Alex felt Lucy pulling him along. He glanced back slightly and noticed her pale cheeks had turned a bit pink.
"Heh, she's embarrassed," he thought, smiling at the corners of his mouth.
He let Lucy pull him further, only glancing back to wave goodbye to Suzy. Alex raised his hand and gave a light farewell wave before turning his gaze to the bar, where his new acquaintance, Mateo, stood.
Mateo winked at him in farewell, and Alex, with a crooked smile, nodded in response. It felt odd to receive such gestures from the guy, but since it was time to say goodbye, he found it acceptable.
Lucy, who was dragging Alex to the exit, was practically burning with embarrassment. At first, she was pleased that Alex had called her his wife, but when Suzy began teasing her about it, she felt uncomfortable.
Unable to endure the awkwardness any longer, Lucy decided it was best not to stay any longer — she certainly didn't want other girls showing up with a bunch of questions.
"It's all your fault," she mumbled, dragging Alex toward the door.
Alex heard her muted words and caught the note of reproach in her voice. He understood she was blaming him, but it was her choice to play along — he wasn't really at fault here. Although… maybe a little.
"At least it was fun," Alex thought with a mental smirk, allowing Lucy to lead him out.
As they stepped outside, Lucy was already preparing to voice her thoughts on how he had embarrassed her. However, deep down, she still felt a warm joy from him calling her his wife.
But before she could open her mouth, there was a commotion — it sounded like someone was arguing. Lucy turned her head and saw Rita squabbling with three guys.
"What's happened now?" she muttered, staring at Rita's back.
Alex, also hearing the noise, ignored Lucy's comment and focused all his attention on the trio threatening Rita. His eyes widened, and a pleased, almost mischievous smile appeared on his face, as if he had received a gift.
"Well, well, if it isn't my old acquaintances," Alex said, grinning with anticipation.
Lucy looked at Alex in surprise, clearly not understanding which acquaintances he had found here. She was sure he had no friends in this city except for Main's group and Gloria.
But as she looked closer, she suddenly remembered: these were the guys from the "Tiger Claws" gang they had encountered yesterday on their way back. Back then, Alex had shown them some "tricks" and taught them a lesson.
"You've got to be kidding," Lucy groaned, recognizing the three idiots.
Alex, still smiling, was already planning how to ruin their day again. Lucy immediately noticed — she knew what he was capable of. Yesterday, he had first chatted with them nicely, showed them tricks, and then beat them up badly.
"Don't even think about it," Lucy whispered, grabbing Alex's hand.
Alex turned his gaze to her, frowning. Those who knew him understood it was better not to try to stop him — every time someone interfered, it ended… oddly. Lucy felt a slight shiver as Alex looked at her with that cold gaze.
"Lucy, they're just idiots. I'm not going to kill them, just have a bit of fun," Alex said more softly, gently freeing his hand from her grip.
Lucy blushed as his expression changed from grim to tender.
"I…" she began, but Alex interrupted her.
He touched his finger to her lips, silencing her, and continued to look at her with the same gentle expression.
"No, no, Lucy. No one is going to stand in my way of teaching these fools a lesson. Not even the gods will stop me if I've made up my mind," he said, gently stroking her cheek.
Lucy's heart raced. What struck her most were the words about even the gods not being able to stop him. She didn't understand why he mentioned gods in the plural, but she was too captivated by his gaze to ask questions.
"And now, Lucy, be a good girl. You can either join in or just watch," Alex said gently, continuing to caress her cheek.
Lucy couldn't tear her gaze away from Alex's eyes, which reflected her own confusion. She tried to resist, wanted to turn away from his soft look, but couldn't manage it. Finally, giving in to her emotions, she nodded ever so slightly in agreement. Alex smiled as if he had just completed a difficult task.
"Good girl. Now let's go and greet our old friends," he said, gently kissing her on the cheek before moving towards the arguing people.
Lucy, taken by surprise, placed her hand on her cheek, feeling her face flush. The kiss — even on the cheek — caught her off guard. She had always seen Alex as kind and reserved, someone who preferred to keep his distance from people he didn't know well.
But now, watching his retreating figure, she felt a strange mix of embarrassment and warmth. "I'll ask him about it later," Lucy thought, but couldn't suppress a light smile. "Although, it was nice."
