It was over. Natsuhi was completely immersed in sorrow, deaf to the surrounding discussions, and no matter how Yui tried, she couldn't wake this idiot up.
"Ah, it's all your fault, you bastard! You make me so mad!"
Natsuhi unreasonably blamed all her resentment on the molester. Furious, she wanted to kick the middle-aged man, but fortunately, Yui was quick to grab her shoulders.
"Calm down. Getting angry now won't solve anything. Let's finish handling this first. Have you forgotten why you came here?"
"Ah, that's true—"
It was as if Natsuhi had been hit with a power-off button; she calmed down instantly. The change was so drastic that people would believe she'd been given a tranquilizer.
Watching Natsuhi immediately stop struggling, Yui, though still a bit dazed, said, "As long as you understand..."
"Let's go, you little punk."
Grabbing the man by the back of his collar, Natsuhi walked straight toward the police office.
"You... you crazy woman... let me go..."
The man tried to struggle, but his bones felt like they were falling apart, and he couldn't muster any strength.
Ignoring the man's struggles completely, Natsuhi said to Yui without looking back, "Keep the video safe; this is the evidence. Harassment, molestation, attempted assault—that's enough to get him in serious trouble."
Yui looked at that back, which had returned to its cool appearance, nodded, and followed.
[Looks like she's calmed down...]
No, to be precise, it wasn't calmness; it was Natsuhi recognizing reality and feeling disheartened.
Come to think of it, because of the system, she knew the older sister's name, but it didn't seem useful; she knew nothing else about her.
The attraction of something unattainable is the greatest. Just like that, Hayakawa Masako became Natsuhi's white moonlight.
She felt that she would never forget what happened today, nor that exquisitely wonderful sensation pressed against her back just moments ago.
——————
"Hmm, the evidence is solid: harassment, molestation, and attempted assault on others, disrupting public order."
Inside the police office, looking at the recording on Yui's phone and checking the surveillance from the train, the police officers made a prompt judgment.
"Thank you for stepping in promptly, otherwise it could have caused bad consequences."
After saying that, the police officers directly hauled the middle-aged man into the flashing police car.
As the siren's sound faded into the distance, Yui let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that disgusting guy would get the punishment he deserved.
[Ding! The Train Molester mission has been completely completed!]
——————
The two walked out of the subway station, and the waves of noise hit them.
Shibuya's streets at night were flashing with neon lights, and the crowd was like a tapestry.
Huge 3D electronic billboards flowed and changed on the skyscrapers, and the cyberpunk lights dyed the night sky an unreal blue-purple.
Four main roads intersected here, forming an incredibly wide pedestrian zone. And at this moment, the edge of the zone—was such a magnificent, almost miraculous scene.
In front of the zebra crossing, thousands of pedestrians from all over the world stood as if blocked by an invisible barrier.
Cosplay girls in exaggerated Harajuku-style outfits, Western tourists holding selfie sticks, salarymen in suits, Asian families holding children... Everyone, without exception, stopped quietly behind the white line.
Not a single person crossed the line, as if they were all following the rules of a grand pantomime performance.
Whispers in various languages blended into a strange background sound, and the air was filled with the tension of excitement and waiting. The ticking sound of the green light countdown seemed to beat in everyone's hearts. Then— "Whoosh—"
The moment the pedestrian signal turned green, the still image shattered instantly!
The tide of people from all directions, like a burst dam, flooded into the center of the road.
A girl in a kimono brushed past a man in a suit, a blonde tourist's lens captured the spectacle of the steel forest, a group of young people dressed in Jujutsu Kaisen costumes wove through the crowd laughing...
Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Nobara Kugisaki, Yuta Okkotsu, Asuka, 02—it was practically a metropolis of the 2D world.
The wide intersection was completely filled by the surging crowd in a few seconds, turning into a moving, colorful galaxy of humanity.
And in this dazzling international crowd, Natsuhi and Yui seemed to carry their own spotlights. They neither wore heavy makeup nor strange costumes.
Natsuhi wore a simple white crop top, her figure upright, her steps decisive, her eyes bright and firm, shining brilliantly in the crowd.
And Yui, walking beside her, had long blue-purple gradient hair that flowed with dreamy luster under the neon lights, her ice-blue eyes half-lowered with detachment, her fair skin and the tear mole under her eye looking even more delicate and fragile in the light and shadow.
She frowned slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to the excessive noise. That unconsciously revealed sense of fragility, strangely mixed with an aura of "keep away," made people inexplicably develop a strong desire to protect her.
Their beauty was different from the carefully crafted visual-kei or fashionistas around them.
It was a more essential, more heart-stirring, unreal beauty, as if they had walked straight out of the most perfect manga panel.
"Look at those two girls over there... are they entertainers?"
"Are they cosplayers? But their aura is completely different..."
"The one with black hair is so cool! Must be a model!"
"The one with blue hair is as delicate as a doll... just looking at her makes my heart break, I really want to hold her and protect her..."
Whispers and admiring gazes were cast from all directions, following them like spotlights.
In this bustling international intersection, the two carved out an eye-catching path.
Natsuhi seemed long accustomed to this attention, simply turning sideways naturally to block a reckless tourist for Yui.
Yui was slightly stunned, subconsciously moving half a step closer to Natsuhi.
Glancing at Natsuhi, who was half-hugging her, she felt the reassuring warmth of Natsuhi's palm through her clothes on her arm. Yui lowered her head slightly, hiding her expression, [...So warm. ]
This thought popped up uncontrollably, [Even though she's such a strange and rude person, the feeling of being held by her... isn't unpleasant.]
Although she thought this in her heart, on the surface, she reluctantly pushed Natsuhi away.
"Why are you getting so close? It's hot."
"Ah, sorry, there are too many people here; I was just worried you'd get bumped into."
Hearing Natsuhi's answer, which was so frank it was almost dense, she turned her face away and muttered, "Ugh... you don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself..."
She said this without any conviction, and even she felt like she was just putting on a brave front. [So strange... what is wrong with me.]