Chapter 37:

Tokyo is a vast city, teeming with people everywhere, bustling with activity and a rush of activity.

Fortunately, there aren't any beautiful women named "Amamiya Tomie" in this city.

Despite blocking the person, Naoko still frequently receives threatening text messages from unknown sources, ranging from threats and inducements to soft, entreaties. It's easy to tell who's behind them.

She silently clicks the button to reject the stranger's messages.

Unfortunately, despite its size, Tokyo is also quite unstable. Disasters like train suspensions and school bombings are common, and there's the occasional "Tokyo Avengers" with their chuunibyou ("killing matte") chuunibyou ("mothering chuunibyou") stalking the streets.

On her first day in Tokyo, she experienced a devastating train explosion.

Thinking back on it, it's still a bit frightening.

The train, which had been operating normally before entering the station, suddenly buckled, looking from afar as if it had been crushed by something massive.

Faintly, she could hear people shouting "monster," "curse," and "ghost." She was pushed along by the crowd, barely able to glance back.

Perhaps she'd stumbled onto the set of a superhero movie by mistake?

A handsome, white-haired, eye-patch-wearing chuunibyou was seen scurrying about on the roof of a train, shouting something like "Expand the Domain."

That was Naoko's first impression of Tokyo:

too many chuunibyous.

But he was certainly handsome, and she decided to give this movie a try.

Without Tomie Amamiya's distractions, Naoko developed normal relationships, and gradually, she forgot about him.

She discovered that even without Tomie, she was still quite popular.

Within a month of arriving, she'd become much more outgoing.

Working part-time jobs had led her to move into a run-down neighborhood. It was a small, one-bedroom apartment, but after Naoko's renovations, she had transformed it into a small, cozy home.

Feeling lonely, she even grew two lovely succulents on her balcony, and she'd chat with them when she had nothing else to do.

Across the street lived the Asano family. Both Tomie and Asano were kind and attentive.

Her life settled down, but a month later, that peace was shattered by the sight of a sinister, wounded man.

Naoko's neighborhood was remote and desolate, half filled with demolished buildings. There weren't even any decent supermarkets nearby, forcing her to buy groceries near school and then take a long bus ride home.

She left school early that day and took a detour from the lake toward her home.

The sky was clear, the sky ablaze with sunset clouds, and it was supposed to be a beautiful evening. Tragically, she was startled by a pale arm that suddenly stretched out from the bushes.

Before she could even scream, she was gripped tightly by the ankle.

Deep in the dense grass lay a long-haired man in a navy blue kimono, half a broken orb dangling from his neck.

He lay on his back, barely breathing, his legs twisted in a terrifying, seemingly broken position.

She wondered if he was a desperado, but she cherished her life dearly.

She crouched down, ready to pry the Nine Yin Bone Claw apart.

Saving a stranger in the chaos of Tokyo could easily lead to trouble.

But he clearly didn't want to let Naoko go. He simply opened his mouth and bit her calf viciously, as if he would never give up.

It hurt so much.

She watched helplessly as her calf was bitten until it bled.

The head with long, loose hair tilted slightly to the side, revealing the desperado's pale, handsome face. His cold, crimson eyes stared at her intently, unblinking. He

looked like some wild beast active in the dark night.

She didn't know if he had rabies.

She secretly regretted not taking the detour earlier.

But at this point, beating her chest and stamping her feet was no use. The most important thing was to get him to let go.

She tried to soften her tone: "Let go first. I promise I'll save you. Can you, can you?"

Naoko could even feel the slight sting of the fangs rubbing against her flesh.

The desperado didn't move.

"I promise... I live nearby. Let me go first..."

Still no response.

Naoko, in agony, pulled a carrot from her shopping bag and warned, "If you don't let me go, I'll hit you on the head with it."

Perhaps the threat had worked, the desperado's crimson eyes flickered, and his jaws slowly loosened.

Her leg was bleeding profusely from the bite marks, and a large swelling formed in the center. The pain made her gasp.

The man, born in the Year of the Dog, grabbed her shopping bag and uttered his first words since they met: "Save me."

Naoko finally saw his face clearly.

Though bloodied, it didn't diminish his beauty. She felt like a trampled cherry blossom, or a young nobleman reduced to gigolo status... He was surprisingly

not much less impressive than Amamiya-kun.

She particularly liked his eerie aura.

Calming down, she cautiously asked, "Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

While he would likely refuse, Naoko couldn't bring herself to take a man suspected of being a desperado home.

