I stood there, watching as Amano Yukiko cried quietly, covering her face with both hands.
Inside me, true madness was raging.
I can help. I can succeed. She’s safe now.
This thought burned like fire. A real, warm, correct feeling spread through my chest. The fear that had been gnawing at me vanished. I did what needed to be done. I prevented the worst possible scenario from repeating.
But her body…
That body was dragging me under.
My cock was rock hard.
It throbbed painfully, straining against my pants. The fabric stretched noticeably. I held my breath, praying she wouldn’t look down. Slowly, I turned my back to her, trying to hide my shameful arousal.
Calm down. Calm the fuck down.
Inside my head, a storm was raging.
Hayato. Right now.
She was in shock, crying, weak, vulnerable.
A quick stop at the nearest hotel. A separate room. Unconscious. Left on the side of the road. Anything so she’d forget how to stand up again.
She’s mine. Take her. Now.
The beast inside me screamed, demanded, begged me to step forward. My hands itched to grab her by the waist and slam her against the wall…
I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles cracked.
No.
Stop.
Fear lashed at these thoughts like a whip.
She’s not an idiot. She’s not stupid. She’s a person who just felt… a little. You’re not like that. We’re not like that.
I took a deep breath, trying to regain control.
My erection refused to go down. It pulsed, demanding attention, and I didn’t blame myself for it. For the fact that my body reacted to her tears, her quiet sobs, her trembling figure — exactly like this.
Pure madness.
I slowly stepped closer but stopped at a safe distance.
She continued crying softly, not raising her eyes.
I stood there, fists clenched.
One part of me wanted to hug her, calm her down, tell her everything would be okay.
The other part wanted to grab her, pull her close, and use this moment of weakness.
I stood in the middle of this internal war and simply waited until she calmed down.
For a few seconds, she just cried quietly.
I didn’t rush her.
I didn’t say “it’s okay” or “everything will be fine.”
After something like this, a person doesn’t calm down from empty words.
She needed time.
Finally, Yukiko slowly lowered her hands from her face.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
A few tears still clung to her lashes.
She clearly tried to say something, but her voice wouldn’t come out.
“K… Kurosaki-kun…”
I gave a short nod.
“Can you walk?”
She looked down.
The collar of her uniform was still slightly damp from tears.
But a second later, she answered:
“Y-yes…”
I turned around.
The tallest of the three schoolboys was still standing at the exit of the alley.
He looked like he wanted to run but was too scared to move.
Seeing my gaze, he nervously straightened up.
I walked over to him.
“Phone.”
He immediately held it out with both hands.
I quickly opened the gallery.
Everything was recorded perfectly — from the very beginning to the end.
The guy watched my every move, barely breathing.
I sent the video to myself.
Then deleted it from his phone and handed the device back.
“Thank you.”
I smiled slightly.
“Don’t worry.
You’ve had more than enough excitement for one day.”
He swallowed nervously.
“Y-yes…”
After that, he left the alley almost without a sound.
I watched him go.
“Everything is recorded.”
I took out my phone.
I quickly opened the app.
“What kind of content floods the feed the most.”
“What gets the biggest reaction after something like this.”
“Algorithms love sharp, aggressive moments.”
I wrote a short title:
“Helping a classmate deal with bullies.”
I pressed publish.
The video went live.
Now I just had to wait for the reaction.
When I turned around…
Yukiko was already standing on the road.
She still wouldn’t look me in the eyes.
Her fingers were gripping the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
I walked closer but stopped two steps away.
So as not to invade her personal space.
“Amano-san.”
She flinched.
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you home.
Nowhere is safer for you today.”
She was silent for a few seconds.
Then she slightly raised her head.
Tears still shimmered in her eyes.
“I…
Because of me…
You’re going to have problems now…”
I glanced at the three guys still lying on the ground.
“It won’t happen.”
I looked back at Yukiko.
“They won’t bother you anymore.”
Yukiko also looked at them for a moment, then quickly turned away.
The memory was clearly still too fresh.
I casually adjusted my bag strap.
“Let’s go.”
This time she didn’t hesitate even for a second.
“…Okay.”
We left the alley.
For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke.
The evening city noise gradually washed away the events of the last few minutes.
Yukiko walked slowly.
Completely silent.
She pressed her bag tightly to her chest.
She didn’t look around.
She didn’t look at me.
She just walked, but it felt like if she stopped for even a second, her legs would give out.
I didn’t rush to start a conversation either.
