"Is my presence here really that strange?"
The little girl with blonde twin tails placed one hand on her hip, observing their flushed expressions with interest, her gaze fixed on Masuzu's face.
"It's not just Masuzu who moved to this city. Isn't it normal for us to meet while I'm out walking?"
"Though I did come here on purpose to find you~"
Giggling softly, the girl's eyes sparkled with clear malice.
Masuzu's expression tensed. She was no longer calm as usual. Instead, she hunched like a venomous snake facing a predator.
"Why did you come looking for me?"
Mana gently stroked her blonde hair, speaking casually. "I just wanted to see your boyfriend... He goes to Sobu High, right? The rumors about you two have been quite a stir at school."
"...So what?"
"So what? You know better than I do." After that, Mana stopped looking at Masuzu and shifted her gaze to Yuu.
She stepped closer, studying him as if inspecting a product.
"Hmm... He doesn't look bad. He's got a good aura too. If the rumors are true, he won't make Masuzu look cheap!"
Mana smiled, nodding in satisfaction.
Yuu glanced at Masuzu, whose expression beside him was tense. Guessing their relationship in his mind, he returned her smile.
"Thank you for the compliment. I think so too."
"Confidence is good too! Sister, Father won't dislike you, will he?"
Her blue eyes instantly sparkled. Mana stepped forward, smiling even wider.
On the other hand, Masuzu bit her red lip. Her silver hair fell, hiding her expression, and she forced her voice out from her throat. "...Who cares whether that man likes me or not."
"Don't be like that~ Father would worry if Masuzu found a bad man outside."
"Besides, he knows everything about Masuzu at school through the school board here—he's very concerned about you."
Masuzu's body trembled slightly, her pale fist clenched.
After enjoying her wavering state, Mana gave a faint smile. "Well, as long as I speak nicely to Father, he might not interfere in the life you want... I won't do anything troublesome for Masuzu."
"...I see. Then I'm very grateful."
Hearing these words, Masuzu looked slightly more relaxed, but couldn't hide the disgust in her tone.
"But, in return..."
At the same time, a hint of cunning appeared in Mana's eyes.
Before Masuzu could react, the little blonde girl grabbed Yuu's collar and stood on her tiptoes.
"Masuzu's boyfriend... I'll take him~"
With a cheerful tone, as if she could toy with everything in her palm, Mana brought her face close to his lips—still carrying Masuzu's taste.
Masuzu's eyes widened. She froze in place, mouth open but no sound came out.
In that instant, she remembered Yuigahama that day—
Was this how it felt?
No, maybe this was just karma.
"..."
A faint pain in her chest made her unable to protest.
Just as their lips were about to meet—
"How old do you think you are to do something so indecent?"
"Stay away from me. I don't want to be seen as a pedophile."
Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, Yuu swiftly covered the little girl's face with one hand—completely blocking her eyes, nose, and lips, at a speed no one could see.
His voice, once soft and resigned, slowly turned cold and emotionless.
"Most importantly, I don't want to be forcibly kissed by someone I hate... No, I don't even want to be touched."
Through the handkerchief, Yuu pushed Mana backward, showing no intention of being gentle at all.
"So, no matter who you are, right now I am Masuzu's boyfriend—don't dream of taking him, or even touching him."
"Ugh...!"
Mana didn't react at all. She stumbled several steps back, then fell hard on her backside, unable to suppress a cry of pain.
Hearing that sound, Masuzu snapped out of it. She stared at Yuu with wide eyes, her dark blue eyes trembling violently, unlike her usual self.
"Yuu, you..."
"Masuzu, if she's your little sister, I apologize." Yuu tucked the handkerchief into Masuzu's pocket, looked at her, and his cold expression softened. He blinked, feigning sincerity. "I'm not used to being polite to arrogant people, so my actions were a bit rough. Can you forgive me?"
"...You're overthinking it."
Masuzu glanced at the blonde girl on the ground. Her shocked expression slowly turned strange—she even looked like she wanted to laugh.
"Even though she's my sister, I don't care... Besides, it's not me who's hurt."
"You bastard!" Seeming to need time to process the situation, Mana snapped out of her shock. She glared at Yuu, her voice sharp. "How dare you... Yasuo! Teach him a lesson!"
As she gave the order.
Somehow, from a sleek black luxury car parked by the roadside, a muscular, bald man in sunglasses stepped out.
He must have been Mana's driver and bodyguard. Coldly cracking his knuckles, he slowly walked toward Yuu.
His heavy aura of killing intent—like a veteran soldier who'd survived countless battles.
"Mana, what do you plan to do?"
Masuzu's expression tensed. Without thinking, she stepped in front of Yuu, speaking seriously. "This is a street in Japan. Even if there are no pedestrians around, there are surveillance cameras recording every move... You don't want this to end up at the police station, do you?"
