Stealing Spree

Helping someone in need. If this was before my change, I’d probably be the same as the other passengers; ignoring what was happening before my eyes and not caring about whatever fate awaits the woman.

I was never a hero to someone, not even to the girls I stole. Or more like, I never tried to be one. Every move I made was necessary and ultimately led to my own benefit. That’s why when the girls suddenly kept telling me how considerate I am and how they lauded it as my most prominent trait, it was difficult for me to accept that. And in the end, I probably forced myself to agree with them.

I was selfish. No. I am still selfish.

However, even when I told them about my opinion of myself, they told me to stand in front of the mirror and ask myself or they would bring up their contrasting opinion that was based on their own observation of me.

And among them, Ria and Kana were the only ones who somehow delved deeper than most of them regarding that mindset of mine.

I still remember Ria asking me a series of questions that would either be answered by yes or no. Then she formed her opinion based on the result.

As for Kana, while she centered her opinion on the more than two months of being with me, her mature side which was full of wisdom helped her sort out how my mind works. And in the end, she found herself slightly leaning, maybe only a step, towards the ‘considerate’ side of the scale.

Well, thinking about it. It’s also the same with the other girls but like I said, they didn’t probe me deeper why I was thinking that way. Although most of them argued that I shouldn’t self-deprecate, their opinions varied. There were those who accepted the flaw in my mindset and vowed to slowly correct it. And then, there were those who suggested that I should look or focus on how I am at the present rather than keep looking back on my past and be influenced by it.

So, there’s that. Like I said before, there’s still something broken within me. Not just my desire but also my common sense or just my behavior that’s really different than an average.

Anyway, back to the present.

Maybe if Juri continued in her slumber despite the current commotion, there was a possibility that I would also shy away from helping the woman. Much like most of the passengers here.

But that path was already closed.

Given that the woman already reached us and the look of desperation and hopelessness roused Juri’s sense of justice who immediately pulled her close for protection, it’s now inevitable for us to still worm our way out of this situation.

Maybe some would say that Juri was being stupid at this and there’s no merit in helping someone when she didn’t really have the means to protect the woman in case it gets physical. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but commend and scold her in my head at the same time.

Not that I would voice it out at this moment but it could be something we could talk about later or in the future.

The way she immediately decided to stand up and offer her help was nothing short of being reckless. Right?

In any case, the same could be said for me. I stopped her and took up the mantle she was about to wear. In my defense, while the woman was unrelated to me, I couldn’t let Juri be in danger.

And thus, the stage was set like this.

“Huh?! Are you being serious? You gonna act like a hero? Cool!”

After rubbing his palms a few times as though he was wondering how the woman managed to slip away from his group, the hooligan turned his in my direction, his expression as ugly as it could get.

He looked pissed, alright. But who cares?

His forehead creased and he twisted his ugly mug to appear intimidating upon landing his gaze at me. From what I could gather, he’s probably thinking about what kind of fool would stick his neck out to save someone from him.

Now that I got a clearer view of his face, there’s no doubt that he’s a junkie. He’s probably in his early twenties. He’s wearing a thick leather jacket and a white undershirt. Probably a sleeveless one. His muscles are well-defined, sure. Clearly, he’s on another level than the delinquents I took down recently.

But then again… I couldn’t feel any fear facing him.

His face which looked like it was already sent to ER many times over because of various bumps and scars from being swollen and cut was currently red.

Not the blushing red but someone who’s intoxicated by alcohol.

Nonetheless, with how clear his thick voice was, he was not drunk enough yet.

“H-hey, boy. Don’t play a hero and apologize. Hurry up.”

Before I could even think of how I should deal with the man, someone from the nearby seat addressed me in hushed whispers.

I glanced at the source and found a middle-aged woman who was probably concerned that I would get my handsome face smashed. Or maybe not. She’s just lamenting my stupidity to play the hero.

Ignoring that advice, I took a step forward, drawing all the attention to myself.

This way, even if the man decides to charge at me, I was already away from Juri and she wouldn’t be hurt in case I failed to stop it. I couldn’t care less about the other passengers though… They could be my cushion.

Upon seeing that I didn’t even falter despite his sarcastic remark, the man stood up from his seat.

Sure enough, he was at least a foot taller than me and his body build was almost twice my size.

No matter who could see this scene, they would definitely lean toward the man pummeling me on the ground without even putting up a fight.

“Hmm? Let’s see. Maybe I will play the hero. But you know what, I won’t try to talk you out of this. There’s no point.”

After weighing my choices, I decided on that direct approach. Talking was useless against this guy when at first glance, he already saw me as nothing but a fragile stick that he could break.

I stood my ground despite the shaking of the bus and stabilized my feet.

Putting a foot forward, I readied myself to take up a stance at any moment.

“Ruki…” I heard Juri’s worried voice from behind me but it was already impossible for me to look away.

With the distance between me and the man wasn’t really that considerable, I had to be fully prepared for him.

And as I expected, perhaps influenced by the alcohol he drank or he was just pissed at my response, the man immediately made his move.

At the same time as the other passengers let out their gasp at the quick development, I watched the man’s bulky figure zooming in front of my eyes.

I directed my gaze downwards, watching out for his feet to be affected by the instability of the floor. At the same time as that, I took another step forward to meet his charge.

As soon as I deemed him close enough, I bent my legs, lowering myself to dodge his swing before kicking the floor and ejecting my knee straight to his crotch.

Using his own momentum to enhance the impact, I grabbed onto the nearby seat to support my weight.

A moment later, silence ensued as I felt my knee hitting my target squarely. Then, the man who was like a bull fell backward with a loud, dull thud. His hands quickly covered the place that I hit.

And before he could scream out loud, I blocked my ears with my finger as I looked down at him. Naturally, I also prepared myself to follow it up and kick him more while he was down. That way, he wouldn’t need to get up anymore. I’ll knock him out before he could really become a threat to me… or us.

Like what I taught to my girls, the easiest way to knock a man down was to hit him below his belt and crush his family jewels. I put that into practice here.