Chapter 9
He decided that after school today, he must buy a bicycle.
The subway wasn't just filled with commuters; there were also students like Ryusei Kiryu rushing to school.
Those high school girls wearing sailor uniforms, pleated skirts, knee-high socks, and small leather shoes were what you call JK.
Ryusei Kiryu looked at the JK in front of him with an appreciative gaze.
Then, he saw that JK suddenly start to move towards him.
Ryusei Kiryu: ???
Hey, sis! I was just glancing, I really wasn't secretly taking photos!
Ryusei Kiryu was about to turn his back and pretend nothing had happened when he suddenly saw a somewhat panicked expression on the JK's face.
He also saw a bald middle-aged man not far behind her, who seemed to be slowly moving towards her.
Hmm? It looks like she's encountered a pervert?
Ryusei Kiryu had seen similar subway incidents when browsing the news the past two nights; most perpetrators committed their crimes with the mentality of taking advantage of crowded spaces.
If that was the case, then he couldn't just stand by.
Ryusei Kiryu extended his hand, signaling for her to come over.
That JK hesitated a bit, but seeing the Sakakino Academy uniform on him, she still moved towards him.
Ryusei Kiryu stood by the subway window, and when the JK came over, he turned sideways to give her his spot, then propped his hands on either side of her body.
It was as if he was using his body to create a safe zone for her.
The middle-aged bald man, seeing that he had lost his opportunity, glared at Ryusei Kiryu resentfully, didn't follow any further, and moved to another spot.
"Thank you."
The JK, protected by Ryusei Kiryu, whispered.
Ryusei Kiryu smiled at her and said, "You're welcome."
This JK had very long hair; seeing Ryusei Kiryu look at her, she seemed a little embarrassed and lowered her head.
She probably couldn't see her own toes.
Seeing that she seemed to have an introverted personality, Ryusei Kiryu didn't pursue a conversation with her, but simply quietly held his hands up for her, protecting her well.
Until the subway was almost at the next station.
Only then did Ryusei Kiryu speak, asking in a low voice, "Do you need me to help you find a transit police officer to report it?"
The JK in front of him looked up and softly said, "No, it's fine, he didn't touch me."
"That's good."
Ryusei Kiryu said no more.
The subway arrived at the station, and another wave of people squeezed on.
Ryusei Kiryu's current physical attributes were slightly weaker than an adult's.
With a strong push from the people behind him, his arms couldn't hold up, and his body tilted forward, inevitably making contact with the JK in front of him.
Ryusei Kiryu tried hard to create distance and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
The JK's cheeks were a little red, and she softly said, "N-no, it's fine."
She turned her face away, raised her hand to brush back the hair falling by her ear, and her hand brushed lightly against Ryusei Kiryu's arm that was propped beside her.
[Ding—]
The crisp sound of coins falling into a bag suddenly rang out in Ryusei Kiryu's mind.
Ryusei Kiryu couldn't help but be stunned.
This extremely well-developed, soft and delicate JK in front of him was actually a [Heroine] from some anime?
He glanced at his wallet balance.
[0 gold coins, 0 silver coins, 34 copper coins]
Another 10 copper coins earned.
He didn't expect that one unavoidable subway squeeze was equivalent to killing five fish.
Ryusei Kiryu closed the system panel, feeling his mood brighten again.
JKs really are great.
If he could earn money by protecting JKs every day, then buying that bicycle wasn't absolutely necessary after all.
Ryusei Kiryu had observed this high school girl before.
The uniform she was wearing was not the Sakakino Academy uniform.
Ryusei Kiryu wasn't sure which school it was; the memories provided by the system didn't include that information.
Ryusei Kiryu was curious about her identity and asked in a low voice, "You're not a student of Sakakino Academy, are you? I'm Ryusei Kiryu, a first-year transfer student at Sakakino Academy High School."
Before asking for someone's name, introducing oneself first is basic etiquette; doing so makes the other person more willing to respond.
This somewhat introverted high school girl paused slightly at his question, then softly said, "No, I'm from Sakakino Academy, Class 1-4. My name is Katsura Kotoha."
Katsura Kotoha... School Days, huh? Then she is indeed a [Heroine].
Ryusei Kiryu silently recalled.
He remembered that in that work, Katsura Kotoha had an introverted personality. Because her body developed very early, she suffered discrimination and harassment from a young age, leading to a mild androphobia.
Her home life was also not easy; her mother was very strict with her.
