Diego Seijuro was busy cleaning up inappropriate scam advertisements along the way, replacing them with flyers for his own agency.
He only removed the scam ads—when he came across promotional flyers for other stores or ads from fellow practitioners, he ignored them. If the wall ended up completely bare except for his own ads, someone might hold a grudge against him.
Harmony brings prosperity, after all.
Because of Diego Seijuro's disguise, most passersby assumed he was just a cleaner and ignored him. However, by some stroke of bad luck, he ended up running into a patrol officer.
In Japan, small fixed police stations called "kōban" were set up, allowing officers to patrol designated areas and handle civil disputes. They also performed duties akin to urban management officers, which included cracking down on illegal street ads.
The officer saw Diego Seijuro removing ads and assumed he was helping with the cleanup. He walked over and said, "Are you a cleaning worker? Perfect timing—I just passed a wall with a lot of leftover glue and paper marks. Could you come with me and clean it up?"
Damn, I've been caught!
Diego Seijuro immediately sensed danger.
The officer was still at a distance and hadn't gotten a clear look at what he was posting. If he realized Diego was also putting up ads, he might drag him to the station for a lecture!
Even though Diego claimed his work wasn't a scam, he wasn't sure how Japanese law would classify his "mystic services." This was his first time encountering an officer while posting ads, and he worried about getting fined heavily.
He had no time to grab his bucket or scraper. Before the officer could get closer, he clutched his flyers and used the Joestar technique.
Run away!
Seeing Diego Seijuro take off running, the officer was caught off guard but instinctively chased after him. "Hey! Why are you running? Did you do something illegal? Stop right there!"
With the officer giving chase, Diego ran even faster.
The scene quickly turned into a classic "cat-and-mouse" pursuit.
As expected of a police officer, the man had excellent stamina—he had been sprinting for two full streets without slowing down. However, Diego Seijuro had the advantage. He can only praise the hard work of the original body for him to have this kind of physical advantage.
By the time Diego approached a major intersection, he had gained a decent lead.
The traffic lights to his left and right were red, with crowds of pedestrians waiting to cross. The light ahead of him was green, with only two girls preparing to cross.
If he could make it through this intersection, the winding streets beyond would give him plenty of cover. He was confident that once he disappeared from the officer's sight, he would be in the clear.
To his surprise, he saw two girls talking? More like the twin tailed talking, as if she was trying to convey something to the purple haired girl who was lowering her head and keeping silent.
Diego assumed the two girls wouldn't interfere.
The twin tailed girl suddenly looked at him before looking at someone behind him who he assumed was the police officer chasing him.
"A criminal? Sakura, get away, I'll handle this!" The twin tailed girl did a defensive stance which made Diego surprised. Something tells him that this girl is not an amateur.
The one called Sakura has purple hair with a red ribbon tied to her side, wearing a middle school uniform with a hollow look in her purple eyes. It's as if she was uninterested in whatever the twin tailed girl was saying.
Hearing the worried tone of the twin tailed girl, Sakura finally raised her head and saw Diego and a police officer chasing him, making her hesitantly open her lips, "S– Tohsaka-san, l-let's not get involved."
"Don't worry, I can deal with this easily." The twin tailed girl, Tohsaka, who was wearing a uniform with a long red jacket, had her eyes lit up hearing Sakura's concerned voice before replying with a serious look.
"You're not getting past me, criminal!"
Taking advantage of the green light, she ran across the street and planted herself in Diego's path.
She boldly raised her hands to block his way.
Diego still had some distance, so he frowned and called out, "Move aside. I don't want to hurt you!"
"Miss, stay away from him! He could be dangerous!" the pursuing officer shouted between breaths.
The girl seemed to hesitate after comparing Diego's speed to the officer's. In the end, she wisely chose to step aside.
"Smart choice."
Diego let out a sigh of relief. If she had insisted on blocking him, it would have been difficult to deal with her.
He wasn't some violent criminal—there was no way he'd use force against a good Samaritan.
Diego picked up speed, aiming to clear the intersection before the light changed. By the time the officer got across, traffic would delay him long enough for Diego to escape.
His escape plan was solid.
However, just as he passed the twin tailed girl, a sharp feeling entered his gut and the girl named Tohsaka suddenly lunged at him, and grabbed his clothes, intending to throw him to the ground.