Alex approached the scene of the conflict with a wide smile on his face. His gaze was focused on the three men — Sawada, Hiroshi, and the third, whose name he never learned because he had knocked him out faster than he introduced himself.
On Sawada's belt, Alex noticed a katana that immediately caught his attention. He figured it might be a great reward for resolving the conflict. A plan to acquire it formed in his mind.
"As they say, if you don't have a weapon — take it from your enemy. In my case, from the yakuza," Alex smirked to himself, recalling a quote.
As he drew closer, the arguing parties noticed him and fell silent. In the quiet, Sawada didn't recognize Alex at first until his gaze fell on Lucy, who had followed behind. At that moment, memory returned — he recalled how this guy had knocked his teeth out yesterday.
"It's you, that bastard who knocked my teeth out!" Sawada hissed, pointing a finger at Alex.
Rita cast a surprised look at Alex, then at Lucy, who turned away, avoiding her gaze. Everything became clear: not only had Alex dared to return to the people he had insulted yesterday, but he clearly intended to play with them again.
Rita mentally noted his audacity and courage — not many would have dared to reappear before the gang members they had humiliated.
"First of all, I'm not a bastard," Alex said with a light smile. "Secondly, you should have said: 'This is the handsome magician who helped improve my smile by knocking out a few teeth.'"
Sawada and his friends frowned, their hands reaching for their weapons. But Alex, with lightning speed, drew his revolver and aimed it directly at Sawada. Rita, not lagging behind, also reached for her pistols. Lucy cautiously moved her hand towards her weapon, just in case the situation escalated.
"What do you think will happen faster? Will I shoot you in the balls, or will you manage to draw your weapons?" Alex said playfully, raising an eyebrow and looking at Sawada and his friends.
Sawada tensed, his hand frozen on the katana's hilt. He weighed his chances while the revolver ominously pointed at his most vulnerable spot. Sawada glanced at his comrades, hinting with his eyes at the possibility of an attack.
"Yesterday you tried to hit on girls, and today you're back at it? Doesn't life teach you anything?" Alex raised an eyebrow, as if perplexed.
Rita, watching the scene unfold, finally understood why Alex knew these people so well. Apparently, yesterday Sawada and his buddies had tried to harass Lucy and Rebecca, and Alex had knocked his teeth out for it. She couldn't help but admire his fearlessness, knowing that these guys were part of one of the city's largest gangs.
"So, Sawada, are you going to leave with your friends, or should I show you a trick again?" Alex asked with a smile.
Sawada, gritting his teeth in fury, couldn't say a word. The thought of drawing his katana and slicing Alex to pieces tormented him, but the revolver pressed against his groin held him back.
"Oh, don't grind your teeth like that," Alex winked. "You might need to be treated again."
Alex aimed to push Sawada to the limit so that he would lose control and attack him. Sawada's patience snapped, and the fear of Alex's weapon receded. All he could think about was splitting the person in front of him in two.
"SHINEEEE!" Sawada yelled, drawing his katana.
Alex grinned with satisfaction — his plan had worked. Seeing Sawada charging at him, he didn't even consider dodging. As the katana almost touched him, Alex stopped it with a swift move, catching the blade with his hand.
Lucy, witnessing the attack, reached for her pistol but stopped when she saw Alex holding the katana with his hand. Her mind was immediately flooded with questions — how was this possible?
"Hey, Sawada, didn't you have breakfast?" Alex asked mockingly, gripping the blade so Sawada couldn't wrench it free.
Sawada looked at his katana in Alex's hands with confusion and anger. He exerted all his effort to free the weapon, but it seemed futile, as if the blade was clamped in a vise.
"Let go!" he shouted in desperation, straining every muscle.
Alex only grew more amused. The situation reminded him of the legend of the sword in the stone, which only the worthy could pull out.
"Nope," he replied with a smile.
Then Alex loosened his grip, and Sawada was pushed back, but only briefly. Alex grabbed him by the hand holding the katana and yanked him back towards himself.
Sawada was disoriented by the sudden jerk and couldn't resist the momentum, ending up very close to Alex. Alex's face broke into a mischievous smile.
"And now, the trick," he said with a playful glint in his eyes.
