-Quest Updated-

Where in the World am I?

You have awoken in a strange new world. Find out where you are!

Landmarks discovered 3/7

Inose River

Train Station

Shopping District

Rewards

-150 Exp

-Map feature unlocked

-1000 Yen

Failure

-Map feature permanently locked

Time Limit: 5 days

"Awesome," I muttered, hands on my knees and gasping for breath. And here I thought my Stamina was pretty good. How naive I was. If the last two days have taught me anything, it's that I know nothing.

And let me tell you, that was a kick in the crotch. But that's why I was pushing myself. Using Running and Sprint as much as I could did yield me some decent results. Running has increased by two, which doesn't sound like much, because it wasn't, but I'd take what I could get.

I managed to get a Level in Meditation as well. I wasn't focusing too hard on that, maybe an hour a day, so I was happy with a single Level.

Oh, and Observe has gone up a few Levels as well. There were a few close calls as I was Scanning people, but I played it real cool. Acted like I was daydreaming. Pretty sure they bought it.

More importantly was the Stat increases. That's what made my pain and suffering worth it. My Agility had increased by a whopping 3, and my Vitality went up by 2. Again, not much, but all I was doing was running and trying not to terrorize the village folk.

I was only half successful. I hope that old lady forgives me.

Anyway…

Stats

Level: 2 (0/200)

Health: 360/360

Stamina: 1/166

?: ?/?

Strength: 60

Agility: 18

Vitality: 22

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 20

?: ?

Charisma: 8

Unused Points: 0

Seeing those go up was becoming my new addiction. I tried some strength training exercises. Bodyweight ones, cause you know, I have no equipment. But so far, nothing. It was only pushups and pullups, and it's only been a couple days, so maybe it'll go up before shit hits the fan.

Because it always does. Sooner or later, that nasty bitch is covered in feces.

With the stitch in my side finally dissipating, meaning my Stamina wasn't at 0, I took a look at my current surroundings. After running around like a mad man for two days, I was able to find three of the landmarks I needed. Still didn't know where I ended up, but at least it was something.

Oh, and I also confirmed I had a week before the school year begins. Yay…

Finding the river was easy, and that came with a fishing spot, so that was cool. I'd have to check it out once I got some fishing gear. Fish wasn't my favorite food in the world, but I wouldn't turn it down.

Next was the Train Station. It was cool, I guess. Nothing really special about it. But I now knew where to go if I ever needed to skip town, so that was a plus.

And finally was my current location, the Shopping District. Let me tell you, it smelt awesome. A few restaurants lined the sides, all serving different specialties, like sushi, or BBQ. There was a small grocery store as well, and a few other random shops scattered about.

It was nice, but I didn't recognize it. I wasn't in Inaba, so no Persona for me. With how many hours I put into Persona 4 Golden, I could recognize that shopping district like the back of my hand.

That also ruled out a Naoto romance, so that was rather depressing. Oh well, hopefully this world had some hot babes in it as well. I saw a few cute girls, but none that I saw myself dating. We'll just have to wait and see.

Oh, I did discover a few new Skills as well. Like Cooking and Cleaning. Cooking was pretty great, and I couldn't wait to cause some kind of foodgasm. That was the dream. Cleaning just made it quicker and easier to clean. Nothing special, but nice to have.

Cooking (3/100)

The ability to cook food without poisoning

yourself or more importantly, someone else.

-Increases taste of food by 6%

-Reduces cook time by 1.5%

-Increases Food Buffs by 3%

Cleaning (2/100)

The ability to clean up your own messes, like a big boy.

-Increases effectiveness by 2%

-Reduces the time it takes to clean by 1%

Yeah, it was going to take a while to level them up, but I could definitely see the utility of them in later levels. Life wasn't all about fighting and killing, after all. But right now, they were pretty meh.

But then my stomach made a noise that sounded like it belonged in the woods. Like a wolf getting ready to pounce. Yep, I am definitely hungry, But checking my inventory…

Just like I thought, no money. I had some, but like a doof, I spent it all on squirtable cheese. I… don't know why.

