"I'm sorry… I misunderstood your intention…"

"It's fine. I'm sorry too. I didn't know that would shock you that much."

We are both leaning on opposite walls as we face each other. But her face was better than earlier when she still sees me as hostile.

She's sitting with a bowed head. I just want to have a proper chat with her. There seems to be something bugging her since I saw her yesterday.

"Do I look creepy in some way?" I asked.

"No!" She looks up and I can see her eyes under her bangs. When we've made eye contact with each other, she quickly averts it.

"Then, can I ask you the reason for running away after you saw me?" She shouldn't have been suspicious of me, no?

"I…" Her hands shake while she grips her knees. "I'm not… fond of people."

I quickly averted my eyes away from her, not because I'm shy about her. I can see her white panty in her position.

"I… ughh… I'm sorry… again… for shocking you…" I scratch my head and chuckle.

"Is there… something wrong?" She asked with a tilted head. Look how innocent she is.

"Uhmm… There is. They're supposed to be something I shouldn't see, is it?"

The moment she realized that she was exposing her undies made her as red as a tomato. She quickly covered her skirt while her face is a detonated bomb.

"D… d… did you… see?" At any time, she might die of embarrassment.

"No. Honestly, I'm not interested in those things."

"R… Really?" She asked with relief on her face.

"Seriously, nothing."

She gasped deeply. Most girls will realize I'm lying, but she didn't. I can't believe how innocent she is.

"By the way, I'm Ritake Hanashiba, the new transfer student. You're a Hashimoto, right?"

Her eyes suddenly gleamed. "Did… you remember?"

I nodded with a smile. "We're classmates after all. We should get to know each other as soon as possible."

"Rimi," she muttered.

"What?"

"My name… Rimi…"

"Then, should I call you Rimi?"

"That's!" Her sudden adrenaline makes it seem like she's trying to stop me. "That's… if you're okay with it."

"I'm okay, though, Rimi."

"C… Can… Can I call you… Ritake-kun?"

"Sure! No problem. I'm grateful to be friends with you, Rimi."

I extend my hand to show my gratitude. She is unsure whether she will accept the handshake. In the end, she took it, but with a faraway look on her face.

"I'm… grateful too…"

That's another friend down. Her hand is rough and it's somehow strange. She might have forgotten that she shake hands with me. Does she forget?

"Uhm… Rimi, are you fine?"

After she noticed it, she quickly pulled her hand behind her. She's shaking red and stuttering. "I… It's not w… what you think… I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, you know. I'm not thinking any malicious thoughts." I'm such a liar.

"R… Right. How about… your duel?"

"Don't worry. I still have plenty of time. Speaking of time, Aren't you tired in some way? You always seem out of energy."

"I'm sorry… But I can't tell it…"

"It's alright if you don't tell it. I'm just as curious as…"

We suddenly heard a loud squeal from the other side of the building. Both of our blood gets pumped. Rimi's eyes bulged, unable to blink.

"What happened!?"

"It's… them…" Rimi stuttered. "W… We should leave now… It's dangerous!"

She tries dragging me away from the direction of the scream. Too bad, it's my ideal to help those in need, no matter what dangers might come.

"I'm sorry, Rimi. I need to save that girl."

"But Ritake-kun… if you face them… you'll be targeted… by the nobles."

"Then I'll gladly take on all those nobles," I said with a confident grin before I run.

"R… Ritake-kun!" She shouted as her hand tried to reach me.

I reached my destination. Only I was the one hiding. There was a little girl with medium-length light brown hair and a shorter height than Rimi.

She is lying on the ground and surrounded by dirt… and malicious-looking guys. There are a total of five boys with strange appearances and body builds.

Without any sympathy, the lead person kicked the girl's face, sending her flying. While trying to stay awake during the torture, she groaned at the end of her breath.

The leader of the group has very sharp-looking green eyes that threaten everyone he sees. He has fine light brown hair streaked with shades of yellow.

From everyone's grins, they seem to be enjoying what they're doing. It's far from my limited ability to save the girl from being kicked.

Everyone laughed as he mocked the little girl who was struggling to stand due to weakness.

