Chapter 21: Battle in the Night Sky

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

As we pushed open the door of the yakiniku restaurant and stepped outside, the warm air, mixed with the smell of grilled meat, flowed out behind us. At the same time, the chill of the night pierced my skin. My breath turned white in the cold, and the biting chill made me instinctively huddle up.

The night air in the city was freezing, and every time the wind blew, the leaves at the edge of the sidewalk swirled into the air. The neon lights reflected in the windows of the buildings, spreading out in a soft glow, and the taillights of cars blurred into a faint red haze.

The signal changed, and the flow of people who had been standing still began to move again. As they crossed the street, people raised their coat collars and walked briskly past.

“Phew, I ate too much.”

Kyoko-nee said with a satisfied sigh, stretching her back slightly.

I nodded in agreement, feeling the fullness in my stomach as well. Being this full made me feel calm somehow.

Suddenly, Kyoko-nee looked up at the night sky and spoke.

“It's gotten pretty dark, huh? We were just supposed to grab lunch, but before I knew it, it turned into dinner.”

I sighed and glanced at her. Kyoko-nee casually averted her gaze to the side.

We were supposed to go out for lunch, but Kyoko-nee had said, “I'm just going to rest for a bit,” and climbed into my bed, promptly falling into a deep sleep. No matter how many times I called out to her, she wouldn't wake up, and in the end, it wasn't until evening that she finally opened her eyes.

“That's because you hogged my bed and slept like a log.”

I'd given up and left her alone, but there was absolutely no sign she was going to wake up.

“Well, you were sleeping with me, weren't you, Hajime?”

She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I furrowed my brows.

“No, I wasn't. I was awake the whole time. It's just that you grabbed onto me while you were sleeping and wouldn't let go.”

I'd tried to wriggle free several times, but Kyoko-nee clung to me like a cat to its owner, making it impossible to get away.

“I see.”

Kyoko-nee said, nodding in satisfaction for some reason. She lightly ran her fingers through her golden hair, then smiled with a strange sense of pride.

“So, that means you and I are soulmates, even in our dreams.”

“…How do you even come to that conclusion?”

A brief but awkward silence fell between us, the quiet of the night filling the gap.

Kyoko-nee's logic, as always, was beyond my comprehension.

“But, Hajime, you stayed by my side while I slept, didn't you? That means…”

“Enough, let's just go home.”

I interrupted, shoving my hands into my pockets and letting out a small sigh before starting to walk.

Kyoko-nee smiled as she followed behind me. The cold seeped into my bones, making me shiver.

As I walked, two men in jackets ahead of me caught my attention. They reeked of alcohol and were talking loudly as they walked.

“That girl earlier, she was pretty hot, wasn't she?”

“For real. If Godai hadn't asked, I totally would've hit on her.”

Godai—?

The moment I heard that name, I froze in place.

“Her name was… Miyabi, right?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Miyabi!?

I gasped.

“Anyway, it's almost time. She's probably at the park by now.”

“Yeah, wasn't the kiss the signal?”

The man laughed through his nose.

“Yeah. Godai said the signal would be when he kissed Miyabi. It's hilarious, isn't it?”

I held my breath.

“What if he can't kiss her?”

Both men chuckled.

“Haha, who cares? All we have to do is run into them ‘by chance' and start some trouble. Easy job.”

“Yeah, but man, Godai sure does like making things complicated. He could just sweet-talk her like he always does. Girls usually fall for him so easily.”

“This one's different, though. Apparently, she's got her guard up.”

“Oh, yeah, she did seem like the serious type.”

“Still, poor Miyabi, falling for that whole damsel-in-distress routine. She's in for a rough time.”

The man let out a sleazy laugh.

“You don't actually feel bad for her, do you? Girls like her are suckers for these kinds of setups.”

Their laughter echoed in the night.

But for me, there was nothing remotely funny about what they were saying.

“What should I do? If this keeps going…”

My mind went blank. What should I do? How can I stop this? Panic clouded my thoughts.

