Michael had just finished washing his hands and face after using the toilet.
Then he dried the remaining water from his face.
He felt a deep sense of relief.
Michael exited the restroom.
He walked toward Chihiro, who was waiting.
Michael squinted, seeing two strange men leaning in toward his wife.
His face instantly hardened, his jaw clamping shut.
Then Michael quickened his pace.
The man with dyed blond hair paused just as he was about to use a handkerchief to drug her.
"Miss, are you refusing us?"
The man let out a slight laugh.
His companion, wearing a leather bomber jacket and a heavy silver chain, sat casually, looking at Chihiro's utterly indifferent face, which slightly irritated him.
"Miss, why do you look as if nothing is happening to you?"
"Are you secretly into rough play, haha?"
Chihiro was annoyed by this and glared sharply at him.
"Watch your filthy mouth. It smells like garbage."
The man was irritated, then waved his hand, signaling his friend who was standing near Chihiro.
The friend quickly took out a small handkerchief and brought his hand toward Chihiro's face.
Michael swiftly seized his right wrist.
The grip was so strong that the veins in Michael's arm bulged.
"What do you two want?"
Michael's angry expression startled both thugs.
"I was just giving her a small lesson, what's it to you? Are you this woman's man?"
The man sitting in front of Chihiro asked.
A cold, sharp smile was etched onto Michael's face.
"No," Michael replied.
"Then why did you stop us? Wouldn't that be a little odd if you're not this woman's man?"
The man Michael was gripping asked, trying to pull his arm away.
The man was released from Michael's grasp, rubbing his reddened wrist.
"Bastard, look what you did! You idiot!"
Michael was clearly irked by this but held it in. His broad shoulders were tense.
"What are you doing to this woman?"
Then the man sitting across from Michael replied with an arrogant tone, slamming his hand on the table.
"Us? Yeah, we'll do whatever we want! Do I need to explain, huh!"
Michael remained composed.
'You wormy bastards, you'll see what's coming.'
The man sitting in front of Chihiro narrowed his eyes, contemplating.
'This guy doesn't seem to be from our country, hmm...'
"Ohh, in that case, how about we split the profit?"
Michael subtly nudged the man opposite him with his elbow as he rested his arm on the chair.
"Hey! How dare you push me! Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
"Are you two really going to fight here? Look, there are many people around. What if security comes? You know the rules in your country, so be quiet!"
The man was frustrated but held back, then let out a long sigh.
Michael whispered, "Not here. I'll take her. How about we go to an alley?"
"What do you mean?" The first man who was sitting was confused.
Michael leaned his arm on the chair.
"I have no ties to this woman. How about we cooperate? Wouldn't that be great?"
"What's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Shinji. Nice to meet you both. Did I get it wrong? Are you some kind of mobsters?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"So, what about this woman? She doesn't seem afraid of us. That's why we did that, so she wouldn't scream when we took her."
"Hmm... Don't worry."
Michael took Chihiro's hand.
Chihiro knew exactly what Michael meant.
Chihiro pretended to go along with Michael's game.
"Mister, what are you doing to me?"
Michael replied with a dominating look.
"Follow us, and you'll find out."
Chihiro looked fear-stricken and speechless, and though it was just to fool them, she tried to struggle then gave in.
Thin tears welled up in her eyes, convincing the thugs.
"Stay quiet like this, you low-life woman! If you act up again, I'll take measures."
The sitting man stood up, smiling smugly.
"Okay, I accept your offer. Let's move out of here."
They were both hesitant, but seeing Michael's apparent indifference, they were convinced Michael wasn't her lover or anything of the sort.
The four of them left the restaurant, searching for a dark alley.
The sound of their footsteps scraped on the sticky asphalt.
Michael restrained his rage.
Veins in his neck began to show.
Upon reaching the alley, which reeked of trash and urine, the first man approached Chihiro.
Michael released his grip on Chihiro's right hand.
"Miss, you look like you have lovely breasts. So first, take off your clothes, hehe."
The man's slightly yellow teeth showed as he grinned lewdly.
