"It's not like everyone's like that."
Rei Ao chuckles wryly. "But there are indeed quite a few standouts."
Just among the people he knows, there are many.
And among them, quite a number have ended up with him.
But he quickly changes the subject back to Sumika Fujimiya.
"I'm actually curiousdoes the university you go to also have tons of beauties?"
"Eh?"
Hearing the subtext that he's complimenting her, Sumika blushes.
She's happy, yet humble. "Everyone's pretty, reallyI'm just normal."
"Fujimiya-senpai, you're too modest. If someone like you counts as normal, then I doubt there'd be enough hands in the world to count who's truly beautiful."
"Ugh"
Sumika Fujimiya can't quite express just how elated she feels. Being called beautiful is such a wonderful feeling.
After that, the conversation flows in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
They chat about personal interests and other small, amusing things.
Partway through, Gabriel brings their coffee, then leaves without a word.
Originally, it seemed like this would be a peaceful visit.
But trouble still found them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rei Ao notices a bespectacled man giving furtive glances.
"Here you are, sir. Please enjoy your coffee."
Kominami Aisumi places a coffee cup in front of the bespectacled man and turns to leave.
"Wait a minute."
The man in the suit suddenly stops her.
"Is there a problem, sir?"
Aisumi turns back, confused.
The man narrows his eyes and points at the latte art. He complains, "Don't you think this latte art is a bit sloppy?"
"Huh?"
Aisumi leans in to get a closer look.
She fails to notice the man's foot shifting into position.
"Rei Ao?"
Sumika Fujimiya sees him get up suddenly.
Right as the man's shoe is about to slide under Aisumi's skirt
"Aaaargh!!!"
The man screams like a stuck pig.
"Eh?"
Aisumi finds herself abruptly pulled aside by Rei Ao's hand.
At the same time, his right foot delivers a fierce kick to the man's foot.
His cold gaze shows not a trace of pity for the man's cries of pain.
Startled by the noise, everyone turns to look.
Rei Ao simply says coolly, "Taking secret pictures, are you? This isn't your first time, is it?"
~~~
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Chapter 308: Pervert Caught... (Bonus Chapter)
"..."
The bespectacled man immediately lost his cool.
Momentarily stunned, he shouted aggressivelythough actually quite weakly inside, "What are you talking about? Where did I secretly photograph anything?"
"Watch out, or I'll sue you for framing me!"
He tried to threaten Rei Ao, hoping Rei Ao wouldn't interfere.
Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong person to threaten.
Rei Ao said coldly, "Open your phone's photo album."
"You"
The bespectacled man wanted to refuse.
But suddenly, he couldn't make a sound. Something compelled him to take out his phone, open the photo album, and obediently hand it over to Rei Ao.
Taking the phone, Rei Ao glanced through it.
Although there weren't any photos secretly taken of Asumi Kominami, it turned out he was a repeat offender.
There were quite a few candid shots of people taken on the street.
Rei Ao handed the phone to the still-shaken Asumi Kominami.
"Kominami-san, you can look for yourself."
"O-Okay!"
Realizing what had happened, she began checking the phone carefully. Fujimiya Sumika also moved closer to look. As they flipped through the images, both of them became increasingly angry.
"This guy is a perverted paparazzo!"
Although there weren't any photos of Asumi Kominami, she was still furious at seeing other unsuspecting victims.
Just then
Gabriel and the caf manager, an older man with a mustache, walked over.
He showed no intention of sweeping the matter under the rug, saying gravely, "He tried to secretly photograph my employee? I won't stand by and let that go. I'm calling the police!"
Before long, the evidence was confirmed and the bespectacled man was taken away.
Fujimiya Sumika looked at Rei Ao, her eyes full of admiration.
"Rei Ao-kun, how did you know he was taking secret photos? That's amazing!"
"Instinct," Rei Ao answered calmly.
It really was that simple.
Fujimiya Sumika could only guess that Rei Ao had noticed how unnatural the man's movements were. Angrily, she said, "It's awful that a paparazzo like that can't be locked up forever!"
"Heh."
Rei Ao gave a short, mirthless laugh but did not elaborate.
To prevent him from harming anyone else, Rei Ao had left a little "something" in the man's body. The man likely wouldn't survive by the time he was released.
Soon after, the manager came over with Gabriel and a casually dressed Asumi Kominami.