The reason Katsura Kotoha chose Sakakino Academy was only because her mother promised that if she got into this school, she wouldn't be forced to take various extra classes anymore, thus gaining some freedom.
However, due to her personality, she found it difficult to integrate into the class, and was even often bullied and isolated by classmates, led by Katou Otome.
All of these laid the groundwork for her subsequent tragic ending.
She was a sympathetic girl.
Ryusei Kiryu lowered his head and looked at Katsura Kotoha's face.
Although her expression at this moment was somewhat delicate and shy, her eyes did not show fear or disgust.
He and she were almost pressed together, yet she didn't feel any fear... which meant that the Katsura Kotoha standing in front of him should not have androphobia.
This was different from her character setting in the anime.
Could it be a new worldline change caused by the fusion of multiple anime works?
Did Katsura Kotoha in this world not experience harassment when she was young?
If that were truly the case, it would be good news for Katsura Kotoha.
But for Ryusei Kiryu, this meant that the future events he knew from the anime might no longer happen due to this worldline deviation.
The information advantage of "future sight" would be greatly reduced.
After getting to know each other, the two chatted briefly on the train.
Although Katsura Kotoha had few friends, her personality wasn't as introverted as it seemed.
Perhaps it was because Ryusei Kiryu had just helped her, giving her a natural sense of trust and goodwill towards him.
Or perhaps it was because Ryusei Kiryu was psychologically more mature than an ordinary high school student, his words and actions were very polite, and his eyes showed no frivolity or desire when looking at her, but rather a look of concern and sympathy, making a girl who had lacked paternal love since childhood subconsciously want to lean towards him.
In any case, Katsura Kotoha also plucked up her courage and actively started a conversation with the male high school student in front of her.
"So Ryusei Kiryu is a transfer student?"
"Yes."
"That's amazing, your Japanese is really good."
"Is it?"
"Yes, I even thought you were Japanese."
"Thank you for the compliment."
The common sense provided by the [identity card] was very timely.
Ryusei Kiryu would give it a five-star rating; it was as easy to use as his native language.
The subway was about to reach the station again.
Katsura Kotoha was preparing to get off.
She looked at Ryusei Kiryu, her expression a little hesitant.
Ryusei Kiryu understood her thoughts, proactively took out his phone, and said, "How about we exchange LINE IDs? We're both first-year students, so we can also communicate with each other if we have problems with our coursework."
"Mhm mhm!" Katsura Kotoha nodded quickly and took out her phone.
After exchanging LINE IDs, Kotoha carefully put away her phone.
The train arrived at the station.
Ryusei Kiryu protected Katsura Kotoha, saw her off the train, and waved goodbye.
The train doors closed.
Katsura Kotoha stood on the platform, watching the subway depart, her expression becoming somewhat wistful.
It was a pity that the two of them weren't from the same school.
She turned and walked towards the exit.
Her phone vibrated.
Katsura Kotoha picked it up and glanced at it.
It was a message from Ryusei Kiryu.
[Ryusei Kiryu: Katsura, do you know Itou Makoto?]
Katsura Kotoha paused, standing by the roadside to reply.
[Katsura Kotoha: Itou Makoto? I don't know him. Who is he? Is he Ryusei Kiryu's friend?]
After sending the message, Katsura Kotoha continued walking.
After a few steps, her phone vibrated again.
Katsura Kotoha immediately picked up her phone and looked at the screen.
[Ryusei Kiryu: He's not my friend. He's a student at your school, probably also a first-year. I heard from classmates that he's dating several girlfriends at once; he's a scumbag who likes to toy with girls' feelings.]
[Ryusei Kiryu: Katsura Kotoha is so beautiful, he'll definitely target her, so please don't fall for his tricks.]
Katsura Kotoha's cheeks immediately turned red.
Being beautiful and all... Ryusei Kiryu spoke so calmly on the train, but why is he so bold in LINE messages? She calmed herself down and seriously replied.
[Katsura Kotoha: I understand, thanks for the warning! If he appears in front of me, I won't pay attention to him.]
On the subway.
Ryusei Kiryu finished reading the message from Katsura Kotoha and put away his phone.
This should count as him changing Katsura Kotoha's future, right?
He wondered if the plot would have inertia; further observation would be needed.
After one more stop, Ryusei Kiryu also got off the train.
On the street, cherry blossoms still danced in the air.
Ryusei Kiryu walked slowly by himself, not stepping on any ants.
Whether they dropped money or not wasn't important; the main thing was that it wasn't easy for them to come out so early in the morning to find food.
End of the chapter
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