The next day.
After confirming that Shiki had come to school normally, Roy left her school.
Although he didn't know the exact time when Kara no Kyoukai began, he could infer that it was very close just by looking at Shiki's age.
He had arranged for Touko Aozaki to keep an eye on Shiki's safety, but since he was here, he wouldn't just stand around.
"First, let's explore this city."
Now atop a high building, Roy looked down at the scenery below, then gathered his strength and leaped boldly to another rooftop.
It was a simple method like that of superheroes in movies, using magecraft to enhance oneself and then utilizing that enhanced physical ability for high-speed movement.
However, maintaining such a state for a long time consumed a lot of magical energy. It was unlikely that any proper magus would use their precious magecraft for travel, except for monsters, of course.
The Magician of the Second Magic could directly open a rift to teleport, while the Magician of the Fifth Magic Aoko Aozaki had a special fondness for this travel method.
Not only was it fast, but it was also cool.
For someone like Roy, who was an unconventional magical perpetual motion machine, magical energy was merely something that could be extracted in a breath.
He could summon as much as he needed.
Detection Magecraft: Butterfly Familiar.
While personally searching, he also didn't forget to conjure many magical familiars in mid-air, sending them to look for anyone in the city resembling Araya Souren, whom he would visit personally afterward.
As for why he didn't limit the search to just finding Araya Souren, the reason was simple, he had only seen part of the Kara no Kyoukai series through certain channels and only knew that the enemy was Araya Souren; he was unaware of any other specific information.
The intel he had on the other party was roughly, male, appearing around 45 years old, with long black hair, fond of wearing a black robe, and carrying prayer beads. He seemed to have some connection with Touko, so he could ask her for confirmation later.
In any case, he would explore based on this information; after all, the city's intelligence network had to be established eventually.
After a long time.
Standing atop a building, Roy continually observed the corners of the city through his familiars. He saw a lot and gradually deepened his understanding of the city, but he still hadn't found the information he was looking for.
It seemed that he really wasn't here. Was the other party hiding too well? Or had they not arrived yet?
Just as Roy was about to withdraw his familiars and leave, a sudden clamor erupted from the alley below.
Reinforcement Magecraft: Hearing.
"Miss, where's today's pocket money?"
"You've refused us for so many days. How about playing with us today?"
"Come on, we will take you to see a banana, kekekeke…"
The noisy voices reached Roy's ears; several boys sounded like they were talking to someone.
The tone of their words seemed a bit off.
At first, he thought it was just some unruly youth messing around in a box, but the next moment, he heard a girl's sobs and the filthy words coming from these little ruffians.
"Don't… stop…"
"Hey, you still refuse! There's no one here for the young lady; we can do whatever we want with you!"
"Hmm?"
Roy frowned slightly and immediately vanished from his spot.
...
In the alley below.
As the blonde punk was boasting about how to toy with the girl in front of his companions, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. Before he could react, a large hand appeared in front of him, followed by a violent shove.
"Ugh!!"
The tremendous impact sent him spinning through the air like an ordinary top, before he was slammed to the ground by Roy, letting out a single scream before falling silent.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Where did you come from?!"
Seeing their previously boastful leader knocked unconscious by this unknown young man, the other punks were taken aback.
This was a dead-end alley! They had left their friends at the entrance to watch, so how did this guy appear without a sound? And what about the cracked concrete beneath his feet?
Was it there from the start? It couldn't have been made by that slap just now, right?
Roy ignored the punks' questions. He casually kicked aside the blonde punk he had just knocked out and took a good look at the remaining thugs.
In Roy's eyes, this was just a chaotic, dark alley. There were six more thugs besides the unconscious blonde, with two watching the alley entrance and four surrounding him.
The thug in front was holding a knife and was in the process of cutting open the shirt of the girl pinned against the wall. The others were standing by, one counting money from a wallet while the rest brandished various weapons to intimidate.
Roy glanced at the purple-haired girl trapped in their midst, tears in her eyes, and narrowed his own slightly.
So, this was the situation... a local gang's extortion?
He had seen many scum like them when he was involved in the underworld of Fuyuki City, often teaching troublesome individuals a harsh lesson.
At least under his arrangement, no thugs were daring to cause trouble in the territory managed by the Fujimura Group.
But these kinds of guys truly exist everywhere.
Are the local gangs and law enforcement incompetent?
