The claim of picking up his girlfriend from school wasn't an excuse.
After leaving Shiyuri's place, Rin Ito took the train to the school where Kaede and Suzu attended. The peak time for students who aren't in clubs had already passed.
The few students still leaving the school were either those kept back for extra tutoring or those who had just finished club activities.
Although Kaede and Suzu weren't officially in any club, for the past few days, Mashiro has been constantly drawing doujinshi with Eri, and Kaede, Suzu, and Nanami—who were accompanying Mashiro—had practically become honorary members of the art club.
The time hadn't yet come when Mashiro could be left alone.
Since it was getting late after his visit to Shiyuri's house, and it would be too late to cook dinner at home, he decided to pick them up and go to a family restaurant instead. This way, he would also avoid having to clean the kitchen and dining table.
Rin Ito didn't wait directly at the school gate. Although he was an alumnus, it had been a long time since he graduated, and waiting right at the gate would look bad.
Like before, Rin Ito chose to wait for them at an ice cream shop near the school gate.
"You... what do you mean by showing me these photos?"
"Hinata-senpai, you wouldn't want the other students to see this photo, would you?"
While passing a small alley, Rin Ito heard the standard lines of the Underground World emanating from inside.
This was a world mixed with both the surface and the underground; such incidents must be happening somewhere in the world every moment. Rin Ito couldn't stop them all.
However... that didn't mean Rin Ito would stand by and do nothing.
Rin Ito turned and walked into the alley.
Inside the alley, a short boy with seaweed-like hair in a school uniform was talking to a tall girl. The girl, who had blonde hair, was holding a photograph.
This was clearly what the seaweed-haired boy was using to threaten the girl. Seeing someone enter, the boy shut up. Rin Ito walked up to him and slapped him hard on the shoulder.
Although Rin Ito was not a hulking man two meters tall and two meters wide, the enhancements from the Nurturing System had made him much stronger and quicker in terms of strength, agility, and reflexes than an ordinary person—more than enough to deal with the slightly thin boy in front of him.
But honestly, even without the enhancements, Rin Ito could handle him easily.
Faced with Rin Ito, the seaweed-haired boy didn't dare breathe, and Rin Ito could feel his body trembling under the hand resting on his shoulder.
Rin Ito glanced at the camera hanging on the boy's chest and said coolly, "The memory card. Are you going to take it out yourself, or should I?"
The boy tremblingly removed the camera's memory card and handed it to Rin Ito. Then, Rin Ito lifted his foot and kicked the boy hard in the thigh.
The seaweed-haired boy staggered and almost fell to his knees.
"If you want to chase a girl, use a proper method. What kind of skill is threatening her with photos? Get lost."
The boy hobbled out of the alley on his sore leg. Only then did Rin Ito have time to examine the blonde girl in front of him.
The girl's shoulder-length ash-blonde hair was tied into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie. Her uniform jacket was tied around her waist, and her long, tight legs suggested she exercised regularly.
A trace of fear lingered on her sharp, spirited face. The photo given to her by the seaweed-haired boy was tightly crumpled in her hand.
"Th-thank you."
"No problem, it was nothing." Seeing the shaken girl, Rin Ito continued, "If you don't mind, would you like to sit down at the ice cream shop nearby? My treat."
"...Mhm."
After a slight hesitation, the girl nodded and walked with Rin Ito into the adjacent shop. Rin Ito ordered a cold drink for her, and the two found a corner booth.
The still-shaken girl lowered her head, sipping her drink.
"If you don't mind, can you tell me what happened?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, then handed the crumpled photo to Rin Ito. The photo showed two girls. One was the girl in front of him, and the other was a girl who seemed quiet and gentle.
The key wasn't the people, but the action.
In the photo, the ash-blonde girl was kissing the quiet girl on the cheek... Rin Ito could already guess what had happened, but he waited quietly for her to speak.
"My... My name is Hinata Sakuramiya, and the girl in the photo is my sister, Saya. We're not biological sisters; we're step-sisters from a blended family. He took this picture when we were having lunch together, and he said... he said I have to obey him, or he'll show this photo to everyone."
Hinata didn't say what the seaweed-haired boy would tell everyone.
But Rin Ito could guess by looking at the photo.
"You like your sister?"
"Eh... that..." Hinata looked confused. "I don't know that either."
"That doesn't matter, it's your business."
Rin Ito smiled and said.
"You don't have to worry too much. Society's tolerance for girls showing affection is clearly higher than for boys... If two boys did this, they would definitely be seen as gay, but if two girls walk hand-in-hand, they would likely just be considered good friends or sisters. Plus, you are sisters, so being close is completely normal."
Rin Ito paused before offering comfort.
"So... even if he shows this photo, it's not enough to convince everyone and achieve his goal, so you don't need to worry about being blackmailed by him. Just be a little more careful in the future."
"But..." Hinata looked troubled. "We're in our final year of high school and facing college admissions. Even if not everyone believes him, any rumors will surely affect my sister Saya's state of mind. At a time like this... No, even though the memory card is here, he might have a backup. I..."
Hinata was interrupted before she could finish.
"So you were planning to give yourself to him? And then have him take photos that really could be used to blackmail you? And then he would use those photos to blackmail your sister, ultimately ruining both of you?"
Rin Ito almost laughed in exasperation. He could casually name a hundred such tropes from the Underground World.
The more one faces a threat, the less one should compromise. Compromise is either zero times or countless times; once the bottom line is crossed, it will be crossed again and again.
Rin Ito didn't care if Hinata genuinely liked her sister; ignoring this kind of situation was best.
However, Hinata couldn't ignore it because she was worried about affecting her sister.
"Then... what... what should I do? I don't want this to blow up and affect my sister."
Hinata looked eagerly at Rin Ito. Although it was their first meeting, Rin Ito had just saved her, causing her to instinctively seek his help.
Rin Ito sighed... So stupid, she must be the heroine of some Underground World doujinshi.