Chapter 3.2

Emily was walking down the busy streets absentmindedly while playing with her phone. She wanted to waste time until it was late at night, then return home. As she walked aimlessly, she recalled Jason. His mesmerizing eyes and charming smile crystallized in her mind and, inevitably, her thoughts went back to the first time she met Jason...

Like every other night, Emily waited until it was near midnight, knowing her family would be asleep at that time, before leaving the shopping mall and heading home. Trying to take a normal shortcut that cut through the dark alleyways as she usually did, Emily was intercepted by a rowdy man.

His clothes and tattoos indicated that he was a gangster from the Sumps and Emily tried walking past him without drawing too much attention. The man, however, leered lecherously at her, then blocked her path with a hand that was stretched out. His breath stank of cheap, piss-like alcohol and his tobacco blackened teeth made her shudder as he leaned forward.

"Hey there, girlie, why are you in a hurry? Why don't you stick around and keep me company?" the man reached out and played with a lock of her hair before Emily recoiled in horror and disgust. The man frowned before grabbing her arm as he spoke in a more commanding voice.

"Let me go!" shouted Emily as she began to struggle against him. Seeing how futile her struggle was, she grabbed a discarded holo-frame from a nearby dumpster and smashed it over her assaulter's head.

"Bitch!"

The man bellowed as he backhanded her, sending her sprawling on to the ground. Right after, he grabbed her from behind, his strength was nearly twice as strong as before, signifying that he activated a spell or his ESPer ability.

"Scream all you want, no one's gonna save you girlie," he laughed as he tried stripping her lower clothes off.

He's right, she thought as her eyes dimmed. There's no hero or anything in the real world, no one to save me. Screw it, might as well let him do what he wants. Coward like him will probably be tiny and finish quickly.

As she stared blankly ahead with unfocused eyes that were unmoving, a commotion occurred behind her, and the weight of the gangster pushing her downwards disappeared, while a heavy thud sounded out. Looking back falteringly, she saw a third figure heavily obscured by the shadows, protruding from the alleyway. The newcomer had grabbed her would-be rapist and flung him against the wall.

"Oi, wait in line, asshole," the gangster said as he dazedly picked himself off the ground.

The rescuer ignored his words and simply walked up to him, then slammed a fist into his stomach, sending him down to his knees again. Then, he turned to Emily and slowly walked towards her, revealing his features to her blurry, tear-covered sight.

Short black hair styled messily and obsidian eyes that sucked the very soul from her was what she first saw. His square jaw and wide chin had a shadow of a beard that made him look rugged, while his muscular, tanned, body screamed Hollywood to her.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked tremblingly, misunderstanding him, as she had assumed that he wanted to do the same to her as the rapist. "Just get it done, already."

"You … want to be raped?" he asked bemused with his head tilted to one side, confusion etched on his face.

"Of course not, who would?!" she retorted from within her gritted teeth after a pause of shock.

"I would or, rather, was," he replied while shrugging nonchalantly, stunning her into silence. "Well, it wasn't consensual till I woke up but eh, I liked it. If you don't want to be raped, then why didn't you fight back?"

"Yeah? And what good would that do? I'd just end up beaten and raped anyways!" she shouted, her emotions overflowing because of her harrowing experience.

The man didn't reply, he simply looked at her as she picked herself up while refusing his hand. He then took a step forward and lifted her chin with his hand, his eyes on the bruise she got from the scuffle. Emily winced from his touch; she did not mind him touching her but the fear was instinctual after what had occurred to her.

"Which hand?" he asked her quietly.

"I … what?" she asked back.

"Which hand did he use to hit you with?" the man clarified.

"The right …" Emily answered uncertainly, her cheeks red.

"Huh."

The man walked back to the rapist who raised a hand to indicate his surrender as he spat blood out. Grasping his outstretched wrist, Jason applied pressure, crushing it. A split second later, he clutched the forearm and snapped it downwards while pushing up, forcing the trochlea to jut out from the rapist's arm. The poor bastard started off screaming when his wrist broke but ended up fainting from the trauma inflicted by the second crippling.

Emily gasped as she watched on, her hands covering her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, the fear and hopelessness that almost consumed her had disappeared, and shock with a hint of satisfaction replaced it.

The man reached into the gangster's pocket and pulled out his phone. Grabbing the cripple's good hand, he used it to unlock the phone and checked the data before tossing the phone away dismissively.

"I'll walk you back home," he said when he got close to Emily once again.

"No, I don't need that. I'm fine now so you can leave me alone," Emily insisted, distrusting of this friendly man, as she turned to walk away from him. In her mind, men were only nice when they needed - wanted - something from her.

"Please, I insist," he said unwaveringly, leaving no room for discussion.

Emily stopped when she heard him and turned around to look at him, her eyes narrowed.

"So, you do want something in return," she stated while looking at him suspiciously.

"Sorta, yeah. Give me a chance to explain?" he asked while ruffling his already messy hair sheepishly. "We can talk about it while I walk you home."

"Fine," Emily replied uncaringly, knowing she could do nothing if he wanted to harm her; it was obvious that he was a very strong ESPer.

As they walked side by side down the streets, Emily waited for him to speak, but that didn't occur even when they were halfway to her home. Only after asking him again did he sigh and start explaining.

"Look, you're a student at Second Academy right?" he paused waiting for her confirmation before continuing. "My sister, name's Alina, she will be joining their high school curriculum soon and I was hoping you'd look after her. So what do you say? Can you do it?"

"That's ... it?" she asked incredulously, feeling that the request was rather anticlimactic.

"Yep."

"And you want nothing else?"

"Nope, should I?"

"... guess not,"

While Emily felt relief at his simple request, a part of her was disappointed that he didn't request for something else. When she looked at him, she realized that he would smile whenever he spoke proudly about his sister, Alina.

As they continued walking, the area started to become more derelict, similar buildings from the mid-2000s. This area was known as the Sumps, the area nearest to the Slums. Soon, they stopped in front of a rather old house, the lights of which were on, where sounds of yelling and arguments could be heard clearly. Emily sighed when she heard it, she was hoping that it was quiet and peaceful by now. Jason didn't say anything either and, instead, he looked nostalgically at the house, an unknown memory coursing through his mind.

"Thank you for agreeing to watch over my sister, I'll be off now," Jason said while checking his holo-watch, swiping a screen away. He started walking away from Emily who hesitated for a moment.

"Wait," she called out to Jason, who paused without turning around. "Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Jason, Jason Sage," he replied before he waved a hand and continued walking away again. Emily stood still, watching him leave, a complicated feeling brewing inside her as unknown emotions coursed through her chest.

"Jason," she murmured under her breath. She reminisced his clear eyes which peered into her soul without a hint of lust, unlike the other boys she knew who ogled her with less than honorable intentions. "What an interesting man ..."