"Are you trying to stand!? Hahahaha! You, soil farmers, should just stay down the ground! You've been dirtying the names of the nobles here!"

Other men joined in to support their leader.

"You shouldn't forget, this is a tradition! Low-class bastards should obey their masters! It's just deserving that Yomu treated you like that!"

"Poor you! You've been born into such a poor family that can't even give their family prestigious meals!"

"You shouldn't have gotten here if you didn't want this to happen to you! Laborers and peasants aren't even welcome here!"

Their leader, Yomu, picks her up from the ground and pulls her collar. The girl's face is in a mixture of dirt and blood. She can't even open her eyes from her hissing.

"If you're in here, you should be prepared to die."

Yomu prepares his fist to punch her. There's no energy left for her to resist it. Her body is completely hibernated. Her tears are still visible even covered in mud.

It's just seconds before he tries to deliver the finishing blow on her. And just before it hits her, the world slows down. A very swift ray of light passed between the girl and his fist.

In just a split second, he manages to avoid it. The dangerous ray was followed by the chaotic force and dust smoke around it.

It's like a rocket that is launched into space. The area became zero visibility as coughs can be heard.

Yomu, the leader, was sitting on the ground with his squad after avoiding the impact. "What the hell! That's a dangerously killer move!"

The group stands up after the incident. As the fog clears, they slowly see the unconscious girl being carried by a man. That man… was me.

The group has been staring with intent at me while I look down at them. When I looked closely at the girl, I also saw blood marks on her cloth.

Sure, these wounds can be healed, but they would leave a mark until fully healed. These marks last depending on how critical a wound is. Most of this girl's wounds would last a week.

With flared nostrils, Yomu and his group displayed aggression with their bodies. "Isn't it a pleasure hijacking a conversation, Ritake Hanashiba?"

"It's nicer than kicking up someone's face just to have fun." Wait… He knows my name!? Am I that famous?

"Don't you know the first step in making someone an enemy is reconnaissance? You're brave enough to face me," Yomi claimed even though his legs are shaking.

From where I came, I saw Rimi running after me. She still has a stooped posture though.

"Ritake-kun! A… are you fine?"

I nod. "Yeah, but this girl needs medical attention."

Suddenly, Yomu got a reason for his face to turn smug again.

"Hey, hey! This is the least expected event! I never thought a loner would show up! It's nice to see you here, bangs girl Rimi. Would you want to defy me too?"

"Yomu…" She stuttered.

His shaking vanished. Does he think that Rimi was weak? He also knows Rimi as well. Does he have the skill to extract information from the brain? It's problematic even though I don't know him.

"Rimi, who is he?"

Both Rimi and Yomu's mouth falls open their eyes getting sunk down the void.

"Seriously… You don't know me? Well then!" Yomu fixes his necktie as he looks down at us. "If you don't know me, I'm…"

"I'm not talking to you," I replied. "Better shut your mouth if you don't have anyone to talk to."

He clenches his jaw, nearly breaking his teeth. "How dare you! I'll make you pay for this, Ritake Hanashiba! Guys, let's shoot him!"

By preparing spells against me, he organized an aggressive move. He and his group pointed their hands at me after performing a spell. My only escape is to create another vision blocker.

I cast a smokescreen so we could run at a safe distance. Rimi's eyes were completely bulging and is unable to blink.

"Ritake-kun, did… you cast w… without chanting?"

I totally forgot. I need to chant before casting a spell. Chantless spells are impossible here.

"No, it's a device. Never mind that, Rimi. Can you carry her to the clinic? It seems I need to settle my pointless business with him."

She nods. "But… be careful… He is a student aiming for the top. He has… a rich background backing him up."

"Don't worry about me. Take action before the smoke clears up."

What I did is already enough for stalling my enemies. Rimi carried the girl on her back. The moment the smoke clears up, they already got away. Also, Yomu and his group stand before me.

He clenches his clacking fists as they prepare to beat me up. "Playing hero, aren't you? But too bad, you chose the wrong opponents. Pay the price with your life."

Hero, it's a human who was given the destiny to defeat the evil, the demon lord. It is once a word I once despised and I regretted despising. But now, calling me that…

Motivates me.