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Convenience store warehouse.
It's a small space, barely a hundred square meters. Inside, there are items he bought from the system's interface that haven't been put on the shelves yet.
Other than that…
The most prominent feature in the warehouse is a desk, and a brand new ledger sits there to record the in-and-out movements of goods.
Akira looked at the desk and gave it a very fair assessment: "It's big, flat, and super convenient!"
"Sumimasen~~"
"I really didn't steal anything!"
"I only ran out in a panic because I saw someone who looked a lot like my mom walking past the convenience store door."
"My wallet really is missing…"
Ran stubbornly made a defense that even she felt was weak.
What else could she do?
There was no way she could let herself get tagged as a "thief"!
"I'm Ran."
"I'm a second-year student in class B at Teitan High School."
"My home is at 39, 5th block, Beika Town, in the Mouri Detective Agency."
She had no other choice!
Ran tried to gain Akira's trust by giving him her background.
"I've tried my best to avoid making this bigger than it is."
"If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to report it to the police."
While speaking…
Akira placed his phone on the desk. On the screen, it was playing the surveillance footage from the convenience store, which he had pulled from the system.
The footage clearly showed…
Ran taking a bottle of water and running out the door.
There was no sign of the "mom" she mentioned, and more importantly, it seemed like the video showed her intentionally avoiding Akira, who was at the cashier.
Clever!
He couldn't help but admire the sharp angle of the footage.
This video alone could easily confirm Ran's attempt to skip out without paying, and even
someone like Mouri Kogoro (Ran's father) wouldn't be able to help her.
"Sumimasen."
"I really didn't steal anything."
"…"
Ran's scalp went numb as she watched the video on the phone.
Every frame of that video felt like a fatal blow to her!
If the police got a hold of this video, she couldn't even imagine what would happen next.
"If this video gets handed to the police..."
"You'll be facing more than just being suspended. There's a very good chance you'll be expelled from Teitan High."
"Not only that!"
"Your dad, who barely has any clients, will probably lose all business, and your mom, the top lawyer in her field, will lose all credibility in the industry."
"You don't want that, right?"
"…"
In that moment!
Ran felt like her head was about to explode.
She had thought about what would happen if the convenience store's surveillance footage ended up in the police's hands.
But…
She had been too naive.
If she really got labeled as a "thief," her mom's professional rivals would likely use this incident to
their advantage.
She didn't want to see that happen…
"Wh… what do you want?"
Ran realized she was completely at Akira's mercy now.
Even if she made up a hundred excuses, they would all be powerless in front of the store's surveillance footage.
"Money?"
"I'm not trying to extort you."
Akira suddenly stood up and patted Ran on the shoulder.
Soft, smooth!
His hand on her shoulder felt oddly special.
"Sumimasen~~"
"What should I do now?"
Ran knew that now, Akira had all the control.
"Turn around."
"Lie on the desk."
Ran was shocked.
What did that mean?
Was he about to do that to her?
"Search you!"
"I just want to know if you've taken anything else besides the bottle of water."
Akira's explanation made Ran's doubts disappear.
Hmm…
Her thoughts had gotten dirty!
A quick search was fine…
As long as he didn't find anything else on her, she might be able to convince him that she wasn't lying.
Akira looked at Ran, who obediently lay down on the desk.
From top to bottom, both hands moving forward!
The feeling of his palm on Ran's soft shoulder earlier seemed to be magnified in this moment.
His hands felt like a traveler crossing mountains and seas.
"Yamete!"
Ran suddenly realized something was off.
She hadn't thought much of it before!
This guy really was planning to use this "shoplifting" incident to do that to her.
"Ran."
"You wouldn't want this to become public knowledge in Beika Town, right?"
"Don't worry."
"I'm just checking to see if you took anything else."
"…"
Akira was thorough.
He knew this kind of opportunity wasn't something that came every day. If he missed it, Ran might never come to his store again.
He had to seize it!
"Not there!"
Ran grabbed Akira's hand as he tried to explore further.
"Why not?"
"The space there is really big, plenty of room for more stuff."
Ran froze.
Akira had started by just patting her pockets.
Now, he was thinking of going inside?!
"….."