Thursday, after the exams.
Sakurai Saki finished filming the movie and parted ways with Ichika.
The filming location had been a school near Shibuya—a teacher-student themed film meant to reflect social realities. He glanced down at his phone. Eleven at night. Today had been an exam day, so the teachers hadn't assigned much homework. There were no side effects from his superpowers. For once, Sakurai could have a peaceful day.
He also chose to stop studying, mainly because he had just finished exams. Continuing would be a bit unreasonable. Only an overachiever like Miyuki would maintain a ten-hour daily study schedule after exams—like a monster.
Don't you find it terrifying? Studying in class was one thing, but studying while eating? Memorizing vocabulary and grammar during breaks at part-time jobs? Could such a person still be called human? Shirogane Miyuki—a terrifying man who didn't live like a carbon-based life form.
Walking the streets of Shibuya, Sakurai passed many fashionably dressed girls with somewhat exaggerated makeup. He didn't appreciate the look. Ai-chan's "gyaru" style was more to his liking—she wore very light makeup.
He took a sip from his can of coffee.
Then he saw a very eye-catching presence on the street.
Silver-white hair. Quite rare.
Her face was unclear from this distance, but her figure was decent—not very tall but well-proportioned. She was quite a bit taller than Hayasaka Ai, probably around 170 centimeters? (For reference: Hayasaka Ai was 162 cm, Fujiwara Chika 154 cm, Iino Miko 147 cm. Everyone was still in puberty, so there was still room to grow... probably. The average height of Japanese women was indeed quite regrettable; Ai-chan was considered tall among them. Shirogane Miyuki was 175 cm—also considered tall—while Sakurai Saki stood at 180 cm.)
The white-haired girl turned and walked into a side alley. Sakurai didn't pay much attention—until he noticed a few suspicious people following her in.
Hope she's alright.
He walked a few steps, then stopped.
Let's go take a look.
In the past, he definitely wouldn't have cared. But after gaining someone he liked, Sakurai Saki's personality had softened considerably. Knowing that something bad might happen and doing nothing about it felt a bit unreasonable.
Inside the alley.
On the left wall, an air conditioner unit's drainage outlet dripped water onto the ground. Cockroaches scuttled past his feet. Not far away, the restaurant's back kitchen garbage bins sat open, emitting a slightly pungent odor.
Sakurai walked to the center of the alley and saw the scene: the men he had spotted earlier had surrounded the silver-haired woman.
I actually encountered this.
Should I help?
Forget it. I shouldn't just stand by.
Thinking this, Sakurai walked forward.
"What do you want?" Hayasaka Ai (Cat) folded her arms, looking at the several men in front of her. Their appearance clearly marked them as trouble.
"You've beaten up a lot of our brothers recently, woman." A blonde delinquent spat on the ground. "You still have the nerve to ask what we want?"
"Our boss wants you to come over." Another one, black-haired with an exaggerated metal earring, picked at his ear. "The Red Demon Group. Ever heard of it? This street is ours."
"In this line of work, strength is useless." The blonde grinned. "You need influence."
Hayasaka Ai covered her face with a helpless expression.
Why are only small fry showing up these days? Hardly any of them can fight. And after beating the small ones, the bigger ones come.
This isn't how you relieve stress. Doing this only increases it.
Just as Hayasaka Ai was contemplating how to throw these people into a trash can, Sakurai Saki arrived.
He walked directly to the group's side.
Then, with a casual kick, the blonde delinquent who had just been spouting threats was launched against the wall with a heavy thud. His body slowly slid down like a dead dog.
"You—!"
"What?" Sakurai rolled his eyes at the one about to speak.
"You... you're quite handsome." The delinquent chuckled nervously. "That kick just now was also very powerful."
"You have good taste." Sakurai was amused.
He shifted his gaze from the delinquents and, illuminated by the glow of the neon signs above, looked at the girl's face in front of him.
She wore a mask. Her sea-blue eyes were very charming, with a cool demeanor. Her attire: jeans, a color-blocked long-sleeved jacket, a white inner shirt. She looked a bit older than him—perhaps a university student?
"Let's go," Sakurai said to her.
Hayasaka Ai stared at Sakurai Saki's face for a few seconds.
"Mm."
She very naturally took Sakurai's hand.
Though her personality was different, she had inherited Hayasaka Ai's memories. Though her appearance had changed significantly, her affection for Sakurai Saki remained unchanged.
"Excuse me, everyone." She addressed the trembling delinquents nearby. "My boyfriend is here."
"Big sis, please take your time."
"If you want to join the Red Demon Group, just say the word, okay?"
"Brother-in-law, goodbye too!"
Sakurai blinked.
Brother-in-law?
He looked down at the silver-haired woman holding his hand. She looked up at him with Ai-chan's eyes—but different. Colder. Sharper. Yet the way her fingers intertwined with his felt familiar.
"Let's go," she said again.
They walked out of the alley together, leaving the delinquents behind.
Coming out of the alley.
"They were inviting you?" Sakurai asked.
"Of course. What else?" Hayasaka Ai turned her head and glanced at him. "Little brother, what did you think they wanted to do?"
"Looks like my effort was wasted." Sakurai tried to pull his hand from hers.
He didn't succeed. Her grip was very strong.
He was being entangled by a strange woman.
"Want to grab a drink?" Hayasaka Ai asked.
"I have a girlfriend," Sakurai said.
He didn't realize she was Hayasaka Ai. Her body had changed dramatically—blonde hair now silver-white, taller, completely different style of dress. More importantly, her chest had grown significantly. Under these circumstances, it would be strange if Sakurai recognized her.
"Are you scared, little brother?" She smiled beneath her mask. "It's okay. Big sister won't do anything to you. I just want to buy you a drink as thanks for earlier."
She dragged him along, giving him no right to refuse.
After finishing the drink, she'd take care of him.
While the main body isn't awake yet, secretly taking a taste shouldn't be discovered, right?
Anyway... the body is the same. She and the main body are essentially the same person. So the boyfriend is naturally the same.
"A carnivorous older sister..." Sakurai admitted, he was a little scared.
Is this really okay?
Love is just one flavor. One must be wary.
Half an hour later.
The two emerged from the bar.
Sakurai looked at the silly white-haired older sister beside him, unsure what to do.
She had ordered a Mojito—and passed out after drinking it.
Such low alcohol tolerance, yet she goes to a bar?
"Big sister has a lot of stress, meow" Hayasaka Ai slurred drunkenly. "If I didn't have so much stress, I wouldn't be out drinking in the middle of the night, meow"
See? So drunk she was starting to meow like a cat.
"Where do you live?"
"Meow know." She had replaced 'don't' with 'meow.'
A strange verbal tic.
What should I do?
Sakurai glanced around. Many men were looking at the woman beside him with lecherous gazes. Were they waiting to pick up a drunk girl?
"Take me home, meow~" Hayasaka Ai leaned close to Sakurai's face and licked him with her tongue.
A wet sensation. The smell of alcohol—rum and mint.
"Are you sick?"
"Meow?" Hayasaka Ai tilted her head.
She didn't look sick.
But her brain might have some issues.