TN: I'm sorry about all of my notes in this chapter…

Although it is daytime, the alleyway was just dimly lit.

In this gloomy atmosphere, there was a girl running like there was something in the air that she tried to escape.

It was a beautiful girl clad in uniform.

Even if she was running so that hair stuck to her head with sweat, even if she wore a painful expression, it did not refrain for her beauty. Rather, it was enough to make the viewer having a feeling of needing to embrace her. Or, for those with such preferences, maybe arousal from sadism.

This girl's breath became haggard. She is in despair and frequently swings around to worriedly glance to whatever is behind her. Whether it is due to fear or not, her feet get tangled and stop moving even as she wills them to continue onwards.

「Ah… no way…」

The girl utters a hopeless cry of despair. She is unable to relax because while she could only think about running away, she had gotten lost in this unfamiliar area and had run down into a dead end.

This is where the girl notices. That's right, she has a cell phone… Something that can contact the police and have them help… Why was such a thing not realized earlier…!

With hands that tremble, she searches around in her bag and takes out the phone.

But when she tried to extend the finger to 1 and 0, somehow… she begged her own hand to move, it had suddenly stopped obeying her commands… (TN: police in j.a.pan is 110)

「Too~ Baa~d! Ya were caught~… well well well? Ya trying te call te cops? That's a bad bad child」

「Oi oi, we are not doing anything in particular that is bad here, you know?  Well, maybe I will do something now, gya~haha!」

These voices that echoed were of unrefined, crude men, and they took the cell phone straight out of the girl's hand.

The girl bore a hopeless expression upon her face, and raised her hand feebly 「Give it back… give it back,  please…」 but she held no strength in the arms. It only made the men smirk, and they laughed more.

The girl who wore a school uniform was stared at, it was a gaze that crawled all over her body with perverted intents.

It was so intense that she could feel it, and her body became solid stiff. She asked herself why this has happened, but it was a question that she could not answer. Like usual after school, she had simply been on her way towards her home.

「Ara~ra, so frightened, so cute, naa~」

「Oi oi, this kid's seriously cute as h.e.l.l man, after a long time, one great beauty came, ne? Right, ne?」

「Ya don't have to be so scared ya know~. Wasn't that the reason we run after ya like food? I want ya to keep us occupied a little ya know」(TN: it is a word that means "to eat" but it can also mean "to have s.e.x (with virgin)" I dunno how to translate it properly)

「Uwa! But you are going to eat, right? Because right there is a delicious meal. Hiyahaha」

These mens' hair is dyed in various colours, and tattoos are kept on the upper arms which are visible from peering out the s.h.i.+rt showily.

Since the girl was just a typical normal girl, these men looked dangerous enough to her that she would never even think about approaching them.

They are surely seeing this girl as nothing but a prey, and is preparing the attack.

It's going to get violent…

When this thought appeared in this girls mind, tears began to fall from her eyes.

She is scared. She is unbearably afraid.

Help, someone help her…

But there is no one here in this dark alleyway who could receive this helpless girl's wish. Like a captured rabbit, the gourl could only tremble.

Yes, this is the moment I appear.

「What are you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds doing!」

My timing was impeccable. The moment when the men finally got close to Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori, I shouted and threw my bag that was aimed towards their heads.

This bag of mine, which fell to the ground, had collided with one of the men's head and struck his pierced ear which opened a wound that drew blood.

「o- ow…! …what… ?」

「Oi oi, what do you want boy? Because it's a good place here, you're a bother so don't b.u.t.t in ~yo」

At this sudden nuicanse, the men seemed a bit crossed. They looked back at me and glared.

The girl who was about to be caught, Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori, looked on at the spectacle like she could not believe what happened.

「She is bothered, isn't she? Get away from that girl」

「Aaa!? And who the h.e.l.l are you oi? A wannabe Hakuba no Ojisama yo, oraa~」 (TN: it's like a girl's ideal male fantasy prince charming type)

「I'll mess ya up, b.a.s.t.a.r.d! To a cool little guy like yaself there jus' no way I can lose!!」

The men that were disturbed, stood up and changed their target to me, they attacked.

There are four delinquents. And only one of me. In spite of being in this absolutely disadvantageous situation of 4 vs 1, I dodge the delinquents' punches, well more like I easily sidestepped the misaimed swings. At the same time, I manage to call out to Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori.

「Tsudzurigi-san! Run, hurry!」

「Eh… Etozawa-kun…? Why…」

「Nevermind that, hurry!」

She can't keep up with the situation, Tsudzurigi-san was shaken when I she heard my strong voice, it was wonderful! After her body trembled, her tangled feet once more found a way to move forwards and away from this place.

I confirmed that Tsudzurigi-san's footsteps became farther and farther away until they completely disappeared. Me and the men stopped fighting.

I could finally take a breather.

「Fuu, well, this person… it's a Betta, if I say so myself…」

「Good work, Kotaro-san!」

「Chissu!」

「Chissu!!」 (TN: チッス some abstract form of Konichiwa)

The men bow their heads all at once.

Well, it went roughly as I expected it to go. These badboys are the ones who have been hanging out in front of the station, and also, the ones who I had set Loyalty to 100 with my Rimokon.

