Chapter 69 Driving Away the Frivolous Guys

Driving Away the Frivolous Guys

“—What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Without even realizing it, my voice came out sharp and laced with thorns.

At that, Kiriha turned around to look at me.

“Kyogoku…?”

Her face was filled with fear, a clear sign of just how terrified she had been.

Then, I shifted my gaze to the other girl—Ishizaki.

“Tsk…!!!”

Ishizaki’s face was scrunched up in tears as a blond guy yanked on her hair.

Her cheek was slightly red—maybe she had been hit.

“—Let go of her hair.”

“—!!”

The moment I glared at the two guys, the blond one hastily released his grip.

He looked at me with fear in his eyes, his body trembling.

“W-What the hell, man…?!”

“That’s my line. I don’t know what happened, but you can’t just rough people up like that. You get that, don’t you?”

“—!!”

Saying that, I stepped between Kiriha and Ishizaki and the two guys.

They flinched and took a step back, their posture betraying their fear.

“K-Kyogoku…”

Ishizaki muttered in shock.

I glanced at her briefly before turning my gaze back to the guys.

Then, making full use of my naturally intimidating face, I narrowed my eyes and shot them a sharp glare.

“Tsk…!! Th-This guy’s bad news! Let’s get out of here!”

“Tch…! L-Like hell I’m backing down now! I’ve got my pride, damn it!”

The brown-haired guy yanked on the blond one’s arm, urging him to leave.

But even though the blond guy was shaking all over, he didn’t make a move to run.

…Damn it. If they’d just taken off, that would’ve been ideal.

“H-Hey, man. You seem to know these girls, but… w-what’s your relationship with them? We were just trying to have a little fun with them, you know?”

The blond guy asked hesitantly, still clearly afraid.

“Relationship, huh…? Well, we’re just acquaintances.”

“Just acquaintances?”

The brown-haired guy echoed my words.

I stole a quick glance at my watch.

…Almost time.

“Yeah. We’re not exactly close. In fact, if anything, they probably hate me.”

“…Huh?”

“…What the hell are you talking about?”

Kiriha gave me a look that practically screamed she didn’t understand what I was saying.

Before long, the two guys let out a snort before bursting into laughter.

“Ahahaha! Oh, man! So they hate you?”

“And yet, you’re butting in like some kind of hero? Did watching anime make you wanna play the good guy or something?”

“Besides, you don’t even look that tough. Just villain-looking. Can’t believe we got scared of you. What a waste! Hahaha!”

Their tension visibly eased.

That’s right—I just have a scary-looking face. I’ve never been in a real fight, nor have I ever done anything actually villainous.

—Which is exactly why I handle things my own way.

“I happened to see what was going on, and ignoring it would’ve left a bad taste in my mouth. That’s all. I don’t have any noble reasons like wanting to help people or being some kind of hero.”

“Pffft! Then just mind your own damn business!”

“Yeah, and if they hate you, wouldn’t it be easier to just let it go? We just wanna have some fun with them, that’s all.”

The two smirked as they spoke.

“You’ve got a point. If it’s just about having fun, there’s no reason to interfere. And yeah, since they don’t like me, I could’ve just left this alone. No need to get involved. You’re absolutely right.”

“See? Now you’re talking sense—”

“—But if they don’t want it, that’s a different story.”

“—?!!”

I stepped forward, exuding an unmistakable sense of intimidation.

“They were obviously against it. Ishizaki was crying when you grabbed her hair. Kiriha shook off your hand when you tried to grab her. Tell me—where in any of that do you see ‘fun’? Where do you see anything worth letting slide? Explain it to me.”

“—!!!”

Another glance at my watch.

—Perfect timing.

“Tch! S-Shut up! Don’t come any closer, you little punk!”

“We can’t back down now! It’s two-on-one! We’ve got the numbers!”

“—Oh? You sure about that?”

I gave them a smirk—just as it happened.

Wooo—Wooo—Wooo—

The blaring of a police siren filled the air.

The two guys stiffened, their faces going pale.

“I called them ahead of time. So now, it’s not two-on-one anymore. And soon, my ‘backup’ will be hauling your asses in.”

“—!!!”

“S-Screw this! We gotta go! The cops are bad news!”

“Y-Yeah!”

The two turned tail and fled.

I watched their backs until they disappeared, then let out a deep breath.

“Kyogoku…”

“You alright, Kiriha?”

“I’m fine, but… wait, the police! Should we really have let them go?”

“Ah, ‘the police,’ huh? Just hold on a second.”

Ignoring Kiriha’s confusion, I retraced my steps.

I retrieved a plastic bag that held my phone, then held it up in front of her.

The siren was still blaring—from inside the bag.

Realizing what had happened, Kiriha let out an exasperated sigh.

“So that’s what you were trying to use that time… ‘the plan.’”

“Bingo.”

Since Akari wasn’t around this time, I had to execute Plan B on my own.

I had hidden my phone out of sight and set a timer to play a police siren at the right moment, concealing it inside a plastic bag.

If the cops had actually shown up right after I arrived, it would have been suspicious.

Plus, the sound wasn’t exactly high quality. I had to time it just right to make them believe it.

It was a tricky plan, but it worked.

“Seriously, Kyogoku…”

Kiriha shot me a look of mild annoyance.

…Why is she glaring at me?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Ishizaki suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

Looks like her legs gave out.

I reached a hand toward her.

“…Are you okay?”

Ishizaki stared at my outstretched hand, then, tears streaming down her face once more…

“…Why? Why did you save me…?”