The next morning, the sun was bright, and it was time for students to go to school. The streets near Teitan High School were bustling, filled with youthful vigor. Nakamori Aoko, carrying her schoolbag and humming a light tune, was walking toward the school while chatting and laughing with a female friend from her class. She had no idea that an invisible net had already been quietly cast toward her.
Just as they were passing a street corner, an unexpected event occurred!
A figure, seemingly walking in a great hurry, suddenly bumped into Aoko from the side and rear!
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Aoko let out a short cry of surprise. She instantly lost her balance, her schoolbag flew out of her hand, and she cried out as she fell backward, seemingly about to crash heavily onto the hard sidewalk!
At this critical moment, a strong and warm arm caught her waist just in time, while another hand steadily supported her shoulder. The person skillfully halted her downward momentum, saving her from the misfortune of a close encounter with the ground.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" A clear, gentle, and apologetic young male voice sounded in Aoko's ear.
Still shaken, Aoko looked up. What met her eyes was an extremely handsome teenage face filled with sincere apology. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a simple white shirt and casual trousers. He had a clean and outstanding temperament, and his deep eyes were currently filled with worry and self-reproach.
It was Kanjuro in disguise. He had precisely calculated the angle and timing, perfectly playing the part of a "clumsy" senior who accidentally bumped into someone because he was in a rush.
"I-I'm fine... I'm okay..." Aoko quickly steadied herself. Her face flushed slightly from the previous scare and the close contact with a male stranger. She waved her hands, her voice still a bit flustered. She looked down at herself; other than her heart beating a bit fast, she was indeed uninjured.
"I'm truly very sorry!" Kanjuro apologized solemnly again. He let go of Aoko's hand with natural and appropriate movements, without the slightest impropriety. Then he bent down to pick up Aoko's fallen schoolbag, gently patted off the dust, and handed it back to her with both hands, his gaze sincere. "I was thinking about something and walking too fast. I didn't notice you. I'm really sorry."
His attitude was so sincere, his behavior so proper, and combined with that deceptive, handsome face, the small hint of complaint in Aoko's heart vanished instantly. Instead, she felt that the other person hadn't done it on purpose.
"It's okay, Senior, I wasn't watching where I was going either." Aoko took the schoolbag, showing a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Anyway, I didn't fall. Thank you for catching me."
"No, it was my fault," Kanjuro insisted. He glanced at the school uniform Aoko was wearing. "You're a student at Teitan High School, right? To express my apology, if possible, please let me make it up to you. For example... treat you to a cup of milk tea? Or..."
"No need, no need!" Aoko quickly shook her head. She wasn't the type to dwell on small things. "It's really okay, Senior, don't take it to heart. I'm almost late; I have to get to school!"
She bowed slightly to Kanjuro, then pulled her friend—who was also a bit dazed by his looks—and hurried toward the school. After running a few steps, she turned back and waved to Kanjuro again, flashing a brilliant smile to show she really didn't mind.
Kanjuro stood there, watching Aoko's energetic retreating figure. The gentle, apologetic smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep, playful look of a plan succeeding.
He lightly rubbed the fingertips that had just supported Aoko's waist, as if savoring the soft touch of her youthful body from that moment of contact.
"As expected... a very pure and clean aura," he whispered to himself, a predatory light flashing in his eyes. "Like an unpolished piece of jade, emitting... an alluring luster."
This seemingly accidental encounter was merely the beginning of his hunting game. He had successfully left a first impression in Nakamori Aoko's heart as a "polite, somewhat clumsy but very handsome senior." For someone as simple as Aoko, such a beginning was enough to lower most of her defenses.
And what Kanjuro was best at was utilizing these seemingly harmless beginnings, leading his prey step by step into a meticulously woven trap until they were completely consumed.
The sun remained bright, and the road to school was as bustling as ever, but the peaceful daily life of Nakamori Aoko had already begun to quietly crack from this moment on. She had no idea that the "gentle senior" she had just "bumped into" was the very demon from the abyss that both her father and Kaito feared intensely. The gears of fate had once again begun to turn mercilessly. At school's end, the setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-red, but Nakamori Aoko felt a slight chill in her heart. She walked home alone, head down, kicking small stones on the road from time to time, with the argument she had with Kaito during the day still echoing in her mind.
