Borrowed

'No playing around this time. Enjoying a fight... I can do that later, at my leisure,' Yuuto thought as he looked at them calmly.

Both Chiyoko and Hiyori were shocked at the sight before them. The usually aloof, rude, and arrogant Sakurai had effortlessly subdued a knife-wielding assailant.

Suddenly, his nonchalant reactions to Shiyon and his peculiar manner of speech started to make sense.

Yuuto scanned the rooftop area.

He noticed the point where they had secured the grappling rope around a protruding vent duct, with plenty of leftover rope still in place.

'Excessive amounts of rope left here. No additional gear. They must have planned to escape via the fire exit. Is that their entry route as well?' Yuuto pondered.

"Niji, take these two girls and move them to the back. Sanji, you're up," one of the members commanded coldly, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Yuuto.

Sanji then handed over Hiyori to Niji, who effortlessly held them both and stepped back without chatter.

As the man referred to as Sanji stepped forward, Yuuto analyzed their use of numerical nicknames.

'They refer to each other by numbers—a hierarchy, possibly indicative of their physical prowess?'

[Yonji: Fourth]

[Sanji: Third]

[Niji: Second]

'Could the man giving orders be Ichiji?' Yuuto speculated.

"Kid," the man known as Sanji said, advancing past the unconscious Yonji towards Yuuto.

Yuuto studied the man dressed in black.

'Adult, early 30s,' Yuuto deduced upong hearing his voice, his gaze intense and probing.

"Don't think this will be easy for you," he threatened.

Yuuto noted the absence of a firearm. 'Likely armed with a knife as well?'

"You see that guy on the floor? We call him Yonji. But that's not his real name," he explained.

"Who are you, ninjas?" Yuuto asked mockingly.

"Hahaha, thanks for the compliment, but who we are doesn't really matter. What matters is that you might consider yourself strong, but..."

He stretched his entire body before speaking. "...But the person you took down was the wea—" His words cut off as he glanced down at Yuuto, who launched a lightning-fast kick at his groin.

He didn't block the kick so much as redirect it; placing his palm against Yuuto's foot, he used the force to propel himself backward, skillfully evading the attack.

"Tsche...!! No manners for kids these days, huh!?" he grunted, landing nimbly.

'He redirected it... A martial artist... This fluidity... It has to be that, then?' Yuuto wondered.

"You think I'm going to wait for your villainous monologue to finish? Maybe you should shout out your moves every time, too!" Yuuto taunted with a casual sneer.

'Holy shit... He blocked THAT?!' Hiyori thought, her confusion mounting as she and Chiyoko rested in Niji's grasp.

'...But Sakurai-senpai... He isn't scared at all...? Even against so many...?' Chiyoko pondered in awe of Yuuto's composure and skill.

Hiyori stared into Yuuto's eyes, her mind racing.

'What the hell... This guy... His look is the same as when he's casually talking with us...?! Is he one of them!? Does he know them!? Why's he so damn calm!?' Hiyori's thoughts tumbled in anxiety.

From a distance, Niji whistled appreciatively.

"Good going, man," he called out.

'...Are they just going to watch how this plays out?' Yuuto wondered, eyeing the other two who remained still. 'No way. They just kidnapped two teenage girls. They must be waiting for someone. Someone who noticed they haven't checked in yet... Maybe backup.' Yuuto deduced as Sanji regained his stance, notably unarmed.

Without hesitation, Yuuto sprinted towards Sanji.

[BACKGROUND MUSIC: MAGA - VIBRANIUM]

'I have to end this quickly.'

Everyone was caught off guard minus Ichiji.

He lunged with a direct punch.

'At the end, he's just a hot-headed teen, huh? I was a bit scared...' Ichiji mused, watching Yuuto's aggressive charge.

"Shit, he's fast...!" Sanji exclaimed, deftly knocking Yuuto's punch aside and sidestepping.

'FUCK...! SAKURAI!!' Hiyori's muffled exclamation broke through her gag.

