"T-Thank you!!"
Liam furrowed his brows.
'Right... She's the main purpose of why I came here...'
He turned around and saw the woman standing while her head was bowed towards him.
"I... I'm indebted to you, mister. I promise to repay you back!"
Liam tilted his head by the woman's sudden exclamation.
"You don't need to do that."
The woman raised his head after hearing that. Her expression seemed determined.
"No! I... I will do it... I will definitely-"
"Okay."
"W-What?"
The woman glanced at him once more.
Liam stared back and smiled before he spoke again.
"I'll look forward to it." He looked at her slightly surprised expression.
Taking a closer look, she was a bit more attractive than Liam thought.
She had large pale-gold eyes, rosy lips, and her silky black hair flowed down just above her waist. She seemed to be at the same age as Liam or younger.
"Yes..."
Liam turned around and spoke.
"Come with me."
The woman heard him and was a bit shocked.
"What?"
"I'll take you to the town's terminal."
"Ah..."
It took a moment before the woman followed with Liam's steps.
"Ah, m-mister... What's your name?"
"Hm?" Liam stared at the woman with her fluttered look for a moment before he spoke.
"Don't call me mister. Our age difference is probably not that big."
'In the hospital, they called me a kid. Now, I'm called a mister by a girl who seemed to be of the same age as me... What changed?'
His gaze met with the woman as he faintly smiled and opened his mouth.
"It's Liam. Liam Keene."
"Yes..."
As they finally stepped out on the alleyway, Liam saw a familiar face after glancing at his side. It was his previous opponent, Enma Lee.
"Ah, was it Liam Keene?" He greeted Liam after also noticing him.
He was walking with his friend earlier. And they came from the direction of the gym. It looked like he did something before leaving.
'Like giving that old man his money...'
Judging by his calm demeanor, given by his movements and the way talked, he seemed to not care about their fight. Much like Liam.
"Yes. Enma Lee...?" He replied.
"Right. Is this the way to your house? If so, then let us go together. Although I might ask why did you hold back in our match."
Liam was a bit surprised.
He knew?
Liam paused for a moment before he made a brief smile. He also seemed a bit friendly towards him.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
Hearing it, Enma Lee chuckled.
"Look at this guy. Acting like... Hm?"
He noticed a woman behind Liam and trailed off his words.
"Aha. So that's why..."
"What?"
"You got to see your girlfriend, huh. Does she not know we fought?"
Liam tilted his head. He looked behind to see what Enma Lee was glancing at, but he only saw the woman that he said he'll accompany to.
'Why is her face kind of red?'
He looked back at Enma Lee again...
'Ah.'
...Then came his late realization.
"Oh, you're mistaken. I just met her today."
"Hm? Really?" Enma Lee seemed a bit skeptical about it.
"Yes. Three thugs tried to harass her so I helped her out of it."
He said and looked at his side, trying to point out something.
In the middle of the alleyway, Enma Lee saw two guys lying on the ground.
"Oh. As I thought, you're a good man indeed."
They chattered in the middle of the street for a few seconds until Enma Lee's friend suddenly spoke.
"A-Ah, sorry to interrupt you but..."
He seemed like he saw something bad and it made Liam and Enma confused.
"But, by any chance, are... Are those the thugs you are talking about...?"
Liam frowned. After immediately realizing the meaning of his words, he immediately turned around.
The woman beside him twitched as she also saw it.
10, no, 30 or so group of men appeared a dozens of meters away from them. Some of them held weapons, like steel bars or a baseball bat.
In the middle of the group, was a man with a lot of piercings in his face. He looked at Liam's group while smoking a cigarette. He was obviously the leader of them all.
'These thugs...'
Liam already expected the guy who ran away from him to bring some thugs, but he didn't imagine that it will be this many. Heck, he could even say it was the entire gang.
On the other side, the guy who Liam let to escape walked up to their leader and spoke.
