23 Chapter 23: On the Edge: The Rescue of Mika

With ghostly and silent agility, Reiji sprang into action.

Approaching the blond aggressor from behind, Reiji grabbed him by the nape and lifted him off the ground, pulling him away from Mika Uehara with a fluid motion that made the blond flail in the air.

Mika remained surprised for a moment as she saw the aggressor being removed from atop her, before noticing Reiji's imposing presence behind the young blond.

"Are you all right, Miss Uehara?" Reiji inquired, maintaining his firm grip on the blond's neck.

Mika just stared at him, shocked by the intervention.

"This hurts, you idiot..." the blond, despite the situation, found the strength to insult.

Reiji then flung the blond toward the wall with the carelessness of someone tossing a toy, remaining indifferent to the insults. The young blond managed to rotate his body in time, hitting the wall sideways instead of head-on.

*Bang!*

The sound of the impact reverberated through the environment.

In pain, especially in the shoulder and leg that hit the wall, the blond struggled to stay on his feet, staring at Reiji with hatred.

"You... you bastard, do you have any idea who I am..."

However, his effort was futile, and he ended up collapsing on the floor, still fixing Reiji with a furious glare.

"A perverted fool?" Reiji mocked, adding: "And you, do you know who I am?"

Moving closer, Reiji crouched in front of the young blond, staring him down with a merciless smile.

"You're Reiji Matsuoka, right? Hahaha, maybe I would have been scared of you before, but now?" The blond laughed scornfully. "Before, your family had more money than mine, but now your mother has turned into a drug-addicted prostitute and your father, a drunken pimp; am I right, aren't I?"

The blond's face displayed a provocative and mocking smile.

However, his words and provocative tone did not intimidate Reiji. On the contrary, they only made his smile grow darker as he whispered into the blond's ear: "Yes, you got it right, that's me – the one who lost everything and has nothing to lose. Imagine if I decided to carve you up right here and now, or do something even worse to you, like you intended to do to that girl, obviously using your little paper-soiling machine... what more would I have to lose?"

For a moment, the young blond felt genuine fear, a terror that threatened to completely paralyze him.

He recognized the truth in Reiji's words: what could someone who had already lost everything possibly lose? And considering the strength that Reiji had shown, it wouldn't be difficult for him to carry out any of the threats he had mentioned, would it?

"M-Man, we used to play together... R-Remember, when we were kids?" The blond attempted to evoke memories of the past in a desperate plea for emotional appeal. "I-I spoke without thinking, I wasn't serious, please forgive me, okay?"

Mika, who couldn't hear what Reiji whispered into the blond's ear, was surprised to see such a reaction full of fear and desperation. She couldn't even imagine what Reiji might have said to frighten someone usually so arrogant and confident.

Reiji stood up and, with a gesture of disdain, pretended he was going to leave. However, to the blond's misfortune, Reiji performed an agile move: he spun on one foot and with the other extended in a sweeping air strike, like pliers cutting through the wind and producing a loud noise, and then he hit the blond's chest with the sole of his foot in a powerful smack.

*Smack!*

"Ahhhhhh!" The blond's scream sounded almost surreal, his eyes looked ready to pop as he lay on the ground, curled up in a fetal position, trembling violently - it was clear he was no longer able to stand.

Reiji's threat rang in the blond's ears with infernal coldness, as if coming directly from the depths of hell: "Don't test me. If you try anything against me, I swear I will do exactly what I promised."

Reiji crouched down again next to the blond, who was spitting blood, and touched his face with an imposing gesture, asking in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Do you understand? If you do, nod your head now."

With no alternative, the blond confirmed with a nod of his head.

After all, who would have the audacity to challenge someone again who had proven to be so relentless and had nothing to lose?

As for Mika Uehara? To hell with it; as he himself admitted, winning someone like her over would be easy. In the end, his irritation was more about the embarrassment he felt because of her. But, faced with the possibility of encountering Reiji's fury, he preferred to swallow his pride rather than risk a confrontation.

"Great." Reiji let out a sinister smile, followed by a chilling laugh. "I hope you keep your word, heh~"

Reiji's muffled laughter echoed strangely, sending chills down Mika's spine, making her instinctively shrink.

Then, Reiji turned to Mika.

"Let's leave him be. He can sort himself out when he feels better," Reiji said as he approached her.

Mika automatically agreed, unable to articulate words, still shaken by what she had just witnessed.

