6 Protection (1/2)

It was a new day.

As usual, Seiji went out for a morning jog and returned home after working up a sweat.

After washing up, he prepared to make his own breakfast. Truthfully, he was slightly disappointed that breakfast wouldn’t be provided for him every morning by a beauty.

Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock on his door.

”Miss Uehara?”

The pigtailed beauty pouted upon hearing this.

”…Mika?”

She finally showed a smile of satisfaction.

”For you!” She handed him the lunchbox that was in her hand.

”Oh, but this…”

”She… she already got used to making them, so she made one extra out of habit… that’s what mom said this morning!” Mika looked away from him and showed a hint of shyness, ”so there’s breakfast for you today as well, and in the future… well, we’ll probably make breakfast for you occasionally.”

”Thank you so much, but wouldn’t this be too much trouble…”

”It’s no trouble at all; it’s just food for one extra person. In… in exchange, if there’s some work that requires physical strength around our house, you need to come help out!” She looked back directly into his eyes.

Seiji was surprised for an instant, before a gentle smile suffused across his lips.

”Thanks… I will.”

His smile was breaking the rules with how dazzling it was, ahh! Mika felt like her face was burning up again.

After talking to her mom last night and confirming her feelings, she felt as if she was no longer able to look at Seiji normally anymore. Every time she did, she felt nervous inside, and her heartbeat seemed to increase severalfold!

Just hearing his voice and seeing him smile would make her cheeks heat up.

Ahhhhh—she couldn’t take this anymore!

”I… I’m going to school!” She turned around and scurried off, leaving Seiji with the impression of her back and those twin pigtails swaying in the air.

”Be careful!” Seiji was slightly concerned she would trip.

Then, he returned back to his room to enjoy his breakfast.

When he opened the lunchbox, Seiji paused; he had noticed that the food inside was evidently different from before as every dish seemed to have been made by someone inexperienced.

He realized instantly that the previous breakfasts must have been made by the landlord, and this one must have been cooked personally by Mika Uehara!

He could envision that pigtailed girl waking up at the crack of dawn and clumsily cooking under the instruction of her mother.

The eggs were slightly burnt, the squid was twisted into a strange shape, and this cucumber… just how did she cut it into something that looked like it was an ingredient for dark magic?

Seiji sighed deeply.

He didn’t have the ability to eat this type of breakfast calmly.

Mika Uehara was walking down the sunny street.

”Ahh—Mom… she forced me to cook for him personally, but this will be exposed instantly… it’s so embarrassing!” She touched her own cheek and found that it was burning.

”I… I admit, I do like him a little, but this is so… direct. Urgh, it’s all mom’s fault!”

Nozomi Uehara sneezed as she washed dishes at home.

No matter how embarrassed Mika was, she had already made the breakfast, so there was nothing she could do.

‘I hope that he’ll like it…’

This was the first time in her life that she made food for a boy, humph…

As she was lost in her thoughts, a figure suddenly darted out from a nearby alley.

The figure had filthy clothes, messy dyed-blonde hair, and bloodshot eyes.

”It was all because of you, you fucking bitch!” Blondie was viciously glaring at the girl in front of him; he felt like he had fallen down into hell because of his family going bankrupt, and he had lost all sense of reason.

All because of this **** in front of him, he had lost everything!

He was going to take revenge!

He was going to fuck this bitch up!

He was going f*cking to kill her!

Mika Uehara was terrified by the malevolent aura emitted by blondie, and her mind was frozen with fear; however, before long, she instinctively turned around and shouted for help.

”Help! Someone save me—”

”Don’t run, you fucking bitch!”

While cursing, blondie brought out a glimmering dagger and chased after her.

He was very fast and managed to catch up to her swiftly.

Mika Uehara despaired upon feeling the blondie behind her catching up, but then a familiar figure abruptly appeared in front of her.

”Haruta-kun… Seiji!”

Seiji, who was crossing the street, opened his eyes wide in astonishment at this scene, before immediately rushing over.

”Mika!”

He had to get there in time!

But it was too late.

Blondie reached Mika just a few steps before Seiji did, and he viciously stabbed his dagger into her back.

*Splurt!* Bright red blood gushed out incessantly.

Mika’s expression froze at this instant, while Seiji felt an icy feeling from the depths of his heart, followed by absolute rage.

”Bastard!” He roared and kicked the blondie with manic fury.

*Smack!*

Blondie was toppled over, and he dropped his dagger.

But it was too late.

Seiji caught Mika, who was collapsing, and saw her blood spreading quickly on her back.

In his arms, she blinked and looked at his face.

Ahh! Her body felt unnaturally cold.

Mika Uehara felt like she saw many things, and then nothing at all, and the last thing she saw was the anxious, worried face of a young man.

He went to all that trouble to become handsome; why was his expression so negative?

She wanted to smile at him, but she wasn’t able to, and something wet dripped out of the corners of her eyes.

The boy’s face was twisted; all his features were distorted and filled with endless self-regret and pain.

It’s not your fault… don’t have such an expression, Haruta-kun… no, Seiji.

Thank you for coming to save me.

She opened then closed her mouth, trying her best to say the words she wanted to express the most.

”Was breakfast… good?”

Then she saw nothing but darkness.

”Ahhhhhhh! Damn it!!”

Seiji hugged the bloody girl and began roaring uncontrollably.