18 Chapter 18: Beauty Among Predators?

With an incredulous look and arms crossed, Nene questioned Kanade: "Seriously? Why?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Kanade maintained her composure in the face of Nene's expression and explained: "Perhaps you haven't noticed, but Reiji-kun is becoming increasingly popular at school. It has reached the point where girls from my class are sending him love letters — something unprecedented until now."

"Hmm..." Nene relaxed her arms, conceding to the fact, albeit reluctantly: "But, how are we going to establish this truce?"

"It's simple. We'll approach Reiji in a friendly manner, without conflicts between the two of us..." Kanade proposed: "If we continue to fight each other, we'll just make room for other girls to approach him. So, this is the best solution for both of us, don't you agree, Nene-chan?"

"Maybe..." Nene hesitated, then added thoughtfully, soon setting a condition: "How about we try until the weekend? If it's too difficult, either of us can end the truce. What do you think?"

"Perfect!" Kanade agreed without hesitation.

The two girls then shook hands, smiling at each other. Depending on the viewpoint, their smiles could seem somewhat sinister...

While Reiji was in the bathroom, oblivious to the events, Nene and Kanade reached an agreement involving him. When he returned, he noticed their interaction was somewhat unusual. There was something in the air that he perceived had changed during his absence, but he couldn't identify exactly what.

"Did I take too long?" Reiji asked.

"Not at all, it was very quick~" Nene responded.

"Nene-chan is right." Kanade added: "Reiji-kun, can we go to your house again today?"

'Us?' Reiji's suspicion intensified as he noticed the peculiar dynamics between the two, but as it didn't seem to be anything negative, he didn't delve much into it and accepted: "Sure, you can come over no problem. But just a reminder, I have work today. You can meet me at the café where I work at 8 PM or wait at my apartment; whichever you prefer."

"Can I see you working?" Kanade showed a special interest in observing him in his work routine.

Raising her hand, Nene intervened enthusiastically: "I insist too! Watching you work is truly fascinating, seriously!"

"You can come, just try not to disturb the other customers, okay?" Reiji instructed.

"Agreed!" The two girls responded in unison, their voices harmonious.

///

After school, Reiji went straight to Coffee Angel.

Once they arrived, Reiji spoke with Umezu.

Upon arriving accompanied by Nene and Kanade, Reiji had a conversation with Umezu.

Hideyuki Umezu, the owner, was made aware of the situation. He showed not only agreement in accommodating the new circumstances but also expressed visible satisfaction with Reiji's recent improvement. His work had always been competent, but there had been a notable improvement in his performance lately.

From early afternoon until dusk, the two young women found amusement and entertainment simply by watching Reiji work.

///

After dropping the two girls off at home, while passing near a narrow street, Reiji encountered a vaguely recognizable scenario...

Three men with malevolent features surrounded a solitary girl.

Such a configuration...

The girl, wearing a school uniform, had a modest stature contrasting with her firm build. Her countenance was of immaculate beauty, adorned with soft-textured skin as white as porcelain. Her black, silky hair framed her face with bangs gently falling to the sides. Her eyebrows were delicate and well-defined; her nose, small and subtle. Her wide, bright eyes emitted a warm glow, while her lips were the soft color of cherry blossoms.

"Understandable, the unwanted attention she attracts..." Reiji reflected, advancing cautiously. However, he stopped short when he anticipated the next act, possibly one of the most impactful scenes of his life...

"You are a true beauty, young lady... Stay here with us, we promise a night of pure delight~" said the man, savoring the liquid from a bottle labeled 'Beggar's DICK'. As he threw the glass bottle to the ground, his expression entered a state of euphoria, while the container shattered, spreading shiny shards across the pavement.

The two companions, armed with identical bottles, followed suit and indulged in the drink, intensifying their provocative behavior...

Throughout this episode, the young woman maintained a posture of cold indifference, watching them impassively.

"My God, your indifference only fuels my desire more~!" exclaimed the first to taste the contents named 'Beggar's DICK', wiping his forearm across his mouth before reaching out towards the young woman.

It was at this very moment that the most memorable event occurred, destined to remain eternally in Reiji's memory.

As he extended his hand, the man suddenly lost his balance due to an unexpected twist in his foot. This caused him to tumble towards his companion on the left, and during the fall, he desperately tried to cling to his friend while letting out sharp cries of pain. The intensity of the sound, reminiscent of bones cracking, indicated that this was no mere twist.

"Vick!" the colleague exclaimed in surprise, as he was abruptly grabbed. Before even processing what had happened, Vick, in his desperate attempt not to fall, clung to his friend's waist. However, his hand slipped in an almost surreal manner.

