Saki dipped her head quickly, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. Excuse me—"
She tried to step around him and keep walking, clutching her bag a little tighter to hide any suspicious movements from Terriermon inside.
But the boy didn't move out of the way. Instead, he shifted slightly, blocking her path with an easy, overly familiar smile that made her stomach twist uncomfortably.
"Hey, no need to rush off," he said, his tone light but insistent. "I'm Hayato. What's your name?"
Saki blinked, caught off guard. She glanced at the school gates in the distance—students were already filing in, and she didn't want to be late. "Um… Saki. But I really ought to go. School's starting soon."
She tried to sidestep him again, but this time, his hand reached out and caught hers. Not roughly, but firmly enough that she couldn't pull away without yanking.
"Come on, just a minute," Hayato said, his grip tightening just a fraction as his smile widened. "You seem nice. Let's talk."
Saki's annoyance flared. She tugged at her hand, but he held on, his fingers lingering like he owned the space around her.
"Let go," she said, voice sharper now. "I said I have to go."
Hayato chuckled lightly. "Relax, I'm not—"
That was it.
Saki's free foot shot out before she could second-guess herself. She aimed low and kicked him squarely in the groin—hard enough to make him double over with a sharp grunt, his grip finally releasing as he clutched at himself.
"Ow—! What the—?!"
From inside her bag, Terriermon's voice whispered up, muffled but clear enough for her to hear: "Kick him again. It'll help you grow a backbone."
Saki hesitated, eyes wide. Again? That's… that's too much. He's already down.
Hayato was already trying to straighten up, face twisted in anger and pain, wheezing slightly as he glared at her.
"You think you can just—" Hayato started, his voice strained.
"Kick him again!" Terriermon hissed more insistently, urgency in his quiet voice. "Come on, do it! You've got this!"
That was the push. Saki's hesitation broke—something about the way Hayato was still trying to loom over her even while hurting made her not want to take chances. She kicked him again, harder this time, right in the same spot.
Hayato let out a strangled yelp and crumpled to the ground, curling up in the fetal position on the sidewalk, gasping for air.
Saki didn't wait for him to recover. She turned and bolted, bag bouncing against her side as she ran toward the school gates, heart pounding in her ears.
Behind her, she could hear Hayato groaning pathetically, but he didn't get up.
Terriermon's voice floated up from the bag, sounding almost proud. "Good job. That'll teach him."
Saki just focused on running, cheeks burning as she slipped through the gates and blended into the crowd of students.
———
[pov Kenji (MC)]
Kenji was still watching the episode of Kamen Rider Craft when the system interrupted.
The screen flickered, and a translucent window overlaid the TV broadcast.
[Mission Triggered]
[Protect Saki Yoshida]
[Target of Intervention: Hayato ____]
[Threat Level: Nonexistent/ Escalating]
[Details: Hayato intends to manipulate, isolate, and psychologically harm Saki Yoshida. Potential escalation to physical coercion and long-term emotional damage. Intervention required to prevent ruin of her life and safety.]
[Accept Mission? Y/N]
[Reward: Variable based on completion. Cross-world travel authorized upon acceptance.]
Kenji's eyes narrowed as he read the details.
'Guess i still get to kill him myself eh?'
[Mission Accepted.]
[Preparing cross-world transfer to Saki Yoshida's location…]
**[pov Kenji (MC)]**
The transition wasn't dramatic.
No lights. No distortion. Just a shift.
One second he was home. The next, he was standing in a narrow alley beside a main road, morning light stretching across concrete.
He inhaled once, steady.
Then the system interface slid into view in front of him.
**[Mission: Protect Saki Yoshida]**
**[Threat: Hayato — behavioral escalation predicted]**
**[Objective: Prevent long-term psychological and social damage]**
**[Participants: 2/2 Joined]**
Kenji's eyes paused on the last line.
2/2.
He hadn't coordinated with anyone.
He focused on the participant list.
**[Kenji Sato]**
**[Subaru Natsuki]**
So Subaru accepted too.
Of course he did.
Kenji closed the window with a thought.
The cover memories settled into place right after.
In this world, he was Kenji Sato — heir to an absurdly wealthy family with quiet influence and louder money. His enrollment into Saki's school had been arranged weeks ago under the label of a temporary academic exchange. A week-long placement. Faculty briefed. Students informed there would be a transfer.
It was all clean. Official.
He would be here seven days.
Back in his world, only one day would pass.
He stepped out of the alley.
Students moved toward the school gates in loose groups. A few glanced at him.
It wasn't subtle.
He was dressed in the standard uniform, but it fit too well. Clean lines. Tailored without looking like he tried. Dark jacket left open over a simple shirt. Even his posture — relaxed, straight-backed — drew the eye without effort.
He was aware of it.
He just didn't care.
He'd barely made it ten steps when someone turned the corner too fast and almost walked into him.