Chihiro shyly covered her chest area.
The first man with a dragon tattoo on his right arm moved closer to Chihiro.
His hands tried to reach for Chihiro's breasts.
Michael walked calmly, clenched his fist, then punched him quickly!
Swash!
Michael's fist landed squarely in the middle of the first man's face.
Blood splattered.
The man was sent flying, crashing against the dirty alley wall.
His blond, swollen face was now covered in blood.
"What are you doing, you bastard!"
Michael went up to him again, then kicked him in the stomach.
The man coughed violently.
'You insane dog bastard, I think I was tricked!'
He thought, holding his stomach to suppress the pain.
The other man was terrified, looking shocked.
"M-Mister, what are you doing? Didn't we agree? A-Are you perhaps her lover?"
The man was nervous, his voice stammering.
Michael sneered.
His eyes widened, then he walked toward him.
Quickly, Michael choked the man, lifting him high.
The man's feet dangled, and he desperately clawed at Michael's arm.
"I held my anger long enough. Now feel this, you idiot."
"Hey, you damned pieces of trash! Are you too stupid to be fooled? This woman is my wife! Didn't you see, huh!"
Michael was furious, shouting at him.
His breath was ragged.
The man being choked struggled to breathe, his face starting to turn blue.
The man tried to kick him repeatedly.
Michael, annoyed, tightened his grip.
Michael sneered, then slammed him hard onto the ground.
The man looked pained, coughing violently, struggling for air.
Michael kicked him in the stomach.
The man was thrown against a trash can, then passed out.
And the first man Michael had punched curled up in fear after witnessing this.
Blood dripped from both of the man's nostrils.
His face was swollen and looked utterly desperate.
However, amidst the pain and hopelessness, a flicker of an idea crossed his mind.
"M-Mister, forgive us. We didn't know she was your wife,"
the battered man tried to elicit sympathy, his voice hoarse.
The man secretly slipped his hand into his back pocket.
'Hehe, time for payback, no matter how strong you are.'
Michael walked up to him.
He stood directly in front of him.
Then Michael crouched down, bringing his face closer.
"What are you trying to do?"
Michael asked softly, his voice cold as ice.
"You think I'm stupid? If you dare to pull that stunt, I won't hesitate to kill you right here."
Michael's expression was menacing, the dark shadow of the alley enveloping his eyes.
'T-This man doesn't seem to be ordinary.'
The man's body trembled, and he released the folding knife he was holding in his back pocket.
The knife fell to the ground with a soft clink.
Then Michael stood up, glaring at him cynically.
"Remember this, you piece of trash thug. If I see you wandering around here again, I'll kill you."
Then Michael lifted his leg, kicking his face hard.
Brakk!
The kick landed on the left side of his head.
The man was sent flying then passed out near the other man.
The dragon tattoo on the man's arm was clearly visible, now covered in dust and alley filth.
Michael spat onto the ground, a gesture of sheer contempt.
Then Michael turned around, walking toward Chihiro, who looked frightened.
'My love, your expression reminds me of when you massacred those gangsters before.'
'You looked like a bloodthirsty demon.'
Michael held her head, caressing it gently.
"It's okay. I won't kill them in front of you."
Chihiro, looking frightened, saw Michael's angry face, which seemed unlike him.
Chihiro tried to compose herself.
Michael held her right hand, squeezing it slightly to offer reassurance.
Chihiro began to calm down, then walked with him toward the sidewalk.
Michael left the two of them unconscious.
He had already put on his gloves back at the hotel, so he remained calm regarding any potential fingerprint investigation.
"Honey, where should we go now?"
Michael tried to change the subject, his voice returning to normal.
"Oh yeah, I forgot! How about over there?"
"I have something I need to buy, haha."
Michael's index finger pointed toward a crowded area with a large comic poster above it and many people cosplaying anime characters.
"I'll go anywhere with you, my love."
Chihiro saw that Michael's expression had softened.
She smiled in relief.
Then they walked together toward the crowded store, putting the incident behind them.