Chapter 12 Main Character and Plot Armor

The taller one took a step closer, his voice direct and lacking any pretense of charm.

  "Hey, pretty girl. I’m on a tight clock, so I’ll skip the pickup lines and nice guy act. How about coming with me for a few minutes? I promise it’ll be… good fun."

"Hmmm, let me think…" She tapped her chin.

 "How about no? I’m with someone already."

The man smirked, undeterred.

  "Hey, hey, come on. I’ll be quick—so quick your boyfriend won’t even notice you’re gone."

Makiko crossed her arms, her expression that of amusement. 

"Nope. Like I said, not interested. Sorry."

The shorter man, who had been quietly observing, placed a hand on his companion’s shoulder.

  "Come on, man, don’t make a scene. We’re a few minutes away from the mission. The Major might call in any moment."

The taller man shook off his hand, his voice anxious.

  "That’s exactly why I need this girl’s company. I always get bricked up before missions. I need to blow off some steam, or I can’t focus. The adrenaline, man—it just keeps pumping."

He turned back to Makiko, his tone more insistent this time. 

"Look, it’s just a few minutes. You won’t regret it. I’ll be quick—they call me Fire Hips. You know why? Because I’m so fast, the air itself catches on fire from my thrusts."

Makiko couldn’t stop a laugh, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she responded to the taller man’s proposition. 

"Oh no, no, I’ll pass on that offer, hot stuff. I don’t want to catch on fire."

She smirked, her eyes flicking down briefly before meeting his gaze again. 

"Besides, big boy, I like them small—and by the looks of it, you came packing. Hahaha! Bye-bye, hot stuff, you can go now! Don’t forget to hydrate—all that adrenaline must be exhausting!"

Before the man could make another witty comeback, a shout came from behind them. 

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Shujinko came running over, his face flushed but his expression determined. He positioned himself between Makiko and the two men, arms spread wide, his voice firm but tinged with his usual idealism.

  "She said she’s not interested, and you have to respect that! You can’t just pressure someone into doing something they don’t want to do. That’s not how people should treat each other!"

The taller man stared at Shujinko, then said.

  "What the f... Yo! Kid, get the ffff-out here, this doesn’t concern you. Scram! Why don’t you run along and let the adults talk, huh?"

Shujinko stood his ground, his voice rising slightly.

  "It does concern me! Makiko’s my friend, and I won’t let you harass her. If you keep pushing her, I’ll… I’ll call the authorities! You can’t just treat people like this. It’s wrong, and I won’t let you get away with it!"

The shorter man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"This is getting out of hand. Let’s just go. We don’t have time for this."

The taller man hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Shujinko then his gaze flicked to Makiko. He pointed a trembling finger at Shujinko and said, "Yo, girl! That your pimp?! Well, shit. You didn't lie, you do like them small."

He cracked his neck, stepping toward Shujinko.

 "Yo, kid! What’s this, some kinda chivalry act? You think you’re a knight in shining armor?"

Shujinko took a bold step forward.

 "Yeah, I am! Because the world needs people who don’t just stand by and let things happen! If people like you think you can just throw your weight around and force others to do what you want, then someone has to fight back!"

Makiko winced.

 "Oh no, oh no, oh no—oh, for the love of—Shujinko, no."

"Fight back?" The man’s grin widened, his amusement deepening into something darker.

 "With what, exactly?"

"With justice!"

The man blinked. Then he burst out laughing.

"Justice?!" He clutched his stomach like Shujinko had just told the best joke in the world. 

"Oh, man! Where do you even get this crap?"

Shujinko, completely oblivious to the danger, stood even taller. 

"It’s not ‘crap’! It’s the truth! The strong should protect the weak, not exploit them! That’s what separates good people from monsters like you!"

The soldier’s laughter cut off.

"Ohhhh, you’re that kind of idiot."

"It’s not idiotic to believe that people can be better!" Shujinko shot back, stepping closer. 

"Even you! You don’t have to be like this. You chose to harass her. You could choose to walk away instead! And you better..."

Makiko wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him. She knew exactly how situations like these ends. The soldier, however, just grinned. 

"And what if I don’t? Little man."

"Then I’ll make you," Shujinko said firmly.

"You can hit me all you want," Shujinko continued, puffing out his chest, "but it won’t change anything! Violence doesn’t solve anything! People only act cruel because they think they have to! But if we stop the cycle—"

The soldier groaned.

 "Jesus, shut up already."

But Shujinko didn’t.

Instead, he grabbed the soldier by the front of his jacket.

"You don’t have to be like this! You can change! Right here! Right now!"

The soldier stared at him.

"You just don’t know when to quit, huh? Lemme guess. You grew up on stories where the little guy wins if he just believes hard enough? The world doesn’t work like that. You're not the main character, kid! No plot armor to save you from ass whopping your about to receive!"

Makiko saw where this was going fast and immediately stepped in, raising her hands in a mock surrender.

“Alright, alright, let’s all take a deep breath here,” she said, flashing her most disarming grin.

 “We’ve got a very special guy here, full of passion, big heart, but absolutely no sense of self-preservation.” 

She patted Shujinko’s shoulder. 

“I mean, come on, guys—look at him. He’s a walking motivational poster. You really wanna waste time beating up a guy who probably cries over inspirational dog videos?”

The shorter soldier snorted. Even the taller one hesitated for a second.

Makiko saw her chance as the mood got lighter and kept going.

 “Look, big guy, I get it. You’ve got energy to burn, but maybe pick a different hobby? Like, I dunno, wood carving or yoga. Maybe a nice long cold shower before missions? You know, just spitballing here.”

The taller soldier smirked.

 “Feisty, huh? Damn, I like this girl.”

Before she could say another word, Shujinko stepped forward again.

“I’m not backing down.”

Makiko’s stomach dropped.

“Shujinko—”

“You’re a bully,” Shujinko declared, pointing at the taller soldier. 

“And bullies only understand one thing.”

 “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

Shujinko clenched his fists.

“Consequences.”

Makiko’s soul left her body.

The taller soldier exhaled, looking almost tired. 

“Kid, seriously? Get the fa—”

“No.” Shujinko cut him off. 

“You think you can do whatever you want just because you’re stronger? That people should just accept it? Well, guess what—I won’t! Because if no one ever stands up to people like you, nothing ever changes! I refuse to let you intimidate her. You’re not some unstoppable force. You’re just a guy who’s never been taught what it’s like to be on the other side. But I’ll teach you.”

The taller soldier sighed.

“You’re really doing this, huh?”

“I have to,” Shujinko said.

Makiko groaned. 

“No, no you don’t! Shujinko, don’t—”

The soldier cracked his neck.

 “Alright then, kid. If you’re that eager to get your ass kicked—”

Shujinko swung.