9 ◈ Clash
With Ai’s small hand waving behind me, Renko ran towards the vending machine.
He bought two bottles of carbonated water, thinking about the giant breasts that floated in front of him.
As his chest swelled up to the size of his uniform, he wondered, “What size is this?”
He indulged in his fantasy, and suddenly realized.
No, is there really such a good deal?
My opponent is Aira, you know?
She might break her promise.
“……………………Oh well!”
Anyway, it’s only a hundred yen or so. It’s not a big deal even if I don’t get anything.
In the first place, I got ten thousand yen, so it’s a plus no matter what.
If I make even more money on top of this, I’ll be overjoyed.
I return to Aira with two bottles of soda in my hands.
“I bought–“
In an instant, Ryugo had dropped the soda and started running.
Aira’s face was blank.
Behind her, I could see a young man riding a bicycle erratically while looking at his smartphone. His behavior was clearly unstable, and he was riding on the sidewalk while being absent-minded.
And at this rate, he was bound to crash into Aira.
Assuming the young man weighs sixty kilos, the bicycle weighs about ten kilos, and the speed is an average of fifteen kilometers per hour.
If we calculate the impact force, it would be about four hundred kilos of damage inflicted on Aira. If that happens, it won’t end well.
If she’s hit in the wrong place, she could break a bone, or worst case scenario, die.
“Dangerous!!”
I grabbed Aira’s body and pushed her against the wall.
Ryugo’s back was hit hard by the handlebars of the bicycle the young man was riding while distracted, causing excruciating pain.
“Guh…!”
I endured it and glared at the young man. He seemed to have noticed me, but he rode away without apologizing.
“Hold it right there, you bastard!! Apologize!!”
I yelled at him, my head boiling with anger.
Riding a bicycle while using a smartphone is a violation of the Road Traffic Act, but I don’t think the police crackdown is very effective.
Ryugo himself hadn’t thought much of it until this very moment.
But of course, it’s a different story when someone almost gets hurt.
“You…”
I tried to chase after him, but my arm was grabbed.
“H-hey…! What are you doing, Aira!”
“You wouldn’t be able to catch up with him anyway.”
“But you were about to get hurt!?”
“Well, I’m fine because Watanuki-kun protected me…”
Aira’s cheeks flushed.
For a moment, I was captivated by her girlish and innocent demeanor and the irises of her eyes that swayed behind her translucent bangs.
She raised the corners of her mouth slightly and parted her thin lips like a flower bud.
“Thank you…”
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The moment I heard those words of gratitude, Ryugo’s head suddenly cooled down.
Why did I save this girl without regard for my own safety?
Well, of course, I would help a girl who was in danger.
But this is Aira, you know?
I can’t just stand by and watch.
That’s what the debate in my head told me, but I calmed down and threw all my thoughts into the trash can of my mind.
It’s no use thinking about it. My body moved on its own.
I pick up the fallen soda while feeling confused. I dust it off and hand the cleaner one to Aira.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Yelling made my throat even drier. Let’s drink it.”
The moment I opened the lid, there was a “pshh” sound as the carbonation escaped, and at the same time,
“Whoa!?”
White foam overflowed endlessly.
It spilled over and over, getting my hands wet.
“Oh man. Was it when I dropped it earlier… I did it…”
“Do you want to borrow Aira’s handkerchief?”
“Please. I’ll wash it and return it.”
“Here.”
It’s like she’s a completely different person, showing kindness so honestly.
However, her personality doesn’t change, so this must be Aira too.
I looked at my smartphone and saw that my level had indeed gone up to ‘6’.
What I got was ‘Attitude’ for ‘Son/Daughter’, ‘Subordinate’, and ‘Stranger’.
I’ve leveled up this much, but I’ve only gotten things I don’t know how to use. Today is definitely not my lucky day.
The sun had set a little to the west, but the scorching summer day was still in full swing.
Sweat dripped from my wide-open pores, but the cold air from the store’s air conditioner barely kept it from dripping down my chin.
I wonder how Aira is doing.
Women have more body fat and their body temperature changes more slowly.
I’ve cooled her down with the juice, but I’d be in trouble if she got heatstroke.
But those worries were unfounded.
“Whew…”
She leaned close to Ryugo, shoulder to shoulder, as if they were real lovers, not minding the heat.
She moistened her rosy lips with the carbonated drink and looked at the hustle and bustle with ease.
Still, she was sweating. I could see her pink underwear through her wet uniform.
“Have you found the person you’re looking for yet?”
“If I try to get involved, I’ll get yelled at like before.”
Just a few minutes ago, I offered to help an old man with heavy luggage, saying, “That looks heavy. Can I carry it for you?”
But he echoed, “I’m not that old, you brats! Don’t underestimate me!!”
and I retreated.
He was wheezing, but he didn’t seem to be in good shape at all, but I guess you can’t judge someone else’s self-esteem.
In the first place, it was suspicious to just say, “Can I carry your luggage?”
I’ve heard that there used to be criminals who stole luggage from old people that way. That kind of alarm reaction is perfectly natural.
