[Third Person Pov]
“What are you doing?” Hori asked, tilting her head upward to gaze at Miyamura. He stood close in front of her, his large hands gently but firmly covering her ears while his body blocked her line of sight, creating an impromptu wall between her and whatever was happening just out of view.
“Uhhh…” Miyamura hesitated, his mind racing as he scrambled for a believable excuse. A sheepish grin tugged at his lips. “I’m, uh, measuring your head. I can’t help but notice how surprisingly small it actually is, you know? Like, it’s cute and all, but yeah… head-measuring time.”
“What?” Hori replied, her voice muffled and slightly louder than usual because her ears were still completely covered by his palms. She blinked in confusion, unable to fully catch his words.
She instinctively tried to glance over her shoulder toward where Noah and Ren had been standing moments ago, but Miyamura smoothly turned her head back to face him with a gentle yet insistent touch. An awkward, overly wide smile stretched across his face, the kind that screamed he was definitely hiding something.
Undeterred, Miyamura shifted his position so he was now walking beside her. He casually draped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer in a protective manner. “You know,” he began, his tone deliberately light and conversational, “I heard somewhere that it’s seriously bad luck to ride a bike right after playing a game of pool. Like, cosmic-level misfortune or something.”
“Huh?!” Hori’s expression twisted into one of pure bewilderment, her brows furrowing deeply as she struggled to process the absurdity of what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe the nonsense spilling from his mouth, especially coming from someone usually so straightforward.
“Yeah, it carries some serious bad juju,” Miyamura continued with feigned seriousness, nodding as if he were sharing ancient wisdom. “Let’s take a nice walk around the block to shake it all off. Clear the air, you know?”
“What about Noah and Ren?” Hori pressed, attempting once more to crane her neck and look back. But Miyamura’s arm tightened just enough to keep her gaze forward, his fingers lightly brushing her shoulder in a subtle redirection.
“Oh, don’t worry about them at all,” he reassured her quickly, his voice calm and reassuring. “They’ve got their own special way of dealing with any negative influences. Trust me, they’ll be fine.” As he spoke, he reached up with his free hand to his other wrist, ensuring her attention stayed locked on the path ahead.
Hori narrowed her eyes, studying his face intently. “I hope you know you’re acting super weird and suspicious right now,” she said flatly, her expression straight and unamused as they rounded the corner of the street. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement, and a light breeze rustled through nearby trees. “I’m not stupid. I can tell you’re definitely trying to hide something from me.”
Miyamura chuckled softly, a mix of nervousness and affection coloring the sound. “How much would it take to keep that sharp curiosity of yours in check?” he asked playfully, though there was a half-serious glint in his eyes, as if he were genuinely considering negotiation terms.
Hori couldn’t suppress a small snicker that escaped her lips, her stern facade cracking just a bit. “Are you seriously trying to bribe me right now?”
“That depends,” Miyamura replied, his arm still comfortably looped around her shoulders even though there was no longer any practical reason for it. The warmth of his presence felt reassuring, almost intimate, as they continued their leisurely stroll.
“On?” Hori prompted, raising a single eyebrow in that signature skeptical way of hers.
“Do you take bribes?” he shot back, the corners of his mouth lifting into a charming, lopsided smirk that revealed just a hint of his playful side.
“Hmm, that also depends,” Hori mirrored his smirk with one of her own, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “What exactly are you offering?”
“I’m willing to sit through six whole horror movies with you,” Miyamura declared, holding up six fingers dramatically as if sealing a sacred pact. “And that’s the absolute maximum I’ll go—no more, no less.”
Hori’s eyes lit up with pure delight, a mischievous gleam shining brightly within them. “Ohoho, six, huh?” she teased, her voice laced with triumph. “Looks like someone’s feeling pretty desperate to keep their little secrets under wraps.” She began tapping her fingers thoughtfully against her chin, drawing out the moment for maximum effect. “Hmm, let me think about it…”
Miyamura fondly rolled his eyes, a soft, knowing smile playing on his lips. He already knew her answer from the way her entire face had brightened, like a kid offered a forbidden treat. There was no real suspense here; he could read her like an open book.
“Okay, fine. I’ll accept your bribe,” Hori announced at last, speaking as if she were graciously doing him an enormous favor rather than jumping at the opportunity. “But on one condition: I get to pick all six movies, and I don’t want to hear a single protest or complaint from you the entire time. Got it?”
Miyamura’s shoulders slumped dramatically, and he let out a soft, resigned exhale, though the fondness in his expression never faded. “Fine… you win,” he relented easily, despite his well-known dislike for horror movies. It wasn’t that they scared him—far from it. Rather, he found most of them repetitive and lazily cheap, relying on cheap jump scares and tired tropes instead of genuine storytelling. Still, for Hori, he would endure it all without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Ren and Noah exchanged a quick, knowing glance before breaking into matching mischievous grins. They happily cracked their knuckles in unison, the sharp pops echoing like a promise of the chaos to come.