As I stood there, unable to move, Kyoko-nee quietly muttered next to me.

“Miyabi? That name sounds familiar… Oh, right. Wasn't that the name of one of the little stray kittens who used to hang around Hajime when we were kids?”

As I reflexively snapped back, Kyoko-nee gave a smug smile.

“Fufufu. I’ve been keeping tabs on all the girls who’ve tried to get close to Hajime.”

“That’s terrifying!”

“No, no, it’s important. Let’s see… There was Miyabi Amane, Aoi Tachibana, then Kouda Sanae, and Suzumura Ko—”

“Wait, hold on a second. This is not the time for that, Kyoko-nee.”

I cut off her words, whispering urgently.

“You heard what those guys were saying, right? If that’s the Miyabi we know, we have to help her.”

Kyoko let out a small sigh.

I glanced at her face, now filled with growing anxiety.

But Kyoko looked somewhat annoyed, as if she found the whole thing tiresome.

“… Are you really going?”

She muttered softly, sounding a bit unconvinced. Apparently, the thought of helping this so-called ‘thief cat’ didn’t sit well with my sister.

I looked at her pleadingly again, and Kyoko opened her mouth but quickly closed it. Instead, she let out a tiny breath, mixed with a faint tsk.

“Tch, fine, I guess.”

With that, Kyoko shot a glare at the men walking ahead and began to stride toward them quickly.

“Hey, wait a second.”

Kyoko called out.

The men turned around for a brief moment, but upon seeing us, they seemed to sense danger and tried to ignore us, walking on.

“Please wait! I’m begging you!”

I rushed over in a panic, raising my voice desperately.

“The girl, Miyabi—she’s someone I know!”

One of the men widened his eyes in surprise.

“… You know that chick?”

The other man also changed his expression.

“Hey, isn’t that bad?”

The two exchanged uneasy glances.

But their confusion only lasted a moment before the man in the down jacket scowled, suddenly shoving my shoulder roughly.

“Whoa…!”

I lost my balance and slammed onto the hard asphalt, my back hitting the ground. A sharp jolt of pain surged through me, making my vision blur.

“…!”

At that moment, Kyoko-nee’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“How dare you… do that to Hajime…!”

Kyoko’s voice echoed through the stillness of the night, cold fury evident in her tone. Her eyes locked onto the man with a sharp intensity, and the wind caught her golden hair, making it glimmer faintly in the moonlight.

Actually, Kyoko-nee started learning karate when we were kids to protect me from local bullies. Now, she’s skilled enough to hold a black belt.

Her years of training have honed her movements to be efficient and precise, delivering maximum impact with minimal motion.

In other words… you really don’t want to make her angry.

Kyoko stepped forward, her movements swift and smooth, as she unleashed a sharp roundhouse kick.

“Uggh…!?”

A dull thud resonated as the man staggered backward, collapsing onto the ground. He hit his back hard and grimaced in pain, writhing on the floor.

“Wha-what the hell…!?”

The other man in a denim jacket stepped back, fear spreading across his face.

Kyoko turned to him slowly, her gaze ice-cold and unrelenting.

“You’re next, right?”

Just one step from Kyoko made the man tremble, his shoulders shaking in fear.

“Wa-wait a second! We were just following orders…!”

But Kyoko took another step toward him, her piercing gaze radiating sheer intimidation.

The man froze in terror, but quickly tried to plead with her, his words spilling out in a panic.

“Ca-calm down!”

But before he could finish, Kyoko prepared to strike again, ready to pounce. At that moment—

“Kyoko-nee, stop!”

I managed to get to my feet, grabbing onto her arm desperately.

“… That’s enough. My sister has a black belt in karate… If you don’t want to fight anymore, tell us where Miyabi is!”

My plea seemed to break the man completely. He collapsed onto his knees, nodding frantically.

“O-okay, I’ll tell you. She’s at the park… She’s probably with Godai right now…!”