In Vick's frantic attempt to stabilize himself, his hand finally found something to grasp: the edge of his friend's trousers. Unfortunately, instead of stopping his fall, he ended up dragging down both the trousers and the underwear of his colleague as he collapsed.

And to greater embarrassment, due to the effect of the substance they had ingested, his friend was now exposed, with his private area in view and in a compromising state.

Vick, in full fall and screaming, twisted his arms in a way that defied normality, leaving them loose by his side as he plummeted towards the ground. However, in an ironic twist of fate linked to his previous action, his friend ended up tripping and falling seated, just as his trousers were pulled down to mid-thigh. And at that moment, the unexpected occurred...

Remember the classic game PAC-MAN?

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

A piercing scream, capable of rivaling the lament of a pig at slaughter, echoed through the air. The following words were spoken by the man before he fainted: "You ate my DICK!!!"

Blood flowed incessantly down the legs of the individual with his trousers down, while the other, who had fallen face-first, lay immobilized, after writhing a few times like a worm, apparently choking on something, with blood staining his face and spreading across the ground as he lay face down, curled in the fetal position.

The third man, paralyzed by shock, watched the scene with indescribable terror. His brain seemed unable to process the chaos unfolding before his eyes. The moment he opened his mouth, perhaps to express some thought, an unexpected surprise - a dark, disc-shaped object - struck his Adam's apple with brutal intensity, eliciting from him a guttural sound resembling a vomit, before shattering into countless fragments. Staggering, he took a few steps back before collapsing on the ground, resembling the texture of a marshmallow, while emitting choking sounds.

'A vinyl record?' Reiji observed, with his keen vision, and was able to confirm his suspicion before the object met its end in the man's throat. It was, indeed, a vinyl record.

Throughout the entire episode, the girl maintained her expression unchanged, a mix of coldness and indifference. After the incident, she simply walked away, crossing the chaotic scene without altering her pace, even casting a brief glance towards Reiji but without paying him much attention before continuing on, her hands casually in the pockets of her skirt.

"Impossible..." Reiji whispered, swallowing dryly.

The event he had just witnessed was disturbingly surreal!

'Who, after all, is this girl? And what has she done?' He could not dismiss a feeling of unease that her presence instigated.

It was inconceivable to think that all this was mere coincidence. However, try as he might to deduce and understand the actions of the mysterious girl, a logical explanation eluded him.

'Better keep moving.' Reiji reflected, casting one last look at the three men who, moments ago, had exhibited obscene intentions, now lay sprawled on the ground in a state that suggested a final fate...

Walking back to his residence, his mind wandered to distant memories of childhood, times when vinyl records were gradually replaced by CDs. His father had a vast collection of vinyls, and he remembered a specific day at the beach, throwing those records towards the maritime horizon...

With a deep sigh, trying not to get lost in the waves of nostalgia, he gazed at the sky, pondering a poem he had just made up:

'In the dead of night, under a starry cloak,

I witnessed chaos, the unexpected.

Between shock and silence, indifference reigned,

Under the moon, the fate of these men was sealed.

A disc flies, a fate concludes,

In the shadows of the night, a story is buried.

On the stage of life, each act a lesson,

In the dance of chaos, I find my song.'

Despite feeling a slight embarrassment about the poem he had just composed, Reiji couldn't help but laugh afterward; perhaps it was a way to mask his embarrassment?

Once at home, he dedicated himself to his usual activities of writing and drawing, endeavors that earned him five points.

'Now, how do I earn points through singing and dancing?' Reiji pondered. 'Perhaps opening an account on a streaming platform isn't a bad idea...'

Though he had never ventured into this arena, he had the experience of a friend from his past life who was familiar with the world of streamers, which gave him a basic understanding of the matter.

Reiji considered that he didn't need a massive audience; just one person watching his performances would validate his efforts.

'However, the quality of the webcam and microphone on my laptop leaves much to be desired...' He thought with a sigh.

To move forward with his plan, he recognized the need to acquire a high-quality webcam and an appropriate microphone.

For now, he proceeded to create an account under the pseudonym MobyDick. After setting up his account and selecting a selfie for the profile, he visited the site where he had posted his novel, which had already accumulated nearly 100,000 views, drawing a smile of satisfaction from him.

He dedicated himself to editing another chapter, which soon went live.

He then reserved a moment to advance the writing of the storyline for "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood."

Upon concluding this writing marathon, Reiji smiled with satisfaction as he saw that he had just written 8,000 words in an hour.

Finishing up his activities on the laptop, he stood up to do some physical exercises.

||- Note -||

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