"Ah, b-boss... Our enemy is just one guy, why bring all of us...?" He was clearly confused since he said earlier that he only needed five or more people to go with him.
"Oh, I thought you said, one gang. It's good tho, he looked strong. I might let five or more guys handle him... Hm?" The leader said as he breathed out the smoke from his cigarette.
He then narrowed his eyes as if he chose his target.
"And you also brought us a good woman. I can't wait."
Beside him, another man step in and spoke.
"Yes, boss, I can't wait..." The guy smiled disgustingly as he kept glancing at the beautiful woman on the other group.
"Hah? Who said she was going to be yours?"
"No, boss, you've misheard. I said she's ours. Kehahaha-"
"You a communist or something...?"
Back on Liam's side, Enma Lee started to move.
He looked at his friend and spoke.
"Hey, Jacob, take the girl and hide somewhere, alright?"
"Huh?! What are you gonna do?"
"Just do as I tell you to, but don't go too far just hide behind the wall. They might have put some other guys there..."
"Alright."
The woman also heard them as she turned around and willingly went near them before the two walked towards the alley.
Enma Lee stepped beside Liam and glanced at him.
'He is still smiling in this situation?'
Liam, who was wondering if he could test his strength towards these thugs, noticed Enma Lee near him.
'Is he already treating me as a friend...?'
"Why did you stay?"
"What you're gonna take them all."
Liam wanted to say that he was about to but decided against it, instead, he asked a question.
"Aren't you tired from our fight earlier?"
"So are you."
"Okay. If that's what you want."
After agreeing with each other, they walled slowly towards the thugs.
"HAHAHA-! Well, here, they come." The boss laughed at their courageous act.
"Okay, ten guys for each of them, alright? You just need to beat them, tie them up, and let them watch us do our feast."
"Yes, boss!"
As he ordered, twenty guys began to move and split up into two groups.
"Eh? You really think either one of them could escape from that many of our people. I still want to fight you know."
"God damn it. Why are you so noisy. Just watch will you?"
"Tch. Yes, boss."
Liam saw the twenty thugs moving towards them. He glanced at Enma who also glanced back before they continued their pace to walk forward.
"If they're still standing by then. I'm also gonna go."
"Oh? Our unmovable boss is going to go in the fight!? Interesting..."
THWACK!
Enma was already hit by either a baseball bat, a steel bar, or just a fist, so many times, but he didn't step back from his position and also kept striking back. By now, he already beat up 7 thugs.
On the other side, Liam, who just got warmed up, started firing on after only dodging dozens of attacks coming from all of his 10 opponents. In just 20 seconds, he already had beat up all the thugs without even having to exceed three blows. They all just fainted and collapsed in one or two attacks.
A few moments later, with Enma grabbing a steel bar to hit the rest of his opponent, the fight between them and the thugs ended.
After catching his breath, he glanced at Liam who tilted his head after seeing him.
Liam gave him a look that clearly said 'you're late'.
Enma smirked and spoke.
"You're ready for round two?"
Liam fixed his posture and replied.
"Hm. Since I saw that guy..."
He looked at the gang's leader. Since earlier, he's been sensing that the boss was a lot stronger than most of the thugs.
"Oh. Then I'll go to the guy beside him."
"Sure."
Just like that, the second round of their fight commenced.
Liam walked straight without taking his eyes off the gang's leader.
And the leader also noticed that.
"Oh? You're approaching me?"
He chuckled as he finally threw off his cigarette.
"Aren't you tired? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?"
Liam glanced back with a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"I can't beat you without getting closer."
"HAHAHA-! I like your attitude! Hey, perv, you go lead the rest of the guys towards the other guy. I'll go with this dude."
"Eh?! Did you just call me a perv? Fine, as long as you let me fight, I think I can forgive you."
The two of the gang also began to move as the other group.
Soon after, the two groups faced each other.
The gang leader's smiling face and Liam's cold demeanor, and Enma Lee's fight-hungry face and the other guy's expression that seemed to look down at him.
A game of strength was bound to start!