Kazuma, of course, did not just keep avoiding.
Even though he was now a martial arts practitioner, getting hit by an attack like that would still hurt—especially since Aoi's whip was reinforced by the Peach Blessing aura, making every swing equivalent to the slash of a sharp weapon.
Besides that, he also did not want to become the center of attention.
Especially if people ended up discovering something about him that they were not supposed to know.
Because of that, this situation forced him to rely purely on his own ability.
The ability he had trained for over the last three months.
Kazuma avoided another swing of the whip, his body moving lightly to the side. The next attack came from below, but he made a small jump and twisted his body, performing a simple acrobatic motion to avoid the path of the strike.
Each of his movements brought him closer.
Step by step.
Meanwhile, Aoi kept swinging her whip with uncontrollable emotions.
WHISSH!
Another strike missed.
Kazuma took advantage of that opening.
In one swift motion, he stepped into Aoi's range—right in front of the girl.
"Ah..."
Aoi's eyes widened.
She did not even realize when Kazuma had gotten this close.
Kazuma looked at her briefly.
"Sorry, this might hurt a little."
His hand moved quickly.
He grabbed the wrist holding Aoi's whip, then rotated his body following the momentum of her attack. The Aikido technique taught by Yamazaki flowed naturally through his movement.
Aoi's body was lifted by that rotation.
The world in her eyes seemed to flip upside down.
BRAK!
In one clean motion, Kazuma threw her body to the ground. Aoi's back hit the hard surface with a heavy sound.
But Kazuma did not stop there.
Before Aoi could get up, Kazuma had already locked her arm with a strong joint-lock technique—restraining the girl's body so she could not move freely.
"Ugh!"
Aoi groaned in pain.
Her body immediately responded by instinct. The red aura surrounding her pulsed strongly again as she forced herself to use her Ability to break free.
The difference between someone who had eaten a Peach Fruit and someone who had not was enormous. Even without a special Ability, the bodies of those fruit eaters would experience natural physical enhancement—muscle strength, reflexes, and endurance far beyond ordinary humans.
And Aoi was not just a fruit eater.
Naturally, her physique was already stronger than that of most adult men. With Crimson Devotion strengthening her body when near her Anchor, that power increased to twice her normal condition.
However—
Kazuma did not move.
Aoi tried to pull her arm back, twist her body, even push with all the strength she had.
But Kazuma's lock did not budge in the slightest.
From the perspective of the people watching, the sight became even more unbelievable.
A Peach Blessing user who clearly possessed superhuman strength… was unable to break free from the hold of an ordinary man.
What none of them there knew was one important fact.
Kazuma indeed was not a Peach Fruit eater.
However, he was still an Ability user.
The Mato Essence injected into his body had given him significant changes. His body had also experienced physical enhancements far beyond normal humans.
Combined with the intense training he had undergone for the past three months under Yamazaki Kudo—
his physical strength was now above the average Peach Fruit user in Japan.
Except for those who were truly active members of the MDF.
Kazuma held Aoi's arm steadily, his breathing still calm.
"Tenma-san," he said in a low but firm voice.
"Enough."
His voice was not loud, but the firmness in it was unmistakable.
That single word seemed to cut through the anger that had been controlling Aoi.
The girl's body suddenly stopped struggling.
The red aura that had been pulsing wildly slowly dimmed, as if her emotions had been jolted by something she did not expect.
A few seconds passed in an unusual silence.
Then—
Aoi's shoulders began to tremble.
A quiet sobbing sound could be heard.
Kazuma blinked.
Aoi… was crying.
Her crying became clearer, turning into uncontrollable sobs.
'Eh?'
Kazuma was genuinely confused.
Was his lock too strong?
But that seemed unlikely. Aoi was an Ability user—her body was far stronger than that of ordinary humans. Besides, Kazuma had not applied the lock with the intention to injure her.
He even remained cautious, making sure the girl would not suddenly do something again.
But Aoi did not move.
She just cried.
The tears that had been held back earlier now burst out in the middle of the street filled with watching people.
Some people nearby began whispering to each other.