And I had engineered a plan for these men to catch up with Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori, it all went according to the book. They all moved just right according to the scenario I had planned out.

In short, this was all an act.

「Even so, as expected, that's our Kotaro-sanssu! When you came to save her, even I felt the gooseb.u.mps-su!」

「Seriously impressed-su! Kotaro-san is a man-su! Kakkoiissu!」

「…ahー, that's enough already, guys」

「Ussu! I am sorry!」

「Ussu!」

「Ussu!」

When a man reaches Loyalty 100, this is mostly how they behave.  It's nice that they try to flatter me, however, something is already hot. Annoying. (TN: I must have done a mistake.. We never find out what is "already hot" >.>)

For now, my own event is going to start.  With the power of this Rimokon, I was able to exploit Loyalty and use it to capture Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori, it was easier than I thought… But, surprisingly fun.

But, first I need to have a word with the baddies who still has their heads down in a bow.

「"Wannabe Hakuba no Ojisama temeeー!?" Ha, didn't that really stink? Also, "I'll never lose to such a cool guy" wasn't that just too unnatural…?」

「So- Sorry… But, we said it for that child, s.h.i.+ori-chan? We wanted s.h.i.+ori-chan to see the goodness inside Kotaro-san!」

「Ussu! To help build Kotaro-san's appeal」(TN: not “exactly” what he said, I just can't figure it out)

「…whatever. I'll just raise Tsudzurigi-san's affection value gradually with the Rimokon. She won't mind it even though it's unnatural」

So, that is the completion of my event Part 1.

I nodded my head to the delinquents. Those guys will forever just be trash, at least do something useful for the society. I told them that, and went home.

As a sidenote, about half a year since that time, I laid eyes on an article in the newspaper to which they made an appearance that 「The admirable young who offer youth to volunteer activities」 and there were stories of how they were volunteering (though they still had that same old dressing style). Well, let's forget it because it is not related to this story. (TN: the author wrote that last line, not me)

The very next morning, as I am walking to school Tsudzuruki-san approach me.

「Eh, Etozawa-kun… Yesterday, I ran away, sorry… you… are you ok…?」

「Hm? Aah, they were not a big deal. So then, Tsudzurigi-san is fine? How troublesome, to get involved with guys like that」

「Yeah… very… it was very horrible…… that, I'm so sorry… that wound, it's my fault isn't it…?」

Around my face I have put an adhesive bandage.

Since I was not injured at all, this, too, was just part of my plan.

Tsudzurigi-san who is seemingly anxious is staring at me. Because of that, our two faces approaches each other. Behind long transparent eyelashes is a white skin. The eyes that were normally hidden behind gla.s.ses, now looked at me in worry and were slightly wet.

Hmm, she is cute. I want to kiss her…

But, I am a patient man. In this way, when I am fascinated by, and staring back into the face of Tsudzurigi-san, she must have noticed that we were both indeed staring at each other. That is why Tsudzurigi-san hurriedly took a step in a panic and left my side.

「Ah, I'm- I'm sorry… that… um… I…」

I suppose that she is not too familiar with a man, and that there were not a lot of cases where she had a chance to talk with a boy in such a close range.

I called upon my Rimokon and secretly confirmed Tsudzurigi-san's parameters.

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Etozawa Koutarou     boost 3/3

Tsudzurigi s.h.i.+ori 【CONCEIVE・MODE】OFF

Affection  ■■■■■■■□□□ 71

Romance .. ■■■■□□□□□□ 45

l.u.s.t ..... □□□□□□□□□□ 0

Loyalty .. ■□□□□□□□□□ 15

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Looks like Affection is 71 and Romance is 45, but they are still rising.

This Affection must be… friends.h.i.+p with a cla.s.smate, I guess. And is Romance value of 43 the level at which a cla.s.smate is starting to become an interest as a man, I wonder.

It would appear that yesterday's "play" had a moderate effect on her, given that the figures measured before yesterday's event were about 10 each.

「a, ano… about yesterday, I wanted to say thank you…  I was really glad when Etozawa-kun came to help me…」

「Nee, Tsudzurigi-san」

「Y, yes!?」

Tsudzurigi-san reacts when she hears my voice, interesting.

「Such an event happened yesterday. If you'd like, for a while, should I become a bodyguard for Tsudzurigi-san? Yesterday's guys might not limit themselves to just once…」

「Eh, um… that's」

「On the way home, we can just walk together. Ah, of course, if Tsudzurigi-san doesn't want to do it, I will not force her…」

「It, it's not that! Ah… that… if it's Etozawa-kun… then… I would feel relieved…」

That "It's not that" was really good, it was so loud that people around us turned around to look. Tsudzurigi-san was also surprised at her own voice and was a little perplexed. Her face was turning redder as she fidgeted.

Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to faintly see the parameters on the Rimokon. The Affection value and Romance value were slightly higher than before.

It made me wonder whether or not she liked me more because of this bodyguard idea. Interesting. Sounds like a little game.

Yesterday's event, coupled with this rise in the love values, right now this is a relations.h.i.+p between Tsudzurigi-san and me that is heading towards a set fate. Though, it was all based upon a faked stage.

So, from today onwards, I am going to walk home with Tsudzurigi-san every day.