"Hey, you're so pretty and have such a great body. Why play with this country bumpkin? Come and have fun with me instead."
A man who looked like a college student spoke down to Kondo Yuuichi and gave Amamiya Iori a lecherous look, addressing her directly.
"Hey, what are you staring at?!" Kondo Yuuichi said, trying to sound angry.
"Uh..."
Faced with the man's threat, Yuuichi lowered his head and stepped back. He ended up behind Iori. It was as if he gave up and let the man take her.
Ken saw it and sighed to himself. He thought, What is he doing...? No, I guess I left them earlier too, so I'm in no position to judge.
The guy was big and strong, like he trained for something. Maybe he was a sports student. That idea alone was scary. Everyone knew how scary sports guys could be. If this one rushed in with a slide tackle...
"Tch..." Ken muttered under his breath. Things were escalating, so he didn't care if the guy was a sports student or not. He stepped forward immediately. When the man reached toward Iori's shoulder, Ken grabbed his hand halfway.
"Enough of that."
"Huh!?"
"Shimizu-kun!" Iori exclaimed in surprise.
The man looked annoyed at the sudden Shimizu Ken. His face clearly said he thought Ken was a pain.
"Che. Nosy brat..."
He didn't push further. He pulled his hand away with a nervous shake and turned to leave, muttering under his breath. This wasn't Gotham, after all. There were people walking everywhere on the street, and cameras around. If he started something, he would only cause trouble for himself.
"Hey, are you okay?" Ken asked.
With the trouble gone, Ken turned to Yuuichi, who looked relieved and nodded.
At the same time, Ken felt Iori's warm and eager gaze on him, but he ignored it. He had something to say to Yuuichi first.
"Why did you step back just now?" Ken asked, his tone firm.
"I... I was going to get help! Yeah, that's it!" Yuuichi stammered.
"Really? Well, it's not wrong. But if you left at that time, Amamiya might have been taken away. What then?"
"No one can know that... In the end, you saved us."
Yeah, I saved you because you stepped back, Ken thought, frustration lingering in his mind. He didn't usually confront people like this, but Yuuichi's actions had left him unsettled. Deciding to let it go for now, he stopped pressing the issue.
Even so, the air had turned a bit awkward. It was almost five o'clock, so the three decided to go home.
"Well, let's call it a day."
"Yeah..."
"Right."
Yuuichi turned and left in a hurry. Ken watched his back and gave a small, tired smile. He and Iori looked at each other.
"Shimizu-kun, what should we do now?" Iori asked, her voice light.
"Uh... I haven't thought about it yet," Ken replied, still processing the earlier incident.
"Shimizu-kun, don't talk in such a sad voice."
Iori suddenly leaned closer, her presence breaking through Ken's lingering frustration. Despite his annoyance with Yuuichi, the thought of what could have happened to Iori if he'd been a moment late still weighed heavily on him.
Just the thought of not being there, of Iori being taken, made Ken's chest feel like it would tear apart.
"Shimizu-kun?" she said softly.
Iori seemed to see his dark thoughts and looked at him with warm eyes.
"Shimizu-kun, I'm okay. I'm stronger than you think! A man like that? I can take him down myself!" she declared, throwing a few playful punches in the air. Her confidence was endearing, but Ken couldn't shake the urge to protect her, no matter how capable she seemed.
At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He took it out. It was his mother, Hoshino Akiko, calling.
'Mom?'
'Hello, Ken? I need to stay a bit longer at work. Sorry, you can eat outside or cook for yourself tonight.'
'Okay, I understand.'
'Sorry again. I should be home tonight. Even if it's late, don't worry.'
'Okay. See you later, Mom.'
'Bye-bye.'
The call ended, and Ken began to worry about dinner. Would he have to eat instant noodles again?
"Hey, Amamiya, did you hear that call?" Ken asked, changing the subject.
"Yes! I heard all of it!" Iori replied with a smile.
"Yeah, of course..."
They were standing so close that not hearing would be strange. Maybe because of that, Iori gave a proud smile and made a bold offer.
"Shimizu-kun, can I go to your house next? If Akiko-auntie isn't back yet, I can help you cook dinner. I can even make her share in advance," Iori suggested with a hopeful smile.
It was a tempting offer, but Ken hesitated. Bringing a girl home at this hour didn't feel appropriate, so he initially refused.
"I told Yuuichi and your mom that the shopping plan would last until eight, remember? If I go back early, my family will suspect something. Shimizu-kun wants to leave me alone outside?"
Iori looked up at him with sad, puppy-like eyes, making him reconsider. Had she planned to go to his house from the start by setting the time to eight? No, that seemed unlikely. He'd been overthinking things lately, he realized.
After thinking for a moment, Ken finally agreed.
"Then let's go now, Shimizu-kun," Iori said.
"Okay..."
With a burst of excitement, Iori grabbed Ken's hand and pulled him along, leading the way to his house.
Notes:
• Amamiya Iori - JK heroine; targeted; her mother is the hostage. Long-haired and busty.
• Kondo Yuuichi - Original main protagonist; timid; Iori’s childhood friend; freezes despite push.
• Hoshino Akiko - Ken’s mother; late 30s but youthful; ex‑gal style; warm and supportive; single parent after criminal father’s death.