"Don't worry, Yasuo is a professional... As long as there are no provable injuries, this can be easily settled with Father's connections!"
Rubbing her sore backside while gritting her teeth, Mana stood up from the ground, looking furious.
After glaring sharply at Yuu, she said to the bald bodyguard who had stopped walking:
"Understood? If Masuzu gets in your way, don't hurt her—just punch that arrogant man a few times!"
"Yes, Miss."
Yasuo nodded and continued walking toward Yuu.
Masuzu wanted to say something, but a hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her back.
"Don't worry about me."
"What are you saying?" Masuzu frowned, her fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. Her face turned slightly pale, her eyes filled with worry. "There's no bamboo sword here for you to use—it's not time to be a hero. Let me handle this..."
"Trust your boyfriend. That's all you need to do now."
Yuu patted her head, smiling casually, as if trying to calm her.
Then, he turned to Yasuo, his eyes slightly narrowing, his voice suddenly dropping.
"Hoho, he's walking toward me? He didn't choose to run—he's coming to die?"
"..." Yasuo didn't react, already clenching a fist the size of a pot.
Masuzu knew Yuu said that for her sake... But how could she stay calm just by hearing a JOJO joke?!
Though JOJO was all-purpose, JOJO jokes weren't all-purpose—everyone on Earth knew that!
Was he really that confident...?
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Standing in front of the apartment, Yukino watched the strange conflict about to escalate into violence, her expression complex.
"Should I go stop them? But... this might be their family matter, right? They're not bothering anyone else..."
After hesitating briefly, seeing the muscular bald man getting closer to Yuu, Yukino sighed heavily and stepped forward with a cold expression.
She didn't care what happened to Yuu, but it wasn't her style to watch a classmate in trouble without doing anything—she wanted to mediate.
No matter what family issues they had, since it happened in front of her, she wouldn't let it turn violent—that was Yukino's sense of justice.
But after just a few steps, someone suddenly tapped her shoulder.
"Yukino-chan, do you want to go help~?"
"K-Ka... Sister!?"
Like a frightened kitten, Yukino instinctively let out a soft whimper, then quickly covered her mouth. She stared at the college student beside her, her face slightly flushed.
Haruno smiled with narrowed eyes, intimately hugging her arm. "Yes, it's me—your perfect older sister~ Yukino-chan's whimpering voice is so lovely."
"When did you get here?" Yukino, completely ignoring her words, tried to free her arm from her deep cleavage. "Earlier, I saw you spying on them from behind that power pole..."
"So did you. Shall we call ourselves spectators?"
Haruno released her arm with a smile, patting her younger sister's head under her disgusted gaze. "But honestly, I didn't expect that just coming to visit for a day, I'd witness such an interesting scene... Yukino-chan, you're truly my lucky star!"
"What's interesting... They're about to fight, you know?" Glancing at the increasingly tense scene in the distance, Yukino couldn't help clicking her tongue, her face filled with concern. "Only you see this as entertainment. I have no interest in seeing a club member and classmate get involved in violence... I'll call the police. I'm going to intervene."
With that, she stepped forward with a serious expression, walking again toward the four people.
This time, no one stopped her—only a slightly amused voice came from behind:
"Yukino-chan, what if you try trusting him?"
"What?"
Yukino turned around, confused.
Her soft black hair fluttered in the night wind. Haruno crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on Yuu standing before the muscular bald man.
No trace of worry on her face, she smiled with sparkling eyes, like a child anticipating a Kamen Rider's appearance.
"Trust him. A situation like this is nothing to him—he doesn't need anyone's help."
It was a rare sight for Haruno—she trusted something from the bottom of her heart.
Her steps halted. Yukino was speechless. "...You only met him once at the fair. Why do you trust him so much?"
"Who knows?" Haruno shrugged irresponsibly, her tone slightly regretful. "Maybe because I like him? Unfortunately, it seems he already has a girlfriend."
"Hah..." Yukino slightly twitched the corner of her mouth, unable to suppress her inner complaint.
(If he didn't have a girlfriend, would you fall in love at first sight and immediately chase after him?)
(He's a high school student the same age as your little sister! Don't you have any shame as a college student...)
"Well, even if we don't talk emotionally, rationally, he can swing a bamboo sword with that speed and strength, and he's skilled in various sports like basketball, baseball, and tennis. His physical and athletic abilities are far beyond those of an average high schooler... So, do you really think Tenkuji is reckless and showy?"
"What about it?"
Yukino tilted her head slightly, looking very confident.
Haruno paused briefly. "...Would he do something like this without preparation?"
"He wouldn't." Yukino sighed, brushing her long hair from her shoulder. For now, she abandoned her intention to intervene. "I understand what you're trying to say, Sister. In short, we'll decide after seeing his actions?"