I felt cheated by it too, after I went and put my Stat Points into Wisdom, I do something stupid like that. Maybe the game was glitched and needed a patch.

There is nothing wrong with me. You are simply a simpleton.

I feel so loved. Regardless, I couldn't afford anything here, but at least I had disgusting cheese and cheap ramen. It was like college, but with less vomiting.

Or so I hear. I have never snuck into a college frat party, scout's honor.

Guess I better head on back to my crappy little apartment. At least the bed was nice, and the company was fantastic. Me, myself and I. Swell guys.

I'm not lonely, you're lonely. Shut up.

Turning around I start to make my way back, when a sudden cry halted me.

"What do you creeps want? Hey! Get away from me!"

Oh?

What ho?

A foe?

-New Quest-

Damsel in Distress!

You hear a cry from a girl in distress. It's time to nut up or shut up.

Do you have what it takes to save her?

Reward

-100 Exp

-500 Yen

-Unlock Relationships

Failure

-Knowing you let a little girl get mugged or worse

Accept?

Y/N

No need to lay on the guilt trip game, I wasn't planning on ignoring it anyway. Even if I have about 5 Stamina left, and died the last time I stuck my neck out for someone.

I'm sure I'll be fine this time. Hitting the yes button, I quickly made my way toward the cry. It led me to any alley, how cliche.

At the end of the alley was a girl, around 10 or 11, with short black hair and a thin frame. She was wearing what looked to be a soccer uniform, so she must have been heading home from practice.

She was surrounded by two men blocking her escape. They were wearing… ah who cares. Couple of two-bit thugs weren't worth describing. Besides, those outfits were about to be covered in blood anyway.

"Quite your damn whining you brat. Just give us what we want, and we won't mess up that face of yours."

"I already told you I don't have any money you stupid jerk!"

"Oh stupid am I? We'll see who's stupid when we're through with you."

The two goons advanced on the little girl, cracking their knuckles as they did so. She backed up as far as she could go, which wasn't very far. They were just a few feet from her, when a sound stopped them in their tracks.

It was clapping, slow and sarcastic.

Turning around to see what the interruption was, they saw a tall, bald man in a dirty hoodie, torn up jeans, and sneakers. They turned to face each other, before looking back at me.

"Fuck off pretty boy! Unless you want to be as ugly as my pal here."

"Hey, fuck you Koji!"

I rolled my eyes at the "witty" banter. The girl was looking at me with hope in her eyes, and I would be damned if I let her down. It was time to teach these punks some manners, the way their daddy should have. With an ass whoopin'.

"Yeah I don't think so. You see, I like to do at least one good deed a day, and putting two lowlifes such as yourselves on the ground seems like a good way to do just that."

They seemed confused by my statement, though I couldn't figure out why. I didn't use any big words or anything. Or was it because they couldn't fathom someone doing a good deed? That was probably it.

But the two of them seemed to realize they'd been challenged. "Fine, if you want to die that badly, we'll make it happen."

They approached me slowly, one on my left side and one on my right. Like that would help them. I took that moment to Scan them. The results…

Name: Koji Tsuma

Age: 17

Level: 1

Hp: 125/125

Stamina: 86/86

Description: Koji is a low level thug in the Tiger Claw gang. He is petty and mean spirited, only targeting those weaker than himself unless he has back up.

So he's one of those types is he? Well I definitely can't lose to him. Next!

Name: Tai Shimura

Age: 19

Level: 2

Hp: 158/158

Stamina: 93/93

Description: Tai is a low level thug in the Tiger Claw gang. He hates to bathe and doesn't understand why girls reject him. He only targets those weaker than himself unless he has back up.

I think I can already smell him. Damn, not sure I want to get close enough to fight this guy.

They crept closer and I waited with my arms crossed, looking bored out of mind, knowing it would piss them off.

And I was right. Koji, the one on the left, my left, snarled at my nonchalant attitude and swung at me with a right hook. Now, I could have dodged and countered easily enough, but I had to conserve my Stamina. I was running on fumes.

