151 Meeting Up With Captain Fujimiya Satoru

The husband stepped backward, baring his fangs at the bulky man who walked slowly towards him. He had no idea whether the man was another enemy or not.

Whichever the case, he didn't want to let his guard down since his family's lives were on the line here.

He was already exhausted enough as it was, but his wife and daughter were right behind him. There was no way he would allow the threat to approach them so carelessly like that.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The husband gritted his feet, trying to intimidate the Bulwark in front of him.

Although he was well aware that he was severely advantaged against a Bulwark, it should be mentioned that he was already exhausted after that fight against the Hound.

Of course, there's still a minuscule chance of winning, but after that... what then? Even if he won, he wouldn't be able to defend his wife and daughter against oncoming threats.

The outside world is indeed a dangerous place, and threats will always look at every corner. While the husband could risk his life to fight the Bulwark to the death, he won't be able to defend his family anymore after that.

With growing frustration, the husband clicked his tongue as he brought his center of gravity lower to the ground.

It was do or die.

Fwoosh~!

Using every ounce of his energy, the husband charged at the Bulwark with his very intent to kill. Everything depended on that one strike.

'If I could land this... I'm going to win. Please, whatever higher authority there is out there... God help me.' The husband muttered a silent prayer, twisting his body in an attempt to land a flying kick at the Bulwark that threatened his entire family.

"Captain, relax, it's me." Jurou let out, easily catching his flying kick. Even then, he still felt the husband's kick send tingles down his spine.

For a moment, he thought that his wrist would snap. Fortunately, he was able to brace himself, and the kick didn't inflict any damage.

"Wait... Jurou? Wha-what are you doing here?" The husband instantly stopped his attacks. "I thought... no, I'm just glad to see you. I'm sorry for suddenly lashing out at you."

"Captain Satoru, I see that you've been as healthy as ever." Jurou greeted, giving a salute to his captain whom he had not seen for months now.

— — —

A couple of minutes later,

Now that the misunderstanding was over, Fujimiya Satoru and his wife and daughter finally found the time for a brief respite. Thanks to Jurou who went out of his way to find a welcoming abandoned house, they were able to take a halt before proceeding with their journey.

With careful consideration, the family and Jurou found a nice spot by the corner of the abandoned house. There, they started prepping for a meal. Jurou offered to help, even bringing out some of his provisions. However, Satoru wanted to thank him for his presence.

"I didn't do anything... " Jurou smiled as he sat in front of the three.

"The mere thought of not attacking us is more than enough." Satoru let out a chuckle, handing Jurou an MRE.

Jurou was surprised that MREs still exist even after all this time. He instantly realized that they were giving him their precious provisions. With a slight bow, Jurou expressed his gratitude by muting a soft thanks before opening the pack.

"So, where were you headed?" Satoru asked out of nowhere.

As soon as he said that, Jurou felt like his stomach dropped to the floor. The spoon he held was midway to his mouth when he stopped short, slowly lifting his head to look at Satoru before confirming something to him.

"But didn't you send that emergency transmission, captain? " Jurou asked, to which Satoru shook his head in response.

"Transmission? What transmission?"

As if on cue, the door to the abandoned house opened, and in came a figure who walked up to them without saying another word.

In a flash, Satoru and Jurou got up in an attempt to create a man-made blockade between the man and the ladies.

Right now, the confined space was their main problem since it was going to limit their movements. Then again, it's not like they had any choice.

For a moment, they actually thought of running away... but ironically, the two of them thought that that would be the most cowardly thing to do. Of course, they wanted to look good in front of each other since they were once a team. Now that stopped them from doing the most rational thing at that moment.

Meanwhile, the man continued walking towards them, looking like a threatening thunderstorm in the middle of a sunny day. His steps slowed as he neared, and a sly smile could be seen on his face as he stopped in front of the two.

There was a pause, and then the guy looked up, his smile forming into a brighter grin as he clicked his boots and saluted in front of the two.

"Captain! And Jurou too!" The guy greeted them with a vibrant expression. He finally dropped the disguise when he got the right expression from them. Now that the jokes were over, he decided to show his face before they jumped him.

"Kojiro? You're Kojiro, right? Takahashi Kojiro?" Satoru asked as his eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait, what? Is that really you? Stick man?" Jurou let out, bringing up the past when Kojiro was still half their size and thin as a fragile stick that could snap at the slightest pressure.

"Well, nothing's changed. I'm still the stick man you used to know, hehe." Kojiro scratched his head, letting out a light chuckle before he cleared his throat.

"In any case, I'm glad you're both here. I sent the transmission to Jurou. Who would've thought that captain would be here as well... makes things easier for me."

"So you were the one who sent the transmission? I thought it was the captain."

"I'm sorry, I'm not following. What's going on? Is there something I should know?" Satoru questioned before turning to his wife and daughter. "Oh, and don't worry about him, he was in our group back in training." He let out.

"Actually, I need your help. It's the reason I sent the transmission." Judging from Kojiro's lower tone of voice, everyone could tell that he was about to say something serious