He stepped forward, looking at the thug with his hand still on the girl's neck, and said coldly, "Take your hand off her."
"You... who do you think you are?! How dare you order me around!"
Though intimidated by Roy's presence and the aura he projected when knocking out the blonde punk, people are social animals; sometimes, being in a group gives them a different kind of courage.
So they all stood together and confronted Roy.
"I advise you not to meddle, or you'll be dealt with too!"
"Yeah! Let's all go for him and beat him up!"
The leading thug, clearly bold, decisively pushed the girl aside and lunged at Roy with his knife.
This strike was aimed at Roy's waist and was intended to be lethal.
But he was too naive.
In an instant, Roy moved at an incomprehensible speed, appearing behind the thug, grabbing the girl's arm before she could fall, and pulling her into his embrace. He then seized the thug's arm with his other hand, and with a sharp crack, the sound of breaking bones echoed as he twisted the thug's arm, snapping it.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"
Unlike the blonde punk, who had been knocked unconscious, this thug was fully conscious and rolled on the ground in agony from the severe pain in his arm, completely losing his previous bravado.
Roy coldly glanced at him, devoid of any sympathy.
If it weren't for the girl still in his arms, he would have considered tearing the thug's entire arm off.
While he wouldn't go as far as to kill randomly, he certainly wouldn't hesitate to cripple them and cut off their ability to do harm.
Seeing their leader's arm broken in one hit, the other punks who had wanted to surround Roy were frightened and quickly took a few steps back, their previous arrogance vanishing.
"This guy is tough!"
Having always relied on their numbers to bully others, they had never encountered such a scene before. For a moment, they all shrank back, exchanging glances and not daring to make any rash moves.
At that moment, one of the punks crept up behind Roy from the alley entrance, holding a beer bottle, and swung it at the back of Roy's head.
"Die!!"
The girl in Roy's arms heard this sound coming from so close and felt scared, quickly shouting, "Be careful!"
The punk's arrogant voice and the girl's slightly tearful cry rang out simultaneously, followed by the crisp sound of the bottle shattering.
In the next moment, blood and shards of glass flew through the air.
But it wasn't Roy who was hit; it was his own head.
*Bang!*
The beer bottle smashed violently against the little punk's head and blood mixed with glass shards exploded everywhere.
The pain made him roll on the ground, and if one looked closely, one would notice a blue butterfly pattern in his eyes.
"It's not just an ambush... you even aimed for someone's back of the head. Do you know that if it were a normal person, a sudden blow to such a vulnerable spot could be fatal?"
"Are you really prepared to take a life with such a despicable act?"
Roy looked down from a high position at the guy rolling on the ground, then mercilessly lifted his foot and stomped hard on his face.
The powerful force crushed half of the teeth in his mouth and shattered his nasal bone.
With this kick, he could only rely on nutrient solutions to barely survive for the rest of his life; this was the punishment.
This bizarre scene completely stunned the remaining punks, as they witnessed their companion, who had just approached Roy, suddenly smash the beer bottle against his own head.
Cursed, too cursed.
The guy in front of them was so cursed it shocked their worldview. If it were just a street brawl, they might still flaunt their strength.
But they had never seen a scene like this.
Facing such a monster, numbers couldn't solve the problem, and they instantly lost the courage to resist.
"M-Monster!!"
The remaining punks screamed as they desperately ran toward the alley exit.
Who would dare to fight a monster? If they didn't run now, the fate of those two people was the best example... they would definitely be killed, absolutely killed by this monster!!
Regarding their escape, Roy merely cast a cold glance.
Run? Is that even possible? A group of punks more despicable than frog pee, their first action after making a mistake was not to reflect but to flee.
Do you think you can just run away? Is there anything that cheap in this world?
Watching them desperately fleeing, a cold smile appeared on Roy's lips, and then he slowly raised his finger toward their backs.
"Let me teach you what the aesthetics of a villain truly are."
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
The shattered glass on the ground buzzed, instantly endowed with powerful kinetic energy and shot out, piercing the legs and arms of these punks like bullets.
Another round of ghostly howls filled the air.
After this operation, although these punks survived, they paid the price for their actions, suffering severe injuries and disabilities and losing all ability to bully others.
With his personality, he wouldn't easily take a life unless the opponent was scum among scum. However, just knocking them out wouldn't teach them a lasting lesson; they needed to have their fangs confiscated and learn a lifelong lesson through their bodies.
