Rin expected Reina to contact him about the message he'd sent. But instead of calling him, Reina decided to have lunch with her sister.
This was nothing out of the ordinary. Reina usually spent time with Amelia when she was able to come to school. But this lack of response made Rin nervous.
He looked down at his phone and noticed that his message had been delivered, but she hadn't read it yet.
But that was fine. His security team had seen his message and told Rin that they would keep an eye out for any signs of danger.
The day passed slowly, and each second felt like it was dragging on. By the time the final bell rang, Rin felt exhausted.
He pushed himself and followed Amelia outside. Reina joined her, and the two started to walk together.
One look at his phone told Rin that Reina had still not seen his message, and his frustration grew. He decided to call Reina to warn her.
Ring
He was close enough to see them, but too far to hear, so he noticed Reina glance at her phone—then ignore the call..
'Darn it—! Hey, you need to pick it up right now. Don't you realize that your life is on the line? Ugh, I should just approach her myself.'
The second Rin decided this and took the first step, he noticed a car pulling up. A tough-looking man stepped out and grabbed Reina's arm. Amelia and Reina tried to fight back, but they were outmatched.
Rin quickly sent messages to His security team to interfere, but their response angered him.
[Hurry up and help those two.]
[I am sorry, sir. But our orders are to protect you and only you. We will not get involved in fights that don't involve you]
It didn't make sense, but perhaps it was the world's way of preserving the main story from derailing too much. Or maybe these people wanted to avoid troublesome situations.
Either way, Rin needed to act.
'If these fools won't act because I'm not involved, then I will get myself involved.'
Rin hurried forward toward Amelia and Reina. They were trying their best to fight off the kidnappers when they noticed him.
"Hey—! What are you doing? Let them go—! I've called the police, and they will be here any second."
Rin warned the kidnappers, and the group swore under their breath. They were about to flee and leave the sisters behind when one of them noticed Rin's identity.
"Hey, you—! Aren't you the son of that famous couple? Looks like we've hit the jackpot. We will take you as well."
The kidnapper grabbed Rin's arm and tried to drag him along, and that was when his bodyguards jumped into the fray.
When the tall men in black appeared out of nowhere caused the kidnappers to panic and make a run for it.
"Boss, are you alright?"
The leader of the team asked in a worried voice. He looked concerned for Rin's safety—and only his.
Rin was under no illusions. He knew that these people had no reason to jump into a a fight they weren't paid to handle. But it was still irritating that they wouldn't even help others, even when he asked them to.
"Sir, please—! We have strict instructions from your PR team to keep you out of unnecessary accidents. Please understand your position and ours as well."
The bodyguard tried to explain himself as soon as he saw Rin's expression darken.
Rin did not reply, and the bodyguard quickly left to handle the aftermath.
Once the situation had calmed down enough, Rin turned to look at Amelia and Reina. They both looked shaken, but unharmed.
"Were you following us? Did you plan all this?"
Reina asked, still as suspicious as ever. Her hostility was familiar, but unnecessary at the same time.
"I just saved you, and your first thought is questioning me? Why would I want to kidnap you or your sister when I clearly told you that I want to get on your good side? You getting hurt does not benefit me in any way."
"Well, maybe you wanted to win me over by saving my sister from danger. That way, you could cement yourself as a 'hero—'"
"Sister, that is too much. T-The person who grabbed me said something about 'revenge' and 'young master's rejection'."
Amelia had incredible focus. That was one of the traits that allowed her to become a miraculous healer in the apocalypse.
This was also the ability that was making things easier for Rin
Reina looked like she had swallowed something sour. She turned to look at Rin, but her words faded before they left her lips. She opened her mouth, then closed it again before deciding that now was not the time to confront him.
"Amelia, let's go home now. guided her away."
Reina grabbed her fragile sister's shoulder and guided her carefully. She did not address Rin, but he expected this to happen, so he was not too shocked.
But Reina decided to prove him wrong by turning around and speaking up.
"I will talk to you later. I still have a lot I need to ask you."
That… felt like a new development. And one that Rin welcomed.
Once the two sisters were gone, there was no reason for Rin to stay. One of the biggest mysteries of the novel's backstory had been resolved, but it was disappointing compared to what he had expected.
"People sure have crazy imaginations these days. Ugh, but this is not good. My physical strength is still lacking. I would've lost in a direct fight."
Unfortunately, Rin had tried everything to bulk up and build muscle, but it was as if the universe wanted him to be a delicate young master. Nothing he did worked.
'In that case, I need to change my strategy now. Thankfully, I already know a lot about the ruined world and the system. It's time to spend some money.'