"Rei Ao-san, thank you for your courageous act in protecting my employee."
The manager gave him a deep bow, showing sincere gratitude.
"Thank you, Rei Ao!" added Asumi Kominami.
"I'll accept your thanks, but since we're classmates in the same year, it's just what I should do."
"Sigh, people your age who are willing to step up and help are getting fewer these days," the manager said wistfully. Then he waved a hand. "Today, both of your coffees are in the house."
"And I'll also give each of you a special membership card for our shop. From now on, whenever you come by, you'll get a ten-percent discount."
After the two of them accepted the membership cards, the manager smiled with satisfaction.
"Asumi Kominami, take the rest of the day off. I'll still pay you for your shift."
"Thank you, Manager."
When the manager walked away, Fujimiya Sumika turned to Asumi Kominami in concern. "Are you alright, Kominami-san?"
"I'm fine," she said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Even if he did get a photo of me, it wouldn't really matter."
"Huh?"
Fujimiya Sumika was confused by that statement.
Gabriel explained on her behalf, "Even if that guy tried to secretly snap a photo, he wouldn't have caught anything. We wear regulation safety shorts."
"Oh, I see."
Fujimiya Sumika let out a sigh of relief; she'd thought Asumi Kominami truly didn't mind being photographed.
"But it's so unfair for everyone else he snapped pictures of," Asumi Kominami said angrily. She herself was safe, but others had already been photographed without consent.
"Let's hope he changes," Gabriel sighed. The mortal world really had its share of filth; clearly, her own 'fall from grace' was not without cause. She even blamed her own corruption on the world's uglinessyes, that must be it. No one could have guessed the fallen angel in front of them was using this incident to push the cause of her downfall onto other people.
"Mm, sorry to trouble you, Gabriel. This means you'll have to do my part of the job."
"Meh, I don't mind."
Gabriel scratched at her hair, yawning. She didn't look the least bit motivated to work.
Then, Asumi Kominami took out her phone.
"Rei Ao, can I add you as a contact?"
Worried he might misunderstand, she explained, "I want to thank you properly for today, so"
"Sure," Rei Ao agreed without hesitation, seeing no reason to refuse.
After exchanging contact info, Asumi Kominami gave him a playful smile.
"Then be sure to pay attention to my messages, Rei Ao. I hope you two have a lovely couple's date. See you next time!"
With that, she departed.
A light breeze rustled Fujimiya Sumika's hair, leaving her standing there in a daze.
"A-a couple?!"
She glanced at Rei Ao's profile. A fierce wave of embarrassment welled up in her, and her face began to burn. She only came to return his coatso how had the two of them ended up being mistaken for boyfriend and girlfriend?
Yet Rei Ao looked completely unfazed. He even teased her about it:
"Looks like we really do give off the vibe of a couple, to be mistaken like that."
"Huh?"
Fujimiya Sumika's mind went blank at his remark. But Rei Ao simply chuckled, "Haha, just kidding," and then invited her:
"Fujimiya, how about we take a walk around?"
They hadn't really had anything resembling a date earlier, but now he guessed they could at least count it as one.
"O-okay"
Strolling down the street, Fujimiya Sumika was so nervous she hardly knew where to look. Her face was still bright red, and she barely managed to get words out. She'd ended up stuck in a back-and-forth of nothing but yes/no answers.
She didn't want to be so uptight, but once she started thinking about "dating" and "acting like a couple," she couldn't stop her nerves from overwhelming her. Her brain was full of the so-called "18 Ways to Flirt With a Guy" that Sawae had taught herbut there was no way she could actually use any of those!
Fujimiya Sumika was nearly in tears from the awkwardness, and even Rei Ao was having trouble salvaging the situation. If only someone could come to her rescue
"Ding-dong!"
Rei Ao stopped walking. Noticing how confused Fujimiya Sumika looked, he pointed at her purse. "Fujimiya, I think your phone just chimed."
"Ah?"
She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed. Hastily, she took out her phone, looking embarrassed. The moment she saw the message, her eyes lit up like she'd found a lifeline.
"Ahem! Rei Ao, let's walk over that way!"
Only moments ago she'd been stiff and flustered, yet now she was suddenly brimming with energy, pointing confidently in a new direction.
Intrigued, Rei Ao wondered what sort of message had boosted her spirit so much.
"Alright," he agreed. "Let's head that way."
