Chapter 44: Rescue

Mahiru Shiina, Yumiko Miura, and Yui Yuigahama found themselves cornered in a narrow alley, the long shadows of buildings swallowing the afternoon light. Five men with conspicuously dyed hair, tattoos covering their arms and necks, and glittering earrings and nose piercings, stared intently at the three beautiful girls before them. An obscene smile spread across the lips of one.

"Three pretty little girls, how about coming to play with your big brothers?" The husky voice was disgusting, filled with malicious intent.

Yumiko Miura's legs trembled with fear, her knees feeling like jelly. Yet, she gathered what remained of her courage, standing bravely in front of Mahiru Shiina and Yui Yuigahama, puffing out her chest and feigning fierceness. "Who wants to play with you? Go to a cool place. My friend has already called the police. If you keep bothering me, the police will teach you a lesson!" she said, her voice slightly trembling but still trying to be loud.

"Haha, this little girl has a strong personality, but..." One of them laughed, pointing at Yumiko's legs. "Brother, her legs are shaking."

"Haha, so funny." Another chimed in, their laughter like growls.

Yumiko Miura was so angry her whole body trembled, and her eyes were red. She didn't want to tremble either, but the freezing fear couldn't be shaken off. Who would have thought that while shopping with her friends and new acquaintances, they would be surrounded by evil villains like this? Moreover, these people seemed to have planned it. After Yumiko and her friends realized they were being followed, the thugs deliberately led the four girls into this narrow alley.

Hina Ebina had already slipped away to call the police, but Yumiko Miura and the other two were accidentally blocked in the alley and couldn't leave.

"What do you want? Assaulting high school girls is a crime!" Mahiru Shiina mustered her courage, her voice cold and firm, though there was a slight tremor in it.

"Haha, pretty lady, we just want to play with you. It's consensual. How about we give you money afterward?" The dirty words spilled from their leader's mouth, followed by a filthy sneer. "We're all great brothers, we'll definitely satisfy you!"

Those disgusting words made Yui Yuigahama unconsciously grasp Yumiko's and Mahiru Shiina's hands tightly. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror. She was scared too, very scared. Public safety in this generation was clearly excellent, how could such gangsters suddenly appear and dare to act in broad daylight?

"Hey, Boss, I can't hold back. I'll make my move first!" one of the red-haired thugs exclaimed, his eyes glinting with lust.

"Help me keep watch."

"Get lost, I'm the boss, I'm going first!"

The hooligans talked excitedly, and finally they turned their gaze to the three girls stealthily, as if already sharing their prey.

"Let's go together."

Mahiru Shiina, Yumiko Miura, and Yui Yuigahama unconsciously shrunk into the corner, their backs pressed against the damp wall, their hands clenched tightly, their knuckles white.

"Don't come here!" Yui screamed, her voice breaking.

"My friend has already called the police!" Yumiko added, trying to threaten.

"Hey, by the time the police get here, we'll have had enough fun, pretty girls, just surrender to us!" One of them grinned widely, saliva visible at the corner of his lips.

Several men wiped their drool and prepared to pounce, their large shadows covering the three trembling girls.

Suddenly, a shadow streaked through. A man fell and heavily knocked down a gangster, his body crashing against the alley wall with a thud.

"Who's that!" The villains were startled, uniformly turning towards the alley entrance.

However, there stood Renji Kamisaka, holding a camera steadily. His face was flat, but his eyes were cold and piercing. "We just recorded everything. The scene of you threatening high school girls and your voices are very clear." Renji observed them one by one, his finger pressing the record button. "I think when the police come, they'll teach you a valuable lesson."

When they saw Renji Kamisaka appear, the three girls all showed expressions of shock, a wave of relief washing over them.

"It's Renji-kun, our classmate!" Yui Yuigahama exclaimed, her eyes shining with disbelief, as if seeing a guardian angel.

As Mahiru Shiina's eyes fell on the person Renji Kamisaka had struck—now sprawled on the ground—her body suddenly trembled, not from fear, but from shock. She knew this person. The one who insisted on confessing in broad daylight, only to be rejected and run away with a sulky face! He was the senior from the soccer club. Why was this person here and thrown at Renji Kamisaka like a weapon? Thinking about the possibility, Mahiru Shiina's face turned pale, horror creeping into her heart.

