Chapter 526 Bank Robbery
Using his detection skill, Tatsuki instantly located where the trouble currently was. To his surprise, it was worse than he thought, not because the situation was too much for him to handle, but because it was something complicated as a hostage situation.
Of course, he could easily deal with it alone. But if he wasn't careful, the people in the mall might get in the crossfire.
And that's the last thing that Tatsuki wanted. If things escalated quickly, then there might be a good chance that the mall closes down for the day. They won't be able to enjoy the movie if that were to happen— and that's the last thing Tatsuki wanted to happen, not on their day off.
"For now, I should check it out from afar, and then I'll move in based on what's going down," Tatsuki said to himself.
...
A couple of minutes ago,
"Oi! You said the cops won't be here!"
"I did say that, but we can't expect everything to go well, right?"
Thanks to their superpowers, the group of robbers managed to rob a nearby bank, and they made a run for the mall as soon as they did so. They knew that once they got inside the mall, they could just change clothes and get out the other side without anyone noticing.
It was the perfect heist, and everything should've gone well. But they weren't expecting to meet the security as soon as they went inside. While they didn't want to garner any unnecessary attention, the security was already up their rear side before they could even do anything.
With their covers blown, they had no choice but to retreat to one of the stores. It was a pretty rookie mistake, but no one could blame them since this was the first time they tried to rob a bank.
Or rather, this was the first time they actually tried to rob anything.
Clicking his tongue, the first one grabbed the first person within hand's reach, dragging that person into the store as they all intruded inside. Upon doing that, they barricaded themselves from the security outside.
"What do we do now?"
"I don't know! We just stay here until help arrives?"
"What are you on about, dumbass?! Who would help us? We're robbers, you know!"
"Ah, right!"
The five of them were now stuck in a cold and hard place, waiting for help that would never arrive. By the entrance of the store, the police and mall security were already gathered around, waiting for them to come out.
"What do we do now?"
"I guess we don't have any choice," One of them gritted his teeth as he extended his hand. It was clear that he was about to use his superpower and once he does that, there was no turning back.
His superpower was actually pretty nifty, not because it was harmful, but because it could cause a considerable amount of confusion. He calls it the 'flashbang' since, well, it was a literal flashbang. His hand would emit a loud noise and a bright light that would fill the entire place. Once he does that, anyone within the vicinity wouldn't even see them escape.
It didn't even occur to him that if he were to do that, the security and the people in the mall would be thrown into disarray, and panic might ensue. There might even be accidental gunshots or stampedes since the mall was quite a crowded place this time around.
Tap. Tap.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Before the guy could even say another word, someone tapped him on the shoulder and advised him not to do it. Their group had already secured all the hostages on one side, so it came as a surprise that there was another one with them.
Fortunately, that other person didn't attack them while their guard was down. If he were to do so, then they'd be defeated in an instant.
Slowly, the guy with the flashbang superpower slowly turned around, only to see a man who was more than? one foot taller than him. He gulped, but he didn't activate his superpower at all. Instead, his pupils dilated as his mouth went wide with shock.
"AGHHHH! IT'S PLUNDER-SAN! EH?! EHHHHH?!" The guy exclaimed, turning to his other friends and pointing at Tatsuki who happened to appear out of nowhere.
"Wait, is it really?!"
"No way, it's really HIM! WHOA! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN HIM IN PERSON!"
"WHOA! He looks so awesome! May I get your autograph?"
"I'm also a big fan, please give me an autograph!"
Tatsuki was surprised that the ones causing the commotion were actually high schoolers. He could tell that they were more or less Satoshi's age, and it surprised him to know that they robbed a bank or something.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Tatsuki drooped his shoulders for a bit before he face the guy who was about to use his superpower. "I'll give it to all of you later. But first, we should do something about this." Tatsuki told them.
"I'm Rintarou! It's a pleasure to meet the number one superhero!" The flashbang guy called out. "Oh, and um... sorry that you had to meet us like this. We were... we didn't really think this through and the only reason we did it was because we didn't have any choice."
The other guys pursed their lips and nodded their heads at Tatsuki. They had no idea what the number one superhero would do to them but now that he was present, there was nothing they could do but concede. Even though their ridiculous plan had already failed a moment ago, they still didn't want to give up. However, they instantly changed their minds when they saw Tatsuki.
At first, Tatsuki didn't react at all when Rintarou, who seemed to be the leader of the group, started explaining some things. Instead, he took a brief glance at his watch and sat down.
"I have about thirty minutes before the movie starts. I'll give you fifteen minutes to explain, and then we'll all walk out of here, okay?" Tatsuki calmly said. "And don't worry, I'll explain everything to the authorities the moment we go out. You're lucky that it was me you met here. If it were the Death Angel or someone else, you'd have already been thrown out before you could even utter a single word."
"Fifteen minutes? Then..." Rintarou trailed off.
...
Thirty minutes later,
Patiently, Ayumu and the two girls waited for Tatsuki to resolve the situation quickly so they could all enjoy the movie. However, it had already been half an hour and Tatsuki wasn't there yet. For a moment, Ayumu felt worried, but she didn't let that get the better of him.
More than anything, she trust her husband's capabilities when it came to these things. He wasn't the number one superhero of Japan for nothing.
One by one, the people started flooding into the cinemas as the movie was about to start. It was obvious that Aira and Emma were concerned as well, but they knew that Tatsuki would do just fine. The only question was if he would be able to make it in time for the movie.
"I guess we should head inside now. Come on, let's wait for Tatsuki inside." Ayumu suggested. She knew that Tatsuki wouldn't like it if they were to miss some parts of the movie because of him.
"Let's wait for a little bit. They're going to play the trailer first so we have another minute or so, right? We can wait." Emma called out, to which Aira nodded in agreement.
"Then..."
Before Ayumu could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a familiar figure running up the escalator.
"I'm sorry, that took a tad bit longer than expected," Tatsuki said, seemingly not out of breath at all even though he sprinted all the way. "Let's go in."
Ayumu nodded as she gestured for everyone to go in. "We can talk about what happened later. First, we enjoy the movies!"
"Ou~!" Aira and Emma pumped their fists in the air in excitement.
Without further ado, the four of them entered the cinema, just when the movie was about to start.
...
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the mall.
Rintarou and the four others willingly walked with the police as they were escorted out of the mall. They didn't resist at all, and they even told the police that they'd willingly cooperate with them.
While the onlookers assumed that they would be crestfallen after being caught, it took them by surprise that they were smiling. It's as if they just gained their freedom based on how loose their smile was.
Before they hopped in the police car, Rintarou took a brief glance at the mall, then at the autograph he held on his hand. His smile shone much brighter as he looked down. "Thank you, Tatsuki-san. Thank you." He said to himself as a stray tear dropped from his eyes.
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