The pair fought their opponents side by side with a lethal synergy that would have sent chills down the spine of any onlooker. Their movements were fluid, practiced, and almost artistic in their brutality—perfectly in sync after years of watching each other’s backs.
Ren snatched one incoming fist out of the air with lightning speed, twisting the attacker’s arm viciously until he cried out in agony. With a second, sharper wrench, she dislocated his shoulder, leaving the limb hanging uselessly from its socket as her opponent crumpled to the ground, sobbing in pain.
Noah, meanwhile, wove seamlessly between two gang members who were attempting to double-team him. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the first by the collar, flipped him clean over his shoulders, and used the momentum to deliver a powerful kick to the second man’s face. The impact sent a spray of blood from his nose as he staggered backward.
Ren danced through a relentless barrage of kicks aimed her way, her arms flashing up to deflect and redirect the blows with graceful precision. She dropped low for a sweeping kick to take out their legs, but the attackers shuffled back just in time. Undeterred, she launched into a flawless handstand and began spinning rapidly like a whirlwind, unleashing a hurricane of devastating kicks that connected with satisfying thuds against ribs and thighs.
Seamlessly transitioning, she followed up with a sharp jujitsu takedown. After driving her elbow deep into one man’s stomach—knocking every ounce of wind from his lungs—she reached a hand upward. Noah was right there, clasping it firmly and pulling her back to her feet in one smooth motion.
Without missing a beat, Ren jumped high. Noah caught her effortlessly and used her as a human battering ram, swinging her momentum against the remaining foes around them. The coordinated strike sent bodies tumbling, leaving them bleeding, groaning, and sprawled across the pavement in defeat.
Once he set her back down gently, the two shared a quick, affectionate peck on the lips. They grinned at each other, eyes sparkling with adrenaline and affection, before turning around to finish the job with ruthless efficiency.
Ren spun around in an elegant, fearsome twirl, her heel cracking against her final opponent’s jaw with pinpoint accuracy. The blow knocked a tooth loose, sending him reeling.
Noah unleashed a blistering series of punches that left his target heavily bruised and completely disoriented. The man stumbled backward, swaying unsteadily on his feet as he tried to regain his vision. Blood streamed steadily from his nose, dripping down onto his shirt. The last thing he saw was Noah launching through the air, knee smashing brutally into his face in a decisive finishing blow.
“Nice~ We still got it!” Ren cheered brightly, pumping a fist as the two exchanged an elaborate sequence of handshakes. It ended with them shaking their thumbs and pinkies in a playful, signature flourish.
“You’re saying that as if we’ve been out of practice or something,” Noah replied with an amused scoff, wiping a small streak of blood from his knuckles. “Of course we still got it. It never left us.”
By the end of the skirmish, Ren stood with both middle fingers proudly raised, watching the battered attackers limp away while supporting each other’s weight. Their groans faded into the distance as they disappeared around the far corner.
“Babe, come on. You’re supposed to be a sophisticated woman,” Noah teased, gently lowering her hands for her with a warm chuckle.
“I’m literally in a gang,” Ren shot back with a playful shrug, whipping her hair over her shoulder. “I think I’m allowed to let loose once in a while.”
Noah simply continued chuckling as he leaned back confidently against his motorbike, he opened up one arm inviting her inside. Noah smirked as he saw her smile widened and immediately found her place against him.
When Miyamura and Hori finally rounded the corner a few moments later, they froze for half a second at the sight before them. Ren was tucked comfortably under Noah’s arm, their faces practically glued together in another lingering kiss.
“Do they have no shame?” Hori muttered, her cheeks flushing a deep beet red almost instantly. She averted her eyes, embarrassed yet unable to stop sneaking glances.
“Welcome to my personal hell,” Miyamura grumbled, his expression twisting into one of familiar annoyance. “It once got so bad that I finally snapped. I started carrying a spray bottle in my bag, and every time they started doing… that, I’d just spritz them both like misbehaving cats.”
“Pfft—” Hori tried to hold it in but failed, snickering before bursting into laughter behind her hand.
“Sorry about that,” Ren said, blushing as she fanned her face with one hand, though she didn’t look particularly repentant.
“It’s like you two want me to bring the spray bottle back,” Miyamura said with a perfectly straight face as the group began climbing onto their motorbikes.
“Please don’t,” Noah and Ren pleaded in unison, their voices dripping with deep exasperation.
Miyamura only responded with a scoff as he carefully placed the helmet over Hori’s head. Noah did the same for Ren with gentle hands.
Hori, suddenly realizing how the scene must have looked from an outsider’s perspective, was immensely thankful the helmet now hid her still-flushed face. Her cheeks burned hotter than ever, and she couldn’t imagine just how obvious her flustered state had been moments earlier.