The streetlights were beginning to glow.
The plaza surrounding the arena was still crowded with spectators who had yet to leave.
They continued discussing the breathtaking battle and the miracle summoned by Pegasus.
Children chased one another, imitating Shiryu’s Rozan Rising Dragon and Seiya’s Pegasus Meteor Fist.
The adults hurried after them, reminding them to slow down so they would not fall or run into anyone.
The scene was chaotic yet heartwarming.
Saori Kido walked silently ahead.
Judging by her tightly clasped hands and unnatural gait, she was nowhere near as calm or fearless as she appeared.
Ryosho could not help but smile.
“Relax.
There’s no need to be nervous.
I truly mean you no harm.
I only asked you to come with me because there are some important questions I need to ask.”
Hearing Ryosho-san’s words, Saori Kido took a deep breath.
Her fear eased slightly, and she asked in her pleasant voice, “What would you like to ask me, Ryosho-san?”
“How much do you know about your own background, Miss Saori Kido?”
Saori frowned.
“Does that have something to do with what you want to ask?”
“Perhaps.”
Ryosho gave her an ambiguous answer.
A gentle evening breeze swept past.
Saori Kido stopped, her waist-length hair fluttering softly in the wind.
With the noisy crowd all around them, she turned to face Ryosho.
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.
I am Saori Kido, the granddaughter of Mitsumasa Kido and the sole heir to the Graad Foundation.
That is my background.”
“Then why did you organize the Galaxian Wars?
Why did you gather so many Bronze Saints?”
“I’m simply fulfilling my grandfather’s final wish.”
Ryosho studied Saori Kido carefully, looking into her beautiful, captivating eyes.
They were as blue as the sky, clear and transparent.
She truly seemed to have no idea what any of her actions meant.
He could not tell whether she was exceptionally calculating or genuinely knew nothing about any of this.
Ryosho did not press her any further.
He had asked those questions without any ill intent.
He merely wanted to understand the young woman a little better.
“I asked you to come out here because I want something from you.”
“Something?”
“That’s right.”
“What is it?”
“A golden scepter.”
Saori Kido frowned slightly.
“You mean…
the Golden Scepter?”
“Exactly.”
“What do you want with the Golden Scepter?”
“To keep it safe for you.
Until you learn the truth about your origins, I want to hold on to it on your behalf.”
“Why?”
“Someone has their sights set on it.”
Saori Kido fell silent.
As the sole heir to the Graad Foundation and the principal organizer of the Galaxian Wars, she was certainly no naive little girl.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind in that instant.
The Golden Scepter clearly had to be more than an ordinary scepter.
Otherwise, no one would be after it, and a Silver Saint would not have gone out of his way to approach her over it.
Then there was what he had said about her origins.
The Golden Scepter had been with her since childhood.
Just like the Gold Cloth, her grandfather had repeatedly hinted, sometimes deliberately and sometimes in passing, that it belonged to her.
“I don’t understand why anyone would be interested in a scepter.
Is it for the money?
A scepter made of pure gold must be valuable, but that alone shouldn’t be enough to draw the attention of a Silver Saint like you.”
Ryosho did not deny it.
Saori continued, “And how am I supposed to know that you aren’t the one after it?”
As she spoke, two young children came racing toward them.
The child behind had his fist clenched and was shouting, “Pegasus Meteor Fist!” The child in front suddenly stopped, spun around, and launched a Rozan Rising Dragon.
The child behind had not expected him to stop so abruptly.
Caught off guard, he crashed straight into him, and both children began to topple over.
There was a flight of steps right beside them.
If they fell, they could easily hit their heads.
The adults chasing after them cried out in alarm.
At that moment, a handsome young man appeared beside the children just in time.
He reached out and caught them both, keeping them from falling.
“Thank you, big brother!”
The two children thanked him in unison.
Ryosho ruffled their hair and smiled.
“Saints wear their Cloths to protect themselves.
You two aren’t wearing Cloths, so you can’t chase each other around and fight like Saints.
You’ll get hurt.”
“We understand, big brother.”
The two children stuck out their tongues.
The adults who had been running after them finally caught up and hurriedly bowed to Ryosho in gratitude.
The two children waved goodbye as they left.
Saori Kido watched Ryosho after he saved the children.
Someone so gentle and kind might not be the sort of person she had imagined, someone plotting to take the Golden Scepter for himself.
Even so, she could not give it to him.
“Your concerns are reasonable,” Ryosho said as he watched the children disappear into the crowd.
He then turned back to Saori Kido.
“But if I were the one after the scepter, I wouldn’t be standing here warning you about it.
Wouldn’t it be easier to simply snatch it from you or steal it?”
Saori Kido shook her head.
“Even if you’re telling the truth and only want to keep it safe for me, I still can’t hand the Golden Scepter over to you.
It has nothing to do with whether I trust you.
It was left to me by my grandfather, and I don’t want anyone else looking after it.”
“Now that I know someone is after the Golden Scepter, I’ll make sure it is properly secured.”
Ryosho stared at Saori Kido for a long moment.
“In the end, it still comes down to you not trusting me.
But that’s understandable.
After all, you know almost nothing about me.
Still, I hope you’ll give it serious thought.”
Saori Kido nodded solemnly.
“Ryosho-san, I’ll think about it.”
Ryosho nodded.
Just then, a delicious aroma drifted over from a nearby takoyaki stand.
The moment he smelled it, Ryosho’s stomach gave an untimely growl.
He did not look embarrassed in the slightest.
Instead, he openly turned to Saori Kido.
“Would you like some takoyaki?”
…
Meanwhile, Hyoga and Shun had already arrived at the arena entrance.
“Tatsumi, what happened?”
“Jabu said someone was trying to harm the young lady.”
“Who was it?”
“Where did the young lady go?”
Shun rushed over.
When he saw Tatsumi in a panic and Saori Kido nowhere in sight, he immediately began asking questions.
Hyoga stood nearby with his arms crossed, his expression cold.
“You’re finally here!
Hurry!
That Ryosho fellow abducted the young lady.
Who knows what he might do to her?” Tatsumi exclaimed, greatly exaggerating the situation as soon as Shun and Hyoga arrived.
“What?”
“Ryosho?”
“Why would he abduct the young lady?”
“And are you sure you saw him correctly?
Was it definitely Ryosho-san?” Shun found it difficult to believe.
Ryosho was a friend of Seiya and Shunrei.
How could he possibly abduct the young lady?
“I’m absolutely certain.
Ask Jabu if you don’t believe me.”
Shun turned to Jabu.
Clutching his shoulder, Jabu said, “It was Ryosho.
He took the young lady away.”
Shun looked over at Hyoga.
Hyoga nodded.
Shun turned back to Tatsumi.
“Which way did they go?”