Episode 42 – Searching For Optimal Solution

“Where in the world did you come from, Senpai? C-could it be that you have the ability to move around like Sora……?”

“Nanase, be quiet for a moment.”

–Nanase, who should have calmed down once, has fallen into a state of complete panic, perhaps because of the continued raging development. On the other hand, the bad guys have changed and seem to be quiet and calm in contrast to Nanase.

Apparently, they are concerned about my competence. It seems that the suddenness of the situation had taken its toll on them, as I had avoided them in a strange way.

“Hey kids, what are you doing here?”

“……”

“Answer me quickly, you idiots !”

At first glance, he seems to be seething with anger, but I can see the calmness in his eyes. Apparently, he wants to imprint a violent impression on us. Is it to gain the upper hand through fear? But at least they’re not getting through to me…….

“……Rattles.”

No, there was someone behind me who was really effective. I’m not sure how long it’s been there, but she grabbed my shoulder and peeked out at me. Or rather, the fingernails digging into my shoulder hurt me in a very unsubtle way.

“Well, if it turns out that you heard what he just said, we will be killed by the young lady. Let’s have a grown-up talk for now, shall we, kid?”

Saying this, a man with a wooden sword slowly crept toward me. In his right hand, he is holding the wooden sword tightly, ready to swing it at any moment.

In contrast, I’m unarmed on my way home from school, and behind me is a physically strong but frightened girl. Yes, I’m completely slowed down. The situation was, objectively speaking, the worst I could get.

(……Or rather)

I think I should just run away now. Behind me is a girl who would make a perfect decoy. Leave her here and escape on my own. If necessary, I can give her some kind of fetters…….

(Yeah, that’s it. ……)

That’s what I thought at the moment.

“D-don’t come any closer !”

Nanase, who had been in a state of panic all this time, suddenly began to speak forcefully. Perhaps hiding behind me had helped her regain her composure. In her hand, she held a cute smartphone.

“I-I’m recording the whole exchange. If you come any closer…..”

“Ha ! We’re not the kind of people who are scared of such things now. If you leave any evidence, me and my friends will be chasing you forever.”

“Ugh……”

“Forever.” She flinched at the words. The man saw this as an opportunity and closed the distance between us in one fell swoop.

(……Tch)

I was unintentionally distracted by her unexpected comment and completely missed my chance to escape. It was unwilling, but I would have to remove the disaster that befell me. I don’t like the idea of saving the girl behind me as a result, but if it affects me, it’s a different story.

The man who had closed the distance extended his left hand to us, the opposite of the right hand holding the wooden sword. It seems that his first target was me. In a sense, it’s just like a template that he is more wary of men than women and tries to make a move on them first.

No, it may be that he’s conscientious at the time of making a move on a man before a woman. If it were a normal opponent, it would be difficult for me to make a move once he has a woman as a hostage.

Well, even if Nanase was captured by those guys, I could go away, and in some cases, I would run away.

“……”

I focused my attention. I’m going to counter at the perfect time when the man’s hands are on me. From this position, the only thing I can do is a hook with my right hand or a kick with my right leg.

Since my left shoulder was unwillingly caught by Nanase, I could only deliver a half-hearted blow. Even if I wanted to check behind me, I no longer had extra time. That’s why…..

(And……2 seconds to go)

What is needed is extreme concentration. When should I move? Where should I strike? Even one mistake can be fatal. That is why I try to eliminate as many obstacle as possible.

(…..1 seconds to go)

At last, the man’s hand was about to touch my shoulder. I switch my attack method from a hook to a kick at this moment, because using my right hand may cause me to be restrained. I secretly put more pressure on my right leg, and then ……

Bang

“Ugh !?”

A beautiful kick smashed into the man’s face. However, it was a kick that was released from my left rear.

[ [What !?] ]

The men who were watching behind me were all shocked and their faces were stained with astonishment. Perhaps because something so unexpected had happened, strange voices were leaking out.

And then

(Is this guy for real?)

I calmly hide my surprise and analyze the phenomenon that just happened in front of me. Yes, I didn’t attack the guy, let alone kick him. The attack was launched from my left rear. The beautiful, straight legs are staying in the air.

“……”

Nanase kicked the man clean in the face. The man falls clean down with a bleeding nose and quietly passes out. The fact that he is still breathing suggests that he is not in any serious condition. I’m sure she took it easy on him.

“I-if you’re going to be rough with us, I’m ready for all-out war ! Please don’t underestimate my Senpai !”

If you look closely, you will see that Nanase behind me was extremely tense. I don’t know if it was because she was in danger herself or because she was trying to protect me. But Nanase was in a completely strange state of tension and her eyes were glazed over.

“T-these guys……..”

“Hey, let’s do this.”

The two remaining men came toward us with the utmost caution. There was no more caution or contempt. It seems that we have offended the adults in a normal way.

(You big dumb bitch……)

Frustrated that the plan I had envisioned had gone so far awry, I grabbed Nanase’s hand on my shoulder and immediately started running.

“We’re out of here, you idiot.”

“Eh, wait, Senpai !?”

Perhaps surprised by the sudden grabbing of her hand, Nanase is dumbfounded and makes a mess. However, she seemed to have picked up on my thoughts right away, and started running down the back alley at a speed that I couldn’t believe she was a girl.

“Hey, wait, you little bastards !”

The two men, perhaps realizing that we were trying to escape, left their friends behind and came after us at full speed. But it seemed that we, the younger ones, were running faster than them. We should have just run away from the beginning.

“I-I’m sorry, Senpai.”

“I’ll hold a debriefing meeting later.”

It seemed that this girl needed a lot of lecturing. I’m usually a person who is apathetic, but for some reason I feel strange when I see her. It was as if something similar had happened to me a long time ago.

And then we went through the alleyway at once. The bright light shines in at once, but I don’t care about that, so I started to run.

“Senpai, there are a lot of people at the station !”

“Well, that’s all I can do.”

If it’s around the station where people are piling up, even if those men catch up, they shouldn’t be able to get out of hand. If we’re lucky, we might be able to blend in with the crowd and scatter. With this in mind, we headed straight for the station. By the way, I had already taken my hands off.

(Can this girl keep up with my full speed?)

I was running without any hesitation, but Nanase was able to keep up with me without changing her complexion. This must be hard even for Shinkai. I thought she might be able to match Shinkai, but Nanase’s physical ability might be a little better than her’s.

Thinking about this, we kept running toward the crowd.