The alley was dim, but Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stepped forward without hesitation.
The taller thug leaned in toward Waguri, his arm brushing her shoulder. "Just one drink. Come on, don't be stuck up."
"She said no," Kiyotaka said plainly.
Both guys turned.
The taller one sneered. "Who the hell are you?"
Waguri's eyes widened. "Ayanokoji-kun...?"
Kiyotaka didn't flinch. "She's not interested. Leave."
The taller one reached into his coat—and Kiyotaka's eyes sharpened.
A glint of steel.
A folding knife snapped open.
"I'll say it again," the guy hissed. "Walk. Away."
Waguri gasped. "Your hand—!"
But before anyone else could react, Kiyotaka's other hand slammed into the thug's throat, knocking him back into the alley wall. The second guy charged—Kiyotaka ducked under the wild punch and swept his leg out, sending the guy crashing onto the ground.
He disarmed both of them in seconds.
Neither tried to get back up.
Kiyotaka stood over them calmly, blood dripping from his index finger.
"Go," he said flatly.
The two scrambled away, cursing and coughing. Silence returned to the alley.
Waguri ran up to him, eyes wide with panic. "You're bleeding!"
"You got cut, Kiyotaka-kun! That wasn't nothing!" She grabbed his wrist gently and pulled him toward the café, ignoring his passive resistance. "Come on. We're cleaning that up."
Later, in the café
Kiyotaka sat at a booth while Waguri knelt beside him with a small first aid kit. She cleaned the wound carefully, muttering to herself.
"You shouldn't have done that alone," she said. "What if it was worse? What if they'd hurt you?"
"I was calculating the odds. They were low."
"You're insane," she mumbled, dabbing alcohol on the cut. "This finger is yours. It deserves love and bandages."
She laughed. "Still true."
After bandaging him, she sat across from him and stared for a moment, a soft expression on her face. "Thank you. I really mean it."
He looked down at the clean white wrap on his finger. "I didn't do it for praise."
"I didn't say you did."
They sat in silence for a moment. Then she stood. "Okay. You need rest. And I need to stop stealing glances at your hand like a weirdo."
He blinked.
"I'll see you soon, alright?"
He nodded. "I'll be fine."
As she walked out, she waved over her shoulder.
And for the first time, Kiyotaka found himself watching someone walk away—not to scan their movements for weakness, but because he wanted to for a change.
The Next Day – Chidori High School
Kiyotaka sat by the window in his second-floor classroom, bored but content. The lecture passed like white noise.
Then, something outside caught his attention.
Through the tall gates that divided the boys' and girls' campuses, someone was jumping up and down, waving energetically.
It was Kaoruko Waguri.
She was standing on the girls' side, uniform neatly pressed, a big smile on her face as she waved both hands. A few girls nearby whispered and laughed.
Kiyotaka blinked once... then slowly raised his hand and waved back.
His classmates followed his gaze—and murmurs started to spread.
After School
The sun was golden and low as Kiyotaka stepped out the front gate.
And there she was.
Students from both genders began to stare.
"Who's that?"
"Wait, isn't she from the girls' school?"
"She's cute... is she waiting for him?"
"No way. Ayanokoji?"
Waguri waved brightly. "Hey, Kiyotaka-kun!"
He approached her, calm as always.
"You came all the way here?"
"Yep. Figured I'd walk you home this time," she said with a wink.
A group of girls nearby stared in shock.
"That's Waguri Kaoruko... she's popular at our school..."
Waguri's face turned pink as she heard them.
She looked away shyly. "Well... they're not wrong."
Kiyotaka glanced at her.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes flickered between his and the pavement.
And for a brief moment, something stirred in him. Not an order. Not programming.