So instead, I raised my left arm, and blocked it with my elbow. The result..

"Ahh, fuck! My hand!"

Yeah, his fingers all bend in different directions now. For his sake, I hope that wasn't his wanking hand.

"You bastard!" yelled Tai. Like his friend, he wound up a massive fight hook, slow and overtly telegraphed. But I didn't want to use the same trick twice in one fight. Where's the fun in that?

So instead, as he tried to step in and swing, I used my foot and placed it on his thighs, halting his momentum, leaning back to avoid the punch. The whole thing seemed to puzzle him. The punch to his face, however, brought forth some clarity.

"Ah fuck my nose! I think you broke my nose!"

Looking at the box above their heads, which thankfully contained their Health and Stamina after scanning them, I could see they took significant damage.

Koji Tsuma (Lvl: 1)

Health: 65/125

Stamina: 70/86

Tai Shura (Lvl: 2)

Hp: 109/158

Stamina: 85/93

Nice, this wouldn't take long. Seeing as Koji was clearly the weak link, I targeted him first. He tried to take a swipe at me as I neared, but with one arm crippled and him being clearly distracted by the pain, it was simple to avoid and enter his no longer safe space.

Koji was a good several inches shorter than me, so it was all too easy to deliver an elbow to the temple. His Hp dropped like a rock, and sank to the bottom. He was out cold.

Tai didn't seem to like that and came at me again, only this time it was with a low tackle. Which was just silly. I raised my knee and crunched his nose again, and he crumpled to the ground. He wasn't out just yet, but a little head stomp took care of that.

All that for only 3 Stamina. Not bad, not bad at all. Feels good, owning the weak and pathetic.

…That came out wrong. I meant the-oh you know what I meant!

Straightening up my hoodie, I approached the girl with a dazzling smile. Or maybe it was a devilish one, I always get the two mixed up.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Hey, are you alri-"

"Look out!"

Surprised by her sudden shout, I turned around to see what made her shout, only to grunt in pain as a familiar sensation sprung from my side. The last time I felt this was when I died. Looking down, I could see that yes, I had been stabbed.

You have been stabbed!

-30 Hp

You have been inflicted with the Status Ailment: Bleeding

Bleeding

Hp is reduced by 1 every 10 seconds. Hp will continued to

reduce until Bleeding time runs out

Time remaining: 3:00 minutes

Gee, thanks game, I hadn't figured that out yet.

You're welcome.

Stupid, smartass, son of a…

The effect would only last for a few minutes, so I wasn't in danger of bleeding out.

Again.

So that was good. The problem was mental. The last time I was stabbed, I died. Getting stabbed again was putting me through some PTSD.

Following the arm revealed who had stabbed me. It was another ugly guy with buck teeth and a smarmy grin. I couldn't wait to punch him.

If only my hands would stop shaking.

"Hehehe, I can't believe my luck. If I hadn't had to take a piss, I'd be on the floor like those other sad sacks."

And I was so happy for him. I grunted as he ripped the blade out of me. Thankfully it didn't affect my Bleed time, but it still hurt. I held my side as I backed up, glaring a hole into the little weasel of a man in front of me.

"Hey, are you ok?" questioned the girl behind me. It was easy to hear the concern in her voice. It was nice to know someone gave a damn about you, even if it was only because you were their meat shield.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," I said. I hope she didn't hear the slight waver in my voice. I was trying to be the reassuring hero after all. It wouldn't work if I sounded like a little bitch after one measly stab wound.

"So, this the guy Yamagichi?" a new voice questioned from the entrance of the alley. He was bigger than the rest, almost as tall as me, and he looked like a stereotypical delinquent. Kind of like a bigger, uglier Yusuke Urameshi.

He also wasn't alone. There were at least three other thugs with him, and not one of them looked like they knew what a bath was.

"Yeah, that's him boss. Beat up poor Koji and Tai he did."

Fuckin' narc.

I turned my glare to the newcomer and began to Scan him.