"Oh— sorry!"
Kenji looked down.
Subaru.
Messy hair. Slightly rumpled uniform. Familiar face in an unfamiliar world.
Subaru blinked at him.
There was a half-second where recognition didn't click.
Because Subaru had never seen him in person.
"…Uh," Subaru started, clearly confused. "Sorry about that."
Kenji studied him calmly. "Subaru Natsuki."
Subaru froze.
"How do you—"
Kenji gave a small nod. "Kenji Sato."
The name landed.
Subaru's eyes widened.
Then widened more.
There was a very noticeable pause.
"…No way."
He looked Kenji up and down once.
Then again.
"You're Kenji?"
Kenji tilted his head slightly. "You were expecting something else?"
Subaru blinked hard. "I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't—"
He stopped himself.
Kenji raised a brow. "Wasn't what?"
Subaru flustered slightly. "You're just… you don't look like a shut-in who watches knockoff Kamen Rider."
Kenji stared at him flatly.
Subaru backtracked immediately. "Not that you are! I mean— you know what I mean!"
Kenji let him stew for exactly two seconds before speaking again.
"You accepted the mission."
It wasn't a question.
Subaru straightened a bit. "Yeah. I did."
Kenji pulled up the interface again, tilting it slightly so Subaru could see.
[Participants: 2/2 Joined]
Subaru leaned in.
"…Oh."
His shoulders relaxed slightly. "So you saw that too."
"Obviously," Kenji said.
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess that explains why you're here."
Kenji closed the window.
"For future reference," he said evenly, "we should coordinate before accepting simultaneous cross-world deployments."
Subaru stared at him.
"…You sound like a manager."
"It's inefficient otherwise."
Subaru huffed. "Sorry, next time I'll send a calendar invite."
Kenji ignored that.
Subaru glanced at him again — and then quickly looked away.
Then looked back.
"…You're seriously that good-looking?"
Kenji didn't react. "Irrelevant."
"It's a little relevant," Subaru muttered.
Kenji shifted the topic. "Where's Guilmon?"
That snapped Subaru back to normal.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Digivice.
"He's in here for now. Probably better that way at a school."
Kenji clicked his tongue softly.
Subaru noticed. "What?"
"That's convenient," Kenji said.
Subaru grinned slightly. "You jealous?"
Kenji gave him a look.
Subaru held up both hands defensively. "Okay, okay."
He eyed Kenji once more. "So what about you? Got anything with you?"
Kenji exhaled lightly.
"I can't just pull out a sword in the middle of a school district."
Subaru considered that.
"…Yeah," he admitted
They fell into step beside each other as they headed toward the school gates.
Subaru shoved his hands into his pockets. "So. Your world."
Kenji glanced at him. "What about it?"
"You never really explained it properly. Just bits and pieces."
Kenji looked ahead as they crossed the street with the light.
"It's modern," he said. "Like Tokyo. Trains. Convenience stores. High-rises. Nothing fantasy about it."
Subaru nodded slowly. "So just… normal?"
"Normal," Kenji confirmed. "Except it's nineteen ninety."
Subaru blinked. "Wait. Actually?"
"Yes."
"But you have modern stuff."
"It appears modern," Kenji clarified "Wait why are you surprised not like your from the three thousands"
They walked in silence for a few seconds after that.
The noise of students filled the gap.
Kenji glanced sideways.
Subaru looked fine on the surface.
Without warning, Kenji reached over and pulled him into a brief hug.
Subaru stiffened instantly.
"Wha—"
Kenji's voice was calm. "It's fine."
Subaru froze for half a second.
Then his shoulders eased just slightly.
"…You're really bad at warning people before you do that," Subaru muttered.
Kenji let go after a moment.
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck, eyes shifting away. There was a faint tightness in his expression.
"I just cried like an idiot with Guilmon," he said quietly. "I think I'm out of tears for today."
Kenji studied him.
Then asked, more thoughtful than teasing, "Does Guilmon know?"
Subaru shook his head immediately. "No. Not directly."
He hesitated.
"But… every time I Return, he acts a little different. Like he senses something's off. He never says it outright."
Kenji nodded once.
"That's enough."
They reached the building entrance.
Subaru checked the class assignments posted near the door.
"…Great," he muttered. "I'm one grade above you."
Kenji glanced at the board. "Then we split here."
Subaru nodded. He hesitated a second.
"…Hey."
Kenji looked at him.
"Thanks. For earlier."
Kenji gave a small shrug. "Don't overthink it."
They separated after that.
Kenji walked down the hall toward his assigned classroom.
The building noise softened slightly in this wing — lower grade classrooms. He found the placard with his name printed cleanly beneath the temporary transfer notice.
He stopped outside the door and waited.
Inside, he could hear the low murmur of students settling in.
A moment later, the classroom door slid open and the teacher stepped out — likely to check for the new transfer.