"Umm... umm..."
Seeing such a horrifying scene, the girl behind him cautiously spoke.
"Did I scare you? Sorry, but this is the most restrained I can be."
Then Roy rummaged through the fallen punk's pockets and pulled out a wallet and a phone, handing them back to the girl behind him.
At this moment, the girl brushed aside her messy long hair, allowing Roy to see her face clearly.
The girl was very beautiful, not only with her lovely purple long hair but also with striking eyes that resembled gemstones. However, her temperament was somewhat weak, which was likely why these punks had targeted her.
But this girl gave him a familiar impression; he felt like he had seen her.
Moreover, the name written on the wallet seemed to be... Fujino Asagami?
Fujino Asagami... Fujino Asagami.
Roy indeed remembered this name, connecting it with her outfit and purple hair, as well as her delicate personality. He gradually recalled this special mystic eyes-user who appeared in the anime series.
He remembered that this girl possessed remarkable Jewel-Rank mystic eyes, but it had a flaw, it seemed to be a condition of pain insensitivity, meaning she couldn't feel physical pain.
However, specific information still needed careful consideration for some time. Could it be that he inadvertently saved a main character? What an extraordinary fate.
"Thank you."
Fujino Asagami quietly expressed her gratitude, lowering her head and cautiously observing this sudden mysterious savior.
"No need to thank me; I just happened to pass by and saw it." Roy patted Fujino Asagami's head and said softly.
"Be careful next time if you're alone, try to move toward crowded places. These despicable guys only dare to target girls who are alone."
Hearing a strange male concern for the first time, Fujino Asagami felt warmth in her heart and nodded in thanks repeatedly.
"By the way, here's this for you; it might help you in the future."
Saying this, Roy raised his right hand behind his back and traced a light blue butterfly in the air, giving it life and helping Fujino Asagami wear it on her wrist.
However, this time the shape was a bracelet.
Originally, Roy could not stand these lowlifes who bullied the weak by relying on their numbers, so he planned to intervene and teach them a lesson before leaving.
But since he encountered an important plot character from the Kara no Kyoukai, and given that she had some issues herself, he felt he should look out for her.
Moreover, he couldn't just ignore such a weak and kind girl. Leaving the butterfly would allow him to locate her at any time.
The small restriction he placed on the butterfly wouldn't be enough to handle particularly strong enemies, but it would definitely be more than sufficient for dealing with these small-time thugs.
At that moment, Roy suddenly thought of what the Count often said about his fondness for meddling in other people's affairs and the silly yet endearing comments made about it.
Perhaps it was indeed as the Count said... when he saw good people in danger, he would readily lend a helping hand. Even if the situation had nothing to do with him, he would still do his best to assist, and this hadn't changed even after his transformation.
No matter what he became, he was still himself.
"Is... is this really okay?"
As Fujino Asagami looked at the bracelet Roy helped her put on, her cheeks turned slightly red, and her voice became even softer.
It was the first time she had received a gift from a boy, let alone one that he personally helped her wear.
"There's nothing wrong with it; meeting is fate, and parting is also fate."
"Before I leave, may I give you a piece of advice?"
"Uh... yes, please do."
Roy glanced at Fujino Asagami's body, slowly raised a finger, and earnestly advised her.
"Although your life has encountered misfortune, please don't give up. Sometimes, simply being weak won't lead to redemption."
"Try to be a little more confident. Believe that at the right moment, you too can become the person you aspire to be."
Having said that, Roy waved his hand and prepared to turn away.
This was all he could do for now. He didn't fully understand the cause of her pain insensitivity; after all, he wasn't a magus specializing in physical matters, so he couldn't rashly treat it.
He had already taken some of her hair and a small amount of skin tissue while she was distracted. When he got back, he would have Touko help him look into this matter.
"Um... will we meet again?"
Fujino Asagami slightly bowed toward Roy and then cautiously asked.
"Yes, we will."
"I believe we will meet again soon, Miss Asagami."
After saying that, Roy smiled slightly and prepared to leave.
"You know my name?"
"Isn't it written on your wallet?" he pointed at the wallet in Fujino Asagami's hand.
As Roy turned to leave, Fujino Asagami called out to him from behind, "At... at least please tell me your name!"
A name, huh...
"My name is Roy. I'm a traveling magus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fujino Asagami."
He turned back and smiled.
Then his figure disappeared into the crowd.
----
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