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Chapter 69
Words counted-- 1500
Enjoy~
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"Then… can I call you by your name? You've been calling me Runa from the start," Runa asked, sipping her coffee to mask her embarrassment.
Aki leaned back, grinning. "Sure, why not? You can call me anytime you like—by my name, sweetheart, darling, dear, habibi—I don't mind at all."
"No, I'm good," Runa replied, cheeks flushing. "I'll just go with calling you Aki for now. But… for the others… maybe in the future," she added shyly.
Aki leaned in, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Then try calling me AKISAMA," he said, drawing out each letter dramatically.
Runa felt her cheeks heat up. "A-Aki-kun…"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no, that's wrong. It's sama, not kun. Try it again, Runa."
She crossed her arms, looking away. "No way."
"Why not?" Aki asked, his voice soft but teasing. "Afraid I'll get used to it?"
Runa shot him a flustered look. "It's… embarrassing."
"Oh, come on." Aki leaned in a bit closer, his face inches from hers. "I'm worth a little embarrassment, aren't I?"
Runa's eyes darted away, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her best efforts to look annoyed. "Fine," she mumbled, barely above a whisper, "Aki-sama…"
Aki broke into a wide grin. "Now that's more like it. I could get used to this," he teased, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
Runa nudged him with her elbow, trying to hide her smile. "Don't push your luck, ~Aki-sama~"
After a long chat, Aki and Runa stepped out of the restaurant. A chilly night breeze greeted them, and the city lights flickered to life in the darkness. The streets were still bustling with people.
Runa glanced up at the sky, muttering, "Wow, it's gotten so late already."
Aki nodded, stretching. "Should we head home, then?"
"Sure," Runa replied with a smile, falling into step beside him.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by a man stumbling past them, slurring his words. "Hey, miss, your skirt—it's flipped."
Turning sideways to see who the man was referring to, they saw his bleary gaze fixed on a young woman walking ahead of them. The man chuckled to himself, his face flushed from heavy drinking, while another man nudged him, snickering along.
"Ah… sorry," one of the men mumbled, before breaking into a low, creepy laugh. "Say, miss, where are you heading at this hour? You work around here or something?"
The young woman hesitated, clutching her bag closer, her eyes darting around for an escape. "I… No, I don't—"
"C'mon, join us for a drink," the man cut in, ignoring her discomfort entirely.
Aki raised an eyebrow, whistling under his breath. "Well, look at that. Flirting in the middle of the street. That's bold."
Runa's eyes narrowed, her tone turning serious. "That's not flirting, ...Aki- That's harassment," she snapped.
Seeing her get upset, Aki gave a playful shrug, teasing, "Harassment? Isn't that a bit dramatic? I thought girls liked attention from strangers."
"Yes, we do," Runa replied, a spark of anger in her eyes. "But there's a limit. Who wants attention from some drunk creep? I can't imagine that girl feels anything but disgusted. I know I wouldn't."
The men continued to pester the woman, their voices getting louder and rougher as they began nudging her toward a nearby alley. Runa's heart started to race as she watched the scene unfold. The girl looked around frantically, visibly uncomfortable, her steps faltering as the men closed in.
Aki, however, seemed relaxed, though his eyes sharpened as he took in the situation. He muttered to himself, "Wait… are they seriously trying to drag her into an alley?"
Runa's hand shot out, gripping his arm. "We need to call the police. They're really going to hurt her if no one stops them."
Aki raised an eyebrow. "The police, huh? I mean… technically, it's not our problem, but…" He glanced back at Runa, noticing the worry etched on her face. "Besides, that girl actually looks pretty fierce. I wouldn't be surprised if those guys end up being the ones in danger."
Runa shook her head, biting her lip. "Don't joke around."
Aki let out a small laugh, patting her hand. "Relax, Runa. I'll go and help her. You stay here and call the police."
"No way! I want to help, too. On above that… I don't want you getting hurt."
"Don't worry. I'll just stall them, talk them down until the police arrive. Besides, I'm not exactly the reckless type." He spoke lightly, though his tone was reassuring.
