Eiji was simply bored, letting his gaze wander aimlessly when he unexpectedly spotted a rather peculiar passerby.
If something in one's pocket was hindering their movement, the normal reaction would be to take it out and carry it while walking. But this man did the exact opposite.
Did he have to keep it concealed in his pocket at all costs?
"He's sweating a lot."
Narrowing his eyes, his sharp vision pierced through the crowd and landed on the neck of the utility worker, where thick beads of sweat were visibly trickling down.
Though it was midsummer, the night had already lost the scorching heat of the day. Given his attire, he shouldn't have been sweating this much. And strangely, despite the heavy perspiration, he made no move to wipe it away.
Eiji's gaze shifted to the man's right hand.
Ding dong!
The traffic light turned green.
Pedestrians stepped forward as usual, heading toward the opposite side of the street.
The utility worker was a beat slower but quickly caught up.
His right arm didn't swing naturally—instead, it slowly reached toward the right side of his pants.
His breathing suddenly became ragged, his chest heaving violently.
No one around him noticed his odd behavior.
Except for Eiji, who was watching him intently.
His eyes sharpened, and he immediately prepared to rush forward.
"Wait! Stop!"
But just then—
A slender figure suddenly emerged from the side, nervously blocking the utility worker's path.
"You can't do something like that! No matter how desperate you are, you can't hurt people here!"
Huh?
"Did that person notice his behavior too?"
Touka looked at the slender figure in surprise.
Had her junior not pointed it out, she might not have noticed the utility worker's oddities herself.
Yet someone else had spotted it before them and even stepped in to intervene?
"Judging by their age, they must be a student too, right?"
Eiji halted, his tense expression gradually easing.
This was near Kyomon Academy—it wasn't unusual for students on summer break to be around the city.
If they had detected the man's suspicious behavior ahead of time, they were likely a student knight as well, more than capable of subduing a utility worker.
In that case, he'd leave it to them.
If he intervened, he might draw attention to himself, turning this date into an impromptu fan-signing event.
The two stood in the middle of the road, arguing loudly, drawing the attention of passersby and causing a commotion.
"Get out of my way!"
The utility worker lifted his head, revealing the haggard face of a middle-aged man, his eyes bloodshot.
"If you don't move, I'll kill you too!"
In a fit of rage, he yanked the object from his right pocket and raised it high, its surface reflecting the neon lights in a kaleidoscope of colours.
It was a Rambo knife.
An American military survival knife, as long as a dagger, razor-sharp and designed to draw blood swiftly.
"Ahhh!"
Screams erupted as dozens of pedestrians scrambled in panic.
The utility worker brandished the Rambo knife and swung it down viciously, aiming straight for the slender figure.
With short hair, they appeared to be a young boy.
"Whoa—!"
I thought he was at least a Blazer, capable of handling this ordinary criminal even without using a Device. But unexpectedly, the boy suddenly cried out in alarm, flailing his arms in panic as he stumbled backwards.
Not a student knight?
Then why step forward? Doesn't he know the meaning of death?
Eiji pushed off the ground, covering over ten meters in an instant to place himself between the two.
Slap!
His palm shot up, fingers splayed.
His hand clamped down like an iron vise, firmly gripping the assailant's wrist.
"W-What?!"
The man gaped at the sunglasses-wearing figure who had seemingly teleported between them, his brain struggling to process what had just happened.
"Ahh!"
But then, an excruciating pain—as if his wrist bones were cracking—shot through him, forcing a cry of agony. He involuntarily released the switchblade, which fell into the gloved hand of the man in sunglasses.
A tremendous force followed, lifting him off his feet before he crashed onto the pavement.
"A... a Blazer?!"
Trembling on the ground, he didn't dare resist.
"Whoa! That was amazing!"
The panicked boy, finally snapping out of his daze, stared with starry-eyed admiration.
"I've already called the police. Don't even think about running, mister criminal."
Touka approached, smiling warmly at the man on the ground.
The would-be assailant's face drained of colour as he slumped in defeat.
Clap clap clap!
Applause erupted from the returning crowd, showering the brave interveners with praise.
"Incredible!"
"They look like students, don't they?"
"I recognize the one on the side—isn't that Raikiri from Hagun Academy?"
Eiji adjusted his face mask, ensuring it stayed in place.
Thankfully, his thorough disguise had held up.
Soon after, police arrived at the scene. After brief statements and eyewitness accounts, it was quickly established that they'd acted in selfless intervention.
As for the handyman, interrogation revealed he'd recently been fired, divorced by his wife, and lost custody of his child—his life collapsing overnight under unbearable pressure.
Driven to despair, he'd taken to the streets to kill indiscriminately, intending to end his own life afterwards—until the passing group stopped him.
"Um, could I get an autograph?"
A bashful officer pulled out a notepad and handed it to Eiji.
To verify his identity in the patrol car, Eiji had removed his disguise, drawing sharp gasps from everyone inside—warming the air considerably.
"Not for me—for my daughter! She's your biggest fan!"
Flushing under his colleagues' stares, the officer hastily clarified.
"No problem."
Eiji cheerfully obliged, signing with a flourish.
Before long, they were released from the police car.
"Nangou-kun, you were amazing!"
The slender boy gazed at Eiji with adoration the moment they stepped out.
"I'd hoped I might run into you by chance, but I never imagined it'd actually happen! My luck's incredible today!"
"And you are...?"
Eiji studied the boy beside him.
Hmm.
Probably a boy.
His figure appeared quite slender, and the key point was his overly delicate facial features. Long eyelashes rested over pale blue eyes, giving off an androgynous vibe.
It somewhat resembled Eiji's demeanor from half a year ago.
"I'm so excited that I forgot to introduce myself."
He scratched his head somewhat shyly, then proactively extended his hand.
"I'm Amane Shinomiya, a first-year student at Kyomon Academy—one of this year's six representative contestants. And also... your biggest fan, Fallen Angel-sama!"
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