Aira clicked her tongue in disgust.
“That geezer. I was being kind to him, but the way he talked was ridiculous. Isn’t that crazy? I hope he gets hit by a car and dies.”
“Can’t be helped. It’s not always gonna go smoothly.”
“But come on! You can at least choose your words! No need to yell!”
“You’re repeating yourself. Don’t dwell on the past.”
“But… aren’t you mad, Watanuki-kun!? Anyone else would be furious?”
“I should be, but I guess I’m calm because you’re angry than me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean… I don’t get it.”
“Just go with your gut.”
Explaining this kind of intuitive stuff in detail would only make it more confusing.
Besides, I can’t afford to be depressed just because I got yelled at once. I need to look at the bright side, like the old saying goes.
“Something about this…”
Aira spilled out, seeming more composed than before.
“I like it, this feeling…”
Ryugo didn’t miss the hint of joy hidden in her words.
She’s probably never had an experience like this before, where she and someone else had each other’s backs.
Even a devil seems to have a bit of good in them.
It was probably just the effect of the hypnosis, but he couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope.
Maybe if things kept going like this, he could change her.
He could purify her rotten core.
“Yeah…”
He replied, feigning indifference.
He had thought he’d finished sculpting the statue of Aira just a few hours ago. She was someone who never knew how to compromise, never helped anyone unless there was something in it for her, and even then, only if it was worth her while.
But towards Ryugo, her ‘boyfriend,’ she was at least trying to show some consideration.
Of course, if he didn’t show her any affection, she would still throw a tantrum, but she was starting to deviate from the character he had created.
If only she could always be this gentle…
“Hey, why don’t we stop helping people and hang out instead?”
Aira’s index finger intertwined with Ryugo’s.
Her cheeks flushed, and she beamed at him.
“Aira wants to play with Watanuki-kun.”
“Are you serious? I’m no fun. Why don’t you invite one of your other lackeys?”
“No. I want to be with Watanuki-kun.”
There was a flaw in Aira’s affection.
It was because her current state was the result of a hypnosis app.
–This is only temporary.
He scolded himself in his mind.
There was only one goal. To make Aira and the others admit their guilt and apologize to his best friend.
He didn’t need to think about anything else.
“No, I’m going to stay here and help people.”
“I see…”
But he couldn’t bring himself to be so cold-hearted as to let her down.
“But if you’re going to keep making that face, I’m going to have a hard time concentrating. I’ll play with you for a bit if I finish early.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
What a stupid thing to do.
Maybe it’s because it feels like I’m dealing with a little kid, but when Aira gets depressed, it makes my chest hurt.
I stopped overthinking and focused on the road where people, bicycles, and cars were all mixed together.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of my eye.
It was the guy on the bike who had almost crashed into Aira earlier. Judging by the plastic bag he was carrying, he was probably on his way home from shopping.
Despite what had happened, the young man was still glancing at his smartphone while riding. He had the bag hooked over the arm that was holding the phone.
That made it even more dangerous.
“Wow, that guy…”
Aira seemed to have noticed him too, and she made a disgusted face.
“He’s still doing it. Is he seriously trying to get himself killed?”
“He’s in the bike lane, so he won’t hit us.”
“If he came over here, I was thinking about kicking him over.”
That was quite the bold statement.
Well, I guess people like that never learn until they get into an accident.
The bike continued across our field of vision, and then,
BAM!
There was a heavy, metallic thud as the bike collided with something, and it came rolling back towards us.
“…Huh?”
The bike and the bag slid away from their owner, who was tumbling head over heels. Then, he skidded across the asphalt and landed on his side.
Bl00d began to pool on the painted surface of the road, and he was covered in it too. By the time he stopped moving, his entire body was scraped and bruised, and he looked as pitiful as a fallen leaf.
His right arm was bent at an unnatural angle and twitching.
Then, the smartphone that he must have been holding flew through the air and hit a pedestrian’s foot, causing them to cry out in pain.
SCReeeCH!
A moment later, there was the sound of screeching brakes.
A black sedan came to a stop, and a middle-aged man jumped out.
Someone who had realized what was happening screamed a moment later.
“aaahhhhh!”
Ryugo stood there with his mouth hanging open, stunned by what had just happened.
“Someone!”
The man rushed over to the young man and called out to the crowd, not knowing what to do.
“Someone help me!”
I had come here to help someone.
That was a fact.
But I never would have imagined that I would witness someone dying right before my eyes.
“Watanuki-kun. He’s asking for help.”
Aira said bluntly.
“O-Oh…”
Still in a daze, I walked over to the young man, intending to do what I could, but I was speechless when I saw his condition.
The extent of the injuries was unknown, but it was obvious that they were serious.
Not only were his limbs broken, but he also had a head injury that he must have sustained when he was thrown, as well as deep abrasions on his face.
He was lying face down, and his breathing was wheezing.
Judging from the Bl00d occasionally spilling from his mouth, there was a possibility that his internal organs had also been damaged.
In other words, he was dying.
It was true that I had wished for “an accident, but I never expected it to turn out like this.