"No need."

After that, the two of them exchanged a blank stare. The man's narrow pupils pierced her, as if he wouldn't let her go unless she nodded.

Under pressure, she managed a few reluctant words through her teeth: "Then... I'll take you back to my house for a while..."

Most of the residents in the neighborhood were grandparents, and because Naoko looked cute and often helped with the moving, everyone liked her and greeted them.

If she were to brazenly parade around with a stranger, she would be a disaster.

However, he firmly refused her offer of help, so Naoko had to secretly borrow a dilapidated cart.

It was unknown how old it was, or what it was used for, but the body was rotten, and it was stained with things like vegetable leaves and plastic wrap.

The desperado's expression changed completely. "Lowly mortal... Is this the kind of thing you're trying to trick me with?"

"Get in the car, or die here. Your choice."

Naoko had briefly treated the wound on her calf while searching for a car, but the pain was still excruciating.

If the perpetrator continued to push further, they might as well die here together.

She couldn't bear this kind of injustice.

He gritted his teeth, his gaze slanting at her, as if he were contemplating how to devour her.

Finally, seeing that Naoko had completely given up, he slowly pulled himself up and scrambled onto the cart.

Naoko considered the possibility of kicking him off and then escaping. But her damn kindness was about to take over, and she offered a hand. The desperado used her strength to push himself up onto the cart, bending his deformed leg.

If she saw correctly, the bone at the joint was even sticking out, which made her teeth ache.

"Really, don't you want to call an ambulance?" She wanted to struggle a little more, hoping that if this guy gave in, she could just let him go.

But he just lay there, speechless.

"..."

Someone even more annoying than Tomie Amamiya appeared.

This man looked thin, but he was actually very heavy. After pushing a few steps, Naoko was exhausted and sweating, earning a mocking grin from the desperado:

"Useless thing, you can't even push a cart properly."

Her eyes fell on the carrots in the shopping bag, and the urge to beat him up emerged again.

As the night deepened, the neighborhood fell silent.

The grandparents went to bed early, and Naoko successfully pushed the cart carrying the desperado downstairs.

He gripped the cart tightly, as if afraid she'd suddenly push him to the ground, or perhaps using the movement to ease the pain in his legs.

He didn't even utter a single groan of pain.

While it wasn't right to have any inappropriate prejudice against a desperado, Naoko couldn't help but sigh: he truly was a villain.

Stealthily and furtively, she helped him up the stairs. The desperado clung to her like a lifeline, his arm around her waist. If it weren't for the wrong timing, she would have questioned whether he was deliberately taking advantage of her.

However, due to their close proximity, she could also gauge the desperado's impressively toned figure... Her

distraction didn't last long before he snapped her back to her, saying, "Hurry up, don't let anyone see."

Due to limited funds and the original intention of leaving school to earn more money, she rented a small one-bedroom apartment.

The desperado, though hateful, was still a patient. Naoko gritted her teeth and helped him to the only bed in the room.

"Lie down first. I'll get some medicine."

As Naoko turned around, he observed her with a scrutinizing and wary gaze.

He sat down on the side of the bed, propping up his injured right leg. "Bring me a basin of hot water." "

Why are you yelling so loudly? "

She turned in anger, but upon meeting his cold gaze, she swallowed her words in frustration and replied cowardly, "I understand." She

had assumed he only wanted the basin of water to wipe himself, but she had clearly underestimated him.

The desperado soaked the towel and casually cleaned the wound, wiping away the blood and dirt, revealing his scarred, swollen right leg.

He bit the wet towel between his teeth, his eyes shifting to Naoko, who was bewildered beside him, a mocking smile on his face.

The next second, he straightened his right leg, and then used his hands to forcefully bend the protruding bone back into place.

Click, click, the teeth-grinding sound spread in the room, Naoko subconsciously bit her fingers and took a step back.

This is a madman who is not afraid of death, she realized this deeply.

"Bring the medicine box here."

Such a cold word came from the darkness, she glanced sideways, the desperado's red eyes were flashing.

"Oh, oh." She didn't dare to offend him at all now, and hurriedly took two steps forward and took the initiative to open the box, "This is alcohol cotton, this is iodine, oh, and gauze."

He didn't move for a long time.

Naoko raised her eyes and met his gaze as cold as ice. He was silent for a long time, and threw out a sentence: "Help me apply the medicine."