Chapter 31: Pathetic Yuuta

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Yuuta felt a surge of anger as he remembered what Oga had told him—"that Hikari might be in Natsuha's apartment right now."

Frustrated, he shouted through the door, "Hey, Natsuha, I finally came all the way to see you, and you're just dragging your feet. Open up already!"

"Is there someone else in there? Are you hiding a guy in your room? Why else wouldn't you let me in?"

Natsuha quickly replied, "No, that's not it. I just feel a bit unsafe when I'm alone at home, so I'm careful about opening the door."

Yuuta, annoyed, pressed further, "What's unsafe about letting me in, Natsuha? Just open the door."

After a brief hesitation, Natsuha sighed, realizing that she knew Yuuta well enough to let him in. She finally opened the door.

But the moment she did, Yuuta brushed right past her and started rummaging around her apartment, searching every nook and cranny.

Natsuha initially thought he was just acting shy, as he often did since they were young. Even though they were childhood friends, they'd never even held hands because of his timidity.

But Yuuta's actions seemed strange. He was practically tearing the place apart.

"Yuuta, what are you doing? Are you really looking for a man here?" Natsuha asked, annoyed.

After a moment, Yuuta turned around, looking a bit embarrassed. "Uh…no, no, Natsuha, it's not like I don't trust you! I just, uh, worry that you might get tricked. You know, big city schemes and all that..."

Natsuha's expression hardened, her irritation rising. "So you're actually checking if I have someone hiding here? Yuuta, seriously?"

"I..." Yuuta looked away awkwardly, but before he could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Oga stepped through the doorway, grinning at the surprised Natsuha. "Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Miss Shinomiya. Long time no see."

Natsuha stared at him, utterly shocked. "What are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?"

Masaru chuckled. "I followed your dear boyfriend Yuuta here, of course. Thanks, buddy."

Yuuta, stunned, shouted, "Masaru! Why did you come in? We agreed you'd wait until I called you up to…well, you know, if we actually caught anyone."

"Why'd you just barge in? I'm really mad now."

Masaru scoffed and delivered a swift kick, knocking Yuuta down. "So noisy. Do you really believe everything people tell you? What a clueless idiot."

Turning to Natsuha with a leering smile, Masaru continued, "Natsuha Shinomiya, did you think I wouldn't find you at home? After the humiliation you and that Hikari guy put me through today, I've come to settle the score."

"Tonight, my friends and I will show you a 'good time.' Hope you're ready for that."

Natsuha ignored Masaru's threats, instead glaring at Yuuta. "Yuuta! Did you seriously bring them here?"

Yuuta stammered, "No! Natsuha, please, let me explain! Sure, I led them here, but it was Masaru who approached me first."

"He told me you'd been sneaking around with some other guy, and he offered to help catch you in the act and confront you. He even said he'd back me up if things got violent. That's why I let him come along."

Natsuha felt her blood boil. "Yuuta! You idiot! How could you believe anything Masaru says?"

"And what are you even talking about, 'catching' someone? When did I ever agree to be in a relationship with you? You're such a fool!"

"I..." Yuuta started to respond, but Masaru cut him off.

"Enough with the useless chatter. You," he sneered at Yuuta, "and her—you're both idiots. Yuuta, get out of the way and let us enjoy ourselves."

Masaru slapped Yuuta on the cheek as he said this, and Yuuta flinched, clearly panicked. "No! You can't. Natsuha is someone I care about. I won't let you touch her!"

Masaru sneered. "You actually think you're worthy of fighting me over her?"

Yuuta nodded resolutely, but Masaru simply lifted his foot and sent Yuuta sprawling to the floor with a brutal kick.

"Someone as useless as you, trying to keep a woman away from me?" Masaru laughed, watching Yuuta writhe on the floor, groaning in pain.

As Masaru advanced on Natsuha, she quickly retreated to the kitchen, locking the glass door behind her.

After seeing Hikari easily handle Masaru on the street earlier, she wasn't as scared of him anymore, but this time, Masaru had brought two thugs along, each brandishing iron rods. Though she had some knowledge of martial arts, she knew she was no match for all three of them, so she hid in the kitchen.

Masaru smirked at her attempt to escape. "Oh, so you want to play hide and seek, huh? Fine by me. There's only so much space in this apartment; where do you think you can hide?"

He approached the glass door and lifted his iron rod, slamming it down with force.

Crash!

A loud bang resounded, but the seemingly fragile glass door remained completely intact. Instead, the force of the blow sent Masaru stumbling back, landing flat on his rear.

"What the hell? Is this even real glass? How is it so strong?"

Rubbing his sore backside, Masaru gestured to his thugs. "Get over here and help me break this damn thing."

Together, they swung their rods at the glass, each strike producing a loud smash, but the door remained unscathed, as if protected by some unseen force.

Frustration simmered in Masaru's crew as they continued their futile assault on the door.

Meanwhile, crouched in a corner of the kitchen, Natsuha was rattled by the constant noise. Every loud bang amplified her tension, her heart pounding uncontrollably with each strike.

Without realizing it, the jade amulet Hikari had given her, which hung around her neck, began to emit a faint glow, forming a protective barrier around the kitchen.

In her perspective, however, the glass appeared frail and vulnerable with each impact. She knew she couldn't hold off Masaru and his gang alone and desperately needed someone to help. Her gaze drifted to Yuuta, her last hope.

But what she saw filled her with disappointment. Yuuta, who had been knocked down by Masaru earlier, was now cowering on the floor, hands clasped tightly over his ears, paralyzed with fear.

"Yuuta! What are you doing, just lying there? Call the police or get help!" Natsuha shouted.

Yuuta looked up, meeting her eyes briefly before quickly looking away, pretending he hadn't heard her and burying his head in his hands, trembling even harder.

"Yuuta…you…" Natsuha sighed, her face full of dismay.

Seeing all this, Masaru laughed mockingly. He sauntered over to Yuuta, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him to his feet.

"Natsuha!" Despite her disappointment, Natsuha's heart still clenched with worry, watching her childhood friend in the clutches of Masaru.

"What…what do you want?" Yuuta stammered, terror plain on his face as Masaru sneered at him.

Masaru gave a menacing smile. "Yuuta, I'll give you a chance. Since there are more of us here and we're armed, it wouldn't be fair otherwise."

"Here's the deal—I'll fight you, no weapons. If you win, I'll leave. But if you lose, you hand over Natsuha to me and my friends. Fair enough?"

Yuuta hesitated, fear and shame battling on his face, but under Masaru's threatening gaze, he finally nodded. "O-okay. I agree… I'll protect Natsuha."

But Natsuha felt a deep pang of disappointment. It was clear that Yuuta was agreeing out of fear, rather than any genuine sense of honor. And worse, the terms made her feel like nothing more than a bargaining chip.

She couldn't help but think, 'If Hikari was here, he'd never agree to such a demeaning proposal. He'd probably flatten them all in an instant…'

Still, there was nothing she could do. Yuuta was just too timid for this.

Sighing heavily, Natsuha resigned herself to her disillusionment, wondering if she'd ever feel as safe as she did when Hikari was around—a security that enveloped her completely.

Meanwhile, Yuuta and Masaru stood opposite each other, ready to fight. Yuuta raised three fingers and began counting down. "Three…two…"

But before he could even reach "one," Masaru swung his fist, striking Yuuta square in the face and sending him sprawling to the floor.

"You cheated" Yuuta protested, glaring at Masaru as he lay dazed on the ground.

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