I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 23: Sudden Turn and Crisis

“Kuroki, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“…What’s up, boss?”

“Look at this.”

“…!? Why do you have something like this…!?”

I showed Kuroki something. It was a single image.

The image captured the moment when Kuroki, surrounded by rough-looking adults, disappeared into the night streets.

“That injury of yours, it’s not just a regular injury, is it?”

“…I just fell.”

“A guy with your athletic ability wouldn’t fall and get those kinds of injuries on his face. Come up with a better excuse.”

“…”

After I said that, Kuroki turned his face away and fell silent.

“Already clamming up?”

“It’s none of your business, boss.”

“It doesn’t work that way. I asked you to run an errand, and if you got caught up in something because of it, that’s my responsibility too.”

“This is something I need to settle myself, so I don’t need your help, boss.”

“Is that really true? With injuries like that, it must be some pretty tough opponents, right?”

I had suspected something since I first saw Kuroki’s face.

The wounds were clearly man-made. Judging from his movements during practice, he probably had quite a few bruises under his clothes too.

And then there was that photo.

A junior who happened to be at a karaoke place saw him and took the picture.

She hesitated to call out to him, but the rough-looking men around him made her lose sight of him. I think she made the right call by not saying anything.

Those kinds of people usually make sure their violence stays hidden, targeting places covered by clothes.

For them to injure his face without caring meant they were either reckless lunatics who didn’t care about getting caught, or…

“Can you really handle this alone? Shouldn’t we ask the school for help?”

“…I don’t need that kind of help. I can handle it alone.”

Saying that, Kuroki shook off my attempts to stop him and headed toward the classroom.

Even though we weren’t that close, I couldn’t ignore a fellow dojo member suffering. I decided to take matters into my own hands, even if it meant being forceful.

—

After school, I followed Kuroki, who skipped practice, into town.

I lied to the club president, saying I wasn’t feeling well, but I’d apologize for that later as a necessary expense.

Kuroki headed to an abandoned factory a little off the main street.

It was exactly the kind of place those types would hang out in.

I reached for the kendo sword I had brought on my back for self-defense, just in case.

I decided to find out exactly what kind of people were manipulating Kuroki and what he himself was thinking.

Deep inside the abandoned factory, in a wide, empty space, those men were there.

“…Yo, Shuji, you came.”

“…”

“Did you bring the money?”

“…I ain’t got nothing to give to scum like you.”

“Hey, hey, you sure you wanna talk like that? You don’t know what’ll happen, do you?”

There were five men. The one in the center, wearing a leather jacket, with blonde hair and sunglasses, was probably the leader.

On either side were guys with mohawks and skinheads, looking straight out of some apocalyptic scene.

“We’re tight with the gang that runs this area, you know? Didn’t we tell you?”

“…”

“You caused us trouble, so you gotta show some sincerity, right?”

“””Hahaha!”””

“You’re the ones causing trouble.”

“Huh? What’d you just say?”

“I said you’re the ones causing trouble… Guh!?”

That guy…! He just kicked Kuroki hard in the stomach…!

There was no hesitation. That was the movement of someone used to hurting people.

“Man, kids these days! They got no manners!”

The man, who seemed to be the leader, kept kicking Kuroki repeatedly.

The others around him just laughed and watched, showing no sign of helping.

Kuroki tried to block with his arms or shift his body to lessen the damage, but there was clearly a limit.

“Stop it!”

I drew my kendo sword and jumped in front of them.

I couldn’t stand by and watch any longer…!

“Boss!? Why…!?”

“Huh…? What’s that, little lady? You got business with us?”

“Wow, she’s quite a looker, ain’t she?”

“What’s with that flimsy stick you’re holding?”

“””Hahaha!”””

These scumbags…!

But right now, getting Kuroki to a safe place was the priority over dealing with them.

I needed to buy time for Kuroki to recover enough to move…

“You his girlfriend or something?”

“…What if I am?”

When I said that, the man lowered the corners of his eyes visible under his sunglasses.

What a creepy smile.