Diego hadn't expected such boldness from her and was caught off guard but as if his body was expecting this, he grabbed her hand and tripped her foot, surprising her but she did not give up and clung towards him while holding his waist.
Diego was still stubborn and wanted to move but the girl was constricting his waist like a snake, slowing down his movements.
Tohsaka was again surprised by his quick reaction and physical strength so she shouted, "Officer! Hurry up! I caught him! Don't let this criminal get away!"
Diego tried to pry her off, but she held on for dear life, refusing to let go.
Given his current strength, breaking free wouldn't be difficult. But with the officer right behind him, any aggressive move on his part would only make him look guiltier.
Looks like I'm not getting out of this...
Diego abandoned his escape attempt and decided to wait for the officer, hoping to explain his way out of trouble.
Maybe he'd get off with a light punishment.
Despite his predicament, Diego wasn't angry. In fact, he admired the girl's courage.
If it had been him witnessing a possible robbery or a criminal on the run, he would've kept his distance and stayed out of it.
"Alright, I'm not running anymore. You can let go now," Diego told her.
To prevent his escape, the girl continued hugging him tightly. Her upper body was pressed firmly against his, showing no embarrassment at their close proximity.
To onlookers, their position might even resemble a couple in a heated argument.
"No way! Why should I trust a criminal? What if you run again!?"
Instead of letting go, she hugged him even tighter. Now Diego was surprised, this girl has immense physical strength.
Is she a gorilla in human skin?
Does she not realize how inappropriate this looks...?
Forget it. If she won't let go, so be it. Not like I'm the one losing out here.
Resigned to his fate, Diego stood still, preparing to "plead guilty." As he glanced around, his eyes met those of the girl named Sakura.
His gaze sharpened.
As if finally gathering her courage, Sakura ran toward them.
However, halfway across the intersection, she suddenly stopped.
Her shoes were left behind.
The traffic light had already turned yellow, yet the purple-haired girl wasn't thinking about quickly crossing the street—she forgot her shoes and spaced out.
"Hey, isn't that your friend? The cars are about to come. Shouldn't you warn her?"
Diego kindly reminded the twin-haired girl clinging to his back.
Hearing his words, the girl hesitantly peeked out from behind him, and her expression immediately changed.
She quickly shouted toward Miko, "Hey, Sakura, why did you stop?! It's dangerous—hurry up and come over!"
Sakura heard Tohsaka's call, looked up at the now-yellow traffic light, and realized she couldn't stay in the middle of the crosswalk. She hurriedly got up.
However, after taking only two steps, she suddenly showed a pained expression, clutching her calf and squatting down.
"T-Tohsaka, my leg cramped up..." Sakura looked at the twin tailed-haired girl with a hint of panic. "Can you come help me?"
"You heard that, right? Your friend's leg is cramping. She needs your help. Go help her." Diego said.
"But..." Tohsaka's grips loosened.
The twin tailed-haired girl found herself in a dilemma.
If she let go of Diego to help Sakura, he might take the chance to escape. But if she didn't help, Sakura would be in serious danger, stuck in the middle of the road.
It's been a long time since she and Sakura managed to talk just the two of them and she's been ignoring her since earlier. She wanted to at least change her impression of her, that she didn't abandon her back then.
In the brief moment she hesitated, the traffic light had already turned red.
Sakura was now in the middle of the street. Her sudden stop caused quite a bit of trouble for the drivers who wanted to move forward.
They didn't dare start driving, but they kept honking their horns, urging Sakura to cross quickly.
Some impatient drivers even rolled down their windows and shouted, "Hey, girl! Get off the road! Are you trying to get hit?!"
Sakura didn't want to cause trouble, but at this moment, she simply couldn't move her legs. She could only look to Tohsaka for help.
"Let go of me. Go help your friend. I won't run."
Hearing Diego's assurance, the twin tailed-haired girl threw a harsh word before finally making up her mind.
''You better explain yourself after this!''
She released her grip and prepared to run toward Sakura.
However…
The moment she let go, the supposedly "not running" Diego bolted across the street at a speed that could rival an athlete.
That bastard tricked me!
Before she could even get angry, she saw Diego reach Sakura, who was crouched in the middle of the street due to her leg cramp. Without asking for permission, he shoved the stack of flyers in his hands into her arms, then picked her up in a princess carry and dashed across the road.
