Screwed by the Bell (3)

I grab some bandages from the guards and wrap up Sakura's hands while cries it out with Josh.

"Whatever the problem is, hurting yourself isn't going to help. Why don't you tell us what's going on?"

"Sniff. My daddy yelled at me because he said I was stupid and I couldn't be an adventurer and he called Josh names and, and-" Sakura chokes up partway through her explanation and her eyes fill with tears.

"It sounds like he's worried about your safety, is that right?"

"Sniff. I guess..."

"And he doesn't think very highly of Josh."

"..." She shakes her head but it looks like her words are stuck in her throat.

"Then why don't we go talk to him and show how strong we've gotten. I'm sure we'll be able to change his mind. Sound good?" Sakura nods so we gather up our things and head back into town.

Given that our house is also a library, we live in a different part of town than Sakura and Josh. After walking through the gate into town, we take a sharp left. The homes are shabby. I'd never really thought about our family being nobles but the strati are suddenly very clear.

Some people are huddled in alleys but most of the population seems to be able to sustain themselves. One building even appears to be a brothel with a few scantily clad women standing outside. While I wouldn't call this a slum, it's certainly a harder place to make a living.

We walk through this district and arrive in a slightly more affluent area where the tradespeople seem to live. I notice the man who runs the bakery and a guild staff member outside their respective homes. The streets are better taken care of and the homes are nicer.

Halfway down the street, Sakura stops in front of a home and stares at the ground.

"I'm assuming we're here?"

She nods.

I'm a little nervous about confronting her father. While we've been training a lot, we have yet to get involved in a real fight. Sure, I got the shit kicked out of me once but I wouldn't really call that a fight. From my understanding, thirty points in each stat is considered average for an adult man, so I would think that we could hold our ground.

Knock, knock.

I lightly rap on the door since Sakura seems reluctant to do so.

"Hello?" A thin man with white hair answers the door. He looks down at Josh and frowns. "Oh, it's the idiot."

I feel my eye twitch but I smile and make my case.

"Hello, you must be Sakura's father."

"And who the hell are you?" I move in front of the two kids in order to deflect his aggression.

"I'm a friend of Sakura. I was just hoping to talk to you about any concerns you may have about her joining the Adventurer's Guild."

"So it was YOU!" His face turns bright red as he sticks his finger in my face.

"I mentioned it as an option but at the end of the day-"

Crack!

My vision shifts rapidly as his fist slams into my jaw.

"Ow." I rub the side of my face as I regain my bearings. As they say, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

"Daddy!"

"I should warn you, I'm the son of a noble." I mention this in order to diffuse the situation as assaulting a noble is a serious offense.

"I don't give a damn who you are! If anything happens to my little girl I'll rip your throat out!"

It's clear he's just scared that his daughter is going to get hurt so I just need to assuage him.

"If you want to fight then let's do it."

"You want to fight me?" He scoffs.

"No, I want you to fight Josh." I stand aside to reveal the brown-haired boy behind me.

"You want me to fight that moron?"

"Scared?" I smirk.

"I won't be aggravated by such foolish provocations." I toss him a wooden sword that I borrowed from Sampson. "But I will win."

I glance over at Josh who is wearing his signature serious expression.

"Just like we talked about, okay?"

"Okay, I won't lose."

I brought up the possibility of a physical altercation before we left and Josh volunteered to fight if it was necessary. I'm not sure if he understood the significance of this act, as he seemed like he just wanted the challenge, but Sakura almost had hearts in her eyes as Josh took a stance before her father's wrath. I'm sure she felt like he was heroically stepping forward to defend her but I doubt he'd see it that way.

Not being the type to ruin the moment, I silently let this misunderstanding unfold before me.

"En guard!" Sakura's father lunges forward but is easily parried by Josh. Caught off guard by Josh's staunch defense, he stumbles back before catching himself. "I see you're no push over. Then I will take this seriously."

"..." Josh silently stares back at him while maintaining the tension in his arms.

"My name is Jacques, former bronze rank adventurer."

"..."

"Heh, you know how to fight but still act a fool. I'm going to enjoy this."

Clack! Crack! Tack!

The sharp sounds of wood echo off the nearby houses. People begin to gather at the noise and observe the match. The two fighters are so engrossed that they don't even notice the growing crowd.

They trade blows for a few rounds until Josh lands a decisive strike.

"Gah!" Jacques grabs his shoulder in pain. "Damn you!"

Clack! Crack!

"Ah!" Again he staggers back, this time grabbing his hand. The fight this time was much shorter now that Josh has seen how he fights. I can't help but wince as I recall the many times I've been struck by similar blows from the quiet boy.

"You son of a..."

Clack! Tack!

"Oof!" This time Josh stabs him in the solar plexus and Jacques crumples to his knees. It's obvious that Jacques is outmatched so I step in to end the fight.

"I think that's enough of that." I reach a hand out to Jacques to help him up. "So what do you say, do you think you can trust your daughter's decision now?"

"Ha. Haha." The defeated father laughs softly under his breath.

"That's not good."

"Guards! Help, I'm being attacked!"