Chapter 12 — Twelve Punch
At the handshake event the next day—
Outside the gymnasium stood enormous display boards and congratulatory flower stands. Written across them in pink letters were the words: "Takada-chan Individual Handshake Event." The line at the entrance stretched on and on, and everyone entering had to pass through security checks conducted by men in black suits to ensure they weren't carrying dangerous items.
Aoi Todo stood in the queue, practically vibrating with excitement.
Though he was a Grade 1 sorcerer from Kyoto Jujutsu High, when it came to chasing his idol, he was no different from any other fan. However, because of his excessively tall and muscular build, his black hair tied back, and the prominent scar covering the left half of his face, the other fans attending the event instinctively kept a bit of distance from him. No matter how the line shifted forward, there was always a noticeable empty space around him.
Todo had long grown used to strangers feeling intimidated by his appearance. Ignoring it, he clutched his handshake ticket and followed the line forward.
"Security check here, please—"
A bald security guard dressed in the standard black suit uniform, an ID card hanging around his neck, walked over to Todo with a metal detector in hand.
The bald guard ran the detector from top to bottom over Todo's body. Todo couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.
This expressionless, somewhat absent-minded bald guard showed absolutely no extra reaction to his appearance.
"Alright, next," the guard said.
Holding his handshake ticket tightly, Todo entered the venue.
No matter how many times he attended Takada-chan's handshake events, each time felt like the first—his heart pounding with excitement. The fewer people left in front of him, the more agitated he became. Finally, it was his turn to shake hands with Takada-chan.
"Thank you for always supporting me," said the tall, twin-tailed, youthful and radiant idol Takada-chan in her sweet voice, as she took Todo's hand.
Todo held his breath—how soft, how warm her hand was! Only Takada-chan could possess such divine hands!
"Y-Yes… um, my name is Aoi Todo. Actually, every time Takada-chan holds a handshake event, I always manage to get a ticket. I also went to the one in Osaka last time…" Todo stammered while holding her hand.
"Yes, I remember you, Aoi-kun," Takada-chan smiled sweetly.
"R-Really?!"
A faint blush spread across Todo's face. He shyly looked away, then quickly looked back at her again, ignoring the whispers around him—"It's kind of gross seeing such a huge guy act shy"—and made his usual request.
"Then… please give me the customary Takada Beam…"
"Of course!" The idol smiled brightly, raised her hand in a V-sign beside her cheek, and shot him a sparkling look. "Takada Beeeeam!"
"Oooooh!" Todo wore an expression of pure bliss, as if he were about to ascend to heaven.
"Time's up."
The staff member beside them interrupted his moment of happiness with a blank expression. Reluctantly, Todo looked at Takada-chan, who waved at him, before being pushed aside by staff.
Takada-chan smiled at him once more before turning to greet the next fan.
"Thank you for always supporting me."
Behind Todo stood a tall, thin man wearing an oversized hoodie. He extended a hand to shake Takada-chan's.
Still basking in the afterglow of happiness, Todo hadn't yet withdrawn his gaze from Takada-chan. But with a sorcerer's exceptional eyesight, he suddenly noticed something wrong.
Using the handshake table and his overly long sleeve as cover, the skinny hoodie-wearing man secretly pulled out his phone, angling the camera beneath Takada-chan's skirt—
That bastard was trying to "picture" her!
"Fans who have finished shaking hands, please exit this way. Also, if you'd like to purchase merchandise…" The staff member guiding Todo was still chattering away when, in a blur, Todo's figure suddenly vanished from beside him.
"Stop, you creep!" Todo roared as he charged toward the man attempting to take a secret picture under Takada-chan's skirt.
The two large bodyguards in black suits standing beside Takada-chan immediately rushed forward to block him. "What's going on? Stay where you are! Don't come any closer!"
"No one can stop me! Takada-chan… I will protect you!"
With a shout, Todo threw a powerful punch. His massive fist smashed into one guard's face, distorting his features for a split second.
Thud, thud. The two burly bodyguards were sent flying like fragile sheets of paper.
"Eek!" The hoodie-wearing man trembled and turned to run.
"Get back here!"
Todo immediately gave chase, sending waves of screams through the crowd as the gymnasium descended into chaos. Takada-chan's manager shouted in panic, "Someone get over here! Security! All security, stop those two fans! Thirty thousand yen bonus!"
