After that there were two delinquents left.

Because they had probably heard from the first victim about the existence of the atrocious user who had pretended to be a beginner, ambushed and then destroyed the moron who had willingly challenged him, they were on their guard and possibly avoided Fushimi (though they probably didn’t know that the owner of that avatar was Fushimi). Fushimi carefully stood by for two, three days and after waiting for the remaining two to let their guard down he skillfully tempted them to compete with him and exploited them of both their virtual a.s.sets, the cards, and their real a.s.sets, the money they had leaned on. It was a week until the three of them had lost all their property – though if it was only the in-game time then it had been roughly ten minutes, and they had to burden a loss of who knows how many ten thousand yen.

By now the whole thing had surely fallen into oblivion.

A week later on the way home.

“Hey, Fushimi, Fushimi, I heard a rumor that if your payment is overdue then evil, masked debt collectors sent by «jungle» come to your place and take out the organs from your body that are worth money. Extract blood and peel off skin and stuff!"told Yata Fushimi. Yata didn’t look scared, rather the excitement of wanting to see such a frightful thing seeped out of him.

"That’s an urban legend.”

Yata felt let down a bit by the short answer. “Eh. So it isn’t true?” He had gotten used to these kind of curt reactions from Fushimi. Somehow Yata didn’t feel like the conversation was scarce because he knew that this situation was just normal.

“Thanks to seizing those guys’ cards your own deck has gotten super strong, right? Also with the skill set your cubes have there isn’t really an opponent at all, huh.”

“True. I don’t really wanna use «jungle» anymore, it’s gotten boring.”

Fushimi who talked big in a cheeky way seemed proud and satisfied, and in his own way he seemed in good spirits.

“If you want the cards I’ll give all of them to you. Since I’m quitting.”

“Eh….d- don’t need ‘em.”

Yata declined after hesitating for a moment. While watching Fushimi play he had thought about wanting to play himself but even if he’d start playing now, if Fushimi was quitting……..it seemed uninteresting.

The whole week Yata had walked home together with Fushimi. If it was only because Yata was staying by Fushimi’s side or because it was Fushimi’s intention to go home together he didn’t know. He would pedal his bike while standing and sometimes approach Fushimi, sometimes make distance between them. Sometimes Yata’d stagger and b.u.mp into Fushimi but to be honest even that was fun.

“But, even if it’s an urban legend it’s pretty obvious that those guys are scared right now. If they can’t pay the fee this time it’s not sure if masked debt collectors won’t come after all.”

The idea of the third years being frightened and captured by dreadful debt collectors, have their blood extracted and their skin peeled off made Yata feel satisfied.

“Well since a lot of money is necessary and they’re desperate now and ought to do somethin’.”

Yata let out a snicker. “Hm?”, just when he had said that, he suddenly realized something.

“Hey, Fushimi? I’m asking just in case, I mean it is you so of course you have already planned the next ste————”

Yata’s bike got pulled sharply from behind and his head jerked forth and back. He was barely standing on one leg and when he turned around there was a person holding the frame of his bike’s carrier. It was one of the aforementioned third years. Startled , Yata looked up front when from within the forest the remaining two came forth and blocked the way.

“You still haven’t given us the money, Fushimi-kun. Eighty thousand. We need it, no matter what.”

The two in the front where standing on both sides as if to encase Fushimi. The one in the back held down Yata’s bicycle.

“Don’t have it.”

“Well, if you don’t have it then of course you’ll go home right away and pick it up for us, right, Fushimi-kun. We’re in a real pinch here. You’re in this together with us, aren’t you?”

The threat clearly leaked out his voice and the two got closer to Fushimi’s face. Compared to last week’s interference with the delinquents this time the mood was easy to grasp. They were probably really in need for the money, but that didn’t necessarily mean that they knew the one who had beaten them was Fushimi and had come back because of that.

Fushimi stepped back just a bit. The kind of menacing atmosphere emitted that if they’d get even one centimeter closer, he’d head-b.u.mp them again. This group who had once already suffered that kind of counterattack, they weren’t so stupid to start a fight just like last time, would they…..? Yata promptly scanned the third years. One of them was grasping something in his blazer’s pocket—-these guys weren’t unarmed…..!?

The instant Yata caught a fleeting look on the something that looked like a Swiss Army knife, he kicked the third year who was holding his bike’s carrier in the chest. The surprised third year let out a groan and bent backwards. With a kick Yata rammed his bike between the remaining two and Fushimi. Flurried, the third years jumped back.

“Fushimi, get on!”

Yata sharply used the brakes and yelled to the back. It looked like the angry third years were about to capture Fushimi. He saw the flash of the knife that aimed for Fushimi’s face and a shudder ran down his spine.

“Fushimi!——”

By a hair’s breadth Fushimi slipped under the knife and ran to the bike. Yata immediately turned to the front and began to pedal. When Fushimi had caught up he jumped onto the moving bike’s carrier. Although it had felt like they couldn’t keep moving, Yata was surprised at how unexpectedly easy driving was and he hit the pedals with all his strength so that soon they were riding at full speed. „Don’t fall!“, he exclaimed, leaned forward even more and pedaled with all his might. Go! Go!

“Oryaaaaaa!”

Yata’s voice filled with all his spirit drowned the third years’ voices out; they had made a distance between them. They reached a downhill path and when they had gained another ten minute gap Yata stopped the bike and when he checked the back the bodies of the third years whose angry voices still resounded had completely vanished from the other side of the street. Fushimi too looked back while holding onto the saddle’s back and steadying his posture.

“Fuh- We narrowly shook them off.”

Their breathing had become heavy but it had been a real kick.

“If you would’ve tried to think about it it’s just obvious? It’s a circle where you sabotage their money in the game and then they come and take yours. And then what exactly had been your plan for that?”

“‘What’ you ask, I hadn’t thought about it.” Fushimi turned around to Yata, settled down and said that with a haughty expression.

“Huh?…..you hadn’t thought about it?”

“If you come up with a plan for the worst possible thing to do to those guys then you wanna destroy them with it as soon as possible and don’t give a thought about what happens after.” Fushimi had become serious and stubborn.

Astonished, Yata lost his temper and looked once more at Fushimi’s lenses.

“You….you are this full with self-confidence, but it’s not like that! They had a knife, didn’t you notice? This wasn’t like what happened the other day, you couldn’t just hit them and be done with it. If you knock about guys like this then an escalation is to be expected, think about it for a bit! Though maybe somebody ingenuous like you didn’t expect guys like that to be at school……”

"If you didn’t want to get involved with it then don’t follow me around. They aren’t after you since you don’t have any money at all it seems.”

“I- I didn’t say anything like that!? What the h.e.l.l, is your personality this crooked!? I did this for you…..”

Yata had gotten vexatious at the absurd argument and his voice had risen but he promptly went quiet. What he had said to the Yata-team was just like this. He hadn’t want to push his good intentions to save them. Now too, he hadn’t given his best and pedaled his bike because he wanted Fushimi to be grateful. “I did for you” wasn’t…the reason……

The horn of a pa.s.sing car was honked because the two were right on the driveway. If they had been seen by the police, even under normal conditions it would’ve turned into trouble because they were two sitting on one bike. Yata broke off their conversation, turned to the front and kept his mind on driving. They moved forward with Fushimi in the back who had stopped to talk and had become sulky, and Yata in the front who too had become sullen.

Yata had a firm belief as to why he had felt so thrilled when they had shook free from the angry third years and escaped them. Because he hadn’t been alone. Because somebody was riding in the back he had to pedal the bicycle with all his might to escape with him together from the bad guys, and wasn’t that kind of an exciting adventure?