Chapter 5: The Goddess and the Goons

I'm done being confused. I'm done sitting back. I need answers.

I have a new plan. I'm not going to confront her. I'm going to follow her.

I grab my bag, ignoring Ken and Taka when they ask if I want to hit the arcade. "Gotta do something," I mutter, already halfway out the door.

I'm not a detective, but I'm good at not being seen. It's a skill you learn when you're constantly trying to avoid teachers.

I spot her. Her long black hair is like a beacon in the sea of uniforms. She's walking alone, as always.

But... she's not taking her usual route to the train station.

She turns left, heading down a quieter commercial street, one lined with small shops and restaurants that are mostly closed at this hour.

Where is she going?

I keep my distance, ducking behind a vending machine as she pauses, looking at her phone. She seems... normal. Just a girl walking home.

I'm starting to think I'm crazy. Maybe she is just a normal girl with some really weird, over-the-top family security.

I'm about to give up and go home when I hear it.

"Hey, sweetheart. C'mon, don't be like that. You're too pretty to be walking around all alone."

My blood freezes.

I peek around the corner of a closed noodle shop.

Three guys. Not students. They're older, maybe early twenties, wearing cheap, flashy tracksuits and smoking. They've got Ayako cornered against a brick wall.

My body tenses up. My ribs scream in protest, but I ignore it. It's the same old story. Bullies.

"I must decline," Ayako says. Her voice is the polite, student-council-president one. "Please let me pass."

"Ooh, a polite one!" The leader, a slimy-looking guy with bleached-blond hair, steps right into her space. He reaches out a grimy hand to touch her face. "I like that. We'll teach you to loosen up, princess."

This is it.

I watch Ayako. Her eyes are narrowed. Her hand is gripping the strap of her school bag.

I know, with absolute certainty, that she's calculating. She's deciding if she can take these three guys down without causing a scene. She's in her school uniform. She's in public.

She doesn't want to fight. Not here. Not like this. She can't blow her cover.

The guy's fingers are about to touch her cheek.

"Man, you guys just don't learn, do you?"

My voice cuts through the alley.

All three thugs spin around. "Who the hell are you?" Blondie snarls.

I step out, dropping my bag. "I'm the guy who really, really hates bullies. And you three reek of it."

Blondie scoffs. "You're just a high school kid. And you look like you already lost a fight this week. Get lost before you get hurt again."

Ayako's eyes lock with mine. There's no surprise. No relief. Just that same... cold, analytical assessment.

"That's the plan," I say, rolling my shoulders. "For you, anyway."

I don't wait for them to move. I learned my lesson.

I lunge, not at Blondie, but at the guy on his right, the one who looks the most surprised. My ribs are on fire, but I channel it. A fast jab to the throat. He gags. A spinning back kick to his knee. He goes down. One.

The other two are shocked by the speed. They charge.

Blondie throws a wide, telegraphed, predictable right hook.

I hear her voice in my head. 'You leave your left side completely exposed.'

I'm not that guy anymore.

I pivot, bringing my left arm up to block, letting his punch skim right past me. My own right fist is already moving. I put all my weight into it, connecting clean with his jaw.

CRACK.

He stumbles back, eyes rolling, and hits the pavement. Two.

The third guy just stands there, frozen. He looks at his two buddies on the ground, then at me.

"I... I..."

"Get lost," I spit.

He doesn't need to be told twice. He scrambles away, tripping over his own feet.

The alley is quiet. It's just me, breathing hard, my whole body shaking from the adrenaline and the pain.

I turn to Ayako. She hasn't moved an inch. She's still standing against the wall, her expression completely unreadable.

"You okay, Katsumi-san?" I ask, trying to sound casual, like I didn't just take down two guys while my ribs are basically dust.

She stares at me. Just... stares.

Then, a tiny, almost invisible smile touches the corner of her lips. It's there for one second, and then it's gone.

"You protected your left side," she says, her voice a low murmur.

My stupid heart stammers. "Yeah, well. Had a good teacher."

"I am not your teacher." She pushes off the wall, calmly adjusting the strap of her bag. "But... your form is less predictable. You are... adequate."

I blink. "Adequate? Adequate? I just took down two-and-a-half guys for you!"

"You were slow," she critiques, walking right past me. "Your first attack was messy. Your second punch was telegraphed, even if you did connect. And your leg sweep on the first man was sloppy. If they were professionals, you would be on the ground."

She just... walks away.

"Hey!" I call after her, completely dumbfounded. "Wait! A 'thank you' would be nice!"

She pauses at the end of the alley, looks back over her shoulder, her black hair catching the afternoon light.

"Thank you, Minatawa-kun," she says, her voice devoid of all warmth. "For upholding the school's public image."

And just like that, she's gone.

I'm left alone in the alley with the groaning thugs. I kick Blondie's shoe lightly.

"She's unbelievable," I mutter.

But this time, I'm definitely smiling.