Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists? - Chapter 28: Do You Like Tailing? 5

Chapter 28: Do You Like Tailing? 5

Whether Sakurai and Suijou were on a date or not.

In the end, no definitive evidence emerged to prove it wasn’t a date.

Sakurai bought something besides the hairpin, but whether it was a gift for his sister couldn’t be confirmed.

Akaishi and Hachiya continued tailing them, but no further suspicious actions occurred.

“It was definitely a date today…”

Hachiya’s fair skin paled further, visibly dejected.

Akaishi, who believed it couldn’t be a date, began to feel uneasy, wondering if his guess was wrong.

He was almost certain it was about picking a birthday gift for Sakurai’s sister, but Hachiya’s anxiety infected him.

Hachiya peeked out from the alley, watching Sakurai.

She handled the surveillance, while Akaishi waited behind her.

In the dim, cluttered alley filled with trash and obstacles, they conducted a tailing far removed from Sakurai’s rom-com world.

※

“Hey, kid.”

As Akaishi vaguely imagined the birth of a legendary fighter, someone called out.

Startled, he froze and slowly turned toward the voice.

Five men stood there.

Their rough appearance and menacing aura screamed trouble—delinquents.

“Fancy meeting you in an alley like this, kid. What’re you doing here?”

The dim alley hid Hachiya from their notice.

Behind Akaishi, Hachiya was concealed by trash and a large air conditioner, a precaution he’d taken.

Absorbed in Sakurai and with trash muffling sound, she didn’t notice Akaishi’s situation.

“Hey, kid, we’re a bit short on cash. Mind showing us your wallet? Hand over the money, and we won’t make trouble. Don’t, and you know what happens, right?”

One delinquent pulled a knife from his waist.

“We’re known around here, kid. Come on, money.”

A man with a metal pipe approached Akaishi, his voice threatening.

Akaishi faced them resolutely.

“Get lost. I’m with a girl.”

“What!?”

The delinquent spotted Hachiya.

“This her!?”

“Eek, w-what!?”

The man grabbed Hachiya’s arm, slamming her slender frame against the wall.

“Ah…!”

Hachiya let out a faint, pained cry.

Aroused by her distress, the man brought his fingers to her face, gripping her cheek.

“Nn…”

“Pretty face up close, huh? Hey, kid, we’ll take her instead.”

“S-Stop… Let go!”

The man grabbed her wrist, trying to drag her away.

—But,

“Hey.”

“What?”

Akaishi seized the man’s hand.

“Don’t touch that girl!”

“Guh!”

Akaishi swung his arm, punching the man’s face.

The man, shocked, released Hachiya, who ran to Akaishi.

“You… Don’t mess with me!”

The man charged, but Akaishi tripped him, sending him face-first into the ground.

“Surround him!”

The knife-wielding man ordered, and instantly, four men encircled Akaishi.

“Take this!”

The knife-man rushed him.

Akaishi raised his backpack, and the knife plunged deep into it.

“What…!”

Seizing the man’s moment of shock, Akaishi pushed him back with the backpack.

The man stumbled, tripped over another, and crashed head-first, passing out.

“Don’t mess with us!”

“Know your place!”

Another swung a pipe, which Akaishi narrowly dodged.

“Tch! Slippery bastard!”

The man swung harder, overextending.

Akaishi, calculating positions, ducked, and the pipe hit the man diagonally across from him.

“Gah…”

“Crap!”

The shock of hitting his ally froze the man.

Akaishi didn’t miss it.

He kicked the man’s hand, sending the pipe flying.

Tripping the disarmed man’s unsteady legs, he fell.

“Your feet are wide open.”

“Ah!”

The man crashed back-first, grimacing in pain.

“Hey…”

Having taken down three of the five, Akaishi turned to the voice.

“Help… Akaishi…”

The knife-man and the pipe-hit man held Hachiya hostage.

“Scum…”

“You little brat.”

“Don’t move.”

The man beside Hachiya drew a knife, slowly approaching Akaishi.

“Damn…”

“Here’s the slaughter show!”

Showing slimy teeth, the man raised the knife, swinging it toward Akaishi’s head.

“Akaishi—!”

Hachiya’s scream echoed.

Whip.

A sound like slicing wind struck Hachiya’s ears.

“Argh!”

Hachiya turned to see the knife-man’s nose bent.

Stunned, she worried for Akaishi.

“Akaishi…!”

“…”

Akaishi was unscathed.

“Ow, it hurts, Mom…”

At his feet, a man clutched his hand, writhing.

“What… What happened…?”

As Hachiya stood dazed, Akaishi ran to her.

“Explain later, run!”

“Huh…!”

Akaishi grabbed her hand, and they fled.

“Hey, what just happened!?”

Hachiya demanded answers for Akaishi’s comeback.

“When he swung the knife, I kicked a big stone at my feet. It hit the guy behind you.”

“That was you…?”

The sound and the man’s broken nose clicked.

“And the guy on the ground…?”

“I cracked a few finger joints when the knife came down. After seeing the guy behind you fall, of course.”

“Oh… Akaishi…”

“Well… I didn’t come out fine.”

Akaishi showed his torn backpack, smiling awkwardly.

Hachiya saw his hidden strength.

In her crisis, Akaishi unleashed power he didn’t know he had. He was that strong in a fight.

Against five delinquents, he emerged unscathed.

“Thank you…”

Tears in her eyes, Hachiya looked at Akaishi.

Her eyes glowed with affection.

Her cheeks flushed, and she realized.

Oh… I love Akaishi, so much.

She felt overwhelming love for the boy who saved her.

It was Akaishi she loved all along… She blushed, ashamed of her mistake.

Looking at her hand, still held, she squirmed with embarrassment.

“Akaishi…”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Realizing her growing love, Hachiya ran through the night.

※

—That didn’t happen. It couldn’t have.

A fantasy, delusion, imagination, fleeting dream. An impossible future.

It was nothing but an illusion.

A powerless boy, suddenly attacked by five delinquents, saving the heroine unscathed.

The heroine, falling for the boy who saved her.

That couldn’t happen.

No matter how much he cared, he couldn’t surpass his limits or defeat five delinquents barehanded.

Such a convenient rom-com scenario never occurred.