Alex slammed Sawada in the face with the butt of his revolver. Sawada's head snapped back, and blood sprayed from his nose.
"Another one," Alex added, not satisfied with the result.
Lucy and Rita watched as Alex dealt with Sawada in moments. Rita even gave him a thumbs up, impressed by his speed and brutality. She was particularly struck by how Alex had stopped the katana with his bare hands, which could slice through metal.
Alex pulled Sawada back to him and delivered another punch to his face. This continued until Sawada crumpled to his knees, losing consciousness.
His head hung low, and blood flowed from his shattered nose and mouth. Seeing her friend's condition, Hiroshi and the third member of their gang went into a rage and reached for their weapons.
"You bastard!" Hiroshi shouted, aiming his gun at Alex.
Alex swiftly shoved the gun aside and gripped Hiroshi's hand, preventing him from shooting.
"No, I'm Mario!" Alex said mockingly, grabbing Hiroshi by the back of the neck.
He struck him sharply in the jaw with his knee, and a crack of a broken bone was heard. A few more blows, and Hiroshi collapsed unconscious. Alex turned his gaze to the last of the trio and, grinning, approached him.
"Well, now it's your turn," he said, not taking his eyes off the guy aiming a gun at him.
Alex slowly approached the last of the trio. The guy glanced at his friends, lying in pools of blood on the floor. One had a broken nose and knocked-out front teeth, and the other had a broken jaw. This sight made him tremble with fear, and his hands gripping the gun shook so badly that he could barely hold it.
He knew something terrible awaited him. As Alex got closer, the guy shut his eyes, remembering how Alex had kicked him into a wall last time. But this time, Alex had dealt with his friends in a much harsher manner.
Alex stopped in front of the guy and looked him over with a critical eye.
"Is he really from the gang? Can someone be this cowardly?" Alex thought, watching as the guy shook with fear.
Alex lost all desire to hit him. It would be too easy and boring. He even felt awkward thinking about beating such a timid opponent. Shifting his gaze to Lucy and Rita, who watched silently, he met Lucy's eyes.
She shook her head, silently indicating that it was his choice since he had started the fight. Alex sighed and looked at Rita, awaiting her reaction. She smiled and began to gesture a fist-to-palm motion, as if suggesting that the guy deserved a good beating.
Realizing he couldn't count on support, Alex approached and placed his hands on the trembling guy's shoulders. He flinched, nearly crying out in fear.
"Hey, listen," Alex said, giving him a slight shake.
The guy slowly opened his eyes, meeting Alex's serious gaze.
"You're pretty cowardly for a yakuza," Alex smirked. "Are you sure you belong to a gang?"
The question made the guy doubt himself. He remembered going through initiation and tried to pull himself together.
"Y-y-yeah, I joined recently," he stammered.
Alex couldn't help but smirk, shaking his head at the response.
"Alright," he said. "I won't hit you. Someone has to take your friends to the reaper." He removed his hands from the guy's shoulders.
Alex walked away from the guy and approached Sawada, who was still lying on the floor. With a deft motion, he flipped the katana into the air and caught it, examining the blade. Nodding to himself, Alex figured he could not only alter the weapon but also significantly improve it. He already had a plan for how the upgraded katana would look.
The guy watched warily as Alex took Sawada's katana but didn't dare say a word, fearing he might be beaten anyway.
"Tell Sawada that this katana is compensation for the inconvenience," Alex said, removing the scabbard from Sawada's body.
The guy nodded quickly and started lifting his friends, preparing them to leave. Alex observed the process and became curious about who this guy was.
"Hey, what's your name?" he called out to him.
The guy froze, turned around, and, a bit embarrassed, replied:
"Yuki."
Upon hearing the name, Alex suddenly recalled a popular joke about guys named Yuki being frequently pursued by girls with pink hair. A crooked smile appeared on his face.
"Hey, Yuki!" he called again. "Here's a piece of advice: watch out for girls with pink hair. You might end up with a knife in your chest, got it?" Alex smirked, watching Yuki leave with his injured friends.
Yuki stood still, puzzled by why Alex advised him to beware of girls with pink hair and what a knife in the chest could mean for him. Finding no logical answer, he simply nodded briefly in thanks and continued on his way.