Runa hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. "Alright… but don't do anything stupid. I'll find an officer and bring them back as fast as I can."
"Got it, my sweet Runa," he said, giving her a playful wink. "I'll be back in a jiffy."
As Runa hurried off, Aki turned toward the alley. "Eh, isn't that…!" Aki's eyes widened as he noticed a familiar figure slipping behind the three men dragging the woman, silently following without them noticing.
*****
As I walked through the busy Tokyo streets, the night lights felt almost dazzling against the darkness. I'd only stepped away for a second to grab something. Just a quick errand, I told myself. But in a city this huge, even the tiniest detour can feel like wandering into a different world.
I barely noticed the man at first. He stumbled past me, then stopped, his eyes narrowing on me with an unnerving look.
"Hey, miss, your skirt—it's flipped," he slurred, smirking.
"Huh?" My heart skipped a beat as I panicked, quickly trying to check myself. But before I could react further, two more men closed in, surrounding me.
"My bad, my bad," the first guy laughed, holding up his hands mockingly. "Guess I was seeing things. But… you heading somewhere fun?" His words were slow, sloppy, reeking of heavy alcohol.
The two men in front of me exchanged glances and grinned, while the one behind me placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. I froze, feeling the weight of it settled there. Is this really how things work in the city? I thought, trying to keep calm as their faces drifted closer, the stench of beer hitting me like a wave.
"You… you reek of alcohol," I blurted out, wrinkling my nose.
They ignored my discomfort, smirking like they were in on some joke I didn't understand. "So," one of them asked, leaning in, "you heading to work? Do you work around here?"
What? Work? Do they think I'm an adult or something? I'm only sixteen! I cursed silently, feeling more trapped by the second. "Um, no, I'm not like that…" I stammered, trying to explain, but they just kept closing in.
"Don't worry, we can walk you there," one of them chuckled, clearly amused. His tone felt slimy, and his eyes roamed over me in a way that made my skin crawl.
'Wait, is this… flirting?' I thought, baffled. This was nothing like the polite greetings back home, where the only guys who even noticed me were the old men in the shopping district. The thought crossed my mind that this might be "city flirting," but it felt more like intimidation.
"Hey, hey," one of them said, reaching for my arm as I tried to take a step back, "we'll make sure you get wherever you need to go. No need to worry."
"No, really, I don't need—" I started to say, but he tightened his grip, yanking me closer.
"Just shut your mouth and come with us," he barked, his voice a sudden, sharp edge in the bustling street noise.
My heart pounded in my chest. "I… I have someone waiting for me!" I tried to talk sense into them, but my voice came out shaky.
The one beside me just laughed, "Oh yeah? Then they can keep waiting. Don't fight back now. It's a pain in the ass."
'What do I do?' I thought, my mind racing as they guided me toward the shadowed alley. Is this how Tokyo really is? The neon lights of the city, once so thrilling, felt distant now—like the city was just some illusion sinking into darkness. Their laughter echoed around me, growing louder, filling my head with the harsh reality of this "big city dream" crumbling.
Then I heard it—a voice, firm and cutting through the drunken haze surrounding me.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the men barked, turning around.
I looked up, and there he was—my fiancé, standing there like he'd known exactly where to find me.
"So, yeah… that girl's with me," he said coolly, his gaze fixed on the three men. Then, with a calm nod, he looked at me and simply said, "Let's go."
One of the men let out a low laugh, clearly unimpressed. "Get lost before you get hurt," he sneered, his fist swinging forward. But in an instant, my fiancé moved, twisting the man's arm with a practiced grip.
"Ah—ow, ow, ow!" the man yelped in pain, his bravado dissolving instantly. With a smooth motion, my fiancé grabbed a glass bottle from a nearby crate, bringing it down with a swift bang on the man's head. The sound of glass shattering cut through the alley like a warning.
I stood there, caught between surprise and something I couldn't quite name. 'Was he… really that angry for me?' I thought, watching him calmly handle these three without a trace of fear.
*******
Should I start adding supernatural by now?
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