Scanning…

90 seconds…

89 seconds…

Damn, looks like this one will take awhile. He must be at a higher level than these thugs. And my Stamina was at a whopping 2. I might be in a bit of trouble here.

"I see. That's not something I can just let slide. I'm gonna have to put the hurt on ya. You understand," he rumbled in a deep voice.

No I didn't, but I doubt that would matter. I was hoping for a bit less honor among thieves, if I'm being honest. Well, no choice but to fight I guess.

"Hey you big jerk!" shouted a voice from behind me. I turned, along with the gang of thugs, to see the young girl I was protecting giving them all a death glare. If she weren't three feet tall and fifty pounds soaking wet, it might have been intimidating.

"Don't blame him for those two jerks getting their butts kicked. If they hadn't been trying to rob me, none of this would have happened!"

Solid logic. Flawless even. There was just one teeny, tiny problem with it.

"Huh? I don't give a damn about that. He should have minded his own damn business."

Yeah I thought so. These guys wouldn't care if their guy was clearly in the wrong. All that mattered was that by attacking them, I was insulting him by proxy. Crooks like him had to hold onto their reputation like a lifeline, or sharks would start to gather. It was a pathetic dick measuring contest.

Unfortunately for him, I was Well Equipped for a dick measuring contest. I had a Perk that said so and everything. My victory was all but guaranteed. Maybe that's the real reason they were so mad at me. They knew I had them beat as a man, and sought to eliminate me.

"What!? But they-" she started to rant, feminine fury on her tongue as she stepped forward. Something I couldn't allow.

"It's no use," I interrupted, stepping in front of her. She turned to look at me, "But…"

I just shook my head, "Guys like this only understand one thing, a good solid punch in the face. Luckily, I happen to be fluent."

She growled but stepped back. Good, I didn't need her getting in the way. It might have been harsh, but that was the truth.

"Well ain't that just precious. I think I might just cry," mocked the big guy. His goons laughed the way goons laugh, stupidly. I was tired of this already.

The boss stepped forward, ready to give me a pounding. And yes, I feared for my chastity.

"Listen up, this is how it's gonna work. Only one of us is leavin' here alive, understand?"

"Perfectly."

I put my arms up, not willing to take this fight as nonchalant as the last one. Not only was I injured, but I was about out of steam as well. Note to self, if I survive this, don't use all your Stamina. Keep some in reserve, just in case.

I checked the Scan timer as well.

41…

40…

Damn, still a ways off. I would have to play this defensively, and hope my Observe Skill picks up the slack. There was also my Guardian Perk, which I had nearly forgotten about. That 10% boost was lookin' real good right now.

His first punch came hard and fast. He was clearly a step above his underlings. Too bad for him, I was harder and faster.

That's right, I said it.

I moved my head to the side, letting the blow slide past me. That didn't deter him, as he threw another, but I managed to dance around him. The longer this went on, the angrier he seemed to get.

"Hold still you coward!"

"Make me Tiny Tim!"

He didn't get the insult, but it made him mad all the same. Men somehow knew when their pecker was being mocked.

His next attack was a hook, so I tried to duck, only to discover, in a painful manner, that it was a feint. His real punch was an uppercut, which I took right in the face.

-44 Hp

"Gah!"

Fuck that hurt more than being stabbed. How is that possible? I wasn't in any danger but still...

He seemed to get a hard on at my pain, and the worry for my chastity returned. But it seemed like he wanted to tenderize me first, like I was a juicy steak.

And I was.

I put my guard up to ward off the blows as best I could, but it only helped so much.

-19 Hp

-16 Hp

-27 Hp

-22 Hp

If this went on for too much longer, I was a goner. His next blow came for me, but it seemed to move slower for some reason. Maybe it was my Observe Skill, maybe it was my closeness with death. Either way, I was able to avoid the attack and land one of my own, a strong right hook.

I staggered away, the last of my Stamina spent, leaning against the wall. My opponent stood there, rubbing his jaw, but not much else. A small trickle of blood dribbled down his chin.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. You ever think of joinin' a gang? I could use a guy like you," he asked. He couldn't be serious, could he? Judging by the look on his face, he absolutely could be.