'...But Sanji's a Tai Chi master. Such a crude attack won't work... Hmm?' Ichiji's thoughts were abruptly cut off as, before Sanji could counter, Yuuto seemed to lose his balance and stumbled forward after his swing.

'...Poor balance...? Wait, no!'

"SANJI, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Ichiji suddenly yelled.

In an instant, Yuuto used the momentum to perform a front flip.

'I'm going to borrow some more of your moves. I want to end this quickly this time. Don't hate me,' Yuuto thought to only himself.

Around him, no one particularly minded his silent resolve... This time.

'Great,' Yuuto thought as the back of his foot soared through the air, striking Sanji's temple and sending him sprawling. Yuuto landed on his left hand, sprawling out to lessen the impact of his fall.

'Ukemi,' he reminded himself internally.

Ichiji's eyes widened in surprise as Sanji crumpled to the ground.

'That's...!!! Some street-learned Taekwondo and... a Ninjutsu breakfall!?' Ichiji marveled in amazement.

'Thanks,' Yuuto silently expressed gratitude to no one in particular, fully aware that there was no one around to appreciate his efforts or admonish him for anything in particular.

Ichiji observed Sanji's unconscious form on the ground as Yuuto rose to his feet.

'No reason... Not to go for the head!!' Yuuto determinedly thought as he bolted towards Ichiji.

'Hmph. Stronger than I anticipated... You are from INK, after all... But ultimately, you're just a kid,' Ichiji mused as Niji stepped in, blocking Yuuto's charge.

'This guy... He's not guarding the girls anymore...!?' Yuuto realized, gritting his teeth as Niji seized both his shoulders and hurled him with tremendous force, slamming him against the metal vent duct.

"GA-HA!!" Yuuto coughed out, the impact jarring his back against the solid surface.

"SENPAI!!!!" Chiyoko's muffled cry echoed from behind her gag, her eyes brimming with anxiety.

"Scared yet, kid? This is genetics at play. You stand no chance," Ichiji scoffed, arms crossed, as Niji advanced slowly, chuckling at the remark.

Yuuto chuckled too, spitting onto the roof before rising back to his feet. "Hahaha..."

"...What's so funny, brat? You're going to die here," Ichiji stated as a matter of factly.

"What's so funny, you ask?" He smirked broadly, locking eyes with Ichiji before glancing at Niji. "It's just that big guy here, 'Number 2,' is bulkier than a sasquatch. Someone actually managed to outsize that behemoth, and I couldn't help but laugh..."

'IS THIS REALLY THE TIME FOR JOKES...!?' Hiyori thought, her concern deepening as she watched the scene unfold.

"You hear that, Sasquatch? Someone actually outdid you. I didn't think it was possible!" Yuuto shouted, turning briefly to Hiyori.

'WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!!?' Hiyori's thoughts raced, her gaze fixed anxiously on Niji as he neared Yuuto.

'It's late... Where are they?' Ichiji wondered, his eyes scanning the edge of the roof.

"Hey, Number 2," Yuuto called out nonchalantly as he faced Niji, who visibly bristled at the nickname.

"It's Niji...!" Niji corrected tersely, cracking his knuckles as he stepped closer to Yuuto.

"Why didn't you throw me off the roof? Are you an idiot? Smooth-brain? Got just one brain cell?" Yuuto taunted, chuckling as he looked at his adversary almost with pity. "I would have totally lost right then and there. I actually thought I'd die, haha."

"Arrogant prick," the man retorted, his voice seething with contempt. "This is to show you true despair before you die. To show you just how powerless you are!" With a primal roar, he charged towards Yuuto.

'It's over... No one can stop Niji like that. You can try to kick his head, or misdirect his moves, but none of that works on him... He's just too strong,' Ichiji thought, turning away and walking towards the girls.

'...But those guys... They're just too late... Surely they've noticed we're taking too long...' Ichiji mused, clenching his sides with a grimace.

MEANWHILE...

Shiyon emerged from a dark minivan parked just outside the onsen resort. His figure was bloodied, his eyes as empty and lifeless as those of a dead fish.

"...The roof, then," Shiyon muttered to himself, his determination undeterred as he re-entered the onsen resort.