On a rare day off, Tatsuya was wandering the city alone when he spotted a familiar red-haired girl.
"Amy?" he called.
"Tatsuya-san!" Amy turned, surprised. "What're you doing here?"
"Had some time to kill. What about you?" he replied.
"I was thinking of buying a new ribbon," she said, twirling to show off the one tied at the back of her head.
"I see. But there aren't any ribbon shops around here, are there?" Tatsuya pointed out.
"Yeah, well…" Amy trailed off, her expression faltering.
As Tatsuya noted, the ribbon shops were a bit farther off. But Amy had a reason she couldn't go there.
"I was checking out ribbons earlier, but I got hit on… and now I'm too scared to go alone," she admitted, her voice small.
"Hit on, huh?" Tatsuya said, glancing at her.
Compared to Miyuki or Erika, Amy might not stand out as much, but Tatsuya couldn't deny she was undeniably cute in her own right. If he were capable of such feelings, he might've understood why someone would approach her.
"Tatsuya-san?" Amy prompted, noticing his gaze.
"I've got time. I'll tag along with your shopping. No one'll bother you with a guy around," he offered.
"Really? You mean it?!" Amy's face lit up.
"Y-Yeah… I've got time anyway," Tatsuya said, slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm.
He was only in the area to accompany Miyuki to a hair salon, but waiting inside wasn't an option, so he'd been killing time nearby.
"Then please, let's go! That guy might still be lurking around," Amy said, her voice tinged with nervousness.
Despite her hesitant tone, she boldly looped her arm through Tatsuya's, clinging to him as they walked.
"My friends seem to get caught up in this kind of thing a lot," Tatsuya remarked.
"You mean Miyuki? Or Erika?" Amy asked.
"Last time it was Mizuki, too. Honoka and Shizuku mentioned it happens to them sometimes as well," he said.
"Really? Well, it makes sense—they're all super cute," Amy said with a nod. "No surprise there."
"You're in the same league, you know," Tatsuya said casually.
"Huh…?" Amy froze mid-step.
Her heart skipped, interpreting his offhand comment as a compliment—that he thought she was cute, too.
"Something wrong?" Tatsuya asked, noticing her pause.
"N-No! Nothing at all!" Amy stammered, cold sweat prickling under his curious gaze as she forced herself to keep walking.
"There he is…" she whispered after a few steps, her voice trembling.
"Someone you know?" Tatsuya asked.
Her steps faltered again, but this time it wasn't just hesitation—she was visibly shaking, unable to move forward.
"Hey, I've been waiting! Finally made up your mind—wait, who's this guy?" a voice demanded.
"And who are you?" Tatsuya countered coolly.
In a quieter tone, meant only for Amy, he asked, "That's the guy who hit on you?"
"Y-Yes… I ran away because he scared me, but he's still here…" Amy whispered, her voice quivering.
Her legs trembled, and the shaking spread through her body, the vibrations reaching Tatsuya through their linked arms.
"She's mine. I saw her first. Back off, outsider!" the guy snapped.
Tatsuya observed him calmly, his gaze sharp, almost predatory, as if measuring the man's physical capabilities. An unspoken pressure radiated from him, bearing down on the stranger.
"Say something, damn it!" the guy shouted, clearly rattled.
Tatsuya remained silent, his stare unwavering. Both he and Amy could see the guy was intimidated. If Tatsuya kept this up, the man might flee without further trouble.
But then the stranger did something unexpected.
"Damn it!" he snarled, pulling out a folding knife and brandishing it at Tatsuya.
A nearby woman screamed at the sight of the blade. Amy's trembling intensified.
"Step back," Tatsuya said calmly.
"W-What…?" Amy stammered, frozen.
He gently disentangled his arm from hers. Amy stood there, dazed, her anchor gone. Without Tatsuya's presence, her fear overwhelmed her, and she sank to the ground.
"You—!" the man lunged, knife aimed at Tatsuya.
In an instant, the man's vision went black, like a breaker had been flipped.
"It's okay now," Tatsuya said, turning back to Amy.
"…Sniff…" Amy's eyes were wet with unshed tears.
"Amy?" Tatsuya asked, extending a hand to help her up.
Instead of taking it, she remained crumpled on the ground, overwhelmed. Noticing her distress, Tatsuya lifted her gently and moved them to a quieter spot.
"This place is out of sight. I'll step away so you can—"
"No, stay!" Amy interrupted, her voice desperate.
Tatsuya had thought she'd want privacy to compose herself, but he realized his mistake. She needed him there. He stepped closer.
"Was it that scary?" he asked softly.
"Of course it was! A knife, Tatsuya-san! No matter how strong you are, facing a blade with your bare hands is way too dangerous!" she cried.
"…I handled things bare-handed back in the spring, didn't I?" he pointed out.
"Oh… right," Amy said, her voice steadying as she recalled the Blanche incident, where Tatsuya and Miyuki had saved her, Honoka, and Shizuku. He'd been unarmed then, too.
"But still, I was worried! And that guy was staring at me so creepily…" she added, shuddering.
"Excuse me, could I have a word with you two?" a police officer approached, likely summoned by onlookers.
The man Tatsuya had subdued was apparently arrested for violating weapon laws.
"And your relationship?" the officer asked.
"We're—" Amy began.
"Lovers," she blurted out. "He was harassing me while we were briefly separated."
"I see. You should stick with your girlfriend, young man," the officer said, giving Tatsuya a pointed look.
"Yes, sorry about that," Tatsuya replied, playing along.
He didn't understand why Amy lied, but contradicting her would complicate things, so he went with it.
"Well, your actions were clearly self-defense, and the other guy's in the wrong. Be careful and enjoy the rest of your date," the officer said, his tone friendly.
Pretty laid-back guy, Tatsuya thought, watching the officer walk away.
"So, why the lie?" he asked, turning to Amy with a steady gaze.
Her teary eyes met his, wide and vulnerable. "I… I guess I wanted to be your girlfriend, even if it was just in a lie. I don't even know why I said it."
"That's a lie too, isn't it?" Tatsuya said, seeing through her.
Her eyes betrayed her true feelings, speaking louder than her words.
"Just for today… no, just for this moment, be my boyfriend!" she pleaded.
"Just this moment?" Tatsuya asked, his expression softening into a rare, gentle look.
"W-Wait, you mean…" Amy trailed off, unable to find words.
Tatsuya gazed at her, his usual stoic demeanor replaced by something warmer, something she'd rarely seen.
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