Five Heart's For one: Quintessential Quintuplets x Male Reader

Chapter 3

Y/n's POV

After spending an hour talking history with Miku, I finally parted ways and started walking home. The evening air was cool, carrying the faint scent of street food from a nearby stall. The streets were quiet, with only the soft hum of streetlights illuminating the path.

I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, sighing. Man... who knew Miku could talk about history for that long? Still... she's not bad company.

Just as I turned the corner near a convenience store, a sharp noise broke the stillness-raised voices echoing from a nearby alley.

"...Don't come near me, creep!" a girl's voice rang out. Strong, but trembling underneath.

I froze.

A bad feeling twisted in my gut. Without a second thought, I followed the sound and peered into the alley.

Two men loomed over a girl, their shadows stretching against the wall. One had his arm braced beside her head, while the other blocked her way out. Her body was tense, shoulders pressed against the cold bricks, clearly trying to look strong despite the fear in her eyes.

One of the thugs chuckled darkly. "C'mon, don't be so mean. We just wanna have a little fun."

"Yeah," the other sneered, licking his lips, "we'll let you go... after we're done playing."

My blood boiled instantly. My hands clenched into fists before my mind could even process. My body moved on its own.

I stepped out from the shadows, my voice calm but cutting. "Hey, you two. Didn't your parents ever teach you that harassing a girl is wrong?" I tilted my head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Why don't you leave her alone... before you regret it?"

Both men jerked toward me. The one closest scowled, clearly annoyed.

"Who the hell are you, kid? This ain't your business. Scram while you still can."

His buddy, though, glanced nervously between me and the girl. He lowered his voice. "Hey... he saw us. If we let him go, he might call the cops."

The first man clicked his tongue. "Tch. So what do we do?"

The second grinned wickedly. "Isn't it obvious? We kill him."

He pulled out a knife, the blade catching the glow of the streetlight.

The girl gasped softly.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders. "It's dangerous to play with knives, old man."

The thug growled and lunged at me, the knife flashing toward my stomach. But at the last second, I twisted to the side, catching his wrist and shoving it upward. Before he could recover, my knee slammed into his gut, and as he doubled over, I delivered a swift kick that sent him crashing to the ground. He groaned once before going limp.

"Pathetic," I muttered.

The second thug's eyes widened. For a second, he seemed frozen in shock-then, without a word, he bolted down the alley, footsteps echoing as he vanished into the night.

I exhaled slowly, unclenching my fists. "Good thing I practiced karate as a kid..."

Turning back, I noticed the girl had fallen to the ground during the scuffle. Her shopping bags were scattered, the contents spilling slightly across the dirty pavement.

She was staring at me, her chest rising and falling quickly, eyes still wide from the encounter.

I extended my hand toward her. My voice softened. "Are you okay?"

There was a pause. Then, hesitantly, she reached out and took my hand. Her skin felt cold against mine, but her grip was firm. I pulled her up gently.

"...Yeah," she muttered, brushing at her clothes. Though her words were calm, I caught the faintest relief in her eyes. "Thanks... for saving me."