“Um, excuse me. I don’t know if you’re a senior seeker or what, but she seems uncomfortable. If you have something to say, how about letting go of her hand first?”
“…Huh?”
The man’s attention turned towards me. He pushed away Kazane-san and started walking towards me with a gun pointed in my direction.
“Hey, you’ve got quite the nerve too. Are you a rookie?”
“So what if I am? When it comes to basic human decency, I don’t think being a rookie or a veteran matters.”
“Tch, your attitude towards seniors ain’t right either.”
*Gasp*
Suddenly, the man grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up with one hand. His movement was so fast that I couldn’t react at all.
And he was incredibly strong. My feet left the ground, dangling in the air.
He was choking me, but it didn’t seem like he intended to kill me. His grip was just to make me suffer.
“Ugh…! Let go…!”
“Rokuyari-san…! P-please stop! What did Rokuyari-san do?”
“Huh? Since both you and the lady here don’t show respect to seniors, I thought I’d give you some rookie education. -Oops!”
I involuntarily kicked the man’s torso. But it seemed to have no effect.
It felt like a baby kicking an adult, a sense of powerlessness. The man started laughing wildly.
“Hahaha! What was that, an attack? What level are you?””Level 5! You’re weak as hell! Trying to defy me at level 25, I find that hilarious. Shall we end it
“Level 5…! So what… Let go…!”
once and for all?”
*Gasping*
He tightened his grip around my neck, causing me discomfort but no serious harm.
At that moment, I had a spear in my right hand. I thought about thrusting it then—
“P-please stop! If you intend to continue any further…!”
Kazane-san drew two short swords from her waist sheath, holding them in both hands to intimidate the man. The man’s smirk widened as he saw this.
“Hey hey, a seeker pointing weapons at another seeker? That’s unacceptable. I’ll have to give you a harsh punishment to make sure you remember.”
The man tossed me aside like garbage. My body soared through the air and tumbled on the ground.
*Gasp* What is with this man…!
When I managed to get up, Kazane-san was once again captured by the man. She was held down by his hands, each one gripping the short swords she held. It was unbelievable how easily he subdued Kazane-san, almost like twisting a baby’s arm.
*Gritting teeth* Stop it…!
“Heheh. A female seeker who points weapons at people needs a strong punishment, right?”
The man stuck out his tongue, trying to trace Kozane-san’s neck with it. She squirmed, squeezed her eyes shut, and—
Just as I was about to prepare for a shield tackle against the man, a deep, menacing voice echoed from the entrance of the armor shop.
“…Oi, Nitta. What the hell are you doing in front of my shop?”
Upon hearing that commanding voice, the man attacking Kazane-san trembled visibly.
“O-Oh, Oosako-san…! Uh, well, it’s because of their disrespectful attitude that I, as a senior seeker, was educating—”
The man rambled on while still holding Kazane-san down. The tough-looking bald store clerk emerged from the armory shop.
His usual friendly demeanor was replaced by a quiet anger. The man was clearly intimidated by his overwhelming presence.
The bald clerk glared at the man and spat out, “Shut up. Release Kazane-chan and get lost. Or I’ll kill you.”
*Gasp*
The man quickly released Kazane-san and fled in a panic. The bald clerk sighed and mumbled, “Seriously…”
He then softened his expression and addressed Kazane-san and me.
“Are you both okay? What happened?”
For now, it seemed like we were safe. I exchanged a relieved look with Kazane-san.