"It's not safe outside lately, so just stay home properly after school! Don't always go wandering around!"
"By what right do you boss me around! Kaito, why have you become so strange lately! And I'm not a child anymore!"
"I'm doing this for your own good! If you won't listen, then forget it!"
"Humph! I don't need you to care!"
Thinking of Kaito's anxious yet inexplicable behavior, Aoko felt a wave of grievance and irritation. She didn't understand why Kaito had suddenly become so domineering and neurotic. This feeling of not being understood made her heart feel heavy.
Just then, a voice filled with a hint of surprise and concern sounded in front of her:
"Hmm? Is that you, the student from Teitan High School?"
Aoko looked up toward the source of the voice and saw the handsome senior who had accidentally bumped into her this morning. He was standing on a street corner not far away, holding a small, exquisite paper bag, seemingly having just come out of a nearby dessert shop. The golden light of the setting sun spilled over him, making him look even more gentle and handsome.
"Ah, Senior..." Aoko quickly wiped the gloom from her face and forced a smile.
Kanjuro walked over, his gaze falling gently on her face with a perfectly measured amount of insight. He asked softly, "What's wrong? You look... not very happy? Is it because I bumped into you this morning? Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?" His tone was full of sincere concern, like that of a considerate older brother.
"No, no!" Aoko waved her hands quickly. "It has nothing to do with you, Senior! It's... I had a fight with a stupid childhood friend..." She couldn't help but pout, speaking in a slightly complaining tone. For some reason, facing this gentle senior she had only met once, she actually felt a slight desire to confide in him.
"Oh? A childhood friend..." Kanjuro showed an understanding smile, his eyes carrying a hint of reminiscence. "Boys at this age can indeed be quite clumsy sometimes, and they aren't very good at expressing care. Did he... say something about you staying at home or something like that?"
Aoko's eyes widened in surprise. "Senior, how did you know?!"
Kanjuro smiled slightly, a smile that looked extremely deceptive under the setting sun. "Just a guess. Because you look like a very lively and kind girl, perhaps your childhood friend is worried about you, but just used the wrong way."
He perfectly timed handing over the paper bag in his hand, which contained freshly baked Puffs emitting an inviting aroma. "I just bought these. Consider them an apology for my clumsiness this morning and for... accidentally overhearing your little troubles? Sweets can make one's mood better."
His words were like a spring breeze, instantly smoothing the wrinkles in Aoko's heart. Not only did he not try to lecture her like Kaito, but he also understood her and even found a reasonable explanation for her "childhood friend's" clumsy behavior—that he was just over-worried. This caused Aoko's favorable impression of him to soar instantly.
"This... how can I accept this..." Aoko hesitated, but the aroma of the Puffs and the other party's sincere attitude made it hard for her to refuse.
"It's alright, just consider it a small token from a senior to a junior." Kanjuro gently pressed the paper bag into Aoko's hands with a natural yet firm motion. Then, as if remembering something, his tone carried a perfectly measured hint of worry. "However, although your childhood friend's method was wrong, the phrase 'pay attention to safety' itself isn't wrong. Lately... things indeed seem a bit unsettled. If you don't mind..."
He took out his phone, his movements smooth and natural, carrying a reassuring frankness:
"Could we exchange contact information? If you encounter anything that feels off on your way to or from school in the future, you can contact me anytime. It's always good to have an extra person to look out for you."
His reasoning was flawless—based on concern for a junior's safety and proposed under the premise of fully acknowledging her childhood friend's (albeit poorly expressed) concerns. Combined with his impeccable appearance and gentle, sincere attitude, it was almost impossible to harbor any suspicion.
Nakamori Aoko looked at the gentle and reliable senior before her, who seemed to glow in the setting sun, and then compared him to Kaito, who only knew how to bark orders at her without explanation earlier that day. The scales in her heart tilted involuntarily.
She only hesitated for a moment. Thinking that the other party meant well and indeed made her feel very safe, she nodded, took Kanjuro's phone, and entered her Email address and LINE ID.
"Thank you, Senior. My name is Nakamori Aoko."
"I'm Kanjuro." He smiled as he took back the phone and saved the contact information. That smile looked exceptionally charming in the sunset, yet it also hid a bottomless darkness. "Well then, Aoko, be careful on your way. Please look after me... from now on."