Alex watched as Yuki and his friends disappeared around the corner, then turned his gaze to Lucy, who was looking at him with a strange expression.
"What?" Alex asked, tilting his head to the side.
Lucy sighed, unsure what to say. Alex had first joked, then beaten up two of the trio, letting the third one go with a mysterious warning about girls with pink hair.
"Not a bad way to solve problems, handsome," Rita remarked, cheerfully assessing the situation.
Alex glanced at her with a broad smile and gave her a thumbs-up.
"That was easy," he said, glowing with satisfaction.
Rita laughed at his reaction.
"If Lucy ever dumps you, feel free to come to me—I'll comfort you, handsome," she said, winking at Alex.
He quickly turned his gaze to Lucy, who was now watching him intently, clearly waiting for his response.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Alex wondered, feeling his lips twitch involuntarily under her persistent gaze.
Alex sighed, gathered his thoughts, and smiled.
"Sorry, but I don't think Lucy's going to dump me. She loves me too much," he said with feigned embarrassment, theatrically placing his hands on his cheeks.
Rita noticed Lucy's embarrassment and couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Well, alright. I won't try to steal you then," she laughed, looking at Lucy, whose face had turned slightly pink, though her eyes remained cold.
Alex realized that Lucy was a bit annoyed but didn't think much of it, knowing how easily she could be distracted. While they continued their conversation, Alex managed to learn a few interesting facts about Lucy and her work with the gang from Rita. But as Rita began delving into more embarrassing details, Lucy quickly intervened.
"Enough. We still have things to do," she sharply cut off Rita before she could finish.
Lucy didn't wait for a response, quickly grabbing Alex's hand and pulling him towards the bike. Shoving him towards the motorcycle, she immediately took her seat, waiting for him to get on the driver's seat.
Understanding that resistance was futile, Alex simply placed the bag in the weapon compartment and took his place at the handlebars. Starting the bike, he glanced at Rita, who watched their interaction with obvious amusement, already planning to share it with other girls who knew Lucy in the evening.
"Where to next?" Alex asked, turning on the ignition.
Lucy didn't answer. Her eyes briefly flashed, and Alex received a text message with an address. He raised an eyebrow in surprise but decided to remain silent, fearing Lucy might snap and attack him. Entering the address into the navigator, he saw that the destination was a Chinese restaurant.
"Hmm, handy feature—it immediately shows what kind of place it is," Alex noted, looking at the restaurant description on the app.
Without asking any further questions, Alex headed to the restaurant. He waved goodbye to Rita, who responded with a cheerful wink. Pulling onto the road, Alex increased the speed but, noticing that the ride was quiet and calm, decided to go a bit slower to enjoy the city views. He observed the buildings, people going about their business, and the hustle and bustle of the city.
Arriving at the restaurant, Alex slowed down and parked right in front of the entrance. Lucy silently exited and headed inside. Alex shook his head, turned off the engine, and followed her. Upon entering the restaurant, he saw a simple setting—an ordinary establishment with no frills. Behind the counter stood an elderly woman who, upon seeing Lucy, greeted her with a wide smile. Her face lit up with a warm, grandmotherly smile, as if meeting a beloved granddaughter.
"Lucy, dear, long time no see! You're getting more beautiful every time," the woman said, warmly welcoming Lucy.
But when she noticed Alex standing behind her, her smile grew even wider, and she raised her eyebrows, giving Lucy a sly look.
"Now it's clear why you haven't visited in so long. Found yourself a boyfriend, I see," the elderly Chinese woman said with a mischievous grin.
Lucy, already accustomed to Alex being referred to as her boyfriend, just nodded with a slight smile.
"Well then, sit down. The usual?" the woman asked.
Lucy nodded, and Alex took a seat across from her. The elderly woman shifted her gaze to him.
"And what will you have, young man?" she asked, giving him an evaluative look from head to toe and clearly approving Lucy's choice.
Alex took the menu but, not knowing what to choose since he had never tried Chinese food, decided to go with the simplest option.
"I'll have the same as Lucy," he said, placing the menu on the table.
The woman nodded with a smile and went to the kitchen. Alex met Lucy's gaze, who was watching him intently.
"Well, since I embarrassed you in front of your friends, I can answer a couple of questions as compensation," Alex offered, deciding to adjust to Lucy's mood and ease the situation.