Several security guards immediately abandoned their posts and rushed at Todo—grabbing his arms, holding his legs, clinging to him from all sides.
"Useless!" Todo bent his knees slightly and shook his arms, instantly flinging all the guards off.
The hoodie man scrambled in terror, suddenly slipping and falling flat on the ground. As he tried to get up, a shadow quietly fell over him.
Turning back in panic, he saw Todo standing behind him, looking down at him from above. The surrounding fans had instinctively cleared out a circular space three to four meters wide.
No one could stop him. Everyone present was just an ordinary person, unable to sense any abnormal cursed energy. And he, Aoi Todo, was a Grade 1 sorcerer!
"Did you really think you could escape after trying to take a picture under Takada-chan's skirt?"
With a furious roar, Todo raised his fist high above his head and swung it down toward the cowering man.
"Take this—"
Thud!
The fierce and shouting Todo suddenly rolled his eyes back and collapsed heavily onto the ground. White smoke rose from the back of his head.
The tense onlookers instantly fell silent.
Behind him, the bald man in a black security suit still held his fist raised, white smoke curling from it just like from the back of Todo's head.
"Um, is this okay?" Saitama turned around, pointing at the unconscious Todo on the ground as he asked the manager.
The manager was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long moment.
At that very moment, the hoodie man—who had been cornered by Todo—suddenly scrambled to his feet while everyone was stunned and bolted toward the gym exit.
"Ah…" The manager blinked, about to shout for someone to stop him, only to realize that Saitama—who had been standing beside Todo—had vanished without anyone noticing.
Behind the fleeing hoodie man, Saitama suddenly appeared.
"The thirty thousand yen bonus for stopping them—does that include this guy too?" Saitama grabbed the hoodie by the hood and turned back to ask the manager.
"Y-Yes…" the manager nodded blankly, watching as the man tried desperately to run but could only flail uselessly in place, his fate sealed by the hood of his sweatshirt being firmly gripped.
Saitama then dragged the hoodie man by the hood with one hand and lifted the unconscious Todo by the collar with the other, bringing both of them back to the manager.
"Two people, so that's sixty thousand yen total. Much appreciated."
…
Todo frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
A dull ache throbbed at the back of his head. Above him, the sky was sliced into long strips by the surrounding streets. Rubbing his head, he sat up and realized he had been dumped outside the gymnasium's back entrance. The handshake event had already ended.
"Tsk—what happened…" he muttered. "I remember spotting the creep trying to picture Takada-chan, and I was about to beat him up, and then…"
Todo's eyes suddenly widened.
He remembered—just as he was about to punch that creep, he had been taken down from behind…
He, Aoi Todo, who could single-handedly defeat five Grade 1 cursed spirits and even a Special Grade curse, had been successfully ambushed without warning?
Who on earth had knocked him out?
…
Two days later, at Kyoto Jujutsu High.
"Todo, there's a letter for you."
"Oh!"
Todo went to the school mailbox and retrieved the letter addressed to him.
It was a pink envelope, the kind girls liked to use, carrying a faint fragrance of perfume—sweet and refreshing. As he pulled it from the mailbox, Todo couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He didn't know any women outside the school who would send him a letter.
Curiously, he flipped the envelope over—and his pupils trembled, nearly dropping it.
It—it was a letter from Takada-chan! Why would Takada-chan send him a letter? How did she know his address?
Right—when he'd registered online to grab handshake tickets, he had filled in his name and mailing address. That must be how Takada-chan knew where to send it!
Staring at the cute handwriting on the envelope in shock for a long time, Todo finally snapped back to his senses. He carefully tucked the letter into his chest and sprinted back to his dorm at top speed. Jumping onto his bed and sitting cross-legged, he cautiously opened it.
It was a handwritten thank-you letter from Takada-chan herself. The contents weren't long, but it expressed her gratitude for his righteous act in stopping the creep. Enclosed with the letter were several handshake tickets for her next Tokyo event.
After reading the letter over and over, Todo clutched the paper tightly as tears streamed down his rugged cheeks.
"Takada-chan wasn't just being polite… she really does remember me… She truly is a treasure of this world…"
Sniffling, Todo wiped his eyes roughly with his sleeve and made up his mind.
"Alright. At the next handshake event… I'll confess to Takada-chan."