"Hmph..."
Hirata-san lay on the ground, breathing heavily several times before slowly getting back up.
"You're getting slower and slower at getting up. Give up resisting. I won't take advantage of your weakened state."
Albert-san's words were quite arrogant.
As if he didn't believe Hirata-san could defeat him at all.
"Before leaving... Amane-san asked me to look after the home... If I fall now, how can I face her... and how can I face everyone!!!"
Hirata-san used all his strength to punch Albert-san in the side of the face.
"Success!"
Seeing his attack land, Hirata-san continued to throw heavy punches at Albert-san's chest without holding back.
But no matter how hard Hirata-san tried, the iron tower in front of him remained motionless.
"You've tried very hard, but the difference in physical fitness cannot be compensated for by effort alone."
Albert-san patted the dust off his tracksuit as if nothing had happened.
Then, an elbow strike, swift as lightning, directly smashed into Hirata-san's head.
Even though Hirata-san reacted, his speed was still a notch slower than Albert-san's. Hirata-san, who barely managed to block his head with crossed arms, was knocked down by Albert-san again.
Thud!
His body slammed heavily onto the ground.
The pain from his back and the earthy taste in his mouth made Hirata-san's features contort.
Lying there like this seemed quite nice... Albert-san never followed up with a finishing blow no matter how many times he knocked Hirata-san down.
If he, Hirata-san, were to feign unconsciousness like this, Ryuuen and the others probably wouldn't do anything to him.
Even if Amane-san returned and saw him in his current state, could she still hold him responsible?
His prestige within the class alone would be enough to offset any reprimand.
Moreover, the reason Ryuuen succeeded this time was because Horikita-san had disappeared.
Otherwise, even if the two of them couldn't defeat Ryuuen and his group, they could wake up their classmates to assist. With him and Horikita-san holding back Ryuuen and his group, and many classmates assisting from the side, it would be absolutely impossible for Ryuuen to wantonly occupy their strongholds as he was doing now.
And the biggest reason Hirata-san had been beaten like this without calling for help was that D Class currently had no one capable of resisting Ryuuen and his group.
Dragging helpless classmates into danger for his own safety was not a choice someone like Hirata-san could accept.
There were many, many more reasons to give up... for example, Amane-san not returning at the agreed time, the adventurous and unreasonable plan... and for example... Hirata-san looked up at the starry sky. He knew very well that even if he did nothing from now on, Amane-san wouldn't blame him.
But... but!!!
All those reasons were just excuses!!!
"We're leaving soon. Is it okay to leave our home to you?"
Amane-san looked at Hirata-san with an inquiring gaze.
How did he answer then?
"Please rest assured and leave it to me. As long as I am here, I will absolutely not let anyone take advantage. I will definitely protect everyone."
The conversation before the action still seemed to echo in his ears, and before the echoes faded, he was already lying here, planning to give up.
What a joke!
Hirata-san's gaze fell upon Ryuuen, who was climbing the small mountain.
Wiping away the already somewhat dry bloodstains, Hirata-san struggled to get up from the ground.
Just then, a familiar voice came from nearby.
"Hirata-san? Are you okay?"
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