Chapter 9

(──Cool)

When she saw the young man appear, Chloe felt this impression.

He was probably two or three years older than Chloe.

He stood with a composed and dignified demeanor, but there was a hint of innocence left in his expression.

He had a well-shaped nose and a mouth that was tightly pursed in a straight line.

He was about two heads taller than Chloe, who was of average height for a woman.

He wasn’t overly muscular, but his build was solid and well-toned.

His hair, darker than the night, was cut short and combed back without a part.

His attire was a simple shirt.

In his hand, he held a large bag, presumably from shopping.

The young man slowly turned his gaze to the three men and finally to Chloe.

His emerald eyes were beautiful, yet they exuded a resolute determination and a knife-like sharpness, giving the impression that he was no ordinary person.

“What? What’s your problem?”

The leader of the men confronted the young man.

From the fact that he wasn’t at all intimidated, it was clear that the man had also been through his fair share of rough situations.

“From what I can see, you three are trying to forcibly take this woman… If that’s the case, I can’t just stand by and watch.”

When the young man spoke, the three men burst into laughter.

The man’s trembling made Chloe’s head spin uncomfortably.

After a moment of laughter, the leader said:

“Hey, are you trying to be a hero? It’s good to have a sense of justice, but you need to know your place, kid.”

“I don’t really care about your sense of place when you’re trying to forcibly take a woman.”

A vein popped on the leader’s forehead.

“You, you must be really asking for it, huh?”

The two men standing behind him also chimed in, saying things like, “Oh, oh, he’s dead.”

“Are you planning to assault and injure her on top of that, you scumbags?”

“Hey!? Don’t make false accusations! She’s not resisting at all! It’s clearly consensual!”

Ignoring the man’s rant, the young man turned to Chloe and asked:

“So, let me ask you again… What do you think?”

“…Huh?”

“Is it consensual?”

When asked, Chloe lowered her head and spoke with trembling lips.

“…Help…”

“Clearly.”

“Please… help me…”

“Understood.”

Nodding slightly, the young man slowly approached the men.

“You, you’re really asking for it.”

The leader, enraged at being completely underestimated, said:

“We’re three! Take him down!”

“Yeah!”

“Got it!”

Led by the leader, the men attacked the young man.

Chloe, now free from the men’s grip, felt her legs give out and she fell to her knees.

She could only watch helplessly as the men charged at the young man.

– It happened in an instant.

First, the young man dodged the leader’s punch by slightly tilting his head.

He then struck the back of the leader’s neck with a knife-hand using his free hand.

“Gah…!?”

The leader groaned and fell to the ground.

“Grrrr…!!”

Next, the young man avoided the punch from the second man, A, with minimal movement, then quickly circled around and kicked him in the back.

“Ughh!!”

With a sound like a crushed frog, the second man also fell, incapacitated.

“You, you bastard…!!”

The last man, B, perhaps fearing the young man who had quickly incapacitated two of them, tried to pull out a weapon from his pocket – in that instant.

Thwack! Thud! Squish!

Something flew and hit with a squishing sound.

“Ugh…!?”

The third man was struck in the face by an onion that flew at an incredible speed and fell backward.

“…What…?”

Chloe couldn’t help but exclaim.

Seeing the young man’s stance after throwing the ball, Chloe was once again amazed.

The young man then nimbly caught the onion before it hit the ground and put it back in the shopping bag as if nothing had happened.

“Ugh… ugh…”

“It hurts…”

The young man stood in front of the leader and the second man, who were trying to get up.

“Do you want to continue?”

“H-Huh…?”

The men had no fight left in them.

“Hey! This guy is dangerous!”

“Yeah, I know…!! We’re getting out of here!”

They fled, dragging the unconscious third man behind them.

“…It’s tough to catch them…”

The young man sighed as he watched the men run away.

To this young man, Chloe said one word:

“Amazing…”

That was all she could say.

This person – he was incredibly strong.

His movements, his attacks, and his quick thinking to use what he had on hand as a weapon were all clearly those of a seasoned professional.

Chloe swallowed hard.

(Maybe I… met someone extraordinary…)

As she thought this, the rain began to subside.

“–”

She couldn’t help but gasp.

The young man, illuminated by the sunlight piercing through the thick clouds, looked very dignified and beautiful.

His appearance was so captivating that Chloe felt her eyes and heart stolen in an instant.

“Are you okay?”

The young man knelt down next to her, meeting her gaze.

“Y-Yes… um…”

She wanted to thank him for helping her, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Her lips moved soundlessly.

“You’re blushing, what’s wrong? Do you have a fever?”

“Huh?”

The young man placed his hand on Chloe’s forehead, making an odd sound.

“…Hmm, this is…”

The young man looked serious.

“You have quite a fever, actually, it’s getting worse. Are you okay?”

“Eh, um, that…”

For some reason,

She couldn’t look at him properly.

She couldn’t speak properly.

Her heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Her face was getting hotter and hotter.

(Ah… this… is bad…)

“Hey!”

The young man’s worried call, which she had never heard before.

But Chloe’s body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

She felt her strength draining from her body.

Her eyelids fell rapidly, and her vision went black.

In the end, she felt as if she was being held by someone, or so she thought.