Chapter 30: A Shift in Attitude
"Pervert! Of course, I mind!"
Amanai Riko stomped her foot in anger, rushed into the restroom, and slammed the door shut.
On the way home from school, classmates were laughing and discussing where to go play. Riko was just about to join in when her peripheral vision caught sight of that black-haired figure leaning against the shadow of the street corner, arms crossed. All her enthusiasm instantly vanished.
"Tch."
Annoyed, she clicked her tongue and could only give her friends a perfunctory farewell, "Uh... I'm going straight home today."
"Eh? Riko has been so strange lately, always rushing home."
"Yeah, yeah, and who is that handsome guy who is always watching you? A relative?"
Facing her friends' gossip, Riko could only be vague, and the resentment she held toward Toho Hiroshi deepened further.
Her daily rhythm was completely disrupted; the feeling of constantly being enveloped in "protection" suffocated her.
The turning point occurred one weekend afternoon.
Due to the continuous stifling feeling of the past few days, Riko defiantly ran into a heavily crowded commercial street, attempting to use the masses to shake off Toho Hiroshi.
She deliberately weaved through complex shops and even mingled with a group of students wearing similar school uniforms.
Just as she was secretly pleased with her "cleverness," a chilling, spine-tingling malice silently coiled around her like a poisonous snake.
That was not a human gaze, but the viscous, cursed scrutiny of a curse.
Riko's blood instantly ran cold, her feet frozen in place, and fear choked her throat.
She subconsciously turned back and, through a gap in the bustling crowd, saw an unidentified creature with a pale face and twisted limbs clinging to the shadow of the ceiling. Four murky eyes stared intensely at her, and its mouth split into an inhuman grin.
The extreme terror prevented her from making any sound.
Just as the Cursed Spirit was about to pounce, a black shadow silently appeared before her like a phantom, perfectly blocking the Cursed Spirit's line of sight.
It was Toho Hiroshi.
He didn't even turn to look at her, merely raising his hand slightly.
Riko only saw extremely tiny black sparks flash and disappear from his fingertip, and immediately, that chilling malice vanished without a trace, as if erased by a rubber eraser.
The noisy crowd around them was completely oblivious, still enjoying their weekend leisure.
The entire process was so fast it felt like her imagination.
Only then did Toho Hiroshi turn around, his dark eyes calmly looking at her. His tone remained indifferent: "Commercial streets have complex crowds, making it easier for Curse Users and Cursed Spirits to blend in. Don't do this next time."
There was no blame, no lecturing, only a calm statement.
But as Riko looked at his placid face, she realized clearly for the first time that the fleeting moment just now had been a true brush with death.
And this person she had always found annoying had already shielded her from lethal danger without her realizing it.
A mixture of fear, shame, and a hint of indescribable emotion spread within her heart.
"I... I know."
She lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
After that, although Riko still complained verbally, she no longer deliberately made things difficult or tried to avoid him.
She began to silently observe Toho Hiroshi.
She discovered that although this bodyguard always wore a cold expression and spoke pitifully little, he was extremely meticulous.
Her breakfast was always warm and nutritionally balanced.
When she casually complained that her textbooks were too heavy, the next day her schoolbag seemed slightly lighter, leading Amanai Riko to suspect that Toho Hiroshi had used some strange Cursed Technique.
When she encountered a difficult problem while studying and angrily tossed her book, he would silently pick it up and place it beside her, occasionally even using extremely concise language to point out the key to the solution.
He was like a silent and sturdy shadow, completely isolating her from all external dangers.
That sense of security was something she had never experienced since learning of her status as the Star Plasma Vessel.
Late one night, Riko woke up from a nightmare, dreaming that the assimilation ritual had turned into a cold sacrifice.
Her heart pounded violently, and she shivered while clutching her blanket.
A very light tapping sound came from outside the door.
"Are you alright?"
It was Toho Hiroshi's voice, coming through the door, sounding slightly, almost imperceptibly, softer than usual.
"I'm... I'm fine."
Riko took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound normal.
There was silence outside the door for a moment, then his calm voice came through: "It's normal to be afraid. But fear won't solve the problem. Remember, I won't let anything harm you until your life reaches its natural end."
His promise lacked any flowery language, yet it carried a rock-solid determination that strangely soothed the panic in Riko's heart.
"Mm..."
Riko buried her face in the soft pillow and responded softly.
Days passed, and the date of assimilation drew nearer.
Riko realized that her perception of Toho Hiroshi had already quietly changed.
The annoyance vanished, replaced by a growing dependence and trust.
She even started sharing interesting stories from school with him, and although she usually only received brief replies like "Mm" or "Is that so," she never tired of it.
He would listen quietly, and occasionally, when she reached a particularly funny part, she thought she could see a faint, almost imperceptible curve at the corner of his mouth.
That faint curve made her heart inexplicably skip a beat.
This taciturn, powerful, and reliable bodyguard had left more than just a mark of security in her heart. A vague and subtle feeling quietly sprouted in the young girl's heart, like a tender shoot emerging silently from the snow in early spring.
As for Toho Hiroshi, he continued to fulfill his duty as a protector, vigilant against every disturbance.
Toho Hiroshi's Mangekyo Sharingan continuously captured the slightest Cursed Energy residue in the air, and his perception scanned every person who approached Riko like radar.
He knew the true assassin had not yet arrived.
The fanatical believers of the Star Plasma Cult, along with the hired tyrant of heaven hiding in the dark, were the greatest threats... At dusk, the setting sun dyed the sky a magnificent orange-red, but it also cast increasingly dense shadows.
Toho Hiroshi accompanied Amanai Riko back to her apartment from school. There was silence the whole way, only the sound of footsteps echoing on the quiet residential street.
Riko seemed preoccupied, occasionally sneaking a glance at the silent bodyguard beside her, wanting to speak but holding back.
Toho Hiroshi's Sharingan slowly rotated beneath the cover of his black robe, catching the unusual ripples in the air.
It was too quiet; even the chirping of late summer insects seemed to be choked by something.
Just before they were about to turn into the alley leading to the apartment building—
Several black shadows, wrapped in chilling Cursed Energy, shot out without warning from the windows, rooftops, and even the sewer opening of the buildings on both sides.
The target was extremely clear, aimed straight at Amanai Riko!
They were poisoned shuriken driven by strange Cursed Talismans, the sound of them cutting through the air was shrill and piercing.
"Get down."
Toho Hiroshi's voice was utterly calm. Almost the instant he spoke, his figure shifted half a step sideways like a phantom, perfectly shielding Riko completely behind him.
He didn't even draw his sword; he merely flicked his sleeve, and an invisible, highly condensed Cursed Energy barrier instantly expanded.
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