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Leo Vance didn't believe in luck. In his experience, luck was just a word people used to describe a plan they didn't see coming.
The next day, instead of heading straight for the "fated encounter" at the school slope, Leo detoured into the backstreets of Toshima. He was looking for a specific kind of professional—the kind that didn't ask questions as long as the envelope was thick enough. He found them in a cramped, smoke-stained office above a laundromat: a local Yorozuya outfit.
In the anime world, these "odd-jobs" agencies were staples of the genre, but the reality was much grittier. They were basically gray-market mercenaries—unscrupulous, efficient, and perfectly willing to walk the razor's edge of the law for the right price. Leo liked them because they were predictable. As long as the money was in place, their confidentiality was iron-clad.
He'd handed over a stack of yen that would make a salaryman weep, gave them his instructions, and took their encrypted contact info. Now, he just had to wait for the clock to start.
Back at Toyonosaki Academy, Leo sat in Class 1-C, his gaze seemingly fixed on the chalkboard but his focus entirely on a girl a few rows away.
Kato Megumi.
Leo's internal monologue was a flurry of clinical observations. She's a ghost, he thought, watching her write notes with a rhythmic, unhurried hand. If Utaha is a sharp blade and Eriri is a flash of gold, Megumi is just... background noise. She was pretty in an "ordinary" way—short, soft hair, a neutral expression, and a presence so low it was practically subterranean. In a world where everyone was a "type"—the tsundere, the ice queen, the senpai—Megumi was a void. She lacked the "anime attributes" that made characters stand out. And that was exactly why Aki Tomoya was so obsessed with "training" her to be his main heroine.
Leo knew Tomoya had already had his "fated meeting" with the flying beret on the hill. The boy was probably already dreaming up his game script.
Let him dream, Leo thought, a cold smirk touching his lips. I'm about to give her a memory that hits a lot harder than a lost hat.
After school, Leo didn't head to the Literature Club. He knew Utaha was probably tapping her foot, waiting for her new "rival" to show up, but she could wait. He had bigger fish to fry.
He followed Megumi from a discreet distance. Thanks to his Qi perception, he didn't even need to keep her in his line of sight. To his enhanced senses, she was like a steady, pale-blue lighthouse in a sea of gray static. He could feel the "hum" of her life force through walls, around corners, and over the noise of the bustling stationery shops.
He watched her buy some pens and a notebook, her movements efficient and calm. As she turned toward the station, heading into a quieter, narrower side street, Leo felt the Qi in his legs tighten. He broke into a light jog, circling around a block to get ahead of her.
He reached the designated corner, pulled out his phone, and hit speed-dial.
"Yo, Yorozuya. I'm in position. You guys ready?"
"Boss, we're all set," a gravelly, middle-aged voice crackled through the speaker. "But are you sure about the timing? If we hit the gas too hard, this becomes a real crime scene."
"I can clear the distance," Leo said, his voice cold and steady. "Just make it look convincing. Get the 'Yakuza' disguises on. Can your spotter see me?"
"Spotter says you're green. The target is thirty yards out. Starting the run... now."
Leo hung up, his heart rate barely spiking. He could feel the observer's gaze from a nearby balcony—a quick hand signal confirmed the plan.
Megumi walked down the narrow street, her schoolbag over one shoulder. The air was still, the only sound the distant hum of the city. Then, the peace was shattered.
SCREEEEEECH!
A black Crown sedan roared around the far corner, its tires screaming against the asphalt as it fish-tailed into the narrow space. Megumi froze, her eyes widening as the grill of the car bore down on her. The smell of burning rubber and hot oil filled the air. She was a deer in headlights, her legs locking up in pure terror.
"Move!"
Leo didn't just run; he exploded forward. His Qi-enhanced muscles propelled him across the pavement in a blur. He reached Megumi just as the car's bumper was inches away, his hand snaking around her waist. He hauled her back with a violent, controlled jerk, their bodies tumbling toward the sidewalk.
CRASH!
A white van suddenly slammed into the side of the sedan, forcibly pinning it against a concrete wall. The sound of rending metal and shattering glass was deafening.
"Get out! Get out now!" a man screamed.
Four burly guys in dark hoodies and face masks piled out of the van, wielding bats and iron pipes. They began smashing the sedan's windows with a rhythmic, terrifying thwack-crack-thwack. The sedan's doors flew open, and three "Yakuza" types in flashy suits scrambled out, brandishing knives.
A chaotic, violent melee broke out right in front of them. The air was thick with the sound of shouting, the metallic tang of blood (or very convincing theatrical syrup), and the heavy clunk of pipes hitting car doors.
"Come on! We have to go!" Leo yelled, grabbing Megumi's hand.
"Wait! My—my books!" she gasped, looking back at her spilled schoolbag and the scattered stationery.
"Forget the books! Do you want to die?" Leo didn't wait for an answer. He pulled her up and sprinted down an alleyway, making sure to look like he was struggling just enough to be "human," though he could have run at thirty miles an hour if he wanted to.
They ran for three blocks, ducking behind a row of vending machines. Megumi was doubled over, clutching a street lamp, her chest heaving as she fought for air. Her face was pale, her usual "lack of presence" replaced by the sharp, jagged energy of a survivor.
"I... I can't..." she panted, her voice trembling. "I think... I'm going to be sick."
Leo stood over her, his own breath coming in shallow, performed gasps. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, looking back toward the alley.
"We're clear," he said, his voice low and comforting. "They didn't follow us. You okay? Nothing broken?"
Megumi looked up at him, her eyes finally focusing. She took a long, shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the cold metal of the lamppost.
"I'm... I think I'm okay," she whispered. "Thank you. If you hadn't pulled me away... that car..."
"Don't think about it," Leo said, offering a gentle, "heroic" smile. "I'm just glad I was there. I'm Leo, by the way. Transfer student."
Megumi puffed out her cheeks, a tiny flash of emotion crossing her usually blank face. "I know. I sit three desks behind you. Class C."
Leo blinked, doing his best impression of a confused, "Alpha" jock who didn't pay attention to the little people. "Wait... really? You're in my class?"
Megumi gave him a long, flat look. Even after a near-death experience, her low-presence aura was making a comeback. "Li Wei-kun... you really are something else."
While they talked, the "scene" was already vanishing.
The "Yakuza" and the "hoodies" dropped their weapons, exchanging quick nods. "That's a wrap," the leader muttered. Two tow trucks, which had been idling around the corner, pulled in with mechanical precision. Within five minutes, the wrecked sedan and the van were gone. The glass was swept up, and the street returned to its eerie, quiet stillness.
Leo watched Megumi out of the corner of his eye as she tried to regain her composure. He'd done it. He'd overwritten Tomoya's "peaceful encounter" with a high-octane trauma-bond.
Points farmed, Leo thought, his internal monologue cold and satisfied. Your 'Main Heroine' just got saved by the new guy, Tomoya. Let's see you compete with a life-debt.
PLS SUPPORT ME AND THROW POWERSTONES .