been focusing on Ren Ichimonji the whole time, discovered it as well. She noticed it much earlier than Ran, and while the robber wasn't looking, she slightly turned her head to scan the bank lobby. She couldn't see any trace of him.
This immediately filled her with doubt. Where did that self-proclaimed Batman, Ren Ichimonji, go?
Even if he had fled out of fear, the lobby was too large for a person to simply vanish into thin air. As for whether he went out through another door... that was even more impossible.
She and Ran were at the front door, and the robber was at the back door. Unless he could open a skylight in the floor and fly out, he couldn't have left without passing through their line of sight.
So, where did he go?
Sonoko's confusion, however, was short-lived. Because Ren Ichimonji appeared. And the position he was in was incredibly dangerous, yet completely unexpected.
"All of you, back off!"
"You—yes, you! Pack the money!"
After exchanging a look with a bank staff member, the robber pointed his gun at him and shouted. He tossed his backpack over, ordering the employee to fill it.
Furthermore, he moved slightly closer to the employee. Intending to help clear his inside man of suspicion, he whispered, "Later, I'll take the motorcycle to the old place. Remember to come find me."
"Where is the old place?"
"It's at... huh?"
The robber thought it was his inside man talking to him. It wasn't until he noticed the staff member breaking into a cold sweat and frantically signaling him with his eyes that he realized something was wrong.
"Why did you stop talking?" Ren Ichimonji asked.
End of Chapter
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