"This is insane!" I shouted, nearly tearing up the pieces of paper. Reading that garbage made my entire vision go red.

  "This is bad, but now at least we know where to go," Shirori said.

  And then it hit me all at once.

  "WE NEED TO GO NOW!" I screamed, wasting no time before launching into a full-blown sprint. My lungs felt as though they were about to be set on fire at any moment as I tore through the forest. It didn’t take me long to reach the café area. Just beyond it, the bridge, I didn't remember seeing a bridge when I went with the girls, but that was thanks to Shirori's grand entrance.

  "Come on, legs! Run faster!" I shouted, swinging my arms up and down.

  I could hear Shirori and the others shouting my name as I kept running without looking back; every second wasted was another chance for that creep to be alone with Yuki.

  After what felt like an eternity of sprinting, I finally saw through the darkness the outline of someone, or something.

  "GET OFF HER, YOU BASTARD!!!!" My voice echoed, breaking through the silence of the night. Though I couldn't see his face in the dark, I could hear his evil chuckle.

  "Hahahahaha, finally you're here. It's time for you to di-" the guy started, but as he noticed the people with me, he froze. I came to a stop, assessing the situation. On the floor was Yuki, and though it was faint, I could hear her calling my name.

  "S-souta," she whispered softly.

  My brow twitched as the rage inside me intensified. "GET OFF YUKI NOW!!" I roared, rushing toward him without hesitation.

  "I can't do it yet," he muttered as I barrelled towards him.

  SWING!

  I lunged for a right punch, barely missing him. The moment he stepped away from Yuki, both Arisa and Shirori, who were not too far behind me, moved in to help her up.

  "Good, now it's just him and me," I thought as we faced each other.

  His entire face was hidden beneath a balaclava, and his head was cloaked by a grey hoodie. As he swayed left and right, his dark trousers moved with him, his hands raised in a fighting stance.

  Need I say that I, Souta Kannazuki, had no fighting experience? As I saw him adopt his stance, I realised I was in a world of trouble.

  But at this moment, I couldn't care less; my fury and rage drowned out any common sense. "BRING IT ON!" I screamed, rushing him.

  I lunged forward, my fist cocked back, ready to smash this creep's face in. But the hooded figure moved with unexpected grace, his stance bizarre yet fluid. His knees bent at odd angles, one arm extended high, the other low near his hip.

  "What the hell kind of fighting style is that?" I muttered as he effortlessly slipped past my punch.

  His counter came lightning-fast, a palm strike that hit me square in the chest. Pain exploded through my ribcage as I staggered backwards, gasping for air.

  "You think you can protect her?" His voice was muffled through the balaclava. "You can't even protect yourself."

  I growled and charged again, throwing wild punches that hit nothing but air. His bizarre stance and fighting style once again saved him from any of my punches. Every time I thought I had him cornered, he'd shift and flow around my attacks.

  "Stay still, dammit!"

  His elbow connected with my jaw, sending stars dancing across my vision. I stumbled but managed to stay upright, blood filling my mouth.

  Behind me, I heard Yuki's voice growing stronger. "Souta, be careful!"

  The thought of her worrying about me ignited something primal inside. "AHHHHHH!" I roared.

  I feinted left, then drove my shoulder into his midsection. The impact knocked us both back, but at least I landed a hit.

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  "Not bad," he wheezed, recovering quickly and dancing back into his strange stance.

  We circled each other, the bridge creaking beneath our feet. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting eerie shadows across his masked face. His movements reminded me of water, unpredictable, adaptable, powerful.

  I dodged a roundhouse kick, countered with a hook that grazed his shoulder. We were locked in this deadly dance, neither gaining a clear advantage.

  "Who the hell are you?" I demanded between laboured breaths.

  Instead of answering, he lunged forward with blinding speed. I stepped back, preparing to counter, when my foot hit a muddy puddle.

  "Wha, WHOA!" My arms flailed desperately as I lost my balance, my legs splitting apart like I was attempting the world's worst gymnastics routine.

  As I tumbled forward, my flailing hand caught the edge of his balaclava. There was a loud rip as I crashed face-first into the wooden planks.

  Through watering eyes, I glimpsed part of his exposed face in the moonlight: pale skin, the corner of his mouth twisted in a snarl, and something else... Something strangely familiar that I couldn't quite place.

  He slapped a hand over the torn section of his mask and backed away rapidly.

  "Just who are you…" I muttered, falling on my backside as the voices of teachers grew louder, rushing toward us.

  Shirori must’ve called the teacher while chasing after me.