"Sure, but only if I get to be the boss," I said. I wasn't serious, obviously, but I knew that was an offer he could only refuse. There was no way he was giving up his power.

"Heh, too bad."

That's when a ding caught my attention. Glancing at the screen while keeping one eye on my opponent, I saw the Scan was finally complete. Nice, now let's see what were working with.

Name: Toma Shimura

Age:28

Level: 7

Health: 380/440

Stamina: 235/248

Description: Toma Shimura is a former underground boxer. He quit as he was tired of being somebody's underling. Unlike his own underlings, Toma has the ability to think. Doesn't take disrespect lightly. Will gladly take on somebody stronger than him.

He was definitely better than the others. My punch did some decent damage, but I had a long way to go. Taking him down would be an uphill battle. But with a life on the line, it was a battle I couldn't afford to lose.

*Ding*

Due to your resolve, a new Ability has been found, Second Wind.

Second Wind

The ability to grit your teeth and push past your limits!

Recover 30% of your maximum Stamina.

Stamina will drain at a rate of 1 point every 5 seconds until Stamina reaches 0. Afterward, you will incur the Exhausted Status.

All Stamina costs are doubled.

That was a hefty cost, but at the moment, it was just what I needed. My Stamina is 166 at max, so this should restore about 50 points. Yeah, that'll work. It'll be more than enough to take this guy down.

"What are you smilin' about over there? You lost your mind or somethin'?" he asked. Huh, didn't realize I was smiling. Whatever, it didn't matter. All that mattered now is kicking his ass.

"Nope, I just got my Second Wind," I said, standing up straight as I activated the Ability. It felt nice not to be so tired, but I knew that was temporary. I would be a whole lot more tired when this was over.

"That right? You're gonna need more than that to beat me."

I didn't answer him, my fists would do the talking for me. And they were quite the literate duo.

I sprinted from the wall and jumped, landing a superman punch on his face, dealing another chunk of damage. Man am I glad my strength is so high.

He growled and tried to backhand me, but I ducked under it and landed a kidney shot. Oh look at that, a Critical. Lucky me. Or was it that I hit a vital area? Guess I'll just have to test it out and see.

"Gah! You damn punk!" he shouted, bending over in pain. I chuckled as he cursed me out. It gave me warm fuzzies all over. Maybe he should be worrying about his chastity.

Naw, I'm way out of his league. Plus I don't want to catch anything.

He roared as he stood, and tried to spartan kick me. No thank you. As his kick sailed past me I sent a kick of my own, one aimed at his leg. Unlike him, I succeeded, and he fell flat on his ass.

"Way to go!" cheered the girl. It's cute how she cheered for violence.

I tried to stomp on the guy's head, but he managed to roll out of the way. Darn, that probably would have been a Critical. Maybe next time.

Toma stood up with a growl. I gave him a cocky smirk in return. He didn't seem to like that.

"Alright, playtime is over. You had your fun, but now it's time to end this," he said, while taking off his shirt. Maybe he was wearing weighted clothing?

His torso was muscular and covered in scars. It wasn't hard to imagine him being an underground fighter, not with that body. It paled in comparison to mine though.

"Look pal, I'm flattered, really, but I don't swing that way," I told him, grinning as I heard the girl behind me snicker.

"You're a real comedian. But let's see how you like this!"

I was expecting many things. A punch, a kick, maybe even a tackle. But what I wasn't expecting was for him to throw his sweaty shirt in my face. I also didn't expect the burning agony to flare up from my side.

It was a dirty move by the standards of dirty moves, but it was certainly effective. Toma punched me right in my stab wound, which restarted the Bleed timer. Great, he basically reopened my wound. Dick.

It also turned out to be a Critical. That's right, punching previous debilitating injuries was a nat 20. As I fell to my knees, clutching my side, I would also learn that a kick to the face was also a nat 20.

Two in a row. He must be using loaded dice.

My head swam, and I stared at the pretty stars. That took out nearly ⅓ of my Hp. It was below 100 now. A couple more hits like that, and it was Game Over.