Some were still recording.
Others simply stood there silently watching the strange situation.
Kazuma still held the lock, but his mind was full of question marks.
And at that exact moment—the sound of sirens was heard in the distance.
Several vehicles stopped at the end of the street.
The authorities had finally arrived at the scene.
As the officers began stepping out of their vehicles, the sight they witnessed was quite unusual.
A man was restraining an Ability user on the ground.
And the girl… was crying uncontrollably.
/---/
Several hours passed after the incident.
The event in front of the apartment quickly spread across social media. The livestream video that recorded the brief fight between Kazuma and Aoi had been watched millions of times in a short period. Clips of the footage were even replayed repeatedly on various national news channels.
On the television screen, a large headline was clearly displayed.
"Illegal Ability Use Incident in Shibuya Foiled by a University Student."
Kazuma officially received temporary recognition from the authorities. In the initial report, he was considered a civilian who successfully stopped a rampaging Ability user and protected others from greater danger.
But for Kazuma himself, all of it felt… excessive.
Meanwhile, Aoi's fate was far more grim.
Socially, her reputation was destroyed in a single day. The recording of her attacking civilians with an Ability had spread widely across the internet. Many people now recognized her face.
At the moment, she was in custody, waiting for the legal process.
In Japan, violating regulations regarding Ability use in public spaces was considered a serious crime. Since the appearance of the Mato dimension, the government had enacted new laws that strictly regulated the use of powers derived from Peach Fruits.
For violations like the one Aoi committed—especially attacking civilians—the punishment could be very severe.
Meanwhile, inside a hospital room.
Takeshi lay on the bed with several bandages attached to his face and arms. His condition was much better than when he had first been found, although parts of his body still ached.
In the corner of the room, the television played quietly.
Several experts were discussing the case on a nighttime news program.
"Cases like this have actually been increasing over the past few years," one security analyst said.
"That's right. Many Ability users struggle to control their emotions," another expert added.
The television screen then replayed a short clip from the incident—the moment when Kazuma avoided Aoi's whip and eventually took her down using a martial arts technique.
"What's interesting is this man," one commentator said while pointing at the screen.
"According to the official report, he is not an Ability user."
On the hospital bed, Takeshi turned toward Kazuma, who was sitting on a chair near the window while casually peeling an apple. The apple peel came off in a long strip following the calm movement of his knife, as if the man did not care at all about the commotion on television discussing him.
"What?"
Kazuma noticed the stare and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Don't you have something to say, celebrity?"
Kazuma snorted softly.
"Heh, what celebrity. Now everyone knows my face."
Takeshi looked at him with disbelief.
"What kind of reaction is that!? Aren't you happy about becoming popular?"
Kazuma paused his peeling for a moment, then looked at his friend irritably.
"Oi, damn it! Popular or whatever won't help my situation right now!"
Takeshi shrugged.
"That's exactly why it's amazing! You took down an Ability user in the middle of the street! That video already has millions of views!"
"And that's the problem!" Kazuma shot back quickly. "The more people who see it, the more people will come looking for me!"
Takeshi blinked several times, trying to process what that meant.
Meanwhile, Kazuma resumed peeling the apple, his movements slightly faster now, clearly annoyed.
"I just want to live a normal life, you know?"
Their conversation began turning into a small argument.
Takeshi started laughing at him.
Kazuma began grumbling.
Their voices grew louder.
Until—
The door to the room suddenly opened.
A nurse walked in with an irritated expression.
"Hey! This is a hospital, not a marketplace!"
Both men immediately fell silent.
Kazuma stopped holding the knife.
Takeshi quickly covered his mouth.
The nurse looked at them one by one with a stern face before continuing,
"If you want to argue, do it outside. Other patients are resting."
"Sorry..." Kazuma and Takeshi said almost at the same time.
After the nurse left, the room fell silent again for a few seconds.
Then Takeshi whispered quietly,
"…But seriously, you looked pretty cool back there."
Kazuma simply tossed a slice of apple into his mouth without answering.
Meanwhile, Takeshi stared flatly at Kazuma as he ate the apple.