Lucy raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by his offer. She wasn't angry with him; she just felt embarrassed and didn't know how to react to the situation. But if Alex thought she was upset, why not take advantage of it?
"He's the one who misunderstood," Lucy thought, a sly smile appearing on her face.
Now she considered what question to ask. She was most interested in which organization Alex had been part of and what he had done there. Judging by his abilities, it must have been a powerful organization.
"What organization were you part of before you escaped, and what did you do there?" she finally asked, waiting with interest for his response.
Alex was fully aware that the entire Main group thought he was a former member of some secret organization. He could already imagine their faces when he revealed that he was actually from another world or even another universe. But that could be saved for later; right now, he needed to come up with a plausible answer to avoid raising suspicions.
"Well, the organization didn't really have a name. My job was to prevent events that could affect the whole world," Alex said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
Lucy's eyes widened at his words. She clearly hadn't expected him to be involved in such global matters. What kind of organization deals with preventing world-scale events? And if Alex was so powerful, his methods might have been quite radical.
"Can you tell me more?" she asked cautiously, looking at him with clear interest.
Lucy wanted to learn more about the mysterious organization. Alex pondered how to explain the situation involving a bunch of losers without revealing that he had actually been killing gods.
"Well, before I met Gloria, I had to deal with a group of idiots who wanted to start a war for their selfish goals," Alex said, pulling out a cigarette.
Lucy tensed upon hearing this. She had expected something less serious, but not that Alex was involved in eliminating those who could start a global catastrophe.
"And what were their goals?" she asked in a tense voice.
"To summarize: the first one wanted to prove he wasn't worthless; the second sought revenge for the death of his lover; the third wanted to rise above everyone; and the fourth believed that war would help humanity progress. Oh, and the fifth was just a silly girl lured there by her brother," Alex replied, sounding a bit tired.
Finishing, he gestured to the cigarette, asking with his eyes if he could light up. Lucy absentmindedly nodded, still processing what she had heard. Alex had literally prevented a war, but now she was curious about another question.
"Then why was there a hunt for you?" she asked, trying to understand.
Alex exhaled smoke and continued, "It turned out that one of the organization's members was behind all these plans. He orchestrated everything to overthrow the leader and take his place," he said, shrugging slightly.
Lucy realized that Alex had interfered with someone in leadership, which explained the pursuit.
"And what happened next?" she continued.
"We fought, and I killed him. Then the boss—the leader of that idiot—showed up," Alex said with a slight smirk, as if the whole situation didn't bother him much.
Lucy tried to piece together all the details, but there was still a question left: if he had killed the conspirator, why hadn't the hunt stopped?
"So, was that woman the cause of your problems?" she asked, looking at Alex intently.
"Yes and no. We made a deal: any member of the organization I encounter would try to kill me. Either I would defend myself, or I would go to her and demand that it stop," Alex answered, recalling his agreement with Nyan-Nyan.
"Why would she want you to come back?" Lucy asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? I have no idea what's going on in her head," he said, shrugging.
Lucy wanted to continue the conversation, but they were interrupted by the elderly woman who brought their food.
"Here's your food, my dears. Enjoy," she said with a warm smile.
Alex thanked her and started eating. He liked the food, even though he had never tried Chinese dishes before. Lucy also began eating, but her thoughts kept returning to Alex's story. He had opened up so many mysteries that there were even more questions now.
After quickly finishing their meal, they decided to leave the restaurant.
"How much do I owe you?" Alex asked the elderly woman.
"Since you're with Lucy, I won't charge much. Only a hundred," the woman smiled.
Alex nodded and paid the bill. He saw that Lucy wanted to ask more questions, but he had no answers. He didn't even know what Nyan-Nyan wanted from him and had no desire to find out. All that could come later; for now, he was enjoying his new life.
After leaving the restaurant, Alex got on the bike and looked at the thoughtful Lucy.
"Where to next?" he asked, drawing her attention.
"There are a few more places to visit, then we can rest," she said, sending him the addresses.
Alex glanced at the route. It turned out there were not a few places, but about ten. He realized that he wouldn't have to deliver packages personally anymore and nodded, setting the route.
As Lucy sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he started the engine and headed towards the next delivery point.
To be continued...