Without delay, Reiji led Uehara away from the tumultuous scene, casting one final, threatening glance at the blond, who shrank under the weight of that look.

Their apartment was nearby, and Mika lived on the first floor, benefiting from the convenience of being the daughter of the owner.

Arriving at the door, Reiji noticed Mika's difficulty in inserting the key into the lock; her hands were shaking too much.

Observing this, he rearranged the bags in one hand and, with his free hand, took the key from her.

"Let me do it."

With careful movements, he opened the door for her and asked, "Is your mother home?"

"She's not here today..." Mika responded in a weak voice.

"Then call her. And try to drink some hot water. Putting on some music might help you calm down," Reiji suggested in a softer voice, a stark contrast to his demeanor during the confrontation with the blond.

Concerned but having done what he could, and knowing that Nene and Kanade were waiting for him, he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

It was then that Mika called out to him.

Turning to her, Reiji caught the expression of distress on her face and noted that she was still shaking significantly. Sighing, he had an idea of what she was about to ask next.

"Could you... stay for a while?" Mika proposed, hesitantly.

Mika questioned her own sanity for making such a request. Despite the recent frightening incident and her desire for company that would soothe her, she was aware of Reiji's playboy reputation and, despite his surprising transformation over the past few days to the point of being almost unrecognizable; her initial impression of him had not been positive, leaving her with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

To her surprise, her concerns were unnecessary.

After being invited to enter, Reiji behaved respectfully and without any inappropriate insinuations, keeping his distance and calm.

She prepared tea for him before washing her face and changing clothes. Upon returning, she found Reiji exactly as she had left him, quietly consuming his tea.

"Maybe he really is a decent person." Reflecting on how he had rescued her at a crucial moment, Mika felt embarrassed for having suspected him earlier.

"Your face... it's swollen," Reiji observed, before asking, "Do you have a first aid kit? I can take care of it for you."

Now that he had been invited to enter and assist until she calmed down, he considered it appropriate to offer more comprehensive help...

Mika handed the first aid kit to Reiji, who examined its contents. With skill, he used cotton swabs and antiseptic to carefully clean her face, followed by the application of medication and dressings.

Throughout the process, a silence reigned between them.

This silence, instead of being awkward, served to calm Mika, who felt her heart settle down.

"It's nothing serious; you should be fine after a night's rest," Reiji said in a gentler tone as he put away the first aid kit.

"Thank you…" Mika expressed her gratitude, still feeling the weight of the silence that followed.

"That guy... How do you know him?" Reiji resumed the conversation.

Mika's expression darkened as she replied, "He's from my school... a classmate..."

She explained that the blond was not just a classmate but also the son of the CEO of a large corporation that had made generous donations to the school, which put the teachers in a position where they felt uncomfortable reprimanding him—he was, in short, a typical school bully.

Noticing Mika's insecurity about mentioning the boy's past, Reiji reassured her, "I think you don't need to worry about him for now. He will probably start skipping classes to avoid crossing paths with you."

"Really?" Mika appeared skeptical.

However, remembering the visible dread the blond felt towards Reiji, she began to believe there was something in Reiji's actions that justified her trust in what he said.

"Mm, even if he shows up, I doubt he'll try anything against you. But," Reiji smiled slightly, "if he does try something, just say that you called me and I'm on my way."

"Are you sure?" She wanted to confirm.

"Of course, and if needed, don't just threaten, actually call me. I will help," Reiji affirmed.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Mika blushed, her mind filled with questions—it was not common for someone to go to such lengths for a near stranger.

"I simply hate to see injustices happen," Reiji explained with a cryptic smile. "If I say that, do you believe it?"

After a brief reflection, Mika nodded: "Yes, I believe!" Although still somewhat uncertain, she stood firm in her response.

Reiji chuckled softly, then took on a more serious tone: "Consider it a whim of mine. Don't overthink it, nor hesitate. If I'm willing to do this, just accept it."

"Right," she agreed softly.

After a prolonged silence, Mika remembered that she did not have Reiji's number, which he promptly provided.

"Thank you, Matsuoka-kun. Without you, I..." Mika expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Reiji just smiled and nodded.

They continued talking for some more time until Reiji stood up to leave.

Upon exiting and checking the system, Reiji noticed that Mika's favorability score towards him had increased to 55 points, elevating her to the status of "good friend," a significant improvement from the previous position of "acquaintances."

As expected, rescuing someone in trouble proved to be an effective way to improve affection ratings.