Chapter 80: Thug
In a dim alleyway next to the supermarket, four or five men dressed eccentrically had surrounded a young boy in a tattered school uniform and shop apron. They were viciously stomping on the boy, who was protecting his head with his hands.
The leader, a blond man with exaggerated yellow glasses, was dressed in garish clothes. His appearance alone instilled a bad feeling, and the rows of earrings on his ears proved his delinquent identity.
The blond man looked at Noyoru Yokota, lying on the ground without any resistance, absorbing his subordinates’ attacks like a dead fish. His ugly eyebrows furrowed tightly, like two tangled caterpillars, making him look utterly disgusting.
He threw the half-smoked cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out fiercely. The blond man walked over to the beaten Noyoru Yokota, looking at the disheveled boy on the ground with feigned pity.
“Yo, isn’t this brother Yokota? What happened to you? Do you need me to help you up?!!”
An exaggerated, comical voice rang in Noyoru Yokota’s ears, but the blond man had no intention of helping him. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and slowly raised his right foot.
“Since brother Yokota, you’re not thankful…”
“Then just lie down properly!!”
Harsher words came from the blond man’s unpleasurable, duck-like voice, and his raised right foot stomped heavily towards Noyoru Yokota’s head.
The high-top boot, covered in dirt, stomped down hard on the black-haired boy’s head. The impacto caused his head to hit the ground uncontrollably, making a teeth-grinding thud.
The blond man, with his right foot on Noyoru Yokota’s head, twisted it back and forth. Looking at the boy beneath his feet, his fierce expression was the same as ever, his twisted face showing a hint of viciousness.
He bent down, bringing his head a little closer, and said word by word.
“Do you think the scum of the lower classes can climb up so easily? Noyoru Yokota!!”
A faint trace of blood remained on the boy’s head, but it seemed to have no effect on him. He struggled to turn his head, slowly pushing the blond man’s foot away, and said with a fierce expression.
“I… am not scum!!”
But the next moment, a fierce kick landed on the boy’s face. The immense kinetic energy sent Noyoru Yokota flying, his face sliding across the ground for some distance.
Seeing Noyoru Yokota’s disheveled state, the blond man finally breathed a sigh of relief. He signaled his subordinates to surround the boy again, while he squatted in place and lit a cigarette, watching the rare good show.
“Boss, this kid is tough. We’ve been beating him for days, and he still hasn’t made a sound. Why don’t we go smash that rundown convenience store!”
“That damn Masamori! Relying on his protection, he doesn’t even pay protection fees to us anymore. We should have dealt with him long ago!”
“How dare you!!!”
Perhaps hearing the conversation between the blond man and his subordinates, Noyoru Yokota’s once corpse-like body instantly regained vitality. Red energy emanated from him, enveloping his entire body.
The thugs who had been beating him were startled by this sudden change and stepped back fearfully, allowing Noyoru Yokota to get up and walk in front of the blond man.
“What… were you guys just saying?!!”
Like an Asura who had emerged from hell, Noyoru Yokota was engulfed in terrifying red flames. Blood continuously flowed from his head, but Noyoru Yokota acted as if nothing was wrong. He walked up to the blond man, reached out, and grabbed his collar, asking.
“Slap—”
After the initial shock, a cold sneer flickered across the blond man’s face. He reached out and slapped Noyoru Yokota hard on the face again.
“I said, we’re going to smash the store of that idiot shop owner who’s sponsoring your education!”
The blond man thrust his face close to Noyoru Yokota and continued fiercely.
“What’s wrong? Getting angry already?”
“Then, use your abilities, use everything you learned at school, to beat me severely, kill me!”
“And then let’s see if that idiot shop owner is willing to pay to get you out of jail, huh?”
Noyoru Yokota slowly turned his face. The blond man had hit him with considerable force, and his abilities were not the kind that could protect his body. His entire right cheek swelled visibly at a rapid pace. However, he still looked at the blond man with a fierce gaze.
Finally, he slowly released his grip on the blond man’s collar, and the energy on his body gradually dissipated, returning him to his ordinary appearance.
Noyoru Yokota’s act of giving up further incited the blond man’s ferocity. He stomped on his chest again with a fierce kick, sending him tumbling to the ground. He then beckoned his subordinates to surround him again.
But after a while, it became uninteresting. This kid was like a dead person; no matter how much they beat him, he wouldn’t make a sound. They didn’t get the usual pleasure of bullying someone.
He ordered his subordinates to hold Noyoru Yokota up and casually slapped him a couple more times to wake him up. Looking at the scarred face of the boy in front of him, the blond man said with clear disdain.
“Still got any money? Give us some to go have some fun. We’ll let you off today.”
The response he received was a spit mixed with blood, and the boy’s furious glare.
Noyoru Yokota could completely disregard being beaten by them, but every penny he had was earned by Uncle Masamori to fund his schooling, and he would never give it to these disgusting scum.
Wiping the dirt from his face, the blond man was completely ignited by Noyoru Yokota’s actions. The hateful gaze he was met with at that moment made him want to dig out those eyes.
He took out a folding knife from his pocket, flicked open the blade, and lightly patted Noyoru Yokota’s face twice.
“So you’re a hero, huh? But I wonder, if your hands are crippled, what right would you have to be such a hero?!”
Then, he raised the small knife, a hint of hysteria flashing in his eyes, and lunged it towards his raised right hand.
“Cough, cough, cough—”
However, a crisp cough from the other end of the alley interrupted the blond man’s actions.
He turned his head with an unfriendly expression, only to see a short-haired woman in a uniform looking thin and small. A flicker of disdain crossed her eyes. The blond man signaled a subordinate to drive away this oblivious student.
But he found that this little girl in front of him, unafraid, took out her mobile phone from her pocket. The glowing screen clearly showed a number being dialed, and her cold voice echoed in the alley.
“Excuse me, I’ve already called the police.”