Wait… Was he actually helping Sakura?
No—this could just be his escape strategy!
Since the "obstacle" was removed, the waiting cars immediately resumed driving, creating a nonstop flow of traffic.
The twin tailed-haired girl and the out-of-breath police officer who had just arrived had no choice but to stay where they were, watching anxiously from the other side.
They could only hope Diego wouldn't run away or harm Sakura.
After setting Sakura down, Diego didn't continue running.
His crime wasn't serious to begin with—if he kept running, the police might assume they had discovered a "big fish" and call for backup.
The moment the twin tailed-haired girl spotted him, his escape plan was doomed to fail.
Well… hopefully, when they arrest me, they'll go easy on me.
Snapping back to reality, Diego looked at the girl he had just carried over.
When he was holding her, he noticed that she was trembling all over, as if she were terrified.
Well, to her, he probably seemed like some criminal fleeing from the police.
Being suddenly picked up by a fleeing suspect—it was understandable that she'd be scared.
"Hey, hey… Are you okay?"
Diego waved his hand in front of her eyes. The stunned girl slowly came back to her senses.
When she looked up at him, tears had already welled up in her eyes. She looked just like a frightened little animal.
I don't look that scary, do I?
Diego quickly tried to explain, "Don't cry! I'm not a bad guy. The police are chasing me just because I was putting up flyers. I didn't actually commit a crime—I'm a completely law-abiding citizen!"
Flyers…?
Sakura snapped out of it and looked at the paper Diego had stuffed into her hands. Then, she read the text on it in surprise.
"Almighty Exorcist… You're an exorcist?!"
"That's right! You can call me that. Whether it's exorcisms, fortune-telling, or spirit channeling, I'm good at all of it!"
Diego tried to adjust his tie but then realized he was wearing a blue work uniform. Feeling a little awkward, he coughed and said, "I know my clothes don't look the part, but trust me, I'm really good at this…"
Sakura wasn't paying attention to his small gestures. Her eyes had been fixed on the pedestrian crossing the whole time. In disbelief, she muttered to herself, "It's… really gone…"
What's gone?
Diego didn't have time to ask. As soon as the traffic cleared, the police officer and the twin tailed-haired girl ignored the red light and rushed across the street.
The officer immediately grabbed Diego's hands, while the twin tailed-haired girl threw herself at Sakura, anxiously looking her up and down.
"Sakura! Are you okay?! Did this criminal do anything to you?!"
Sakura shook her head repeatedly and gave a small smile, though it was incompatible with her hollow look. "I'm fine. He's not a bad person—he didn't hurt me."
"See, officer? I told you—I'm not a bad guy. Could you at least be gentle when arresting me?" Diego protested as the officer restrained his hands. "If I were a real criminal, I would've just run away instead of waiting here to get caught, right?"
"You didn't commit a crime? Then why did you run when you saw me?" the officer snorted. He ignored Diego's weak defense and snapped handcuffs onto his wrists. "Whatever you've done, explain it at the station."
The twin-haired girl, relieved that Sakura was safe, turned to the officer and wanted to say something.
"Officer—!''
The officer shot her a stern look and scolded her harshly, "How many times have I told you not to meddle in dangerous situations? What if he had been a truly dangerous criminal and hurt you?"
"Catching criminals is the police's job. You should think about your parents—how worried would they be if you got hurt?"
Instead of getting a praise, the twin tailed-haired girl was scolded on the spot, leaving her dumbfounded.
After reprimanding her, the officer turned to Sakura.
"And you—why did you stop in the middle of the road? Most drivers are careful, but what if you ran into a drunk driver or someone with road rage?"
Sakura lowered her head apologetically. "I'm sorry… My leg cramped up while I was crossing, and I couldn't move…"
"...Well, that can't be helped."
The officer sighed helplessly.
He had planned to lecture her on traffic safety, but since it wasn't intentional, there wasn't much more to say.
After a brief pause, he added, "Alright, give me both of your phone numbers. If this guy turns out to be involved in something serious, you'll get a reward."
Although he didn't want civilians—especially minors—involved in police cases, their actions still deserved recognition.
The girl named Tohsaka wanted to say something but after remembering she just got scolded, she pursed her lips.
She didn't want to be embarrassed in front of Sakura again.