Standing at the mouth of the alley, Uesugi Kazuki silently listened to the argument inside.
After listening for a while, it seemed Aya's mother wanted Aya to come home and stop wandering outside.
Upon hearing this, Uesugi Kazuki thought that if it was just someone else's family dispute, then it had nothing to do with him.
Considering that he had seen Aya staying overnight at school that morning, Uesugi Kazuki felt there was nothing wrong with a mother bringing her runaway daughter home.
It was more sensible for him to just go home early and contemplate the right path in life.
But just as Uesugi Kazuki was about to leave, he heard a sentence from the person he suspected was Aya's mother: "Master Ryudo has already moved into our home, and he will be very gentle with you. Do you understand what a great honor this is?"
Upon hearing that sentence, Uesugi Kazuki stopped his retreat. That sounds a bit off...
After listening to two more sentences, Uesugi Kazuki heard mentions of "Future Happiness Cult" and "cult leader."
Uesugi Kazuki felt he understood the situation now. He looked down at the bag of "study materials" in his hand and the umbrella.
Uesugi Kazuki felt it was time to do something.
Akichi Aya huddled in the alley, looking at her fanatical mother and the man next to her mother who was staring at her with greasy eyes.
The last time she faced this man, she was able to escape through a window. This time...
She saw the men and women following her mother and the one called Master Ryudo. They wore sunglasses, had earphones in their ears, and looked like bodyguards for a prime minister.
Akichi Aya desperately clutched the utility knife in her skirt. However, Akichi Aya hadn't yet decided whether she should stab the toad-like face of that master or plunge the knife into her own neck.
"Hey! What are you people doing here?"
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice echoed from outside the alley.
Akichi Aya turned her head and, through a gap in the crowd, saw a figure wearing two shopping bags on his head with holes cut out for eyes, a white shirt, and a jacket tied around his neck like a cape.
His attire instantly gave one pause, making it unclear whether he intended to rob a convenience store or steal a bicycle.
"This doesn't concern you. Don't interfere."
Before Akichi Aya could speak, two men in black suits advanced towards the familiar-sounding boy.
"You're bullying a girl, aren't you?"
"This has nothing to do with you. Get out of here... Agh..."
With two sharp cracks, before Akichi Aya could even see what happened, the two men in black suits collapsed to the ground.
"Since that's the case, I, as an agent of justice, cannot stand idly by!"
The young man with a shopping bag over his head raised what looked like an umbrella, yet also like a blade, striking a pose that Akichi Aya would usually find childish and comical, but at this moment, she found it incredibly cool.
"Companion of Justice! Masked Bicycle Rider, here I come!"
Upon hearing such a dramatic declaration, everyone in the alley, from Akichi Aya to the toad-like "Master," felt as if they were watching a tokusatsu show.
For a moment, an eerie silence fell upon the alley.
Ultimately, it was Master Ryudo who first pointed at the 'Masked Bicycle Rider' and instructed his bodyguards,
"You two, go deal with the problem."
After saying that, Master Ryudo, with a fake smile on his face, turned and looked at Akichi Aya with a greedy gaze.
"Aya, you're a good girl. Don't you want happiness? As long as you join the Future Happiness Cult, you will definitely be happy~ Why are you so resistant? Your mother wouldn't harm you, would she?"
Her mother, standing nearby, nodded like a bobblehead upon hearing Master Ryudo's words.
"Aya, don't be stubborn anymore. Come home with your mother."
But by now, Akichi Aya's gaze was no longer on the toad-like man or her mother, whose mind seemed to have broken.
Aya's eyes drifted past the smirking Master Ryudo to the alley entrance, to the boy with the shopping bag over his head.
Like a legendary swordsman from a historical drama, he swung the umbrella in his hand, either thrusting or slashing.
Each swing resulted in a man in a black suit collapsing to the ground, as if he held not an umbrella, but a true uchigatana.
Master Ryudo also noticed that Aya's gaze wasn't on him, but directed towards the alley entrance behind him.
Moreover, several thuds and muffled cries of pain did indeed come from behind him.
So, Master Ryudo turned around as he spoke, wanting to instruct his guards to go easy, not to kill anyone, just to beat them half to death.
"Aya, are you expecting that young man to save you...?"
The moment Master Ryudo turned his head, he felt something press against his neck.
Master Ryudo squinted and saw that it was a slightly deformed umbrella pressed against his throat.
And that umbrella was held in the hand of the 'Masked Bicycle Rider' with the shopping bag over his head. Behind him, his bodyguards, who were supposedly trained in some impressive bodyguard techniques, lay strewn about the ground.
Even through the two eyeholes cut into the shopping bag, Master Ryudo could feel the 'Masked Bicycle Rider's' smile.
"What was it you said she was expecting?"
Although his legs felt weak, Master Ryudo felt he could still hold on a little longer.
So, Master Ryudo mustered his courage and said to the 'Masked Bicycle Rider' who had appeared out of nowhere,
"Child, you are still young. Do not tread the path of crime. This is an internal matter of our church; even the police have no right to interfere."
However, the Masked Bicycle Rider was clearly uninterested in Master Ryudo's words.
Akichi Aya saw the Masked Bicycle Rider give a light, frivolous nod towards her.
"Hey, pretty lady, you're safe now. You can go."
So, Akichi Aya, still somewhat unable to process everything that had just happened, finally came to her senses. Clasping her school bag, she walked past Master Ryudo towards the Masked Bicycle Rider.
As Akichi Aya walked past Master Ryudo, he, still harboring wicked intentions, said to her,
"Aya! This is your last chance. Don't make things worse for yourself!"
Hearing these words, Akichi Aya instantly recalled everything that had happened at home.
So, Akichi Aya turned and looked at Master Ryudo.
The moment Master Ryudo saw Akichi Aya turn around, a grotesque smile appeared on his face, as if he wanted to say something.
The next second, Akichi Aya delivered a fierce kick that made Master Ryudo clamp his legs together, and with a wide-open mouth, he squeezed out a silent scream from his throat.
---
Thank you for reading this chapter!
If you enjoyed it, feel free to leave a comment or share your thoughts.
See you in the next update—until then, take care and happy reading!
---
Craving more chapters? You can unlock bonus releases with your support!
💎 Vote with Power Stones to Fuel the Story! 💎
50 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = +3 Bonus Chapters
200 Power Stones = +5 Bonus Chapters
300 Power Stones = +8 Bonus Chapters
Your votes keep the story going strong! Let's smash those goals together! 💥📚