The five villains were enraged by Renji Kamisaka's words. "Wah, there are five of us. If you dare ruin our plan, we'll deal with you first!" shouted their leader, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Let's go together!"

Five villains charged fiercely towards Renji, their footsteps echoing in the narrow alley. One of them even pulled out a switchblade that glinted under the dim light. A red-haired thug held a baseball bat and swung it aggressively at Renji, seemingly aiming for Renji Kamisaka's head. The other three villains also had their hands free, each holding a brick they had picked up from the ground, ready to launch an attack.

Good job, Renji thought, his eyes narrowing. Where did these people come from? Are you trying to kill him? The opponents had ferocious expressions on their faces and were extremely cruel, so Renji Kamisaka didn't need to hold back. In other words, he had no intention of holding back. If he didn't have the task order from the Game No Life system, wouldn't he have lost Mahiru Shiina? Even Miura-san and Yuigahama would be molested? Renji Kamisaka was furious that someone dared to attack his residents and future residents. When facing many people, Renji remembered one rule: strike their balls first.

"Ah! Renji, be careful!"

Seeing the baseball bat about to fall on Renji Kamisaka's head, emitting a terrifying whistling sound, the three girls reminded him in unison, their voices a mixture of shock and panic.

Renji Kamisaka didn't retreat, instead he moved closer, raising his arm and blocking the baseball bat without changing his expression.

[Ding, skill damage double rebound activated.]

"Crack." A cracking sound was heard, accompanied by the gangster's cry of pain.

"Ah!"

The gangster's hand that held the baseball bat broke as he struck Renji Kamisaka, but Renji Kamisaka was quick and knocked the baseball bat out of his hand with a swift blow. This also made his image more plausible. In the eyes of the girls, Renji Kamisaka blocked the attack and instantly broke the gangster's arm with one punch, a thrilling spectacle.

Renji Kamisaka continued to advance, his fists dancing rapidly in the shadows of the alley. He stared intently at the target he was about to strike next.

[Ding, skill entry activated with precise strike.]

The effect of the precise strike was that his fist could hit the target he wanted to hit 100%. So, it appeared in the eyes of several girls. Renji Kamisaka moved like flowing water, with a flash of his fist, he knocked down the other villains, one by one. This was another use of the precision strike. Because the effect of the skill was that he could make his fist hit the target he wanted to hit with 100% certainty, what if he wanted to hit more targets? The result was the effect of a flying fist shadow like a Pegasus Meteor Fist that directly knocked several villains to the ground.

He stepped on the wrist of the villain holding the switchblade, and when he screamed and let go, he kicked the switchblade far away. Then, there was the weakness attack that Renji loved so much. Renji Kamisaka unceremoniously kicked each of the villains lying on the ground in the groin, and threw a few additional punches. He stopped only after ensuring that the poisoning effect of the "Yin Yang Wei Qi" entry had taken effect.

"Yin Yang Wei Qi" was a skill that exploded a creature's health bar. The continuous poisoning effect would cause the target's health to continuously decline and eventually return to zero. In other words, these people couldn't escape death! Of course, Renji Kamisaka didn't let go of the person who hired the gangsters for revenge—the senior from the soccer club. Since you've done something bad, you have to pay the price.

After dealing with the villains, Renji Kamisaka clapped his hands, dusting them off, and looked at the three stunned girls, his face calm once more.

"Alright, Shiina-san, Miura-san, Yuigahama-san, the crisis is over, you're all fine."

The three girls finally let out a sigh of relief, the tension that had gripped them slowly loosening. They ran closer to look at him with concern, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Thank you so much, Renji Kamisaka, thank you for saving us," Yumiko Miura thanked him sincerely, her voice slightly trembling with emotion. Why hadn't she realized before that Renji Kamisaka, this quiet man, was actually so manly?

"Renji-kun, you're amazing! So many people are no match for you!" Yui Yuigahama's eyes sparkled, and she looked at him with admiration, her cheeks flushed.

Mahiru Shiina nodded at him seriously, her lips forming a thin line. "Thank you, Renji Kamisaka, but... what about this senior from the soccer club?" She pointed with her chin towards the unconscious body of the senior.

Renji Kamisaka was about to answer.

The wail of police sirens grew closer, filling the alley. A stern-faced criminal police officer and his team quickly surrounded the place. Then, after giving a brief statement, several people, including Renji and the three girls, were taken back to the police station for further questioning.