After something like this, there was no need to hurry.
She needed time.
A minute later, I finally broke the silence.
“Amano-san.”
She flinched slightly.
“Yes?..”
“Is home far?”
She shook her head.
“No…
Just a minute…”
“Okay.”
We continued walking.
After a few more minutes, she suddenly spoke:
“Kurosaki-kun…
Thank you…”
I looked at her.
“Don’t mention it.”
“No…
If you hadn’t shown up…
I already…”
Her voice broke again.
She froze.
I didn’t let her continue.
It was already clear.
“It’s over now.”
She slowly nodded.
But her fingers on the bag strap were still tense.
When the familiar apartment building appeared in the distance, Yukiko involuntarily changed her pace.
We both remembered it perfectly.
It was right here, a few days ago, that we first met properly.
Back then she had left her apartment at almost the same time as me.
For her, it was a coincidence.
For me — it wasn’t.
I had deliberately waited for her.
But she didn’t need to know that.
We entered the elevator.
Just like in the morning, it greeted us with a cheerful ding.
Yukiko pressed the button for the fourth floor.
She only glanced at me briefly.
Apparently, the morning surprise had already taken on new meaning:
“Well, yeah… we really are neighbors.”
The elevator doors opened.
We stepped into the long corridor.
Two apartments.
Directly opposite each other.
Yukiko stopped by her door.
I was about to open mine when I heard her quiet voice.
“Kurosaki-kun…”
I turned around.
She wasn’t looking at my face.
She was looking at my right hand.
More precisely…
At my broken knuckles.
The blood had dried, but there were no fresh bandages.
Apparently, while the adrenaline was pumping, I hadn’t noticed it at all.
“This…
Because of me…”
I quietly extended my hand.
“It’s okay.
It’ll heal in a couple of days.”
But Yukiko suddenly shook her head.
Completely serious.
“I’ll wait…”
She quickly opened her apartment door.
“Amano-san?..”
No answer.
A few seconds later, the sound of opening drawers came from inside.
A moment later Yukiko almost ran back, holding a small first-aid kit.
She stopped right next to me and carefully took my hand.
“If…
You don’t mind…
Maybe… I can treat it?”
I looked at her.
She was clearly scared.
But her gaze was dead serious.
I silently gave her my hand.
She relaxed a little.
She opened the kit.
She took out antiseptic, cotton pads, and plasters.
She worked very carefully.
Gently, as if afraid of hurting me.
She cleaned each wound.
Then gently dabbed antiseptic on one of the knuckles. It stung.
I didn’t flinch.
She, it seemed, didn’t even realize what she was doing.
I involuntarily smiled.
“Amano-san.”
She looked up.
“I…
What’s wrong?..”
“Nothing.
Everything’s fine.”
She blushed slightly and lowered her gaze again.
A minute later, every broken knuckle had a neatly applied plaster.
Yukiko examined my hand one last time.
She made sure she hadn’t missed anything.
Then she finally let go.
“Everything…
Is done…”
I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times.
“Thank you.”
She suddenly smiled.
“This…
Is the least I could do…”
I was about to open my door when something else occurred to me.
“Amano-san.”
“Yes?”
“Can I see your phone for a second?”
She nodded, though she looked at me suspiciously.
She clearly froze for a moment in confusion.
“Phone?..”
“Yes.”
She didn’t argue.
She took out her smartphone and handed it to me.
“Here…”
“Thank you.”
I quickly unlocked the screen, opened contacts, and saved my number.
Then, without hesitation, I opened the speed dial and called my own number from her phone.
After that, I handed the phone back to Yukiko.
She looked first at the screen, then at me.
“This?..”
I pointed to the new contact.
“If you ever find yourself in trouble…
Or if you just feel like something’s wrong…
Don’t think about it. Don’t hesitate.
Just press here.”
The phone immediately started ringing.
Yukiko stared at the screen for a long time.
Then she carefully pressed the red button to end the call.
“But…
One more thing…
Thank you.”
I quietly shook my head.
“That’s exactly why I gave it to you.”
She looked at me.
“Even if…
Even if it’s late?..”
“At any time.”
Yukiko clutched the phone tightly to her chest.
At that moment, her gaze became determined.
But these were already completely different tears.
“Thank you…”
She said it almost in a whisper.
I smiled.
“See you tomorrow, Amano-san.”
She didn’t look away this time.
Then she nodded shyly.
“See you tomorrow…
Kurisaki-kun.”