Crash!
Director Tsugawa slammed into the bookshelf, causing it to shudder violently. He slumped to the ground like a pile of mud, unable to get up for a long time.
"Your body is completely wrecked from drug abuse, yet you try to imitate others and fight?"
Hayashi Shuichi mocked him while seizing the opportunity to throw the remaining disguised books out the window.
"You brat! Even if I die, I'm dragging you down with me!"
Director Tsugawa finally managed to stand up. His hair was disheveled and plastered across his forehead, and his expression was ferocious as he lunged at Hayashi Shuichi once more.
"To think my childhood trauma was caused by a junkie like you... looking at it now, it's actually quite laughable." A trace of disgust flashed through Hayashi Shuichi's eyes. He lifted his leg and tripped Director Tsugawa, sending him face-planting onto the floor.
Before Director Tsugawa could rise again, Hayashi Shuichi grabbed a thick book from nearby and brought its spine crashing down heavily onto the Director's head.
With a muffled thud, the man didn't make a sound; his eyes rolled back, and he passed out instantly.
Hayashi Shuichi covered his nose and mouth. The air was filled with acrid thick smoke and the smell of burning, making his eyes sting painfully.
Frowning, he reached out, grabbed Director Tsugawa by the collar, and dragged him toward the exit with all his might.
During the delay caused by the fight, the fire in the library had grown significantly. The raging flames were like a giant serpent of fire, madly devouring everything in the vicinity.
Hayashi Shuichi had just stepped out of the Children's Book Section when he was forced back by the surging waves of heat and thick smoke in the corridor.
To make matters worse, many of the books inside the Children's Book Section had also caught fire. Escaping via the stairs was clearly no longer possible.
Hayashi Shuichi had no choice but to drag Director Tsugawa back to the window. A look of anxiety and helplessness flashed in his eyes; the only way out now was to jump.
Fortunately, this was the third floor. If he was careful, it shouldn't be a problem.
Hayashi Shuichi first used a book to smash the remaining glass completely out of the frame. Then, grabbing Director Tsugawa, he positioned him legs-first on the windowsill.
"Good luck to you, Mr. Director!"
With that, he exerted force with both hands and pushed the man straight down.
A moment later, a scream like a slaughtered pig rang out from below, echoing in front of the burning library. It sounded exceptionally shrill.
Hayashi Shuichi peered over the edge. The guy was slumped on the ground, one leg twisted at an unnatural angle, blood flowing slowly from the wound. Although he was injured, his life should be safe.
Kisaki Eri, who had already called the police, had returned to the vicinity of the library out of concern for Hayashi Shuichi.
upon seeing Director Tsugawa with his broken leg, the girl's beautiful face went pale with fright.
Immediately after, she looked up and saw Hayashi Shuichi still trapped on the third floor. Seeing that the Children's Book Section where he stood was also beginning to burn, tears instantly burst from Kisaki Eri's eyes. She shouted with a trembling voice, "Shuichi! What do we do..."
While she was panic-stricken, Hayashi Shuichi had already climbed out of the broken window on the third floor.
Jumping directly from the third floor was risky; one wrong move and he would end up with a broken leg just like Director Tsugawa.
Hayashi Shuichi had no desire to cripple himself just to catch a drug dealer.
Standing on the ledge, he looked left and right. Beside the window was the building's drainage pipe. The gray pipe appeared particularly conspicuous under the illumination of the firelight.
Seeing the fire inside the room growing more intense, with flames licking towards the window, Hayashi Shuichi didn't have time to think. He leaped sideways, wrapping his arms around the drainage pipe, then crossed his legs to grip it, slowly sliding down.
Upon reaching the ground, before Hayashi Shuichi could even catch his breath, Kisaki Eri ran over and dove headfirst into his embrace.
"I'm fine, aren't I?" Hayashi Shuichi patted the girl's back, comforting her softly.
Kisaki Eri's body was trembling slightly, her arms wrapped tightly around Hayashi Shuichi's waist.
"The fire was so big just now, I was really scared..." The girl's eyes were red. She gave him a thump on the chest, a mix of complaint and heartache. "You make me worry like this every time."
"Alright, let's gather up the disguised books on the ground first. These are important pieces of evidence," Hayashi Shuichi said. "If someone picks up the drugs inside, we'll be in big trouble."
"With the fire burning this fiercely, everyone is too busy running for their lives. Who would think about picking up books from the ground?"
Despite her complaints, Kisaki Eri helped Hayashi Shuichi collect all the scattered disguised books.
Ten minutes later, fire trucks and officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrived simultaneously.
By this time, all five floors of the library were ablaze. The firefighters hurriedly began their work, while a group of police officers surrounded Hayashi Shuichi, Eri, and the wailing Director Tsugawa.
Because Kisaki Eri's report mentioned the discovery of drugs and someone committing arson to burn down the library, the officers who arrived weren't Inspector Samezaki's team. Instead, it was Inspector Yuminaga from the Arson Investigation Division (Investigation Section 1) and the Organized Crime Control Department's 5th Division, who handled drug trafficking cases.
The latter did not know Hayashi Shuichi. Taking him for a suspect, they moved immediately to arrest him.
It was Inspector Yuminaga who hurriedly stopped them. "Don't be rash! He's one of us."
After blocking the men from the Organized Crime Department, Inspector Yuminaga looked at the roaring fire of the library with a headache. "Shuichi-kun, what on earth is going on? What kind of bastard dares to set fire to a library?"
"It's this guy." Hayashi Shuichi kicked the wailing Director Tsugawa on the ground. He then opened one of the disguised books and tossed the bag containing drugs to an officer from the Organized Crime Department. "This guy is a drug dealer. He hid drugs in these disguised books and kept them in the Children's Book Section on the third floor."
"After I discovered it, he started a fire in the library to destroy the evidence, planning to burn all the drugs."
Officer Kinoshita, leading the 5th Division team, opened the bag to check. A look of pleasant surprise immediately appeared on his face. "Not bad, this is indeed narcotics. The suspects from Moon Shadow Island handed over by Investigation Section 1 mentioned trading drugs near the Beika Library. We thought it was just a smokescreen, but we didn't expect his den to actually be inside the library."
"The criminals on Moon Shadow Island were also caught by Shuichi-kun here. He is an investigative consultant for our Investigation Section 1." Inspector Yuminaga wrapped his arm around Hayashi Shuichi's shoulder and patted it vigorously, a look of pride on his face, acting as if he shared in the glory.
"There must be at least several kilograms of drugs here on the ground. We really owe you for this, Shuichi-kun." Officer Kinoshita was full of excitement; this was a major credit landing right in their laps!
The officers from the Organized Crime Department began inspecting the disguised books on the ground. Inspector Yuminaga also ordered his subordinates to secure Director Tsugawa, preparing to send him to the hospital for treatment once the ambulance arrived.
The arson of Beika Library was big news!
Reporters and media outlets who received the information soon swarmed the scene. With just a few questions, they figured out the cause and effect of the incident...
(End of Chapter)
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