She looked up at him.
There was a very brief pause.
Her expression shifted almost imperceptibly — surprise registering for half a second. A faint, barely-there blush touched her face before she composed herself professionally.
"You must be Kenji Sato," she said. "Please, come in."
Kenji gave a polite nod and stepped into the classroom.
Atleast I can make a women blush now
Kenji followed the teacher to the front of the room.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him at once.
He could feel the shift in the classroom immediately — the sudden alertness, the whispering that wanted to start but was being held back by the teacher still standing there. A few students sat up straighter. Some of the girls were already staring openly. Even a couple of the boys looked caught off guard.
Kenji faced them without rushing.
The teacher gave him a small gesture. "Go ahead and introduce yourself."
He nodded once.
"My name is Kenji Sato," he said evenly. "I'll be studying here for the next week as a transfer student. I came from overseas for a temporary program, so I'm still getting used to things here."
That part came easily enough with the background the system had given him.
He paused, then added, in a tone polite enough to satisfy the room, "I hope we get along, and if possible, I'd like to make some friends while I'm here."
That did it.
The room stirred almost instantly.
A few girls lit up so obviously it was almost funny. One of them covered her mouth and whispered something frantically to the girl next to her. Another sat frozen with the kind of expression people got when they were trying very hard to act normal and failing. Even some of the boys looked more interested now, likely because he didn't come off stiff or arrogant.
Kenji let his gaze move across the room once, taking in faces, reactions, possible trouble, possible allies.
Then he spotted her.
Saki.
She was sitting a few rows in, posture just slightly tense, her surprise plain on her face. She was looking at him like she hadn't expected anyone like him to walk into her classroom this morning.
Which, fair enough.
Her bag was beside her desk, placed carefully and at an awkward upright angle.
Terriermon was almost definitely inside.
Kenji looked away before lingering too long would draw attention.
The teacher motioned toward an empty seat.
"You can sit there, Sato-kun."
He followed the direction and took in the layout quickly.
The desk wasn't anywhere fancy but a couple seats away from Saki's
He walked to the seat, set his bag down, and sat.
The whispering picked up the second he did.
He caught fragments immediately.
"Seriously?"
"He's so handsome…"
"Overseas? No way."
"I want to talk to him."
"He's in our class for a week?"
"That's insane."
The teacher started going over modern Japanese history. She tapped the chalkboard. "Alright, who can tell me the primary economic driver during the bubble economy of the late 80s? Anyone?"
A kid in the front row raised his hand hesitantly. "Uh... exporting cars to America?"
"That's part of it, yes, but I'm looking for the domestic catalyst," the teacher said, scanning the room. "Tanaka?"
A girl near the window flinched. "Um, real estate?"
"Getting warmer. Anyone want to expand on that?"
Kenji raised his hand casually.
The teacher's eyes immediately locked onto him. "Ah, our transfer student. Sato-kun. Give it a shot."
"Rampant speculation in real estate and the stock market, fueled by deregulated banks offering incredibly low-interest loans," Kenji answered smoothly, his voice carrying easily through the quiet room. "Land prices in Tokyo became so inflated that at one point, the Imperial Palace grounds were supposedly worth more than all the real estate in California combined."
The teacher blinked, thoroughly impressed. "Spot on. Excellent answer, Sato-kun."
Whispers immediately broke out among the girls in the surrounding desks. Did you hear his voice? He's so smart. He's literally perfect.
Kenji ignored them, his gaze drifting over to Saki. She was diligently taking notes, her head down, shrinking into herself.
Beating Hayato to a pulp would be easy. But it wouldn't solve the root problem. Saki needed self-confidence. She needed to feel like she actually mattered, that she was noticed and valued, so she wouldn't just cave the next time some creep tried to corner her.
How do I fix that? Kenji wondered, tapping his pen against his notebook. How do I mess around with the social hierarchy here and pull her to the top?
He needed a fast, undeniable way to boost her self-esteem.
He paused, a thought suddenly taking root. He glanced down at his own hands, then mentally pictured himself.
He didn't want to sound arrogant, but he wasn't blind. He was basically a darker-looking Arthur prototype. The system had given him an absurdly flawless face, the kind of quiet, commanding charm that already had half the class acting like they were in a shoujo manga. He was, without question, the most handsome guy in this world right now.
If a guy who looked like him —the wealthy, untouchable, genius transfer student—suddenly showed intense, undeniable interest in the quiet, overlooked girl...
Her social value wouldn't just rise; it would skyrocket. The other girls would be jealous, sure, but they'd also suddenly see Saki as someone worthy of top-tier attention. It would give her an ego boost so massive she'd never let a loser like Hayato talk down to her again.
A slow, highly amused smile spread across Kenji's face.
God, I'm an absolute genius, he muttered to himself in his head.
The perfect, most hilariously effective plan clicked into place right then and there.
He was going to write her a love letter.