Cote: Parallel World

Chapter 2

2.1

I got everything I need to buy. Time to go home. Oh, wait. Thanks to Kenta jii san giving me a discount, I still have some coins to spare. Maybe I should buy some sweets for the kids. Now, where is the sweets shop near again? Ahh, that's right. It's near Kenta jii san's stall. Looks like I'm meeting him again sooner than I thought. I really would appreciate it if he stopped calling me Kei chan. Such a childish nickname.

"Ok. I'll make a quick stop at the sweets shop, then go straight home."

As I make my way to the sweets shop, I hear a loud crashing noise in a nearby alleyway. I try not to get curious about it and just leave it be since I'm already in a rush to get home; but in the end, my curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to check out where the noise came from.

"I'll just take a quick peek and leave immediately. If anything, I'm informing the guards that are nearby."

I sneak inside the alleyway to see what caused the loud noise. Surprisingly, the alleyway is much bigger than I thought. I hear another loud crash after a few minutes of wandering aimlessly inside the alleyway. This time, I can determine the direction of the noise so I head towards it.

"You think you're so tough just cuz you can dodge hits eh? Ya fucking brat!! Take this!!"

"Yea!! Get 'em good aniki!!"

"Oii! Don't shout ya idiot! Yer gonna attract the attention of the guards if you keep on doing that."

After walking for a bit toward the direction I heard the noise, I finally hear voices from a nearby corner. Judging from what I'm hearing, it seems that a few men are fighting. I walk closer to the edge of the corner so that I can take a peek and see what is actually happening.

"Ehhhh??"

Five adults are ganging up on one teenage boy?? Why would they do that? Do they have to be so petty that they would gang up on a single person? This is absolutely ridiculous. Whoa. That guy is really good at dodging. He doesn't even hit them back. It's like he's just playing around with those five men. Such flawless movements. It almost seems like he's dancing.

"Hahhh... Stop fooling around ya assholes and finish him already. We've wasted too much time."

That guy who's just sitting on the corner seems to be the boss of the group.

"We're trying aniki but he dodges really well. We can't even land a single hit on him."

"Just kill him and get it over with."

"Understood. Ya hear that brat? You shouldn't have stuck yer nose in someone else's business."

Eh? Ehhhhh!? Kill??? This is getting serious. I should call the guards.

"This is bad. This is really bad. I should hurry up and run before something bad hap--- KYAAAAAH!!!" A huge hand suddenly grabs my hair from the back and pulls me out of the corner where I am hiding.

"Oww!!! Let go of me you brute!! You're hurting me!!! Somebody help me!!! "Anybody!!! Please!! Help me!!!"

All I can do is screaming for help again and again as the huge man forcefully drags me towards where the boss of the group is sitting. I utterly couldn't do a thing. If only I didn't use up all my mana on training yesterday.

"Aniki. I caught a rat."

The huge man stops a few meters away from where there is sitting and lets my hair go. I fall onto ground, clutch my head in pain.

"Hoh? Looks like we have another one here who can't mind their own business. Hmmm?" Robert, bring her closer to me and have her stand up."

"Understood."