It was after school and I was heading to Rose's class to see her off for the day when Ken marched up to me with an angry glare, blocking my way. I tense and reflexively prepare for a fight. If Ken is here about what happened that night, things are likely to end up very ugly.

Ken snarls at me for a bit, but does not attack. After what seems like a few moments lost in his own thoughts, Ken nods to himself and finally addresses me, "You want to protect that girl, fine. That means that you and I have a problem."

I raise my hand to protest. We do not need to have a problem here. But Ken just cuts me off with a dismissive wave, "Yes, Tensei. We have a problem. You are shielding an enemy of my family. Until you decide to stop, that problem is not going away. So are you going to stop?"

No. I will never abandon my friends. I shake my head and look Ken straight in the eye.

Ken nods, probably realizing from the start what my answer would be. He says, "Then we need to resolve our problem. Between us, as a matter of honor."

"No, Ken." I refuse, "People have already gotten hurt over this. I am doing this to keep Celeste safe, not to cause more trouble for anyone."

Ken sneers angrily, "What, you think you can hide behind that cop friend of yours forever? Or maybe you think that you can run to that new teacher and ask him to beat my people up for you? That's not going to keep working Tensei, and you know it. You want to protect the girl, you settle things with me, man to man."

I frown, Ken is not letting this go. Mr Greer thrashing his men last night has probably put Ken in a spot. He has to show dominance or lose prestige within his family.

I nod and ask, "What do you intend then?"

Ken takes a moment to steady himself before replying, "You and me, one on one. I won't bring my family and you don't call that cop or the teachers. You win and I leave that angel lover alone from now on. I win though, you stop her from hiding behind you. Win or lose, I will also consider the matter of my men's injuries settled as far as you are concerned. Fair?"

"Your men were hurt by Mr Greer, not me. Go find him if you are upset about it." I shoot back.

"I have," Ken growls, "but that coward has not shown himself the whole day. When we find him though, there is going to be a reckoning."

Well, Mr Greer is certainly in hot soup with Ken's family. Although Mr Greer can take care of himself, offending the heir of the Matsui clan is not something to be done lightly. I wish him all the best in my heart.

I turn my attention back to Ken saying, "So how are we going to settle this?" I don't want to fight, but I have the strength to protect my friend. And what other use for strength is there?

"Tonight. You know the Heath?" Ken asks.

I nod. The Heath is a large park near the campus. Its a sprawling piece of land with its own pond, covering a several buildings worth of space. It also has almost no visitors at night.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Ken looks evenly at me, "8 o'clock tonight. At the gazebo in the center of the Heath. You and me. Man to man."

"No!"

Just as I am about to agree, a loud shout interrupts Ken. I turn and see Rose standing behind me accompanied by her personal maid. Rose's face is flushed with anxiety and her pointed ears, the only proof of her demon heritage quiver with agitation as they peek out from under her shoulder length flame red hair.

Ken shamelessly ogles the curves of Rose's figure and her tan, radiant skin before asking, "Who the hell are you?"

Rose walks to my side and links her arm through mine before pronouncing to Ken in her most imperious voice, "I am Rose von Amsterg, daughter of the House of von Amsterg. You dare threaten my brother mongrel?"

Ken's face shifts into a look of utter confusion as he stares at Rose before staring at me. He finally finds himself and sneers at Rose, "We are not in Europe girly. You're on Matsui turf now. Mind your manners."

Rose looks like she is about to argue back, but I quickly cut in and say, "I accept. See you later tonight."

Ken graces both Rose and I with a vicious smile before stalking away. I quickly guide Rose to the exit of the building. But Rose suddenly grabs me by my the arm and asks in an angry whisper, "Why? Why are you doing so much for that girl?"

I reply back, trying to placate her, "She is my friend Rose. When I first got here, Celeste was one of the few people who saw past my troubles and befriended me. This is the least that I can do."

Rose stamps her foot in consternation, "No! You are always like this, sacrificing yourself for others! This level of care, this kind of concern, its not meant for someone outside of our family!"

I pat Rose's hand reassuringly and say, "Its fine Rose. I was not a member of your family, yet you treated me like a brother when I had no one right? Are you saying I should not help another in need?"

Rose suddenly whirls about and slaps me hard in the face. As I am recovering from the blow, I see her storming out of the building with her maid in tow.

What did I say wrong this time?

....

"Wow. He's dense." I comment as the recording of the security footage finishes playing on the laptop.

"An unfortunate necessity." The Voice rumbles, "Dense objects possess a greater amount of gravity, allowing the Hero to pull allies and other useful contacts into his orbit. You were seeing that phenomenon in action just now."

"What? Seriously?" I ask, "You are telling me that Delinquent, a man who wants to beat the living shit out of the Hero, was being pulled into the Hero's orbit? It looks to me that the two of them were residing on completely different planets."

"Merely part of the process. Same thing was happening with Heroine von Amsterg as well. There is a saying from your dimension I believe, beating is love?" The Voice replies.

"Sure. Fair enough. I'm assuming you need me to beat up Delinquent before the Hero gets schooled?" I quip.

"No. I want the fight between them to go ahead. I had set the Hero's body to unlock its hidden potential once the Hero engages in enough combat. With the interference from Fate, I believe that the Hero needs to get stronger more quickly. Mr Matsui is powerful enough to press the Hero hard and despite all appearances, has no intention of hurting the Hero too badly. This is a golden opportunity that we cannot miss." The Voice explains.

"So, what's the problem?" I say.

The Voice rasps, "The problem is that I have intercepted a coded transmission from the von Amsterg residence ordering a paramilitary unit under their employ to abduct the Hero tonight while he is at the Heath. I expect the paramilitaries to strike after the duel between the Hero and Mr Matsui has concluded, when the Hero too weak to resist. This will complicate my plans substantially. That is why I need you to intervene."

"What? You are saying that a Heroine is plotting against the Hero?" I never thought something like this could happen.

"Not directly. I believe Heroine von Amsterg vented her frustrations in private and this plot was hatched by an over zealous subordinate." The Voice muses.

"Can things ever be straight forward around here?" I say plaintively.

"If they were, I would not have needed to summon you Transmigrator."