His own Hp was at about half. Good, that means I still have a chance. My Stamina was running out fast though. It was down to just 23. I had to end this, and end it fast.

The black-haired girl looked on, fidgeting nervously. I wanted to reassure her that everything was ok, Hakuna Matata and all that, but it would just be empty words. The best way to bring her comfort now, was to put this guy on the ground.

So I stood up, spitting out a wad of blood as I did so. Toma seemed almost stonished "I didn't think you'd get up after a hit like that. Color me impressed."

"I'd rather color you red."

He smirked at me, "You say that, but you're on your last legs. You did your best, but your best just wasn't good enough. It's time to give up."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I could do this all day."

"Sure you can kid, sure you can."

"Besides, I have something that you never will," I said, a mocking look on my face.

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me. I'm all ears," he said, not liking the look on my face.

"Big… Dick…Energy."

The world around me got quiet. But it didn't last long. Toma's eyes seemed to glow with rage, and his body took on a red hue, "That's it kid, you're dead."

*Warning*

Opponent has been inflicted with the Berserk Status.

All damage dealt to and by the opponent will be doubled.

That was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, I can deal more damage. On the other hand, he only needed a few hits to kill me before this. So not much has changed on that front. I still needed to avoid his attacks like the plague.

No problem.

He charged in like a bull, his arm extended, trying to crush my throat with a lariat. It didn't work, I ducked under and struck his kidney again. Sweet, another Critical for m-

My celebration was cut short by the back hand that spun me around. That hurt. It seems that the Berserk Status also removed the sense of pain. That would have been good to know.

My bad.

Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. Just one more thing to get around. Or maybe, use to my advantage. I had an idea, one that was just crazy enough to get me killed.

As he turned around, I sent a low kick, aimed at his knee. It connected, doing little damage, even doubled. And like before, he didn't seem to feel it.

Perfect.

Under the Berserk Status, it didn't seem like he was able to think ahead either. He just charged and blundered his way at me, punching and kicking for all he was worth. But with him fully Observed, I had an edge in not becoming a smear on the wall.

Every attack I dodged was an opportunity to counter. I aimed kick after kick at his knee, damage accumulating slowly but surely. But that wasn't my goal. He couldn't feel the damage I was inflicting on him, so he wouldn't notice until it was too late.

He swung at me, and like before, I dodged, landing another kick. It would be any moment now. I gained some distance from him, both of us sweating and breathing like chubby asthmatics at a carnival.

He snarled and rushed me once again, and that's the moment my plan came to fruition. His knee became dislocated, and he collapsed on the ground. Seems like he could feel that.

He gripped his knee in agony, "Fuck! Shit! What the hell happened?"

"You let your anger get the best of you. All those kicks to your knee added up, and you couldn't pay the toll. You let yourself get sloppy, simple as that."

He seemed to take my words to heart, sitting there with a self deprecating smirk on his face as the red hue vanished, "Huh, guess you got me. Been a long time since someone beat me this good. Looks like you win, kid. It's my loss."

"Not yet it's not," I said. If he thought this was over, he had another thing coming.

"What are you talking about kid? I can't stand up, I can barely move. How is this not my loss?"

"You said it yourself, right at the beginning of the fight. Only one of us is leaving here alive."

Sweat started to drip even more down his brow, and I didn't think it was from exhaustion, "Come on, kid. It was just a figure of speech. I didn't mean it."

"Is that right? Too bad for you, I have no mercy for a man who thinks robbing little girls is ok. Maybe you should have minded your business."

I began walking toward him, even as he tried to get away. I had enough Stamina for one more good attack. Some of his minions thought to interfere, but one look from me dissuaded them of that notion.

I was right in front of him now, cracking my knuckles like his lackeys did earlier. "Come on, kid, we can talk about this," he tried to plead with me. Too bad for him…

"I'm all done talking."

I raised my fist, and it seemed to glow with a pale, golden aura. Without further ado, I launched my fist into his face, using up my remaining Stamina as I did so. But you know what, totally worth it.

