- VOL 1 – THOSE UNITED BY THE FATE -
Chapter 4: Laying The Foundation (4/9)
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Flush.
Just as the big man was about to swing his club, Rina desperately closed her eyes. Hearing such a strange sound, she slowly opened one eye and looked at the figure in front of her. As she did so, a large amount of blood spurted onto her face, turning her vision red.
She turned her head in the direction where the bandit was looking in shock. Someone was running towards them. The big man had dropped his club and was trying to cover his slit throat with both hands. It was clear from his face that he was in pain, but he was unable to scream it out.
"Now is the time. Even just pushing him..."
Rina shook the running person out of her mind and turned in front of her, not wasting the opportunity to end this struggle.
"Raaah!!!"
She pulled her left arm and prepared a punch.
"Cough-Blohk."
But before she could throw her punch, the running figure had caught up and pounced on the burly man. A few punches were enough to knock him unconscious. Then the mysterious person calmly stood up, took a few steps, and picked up a knife. The weapon was shorter than a sword and longer than a dagger.
As Rina looked at this person in astonishment, Minato, who had been lying on the floor the whole time, showed the same astonishment and shouted.
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU! WE ALMOST DIED!"
As he shouted out angrily, the woman also realized that the mysterious person was the boy they were familiar with. The boy turned to Rina and, after seeing her state, decided to support her so that she could keep standing.
"Thanks to your shouting I was able to find you."
The auburn-haired man on the ground seemed to be quite animated, in contrast to his previous timid state. Angered by this answer, he stood up and continued shouting.
"YOU COME BACK AFTER IT'S ALL OVER, YOU ACT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED! WHAT'S YOUR GOAL, SHIN! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW!"
He was yelling angrily at the boy whose name he was shouting, while at the same time making noises to indicate his concern.
"First of all, you'd better shut up. We wouldn't want anyone to hear, would we?"
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"It's nothing!"
As Shin was asking questions and examining the body of the woman leaning against the wall, she shouted frustratedly at him. However, it didn't sound similar to the auburn-haired man's anger, it sounded more like resentment towards herself.
"I just got hit a few times, that's all. I'm sure I'll be okay when I catch my breath."
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The chestnut-haired boy gave her a suspicious look. Then he suddenly grabbed the tip of her dress and lifted it up so that part of her body was visible.
"WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
The woman hurriedly pushed the boy away. Somehow, despite her tired state, it wasn't too hard for her to do so. Shin sighed as Rina's face flushed red and she gritted her teeth. Then she lowered her head. Her body was covered in bruises.
"Are you a pervert!"
She shouted these words and tried to look angry. In fact, she was indeed quite angry, but neither her anger nor her embarrassment was caused by the behavior of the boy in front of her.
"Don't worry too much. It must be that Kali guy. Right, Minato?"
He spoke as if consoling the woman who had bowed her head, and asked the auburn-haired man who was a few steps away from them. He then turned his head to the young man as if he knew that he would approve.
"Y-yes. And that's why we're in big trouble."
The young man started his speech in a worried tone and ended it in a confident and serious tone.
"Don't worry, I have something in mind. But we've had too much action for today. Why don't you check on that thug while I carry Rina and then you can catch up with us."
Saying this, the chestnut-haired boy again approached the short woman to support her.
"Don't touch me! I'm fine on my own, and we can continue what we came here to do."
The woman maintained the same angry demeanor as she tried to brush the boy off. How successful she was in this was debatable.
"Okay, then you can walk by yourself. I'm sorry you got hurt like that when you were just starting out, it was my fault. I lost my temper and left you alone. You could have easily run away, but you fought because of me..."
"ENOUGH! SHUT UP AND WALK!"
Before the boy could finish, Rina had lost her temper and shouted. She had listened to Shin's entire speech biting her lip and couldn't afford to wait for him to finish. Her lip was bleeding and she started to walk ahead so as not to show it.
Even though he told the boy to walk, she didn't seem to care about his actions much. Because she started walking away with fast steps without waiting for him.
"Huhh... Minato, you better take care of your business and then come back later. You'll be on your own, but isn't that what you were always doing? I don't think there will be any more surprises for you."
Shin, who had a strange and confused expression on his face, said this to the auburn-haired man who had watched their conversation in bewilderment. Then he turned to the side of the street and ran after the short woman who had disappeared from sight.
"Okay..."
He heard a voice behind him, acknowledging his words, but he ignored it and just mumbled quietly.
"Not everything is so easy, huh? I guess I'll have to postpone my little trip for a while longer..."
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"Don't look so glum."
Shin soon caught up with Rina. Now they had left the Black Market and were walking through the back streets of Katim. The short woman frowned the whole way and kept to herself, ignoring the presence of the boy next to her.
Shin was silent for a while, content to follow her from behind. When they got outside, he came up to her and broke his silence.
"That guy looked pretty strong. And he was cut all over, it wouldn't take long for him to bleed to death."
"That doesn't change anything. If you hadn't come..."
Her thoughts hadn't disappeared, but she seemed to be listening to Shin's words as well. There was even anger and disappointment reflected in her eyes after the boy's words. Shin knew the meaning behind those eyes but he could not find the words to say to her.
Fortunately, the silence did not continue and this time Rina began to speak. Her previous calmness had given way to anger, as in her eyes. Even if she didn't shout, she raised her voice and attracted the attention of some people around.
"It's all because of my carelessness! I am still the same, nothing has changed!"
Suddenly she stopped where she was and turned to the boy next to her. Shin didn't expect this and almost bumped into her. They exchanged glances with only a short distance between them.
"I'll do as you say. I thought I was something but look at me now! I'm going to be a bodyguard and I'm getting hurt before I even start the mission!"
Rina brought her face closer to the boy's, even though they were already neck and neck. Meeting her serious eyes, Shin understood the value her words conveyed. He was also convinced by this look of determination. This woman was now going to fulfill her duties exactly the way Shin wanted her to.
Shin was happy to see this, but at that moment he forgot about his work. Because he couldn't stand those blue eyes full of determination for a very long time. He experienced an emotion he normally didn't experience much and turned his head away from the short woman as his face flushed slightly. She spoke in a whisper.
"Rina-san, you are too close. People are looking at us because you are yelling."
When he said this, the short woman came to her senses and realized the situation she was in. She jumped back and shook her head. As she blushed up to her ears, she noticed the people around her. Even though these were back alleys and they were hiding their faces under their clothes, it felt strange to be noticed.
Rina said something in a very low voice as she quickened her pace and left Shin behind. After a few seconds, the people around had turned their focus to their own business. Shin also turned to follow Rina, who was walking at an almost running pace.
"He-hey! Slow down, Rina!"