  "This isn't over. She's still mine. The moment I get you alone, Yuki will be mine," he hissed before turning and vanishing into the darkness beyond the bridge.

  "HEY, WAIT! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" I shouted, doing my best to chase after him. After a minute of running, I couldn't go on any longer. The adrenaline and sheer rage that had fuelled me had put a strain on my fragile body.

  "Shit… He's gotten away," I muttered between breaths. Of course he would… it was me, so what did I expect?

  "Is everyone okay?!" A teacher shouted, finally making their way to Arisa and the group.

  "Yeah. It's Yuki. Whatever that guy did, it's messed her up. She's barely conscious," Arisa exclaimed.

  "S.O.U.TA…" Yuki muttered my name slowly, as if she were drunk.

  "He's fine. Don't worry; your prince is alright," Shirori smiled as she and Arisa helped Yuki up.

  "Wait, wait, wait. Maybe not prince; he's a friend… He's my prince," Arisa scowled.

  "Really? Still fighting over trivial things at a moment like this?" I muttered to myself as I walked back to regroup with everyone.

  "Right, first things first: we take Yuki to the infirmary and make sure she's safe. Then we can check the CCTV cameras to see if we've caught even just a glimpse of this guy's face." The teacher said as she helped Yuki back up.

  "I-s S.o.ut.a Okay?" That was the only thing Yuki kept saying as we walked back, which, to be honest, and I swear if Yuki finds out I said this, she'll kill me.

  But she sounded cute.

  The fact that she was worrying about me, even though she was a mess, made me happy and made this whole thing a bit more worth it.

  ***

  By the time we returned to the infirmary, the long, drawn-out process with the doctor, who, I swear, wasn't really a doctor, had taken its toll. She checked Yuki's eyes and reflexes, and then, after a brief pause. The doctor had a diagnosis. It turned out that Yuki was, in a way, drunk. Not literally, but whatever strange concoction she had been exposed to left her with a drunken aftereffect.

  "The attacker most likely put some sleeping medicine in her system, but it wasn't enough to fully knock her out," the doctor said, a smile that never reached his face curled. "It seems Yuki also possesses a strong willpower, and whatever, or whoever, is motivating her to stay awake must be significant."

  The moment those words left his mouth, I felt the eyes of all the girls lock onto me. Some, like Shirori, wore a shy expression; Arisa looked as if they wanted to kill me. And then there was Nao, completely clueless, poking Reina in an attempt to grasp what the doctor had just implied.

  "Hahahah? Why are you all staring at me?" I let out a nervous chuckle that sounded more like a question.

  “…”

  "Souta, what did she mean?" Nao finally broke the tense silence.

  "Let's just leave it, Nao," I replied, doing my best to steer the conversation away from the subject.

  "Sure… I guess, but I want to know…" She pouted.

  ***

  After some time, Yuki had recovered enough to sit up properly and speak without drifting off. At that moment, the teachers, along with Arisa, had left to file a police report about the situation, leaving me, the sisters, and Shirori alone.

  The girls made sure Yuki drank enough water and ate some food. At the same time, I had my head buried in my hands, ready to embark on a week-long training trip with Jiraiya to unlock a new hidden power that would actually let me protect anyone.

  "H-hey, Souta," Reina softly spoke.

  I lifted my head out of my hands and looked at her. "D-do you want something to eat?" She asked, holding out a plate.

  "Oh wow, these are my favourites," I said as I took the milk chocolate strawberry-coated biscuits and the sandwiches.

  "Hmm! These sandwiches are really good, and you can't beat these red chocolates. I don't know what it is about the red ones, but they hit different. Takes me right back." I exclaimed, digging into the food.

  What, you're calling me a weirdo for having a chicken and mayo sandwich with chocolate?

  Fight me.

  "I... remembered what you liked," Reina said softly, her eyes not quite meeting mine.

  "Hmmm, yeah, these sure bring back memories," I said, pausing for a moment before a small smile curled up.

  "Oh… so you've been keeping tabs on me?" I teased, giving her a playful smile.

  "NO! O-of course not! I-I just saw you have them before!" she replied, flustered.

  "I'm just teasing you, Reina," I said, but my words were cut short as our fiery redhead burst back into the room.

  Yuki, who hadn't spoken to any of us for a while, finally sat up. Arisa walked in, her expression hardening the moment her eyes landed on Yuki.

  I could see the fiery red of rage in her eyes as I gulped.

  "Yeah… this wasn't over," I muttered.

  DeadEndYuto!