“This guy’s pathetic, huh? Getting protected by a girl? Alright, change of plans. We were gonna use Shuji as a punching bag to blow off some steam, but…”

Saying that, the man pushed Kuroki, who was collapsed on the ground, with his foot and declared:

“I think we’ll use you to blow off steam instead. In all sorts of ways.”

A chill ran down my spine.

These are the kind of people you’d call lowlifes.

But I wouldn’t let them have their way.

I wouldn’t let them underestimate me.

“If you think you can, go ahead and try. You won’t even lay a finger on me.”

“Pretty cool, huh! You think you’re hot stuff just because you can swing a stick a little? …Alright, boys, get her.”

“Heh, you sure? Can we have first dibs?”

“Nothing’s more fun than watching a cocky girl like that sink into despair. Hurry up and take her down.”

“No holding back, then, huh!?”

Saying that, the mohawk guy lunged at me.

Sorry, but with such sloppy moves, I didn’t even need to swing my kendo sword.

I just positioned it.

That was enough for it to hit.

“Guah!?”

The tip of my kendo sword struck the man’s throat perfectly.

Even if it was a bamboo sword, getting hit in the throat with that force and hardness would make breathing difficult.

“One down.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

Kendo is about breathing. My father taught me that. No matter the situation, I must never let my breathing falter.

“You…!”

“No mercy now!”

Two came at me this time.

But with no coordination, just charging in, their numbers didn’t give them any advantage.

First, I swung horizontally, striking the open side of one, making him choke from the impact and stumble.

Using his body as a shield, I moved behind the other man.

The man who chased me in a straight line got tangled with the other, restricting his movement. In that opening, I struck his neck. That was the end.

“What… what are you!?”

“Just a high school girl who’s good at swinging a stick.”

I let my guard down, thinking this would be easier than expected.

“Boss, behind you!”

“…!?”

It was sudden. I hadn’t noticed a sixth man…!

He had a knife in his hand, and I barely dodged by twisting my body. However,

“…Ouch…!”

I must have twisted my body too hard, because I sprained my ankle.

This wasn’t good…!

At that moment, Kuroki quickly supported my shoulder and dove through a nearby door.

There was a staircase leading to the second floor, and beyond that, another inner door.

Kuroki hurriedly climbed the stairs, locked the door from the inside, and barricaded it with a nearby desk.

From the outside, it was hard to tell in the dark as the sun set, but this factory was quite large. The area behind the door looked like a sizable office, with several rooms visible deeper inside. It was perfect for holding out.

“Boss…! Are you okay!?”

“I’d like to say I’m fine, but I hurt my ankle. Escaping like this…”

“…Damn it!”

“Have you been here before, Kuroki?”

“Just once before…”

“Is there a way out of here?”

“…If you jump out the window.”

“Then it’s impossible with my ankle.”

“But…!”

“Listen carefully, Kuroki. You need to escape from here alone.”

“No way I can do that!”

“With my condition, I’m just a burden, but it’ll take them time to break through that barricade. The ones I took down probably haven’t woken up yet.”

“…”

“Besides, this place gives us some time even if they break in. I won’t need to use my foot much.”

“…What should I do?”

“Get help.”

“…Are you really going to be okay?”

“Yeah… no problem.”

“…I’ll get help right away. You better stay alive and wait for me.”

“…Obviously.”

With that, Kuroki jumped out the window behind us and headed outside.

Now I was alone.

What I told Kuroki was half true, half wishful thinking.

The barricade might get broken through quickly.

The guys downstairs might already be awake.

Sure, in a cluttered place like this with uneven footing, my injured ankle wouldn’t be too much of a handicap, but fighting multiple grown men in my current state…

For some reason, Ryu’s face flashed in my mind.

Hah, maybe I was finally losing it.

If, just if.

If Ryu appeared in this situation like a knight on a white horse,

I’d give my body, my heart, everything to him.

I might end up dying here.

Sticking my neck out with a misplaced sense of justice led to this mess.

There was a banging sound as they pounded on the door.

It seemed they were desperately trying to break the barricade.

If I had known it would come to this,

At the very least,

I would’ve wanted to give my first time to the person I love before dying.