~~~
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Chapter 309: Robbery, Invitation to Another Date?
A Busy Shopping Street.
"Ding-dong!"
"Welcome!"
Inside a lavishly decorated gold shop, three very unusual customers had just arrived.
As usual, the shop assistant greeted them.
But when she took a good look at the trio, her heart skipped a beat.
Never mind that they were all large in staturejust their overall appearance already stood out:
Hats, sunglasses, white gloves, and backpacks.
It was as though they had stacked up some kind of "suspicious buff" to the limit.
While the clerk felt scared, a sense of foreboding also crept over her.
She trembled as she reached for her phone.
The next moment, her fear became reality.
The man in front bared his teeth in a grin, revealing a mouthful of gold fillings.
Then the three of them drew machetes from behind their backs.
"Hands up! This is a robbery!"
Fujimiya Sumika, as if suddenly knowing exactly where to go, brought Rei Ao to a plaza in a commercial district.
She looked left and right, finally spotting her "mastermind friend," Sawae.
It was Sawae who had just messaged her moments ago:
Sawae: "Sumika, how's the date going?"
When Sumika saw that message, it was as if she'd glimpsed a life-saving miracle.
Fujimiya Sumika: "Help me!!!"
So she called for backup.
As her close friend, Sawae naturally wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
They agreed on a meeting place.
Now Sumika saw her, and Sawae saw Sumika in turn.
She was just about to wave in greeting when
"Ah!!!"
A piercing scream rang out beside her.
From the gold shop next to them, a group of vicious-looking men suddenly burst out.
"Move it!"
They held knives and bags, shouting foul-mouthed threats.
One glance was enough to see what they were up to: robbery.
They seemed to already have an escape route planned, heading straight for a car waiting by the curb.
Unfortunately, Sawae was right in the path they were taking.
The man leading the group glared at her with a ruthless look.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
"!!!"
Facing the men charging at her so ferociously, Sawae's legs turned to jelly; she was too scared to move.
Seeing that she remained rooted to the spot,
the robber, in a hurry to get away, swung his blade in rage.
Whether it just scared her off or knocked her down didn't matter to him, as long as she stopped blocking the way.
"Sawae!!!"
Fujimiya Sumika shouted in horror, only to catch a flash of something out of the corner of her eye.
In the blink of an eye
"Uh"
She froze.
Because the robbers who had been running away a second ago were now sprawled on the ground, limbs flung wide.
"Oww"
"Argh, it hurts!"
All three robbers lay on the pavement, clutching their stomachs in pain, unable to move.
And Rei Ao, who had just been standing next to Sumika, was now somehow right in front of Sawae.
Rei Ao lowered his fist, then pulled out his phone in a rather dismissive manner and dialed the police.
"Hello, this is XXX. Three robbers attempted a robbery here, but I've subdued them. Please send officers as soon as possible."
Better to leave these guys to the proper authorities.
""
Sawae was momentarily stunned, staring at the reassuring figure of Rei Ao.
Thisthis is the underclassman Sumika told me about?
Rei Ao turned to her. "Miss, are you hurt?"
"II'm not surebut I don't feel any pain."
"In my opinion, you should be fine. But if you want to double-check for any obvious injuries, it might be a good idea."
Just then, Fujimiya Sumika and the gold shop staff rushed over.
"Sawae! Are you okay?" Sumika asked anxiously.
"You know each other?" Rei Ao asked. "That's convenient."
Then he gave instructions: "Fujimiya, why don't you take Sawae somewhere to check whether she's hurt?"
The manager of the gold shop quickly spoke up. "We have a fitting room you can use."
"Thanks."
"No, no, we should be the ones thanking you! You were amazingsubduing three robbers all on your own."
Not only the staff but a gathering crowd began to shower Rei Ao with praise.
It was only after the police arrived to take the robbers away that the onlookers finally dispersed.
Rei Ao, Sawae, and the store's staff had to go to the station to give statements.
The officers were quite astonishedthis was already the second case Rei Ao had solved that day (the first involving illicit photography, and now a robbery). It was certainly uncommon.
By the time they finished all the paperwork and came out of the police station, it was already dusk.
Sawae lowered her head, embarrassed. "Sorry, because of me, your date got completely interrupted."
"Well, it was beyond our control. I'm just glad you're not hurt," Sumika said with a smile.
