"What do you want?" Kazumi asked coldly.
As the two walked to a deserted intersection, several men appeared ahead, blocking their path.
"Nothing much, just thought we'd have a little fun," a young man with bleached hair said with a smirk, stepping forward.
"If you come any closer, I'll call the police!" Kazumi took out her phone, pretending to dial.
"Police? Ha, I'm afraid it's too late for that." The bleached-haired youth clapped his hands, and several more men emerged from the shadows. Along with the four in front, they now surrounded the two girls—seven men in total, cutting off any escape.
Kazumi pulled Rumi behind her, glaring at the youth. "Who put you up to this?"
The bleached-haired youth exchanged glances with a particularly muscular man, then sneered, "Smart women never get married, you know. Don't resist, and come with us willingly. It'll hurt less that way. It's been a while since we found such a cute little thing. Maybe you'll enjoy it too." He ogled Rumi lecherously, while the other men joined in with lewd laughs.
"Rumi, I'll distract them, and you run. Don't look back, no matter what. Understand?" Kazumi whispered urgently.
"What about you? We should run together!"
"You have to listen to me. Once you escape, call the police immediately, or neither of us will make it out." Kazumi gripped her hand tightly.
Without waiting for Rumi's response, Kazumi said to the bleached-haired youth, "I'll go with you, but you have to let her go."
He laughed. "Did you think we'd let her off that easily?"
"Then go to hell!" Kazumi suddenly threw her bag at a youth on the left, hitting him square in the face.
He yelped in pain, and in that brief moment, Kazumi grabbed Rumi's hand, and they bolted through the gap.
But they hadn't gone far before Rumi was grabbed from behind.
"Ah!"
Both of them screamed simultaneously. Startled, Rumi reacted instinctively, chopping at her attacker's nose, causing blood to gush out.
She managed to knock one down, but the delay allowed the others to close in.
"Dammit, let's take them down and have some fun!" the bleached-haired youth yelled, clutching his nose in rage.
"Kazumi, run!" Rumi kicked another one of them back.
Kazumi looked at the men rushing at her, then at Rumi, gritting her teeth as she tried to sprint forward.
"Catch that one!" the muscular man shouted.
As if in response, more men suddenly appeared ahead, blocking Kazumi's path.
Her heart sank. She knew they were trapped.
"Brother..." Tears welled up in her eyes, terrified of what they were about to face.
Just as Kazumi was about to lose hope, the newly arrived men bypassed her and charged at the gang of thugs.
No one even tried to restrain her. Rumi and Kazumi stared in astonishment as the newcomers fought the gang.
"You... who are you?" the bleached-haired youth began to ask, only to be kicked several feet away by one of the men. He lay on the ground, unable to get up.
In less than half a minute, the thugs lay groaning on the ground, except for the muscular man, who was now alone.
"Who are you?" The muscular man fought his opponent, a seemingly unremarkable young man who struck with a force and speed he'd never encountered before. He himself was a third-degree black belt in karate but couldn't even defend himself.
He felt like he'd been tricked. Wasn't he just supposed to take down a girl with some kendo skills? Who were these men?
"Is it still not settled? Your opponent is a beginner," a man in sunglasses said, watching the fight.
"My apologies, please give me more time," the young man responded, intensifying his attack.
"There's no time. All of you, help out." The man in sunglasses commanded the other men.
"What? You can't do this!" The muscular man cried out as six skilled fighters swarmed him. Weren't they supposed to be experts? They were resorting to ganging up on him.
People can do wonders in numbers. In ten seconds, the muscular man was beaten until his face was swollen, and even his most vulnerable areas took several kicks. Who knew if he'd ever recover?
"Clear the area," the sunglasses man ordered, and his men quickly dragged the seven groaning thugs into a nearby alley.
The two girls stood, stunned, watching the scene as if it were a scene from an action movie, unsure whether to stay or run. Eventually, they watched the whole thing unfold.
"Who... are you?" Kazumi was the first to speak after regaining her composure.
The man in sunglasses hesitated, then approached them.
"What do you want?" Given their earlier experience, both girls instinctively took a step back.
The man, who had just demonstrated fearsome strength, removed his sunglasses, then bowed and said, "I apologize for frightening you, young ladies."
His respectful demeanor took them by surprise.
"Th-thank you for your help. Who are you, and why did you help us?" Kazumi managed to ask.
"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. Please forgive me."
Caught off guard by his answer, Kazumi paused, then said, "Regardless, thank you." She bowed, and Rumi followed her example.
"There's no need for thanks. If there's nothing more, we'll be on our way." The man gave a final bow, then turned and left, his companions following suit.
Only when they disappeared from sight did Kazumi finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her body felt drained, her legs trembling.
"Kazumi, why did they help us?" Rumi picked up Kazumi's bag.
"I don't know," Kazumi sighed.
If those men hadn't shown up, who knows what would have happened to them? The thought filled her with dread.
"Kazumi, let's hurry and go," Rumi urged.
"Yes." Seeing her pale face, Kazumi knew she'd been deeply shaken. She grasped Rumi's hand gently.
In an abandoned warehouse, the man in sunglasses questioned a man in a black shirt. "Did you find out who sent them?"
"We questioned all seven, and they all gave the same answer. Aside from the karate guy, the others were local thugs. They said a middle-aged man in a suit paid them to ambush those two girls. We're still investigating his identity."
"Find out his identity as soon as possible. Also, immediately assign more people to protect those two girls and Mr. Gennai's mother. Ensure nothing happens to them. Use force if necessary."
"Understood. I'll notify headquarters to deploy additional men right away. What should we do with those thugs?"
"Cripple them all."
"Yes, sir."