"Exactly, that's it!" Haruno snapped her fingers, smiling again. "As long as he can handle this himself, we don't need to worry about whether we should mediate someone else's family issue, and we can avoid more trouble—watching from the side is the perfect choice!"
"You talk so grandly, but your last sentence completely exposes you." Yukino rubbed her temple in pain, asking casually, "Just to confirm—if they really fight, and Tenkuji isn't as strong as that bald man in sunglasses, will you keep watching?"
"Hmph, of course not~"
Haruno said with a smile.
But for some reason, at this moment, Yukino felt a bone-chilling coldness deep in her heart.
As if a demon was crawling out of a chasm, grinning beside her, breathing cold air.
"Though I don't know why, when I imagine that scene, I feel so angry I want to encase that man in concrete... Could it be because he has a good relationship with Yukino-chan?"
Her tone was flat, as if asking herself.
Haruno stared at Yuu's back. Though her face held a pleasant smile, her eyes held a cold calmness.
"...Our relationship isn't good."
Yukino only dared to deny that, then fell silent—like a kitten crouching quietly beside a tiger, trying not to make a sound.
(My sister right now is several times scarier than Mother when she's serious...)
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The changing sky seemed frozen. Both sunset and night wind appeared to slow down now. The air felt heavy and dense.
Mana rubbed her sore backside, glaring angrily at Yuu.
Masuzu was no longer calm as usual. She stood behind him, her face full of anxiety.
The muscular bald man slowly opened his fist, reaching for Yuu's shoulder with his palm.
And Yuu right now...
He could feel it—behind him, in front of the luxury apartment, someone was staring at his backside with intense focus.
(What pervert doesn't know timing?!)
Yuu cursed coldly in his heart, but didn't dare turn around—it would break his concentration.
In front, a bald man. Behind, a weirdo staring at his backside—what kind of hell was this? Why was he squeezed between two men?
(Damn system, this is all your fault!)
System: "?"
"Hah, you're too scared to move, aren't you? Yasuo is someone Father hired at a high price..."
Mana spoke in a low voice like a standard villain, successfully refocusing Yuu's slightly distracted attention.
Seeing the rough, large palm about to touch his shoulder, Yuu thought for a moment. He didn't pull out his handkerchief—he simply grabbed it.
"I don't want to fight in front of my girlfriend. If you want to teach me a lesson, let's just test strength."
"We'll stop when someone gives up. Whoever surrenders first has to apologize. How about it, Uncle?"
"..."
Through his sunglasses, the muscular bald man stared silently.
Yuu smiled warmly, calmly waiting for his answer.
The man said nothing, didn't let go—but his thick palm slowly increased pressure.
"Good, then..."
(How much strength should I use to make the other surrender without breaking their arm bones?)
Yuu thought, without warming up or preparing, immediately increasing strength with one hand.
(Let's try 200% first.)
Veins suddenly bulged on his arm.
A faint sound of muscle fibers straining to the brink of tearing echoed. Then, a tremendous force surged from his arm to his palm—like electric current flowing, his bones creaked, and all concentrated in the clenched hand.
The bald man's expression changed. His palm, much larger than Yuu's, was forced to release its grip. His fingers trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He tried to resist. Veins popped on his temple, his face turned red, his arm tensed like stone as he gripped the man's hand again, as if using all his strength.
Though he gritted his teeth, he could only endure the cold breath in his chest—he couldn't resist the hand tightening like a steel clamp.
Yuu looked at him in surprise, then smiled even wider.
Any man, when meeting an equal in strength, would be thrilled to defeat him.
"—300%."
A light voice sounded.
CRACK!
Someone's bones made an unpleasant noise.
The next second, the one unable to resist bending over was the muscular bald man in sunglasses.
Yuu slightly twisted his wrist, forcing the opponent to his knees. His serious face kept twitching, as if holding back a scream of pain.
Not broken or fractured—but extremely painful. Some time ago, Yuu had painstakingly learned a technique from Sugou that caused intense pain, combining it with highly effective muscle control.
"Good. I win."
He declared his own victory, ignoring the man struggling to endure.
Yuu released his hand, letting rapid recovery heal the torn muscles, and smiled at Mana.
"Little sister, do you still want to teach me another lesson?"
"If so, next it'll be my turn to teach you?"
"..."
Mana stared at Yasuo kneeling on the ground, clutching his hand in confusion, then at the man's eyes—under the darkening sky, they seemed to glint with cold, evil, bloodthirsty, and dirty light.
Her mouth trembled open. Before she could speak, she collapsed back onto the ground.
Then her eyes turned red. Sniffling like a child, she screamed with teary eyes:
"Masuzu—older sister! Your boyfriend is bullying me! Are you just going to watch?!"
"Stupid, stupid! Sister, brother-in-law—you're all stupid—!!"