Toma went flying down the alley, rolling to a stop in front of his gang. His Hp hit zero as he did so. They stared at his unconscious body in shock.

Wait, he is unconscious right? And what about those other guys? I better check…

Yep, we're good. Game says they aren't dead and that's good enough for me.

But it wasn't good enough for them. They seemed pretty upset about the whole thing, actually. You'd think gang members would be better equipped to handle an ass whoopin'. Apparently not.

"You're going to pay for that!"

He was probably right. I could barely stand. The Exhaustion Status hitting me like a truck. I was hoping I could bluff my way into them running away, but that seemed unlikely.

Exhaustion

Due to going beyond your physical limits, all Stamina Regeneration is halved.

You are unable to perform even basic motor functions without extreme difficulty. You cannot use any Skill or Ability that requires Stamina.

Cannot be removed until Stamina is restored to half of your maximum.

If exhaustion persists for more than 3 days, you will die.

Damn... Well in for a penny. Being a hero sure is tough. All I could do now was draw their ire away from the girl behind me.

"Hey kid," I whispered, as the group started to slowly encroach.

"My name's Karin, not kid."

Spunky. I like it. "Karin then. I'm Ushio. Listen, these guys are about to start beating the hell out of me. When they do, I want you to run."

Her eyes widened at my suggestion, "What? But, what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

That was a lie.

"Just get out of here, and get to safety. Got it?"

She didn't answer, staring at the ground with frustrated tears forming in her eyes.

"Karin, do you got it?"

"Yeah! I got it."

Good. That was one less thing to worry about. But as the group drew closer, something strange happened. One of them came flying down the alley. He rolled to a stop, face down booty up, with swirls in his eyes. Somebody knocked him the hell out.

Is that you Santa? The present I wanted had a couple more D's on them, but I'll take what I can get I suppose.

The rest of the group turned around, "Who did that? You wanna die?" one of them yelled. I couldn't tell you which one. Assholes all blend together after a while. If you've pounded one asshole into the ground, you've pounded them all.

"Karin, you down here?" yelled a new voice. Karin seemed to perk up at the sound, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"Ichigo, I'm here!"

"These guys giving you trouble?"

"Yeah! Mind giving me a hand!"

"Alright, give me a minute."

"You're gonna need more than a minute, pal!" screamed one of the thugs, tired of being ignored.

He did not. He did not need more than a minute. It was a slaughter. The beatdown was so fast and brutal, I almost felt bad for the guys, even though they were about to beat me into a third life. It was like watching Mike Tyson box a little old lady. It was so unfair it was almost comical.

In about ten seconds flat, there remained one asshole left standing. It was the mousy little shit that stabbed me. He was shaking uncontrollably.

His head swiveled this way and that, desperate to find a way to escape. But it didn't look like that was a possibility. His eyes eventually fell on Karin, and fear turned into rage.

"You! If you'd just handed over your money like a good little girl, none of this would be happening!"

"Like I keep saying, I don't have any money!"

"Lies!

He pulled out his knife, a thin, double-sided thing. I was pretty sure it was the same one used to stab me earlier. Now what? Did he plan on trying to stab her too? Cause that seemed unlikely.

That Ichigo guy was fast, so I sincerely doubted he would be able to reach her before he caught up to him. Not to mention I was right there too. I may not have been able to throw a punch at the moment, but I can sure as hell stand in his way.

But it turns out he wasn't planning to stab her at all. No, he was planning to impale her from a distance.

He pulled his arm back, looking like he was going to throw a fastball. Ichigo seemed to realize what he was going to do and ran at him with a curse. But he would be too late. Ichigo reached him just as he released his weapon, giving him a mighty kick that made his spin in the air, before his head slammed into the ground making a crater.

"Karin!" he shouted, helpless as the knife soared towards her. She herself looked on with wide, terrified eyes as her death neared, certain she was about to be reunited with her mother.

That's where I come in. If you thought I was just going to sit around and do nothing, you're dead wrong. Nope, I did what any decent, handsome, sexy man would do. I dove in front of it.

