Chapter 587: Riot

Her self-imposing attitude was beyond the bars. Just from a glance alone, Hiro could tell that he couldn’t talk sense with the woman before him.

The guard, apologized, “Sorry, mam. This gentleman over here wanted to apologize to you personally. So, I brought him over.”

The lady cast a dismissive glance at Hiro, her lip curling in distaste before she returned her icy gaze to the guard, “You people really can’t handle even the simplest tasks, can you?” she said, her voice dripping with condescension.

She then turned her attention back to Hiro, eyes narrowing as if he were beneath her notice. “Well, go on then. Apologize quickly and leave. My time is far too valuable for this nonsense.”

Hiro felt his patience being tested, but he held himself together. Anyone else might have lost their temper by now, but Hiro remained calm, determined not to give in to her provocations. “I understand you’re upset, ma’am,” Hiro began, his voice steady but firm, “but there’s no need to treat people this way. Respect goes both ways.”

The woman scoffed, clearly unimpressed, “Spare me your lessons on respect. You don’t know who I am or the connections I have,” she sneered, her hand waving dismissively as if Hiro’s words were nothing more than an annoyance.

“Do you think a little speech from a nobody like you matters?”

She then took out her phone and dialed quickly, a smug smile spreading across her face as she spoke, “Yes, I’d like to speak to the manager. Now.”

Hanging up the call, she sneered, “You lot should be kicked out of the airport for you to understand.”

Hiro, however, didn’t say anything. He wanted to see what this lady was up to. The guard, however, looked flustered, begging, “Mam, it’s not even a big deal. He’s only a kid. Is there any need to be so harsh on him?”

He hadn’t expected that the situation would escalate this further. Had he known, he wouldn’t have brought Hiro over.

The guard was even hinting at Hiro to run away. But Hiro was adamant too. So, he refused to leave. He wanted to witness the so-called authority that lady was flaunting.

Within minutes, the airport manager arrived, clearly summoned by her authority. He was a middle-aged man with a stern expression, the kind who had probably dealt with many entitled passengers over the years but was now bowing to the woman’s influence.

“Is there a problem here?” the manager asked, eyeing Hiro before turning to the woman with a deferential nod.

“This boy and his friends were disturbing everyone. I asked them to be quiet, but instead of complying, they act like they own the place,” she exaggerated, her tone oozing with entitlement. “I demand that he be removed from the airport immediately.”

The manager, eager to please, turned to Hiro with a scowl, “You’ve caused enough trouble, young man. We can’t tolerate behavior like this. If you don’t leave right now, we’ll have you escorted out.”

Hiro’s eyes narrowed, he was amused by the prejudicial treatment. He hadn’t even heard their side of the story. Yet, he was already concluding. He couldn’t be more impressed by him, “Escorted out? For what exactly? We were just saying our goodbyes, and we weren’t breaking any rules. There’s nothing written that says we can’t be lively in an airport.”

The manager’s face flushed, his authority being questioned, “It’s not about rules-it’s about common courtesy! You’ve disturbed our valued customers,” he snapped, glancing at the wealthy woman as if to validate her importance.

“Common courtesy goes both ways,” Hiro replied calmly but firmly. “What about the way she’s treating everyone around her? Isn’t that a disturbance to the peace? She’s the one being rude, and yet you’re willing to kick me out based on her word alone?”

The manager’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, clearly flustered. His authority was being challenged in front of the other passengers, and he couldn’t stand it, “You’ll leave now, or I’ll have security remove you by force,” he threatened, his voice shaking with anger.

Hiro stood his ground, “You can try, but before you do, maybe you should know who you’re talking to.”

The manager frowned in confusion, as did the woman, who looked at Hiro with even more disdain as if she couldn’t believe he’d dare challenge her.

Hiro reached out to his mask and cap. Then he removed the cover he had been using. When the manager saw his appearance, his eyes widened in shock. “You’re… Hiro Takahashi?” he stammered, his anger immediately draining away, replaced with panic.

The woman, noticing the manager’s sudden change in demeanor, frowned, “Who is he?” she demanded.

Before the manager could respond, whispers began to ripple through the nearby crowd. Some of the onlookers recognized Hiro, and within moments, a small group of people began gathering around, their excitement growing as they realized who was standing before them. “It’s Hiro! The rising football star!”

“That’s him! I saw him in the news just last week!”

As more people crowded around, the woman’s smug expression faltered, realizing the situation was no longer in her favor. Hiro remained calm, watching as the manager’s confidence crumbled.

Naoto and the others too made their way to Hiro.

“What happened, Hiro?” said Naoto concernedly.

“He wants to kick us out of the airport,” Hiro scoffed.

Hearing him, Tatsuki felt his blood boiling. His face twisted into a sneer as he scoffed, “You want to kick us out?”

Immediately others recognized them as well. The commotion grew even larger as the people recognized these stars gathered here.

What were the airport staff thinking? Did they want to kick out their national stars? Is this how they treat their national heroes?

The crowd of people couldn’t help but feel furious.

Realizing the predicament he had been caught, the manager immediately changed his

attitude.

“I-I had no idea,” the manager stammered, trying to regain his composure. “I apologize for the misunderstanding, Mr. Takahashi. I didn’t recognize you.”

Hiro gave him a level look, “You shouldn’t need to recognize someone to treat them fairly,” he said, his voice measured but pointed. “No one should be judged by their wealth or status.”