He looked at the shy and grateful smile that had reappeared on Aoko's face, knowing that he had successfully planted a seed of distrust between her and Kaito Kuroba, and had opened a convenient path to the heart of this "pure, unpolished jade."
The prey was, step by step, actively walking into the flower-covered trap the hunter had laid out for her. Meanwhile, Kaito Kuroba, far away in another location, might have been shrouded in an ominous premonition, yet he was completely unaware that the person he wanted to protect had already established a "safe" connection with the most dangerous demon.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Aoko carried the bag of sweet-smelling Puffs, her mood much lighter than before. There was even a faint smile on her lips as she thought about how that senior named Kanjuro was truly both handsome and gentle.
However, that smile abruptly froze when she reached an alleyway not far from her home.
"Aoko!"
A familiar figure rushed out from the side like a whirlwind, grabbing her wrist with such force that she cried out in pain. It was Kaito Kuroba. His face was terrifyingly pale, and there was even cold sweat on his forehead. His blue eyes were filled with unprecedented horror and panic as he stared intently at her.
"Kaito?! What are you doing! You're hurting me!" Aoko tried hard to shake off his hand, but he held on even tighter.
"Were you... were you just with that person?!" Kaito's voice became sharp due to extreme fear. He suddenly pointed toward the direction Aoko had come from, even though it was already empty. "The one in the white shirt! Was it him?! Was his name Kanjuro?!"
Aoko was startled by his rapid-fire questioning and terrifying appearance, but at the same time, a surge of offended anger rose within her. "So what if I was! What does it matter to you who I'm with! Besides, Senior Kanjuro is a very good person, unlike you, who only knows how to bark at me for no reason!"
"A good person?!" Kaito acted as if he had heard the most terrifying joke in the world. He suddenly shook Aoko's shoulders, trying to make her "wake up." "Aoko! Do you have any idea who he is?! He's a devil! A monster! He'll be the death of you! Stay away from him! Do you hear me! You must never go near him again!"
His words were somewhat incoherent due to fear, but the urgency and alarm within them were real.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Aoko was dizzy from his shaking and became even angrier. "Senior Kanjuro just accidentally bumped into me, apologized, and even treated me to Puffs to comfort me! He's much more reasonable than you! Kaito, you're the one being weird! Have you read too many detective novels and started having hallucinations?!"
"Puffs? The things he gave you?!" Kaito's gaze instantly locked onto the paper bag in Aoko's hand, his eyes looking at it as if it were a poisonous snake. He suddenly reached out to snatch it. "Throw them away! Throw them away now! Who knows what's inside!"
"No!" Aoko protected the paper bag fiercely, completely enraged by Kaito's extreme behavior. "Kaito Kuroba! That's enough! I think you're the one who's acting the strangest! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
She forcefully broke free from Kaito's grip, her eyes red with anger and grievance.
Just then, a gentle voice with a hint of surprise sounded not far away:
"Aoko? And... who is this?"
Both of them turned their heads at the same time. Kanjuro had returned at some point and was standing a few steps away, his face showing the perfect amount of confusion and concern as his gaze shifted between the agitated Kaito and the red-eyed Aoko. He looked as if he had just happened to pass by and hadn't heard their previous argument at all.
The moment he saw Kanjuro, the blood in Kaito's entire body seemed to freeze! Like a cat with its fur standing on end, he subconsciously pulled Aoko behind him, using his not-so-strong body to shield her, even though this gesture seemed so futile in front of Kanjuro. He stared fixedly at Kanjuro, his eyes filled with wariness, fear, and an imperceptible resolve to protect something.
Kanjuro took in Kaito's reaction. Far from being offended, the corner of his mouth instead curled into a nearly imperceptible, playful arc, as if he were admiring a young beast's futile baring of teeth.
"It seems I've caused some misunderstanding?" Kanjuro's tone remained gentle. He looked at Aoko, who was being protected by Kaito and was peeking out with a face full of dissatisfaction, and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Aoko. It seems I've made your friend worried."
His polite and humble performance, which used retreat as a means of advance, formed a sharp contrast with Kaito's agitated and unseemly behavior, making Kaito look even more like an unreasonable madman.
"Senior, it's not your fault!" Aoko said immediately, her gaze toward Kaito becoming even more dissatisfied. "He's just being weird for no reason!"
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