If only I had the Stamina, maybe I could have chosen a different path. But alas, my destiny as a meat shield would not be denied this day.

The thin blade pierced into my shoulder blade, and I ignored the notification about my Hp dropping. That's the second time I've been stabbed by the same guy, and I don't like it. But seeing as he was currently frenching the pavement, I let it go.

For now.

It also reset and extended my Bleed timer. Fantastic. It would now take me five minutes to stop bleeding. If my math is correct, I should survive with a grand total of 2 Hp left. I just wish I was better at math.

"Ushio!" yelled Karin in a panic. She ran toward me and placed her tiny hands on my arm. I was down to one knee at this point. "Hey you ok? Oh man, that doesn't look good," she said. It didn't feel good either. Man, why couldn't I get a system with gamer's body?

Ichigo approached us with a frown on his face. Probably didn't like some strange guy being so friendly with his sister. Not that I could blame him. If I saw someone as remarkably handsome as myself gettin' chummy with my little sister, I'd be a grumpy gus too.

Although, I'm pretty sure grumpy was his default setting.

"You know this guy Karin?" he asked, like I wasn't even there, hunched over and bleeding out from the knife in my shoulder blade. A wound I got protecting his baby sister I might add.

"Not really. He saved me from those guys," she said, indicating the unconscious and possibly traumatized gangsters strewn about the alley. "He said his name was Ushio. That's it."

"Ushio, huh?"

He was probably thinking if he's ever seen me before, and to be honest, I have no idea if he has. I did kind of hijack this body after all. My memories of his life were hazy at best and a fever dream at worst.

"That's me. I also go by Stallion, or more recently, Pincushion. Nice to meet you."

Ichigo snorted, his posture relaxing. Guess my morbid sense of humor diffused the tension. My Stamina finally crept back up past zero, so I managed to force myself to stand, much to Karins protests. But I ignored them, not wanting to look like a wimp who couldn't handle a couple of stab wounds.

That turned out to be a mistake. I should have listened to the shorty. You see, I failed to take into account the Exhausted Status, which lived up to the hype. I stumbled, and would have hit the pavement if Ichigo hadn't caught me.

He has very soft hands. I didn't expect that.

"Whoa, hey you alright?" he asked. It was a silly question, one given in reflex. I was clearly not alright, but my pride wouldn't allow me to say that. So instead, I insisted I was ok.

"Yeah… I'm fine. A good night's sleep should fix me right up."

"Are you crazy! You need to see a doctor!" yelled Karin. I tried to stand on my own again, but only managed a wobble that made me look like a dancing penguin.

Ichigo sighed, "Come on tough guy. Here, Karin, hold this." he held out his hand, which I just noticed had a bag in it. Karin seemed to be confused, as she responded with a confused, "Huh, what's this?"

Ichigo flung my arm over his shoulder, and started to help me out of the alley, "It's for tonight's dinner. Yuzu asked me to pick it up."

"Oh, I was wondering what you were doing here," she responded while opening the bag, inspecting it with a hum.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" I asked as we left the alley and started walking down the Shopping District. It may or may not surprise you to know that we were completely ignored by the populace. Maybe they were used to seeing guys bleeding out in the street?

"Home. My dad runs a clinic, he can patch you right up," Ichigo explained. Well, wasn't that just convenient. Not like I could argue against it. Well, I could, but I have a feeling it would fall on deaf ears.

"Yeah, the old goat might be annoying, but he knows his stuff," Karin said. She was walking on my other side, sticking close. Probably to make sure I didn't fall on my face. How sweet.

"Wait, your dad's a goat?" I asked.

"It's a figure of speech!" she shouted.

"Oh, that makes more sense. I was wondering how a goat would give me stitches."

"...Please tell me you aren't this stupid all the time."

"Karin, I'm not this stupid all the time."

"I don't believe you."

"What was the point then?"

Ichigo had a smirk on his face as he listened to us bicker the whole way to his house. It was slow going, and they had to catch me a time or two. But we eventually reached our destination.

And I had a pretty good idea where I ended up.