In the alley.
Endou stood there, oozing arrogance, flanked by two equally sleazy-looking guys.
They all stared wickedly at the petite girl with glasses, who had been cornered against the wall.
He pulled out what looked like a very realistic toy gun and waved it in front of her.
"Asada-san, we're a little short on cash lately. How about lending us some, yeah?"
The short-haired, cute, bespectacled girl obviously wasn't going to agree.
But the moment she saw that gun—
Her body went limp. Her head buzzed. She trembled all over.
Her face turned pale as fear filled her eyes. She clutched the wall behind her, unable to say a word.
Seeing this, Endou smirked triumphantly.
Looks like my intel was right on the mark.
Shino Asada—a girl who had shot and killed someone as a child—still had trauma from that incident.
All it took was a gun identical to the one she had used… and she completely froze.
"Heh. So you're not saying anything, huh? That means you're fine lending us some cash, right? Come on, just ¥20,000. That's your whole paycheck from your part-time job, isn't it? Relax—we'll totally pay you back when things get better. Hahaha."
His two thugs snickered, their greedy eyes locked onto the bag they'd yanked from Asada's hands.
Shino Asada crouched in the corner, covering her mouth with trembling hands, gasping for breath.
Of course, she knew what was happening.
They were extorting her.
They had zero intention of returning the money.
But the moment she saw that gun, her mind was thrown back to that day—
When she and her mother had been caught in a bank robbery.
In the chaos, young Asada had accidentally picked up a fallen gun…
And pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore through the robber's skull.
That moment left a scar so deep she never truly recovered.
And now…
Someone had dug up that past and spread it through school.
Students, teachers—even staff—had started avoiding her.
They called her a murderer.
And now this Endou creep had appeared out of nowhere… blackmailing her with knowledge he shouldn't even have.
Listening to his vile voice, Asada was filled with shame, anger, and helplessness.
She shut her eyes tight, trying to focus on her breathing—trying to stay calm.
But she underestimated how far scum could go.
Endou stared at her pale, defenseless face… and licked his lips.
"Come on, Asada. Since you were nice enough to lend us money, why don't we walk you home, yeah? I know you live alone. Tsk, tsk… murderer or not, you're still pretty cute…"
He gave a disgusting chuckle and glanced at his two friends, who exchanged pervy smirks.
Then, he reached out toward the girl curled against the wall.
His intent was obvious.
But before his hand could touch her clothes—
CRACK.
A brick smashed into his head with full force.
Endou didn't even have time to scream. He collapsed to the ground instantly.
The two other thugs flinched, barely able to react—
Before a surge of pain exploded between their legs.
"GAHHH!"
Both dropped to their knees in agony, clutching themselves.
And then—
WHAM. WHAM. WHAM.
Hayashi Maki raised the brick again and slammed it down on their heads one by one.
No hesitation.
The human skull wasn't made to withstand blunt trauma.
By the third hit, all three were unconscious.
Hayashi Maki exhaled, then turned to the trembling girl huddled against the wall.
"Hey. You okay?"
He'd overheard everything.
They'd called her "Asada," and that was all he needed to know.
Shino Asada—Sinon. One of the heroines from Sword Art Online. And a seriously tragic one at that.
Who would've thought…
He'd just been out to buy groceries, and ended up stumbling into a mugging—and rescuing a potential future follower.
Asada looked up at him. Her once-lifeless eyes flickered with light.
Someone... actually helped me? Even knowing what I am?
"I-I'm okay… thank you. But… Endou and the others… they're not dead, right?"
The word "dead" made her shiver violently.
Her trauma was coming back, fast. Her breathing turned shallow.
Hayashi Maki quickly stepped forward and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, softly patting her back.
"Easy. They're just unconscious. Deep breaths, okay? Inhale… exhale."
She nodded slowly. After a few tries, her breathing finally steadied.
Only then did Hayashi Maki release her and walk over to Endou's body.
He picked up the gun.
"It's a toy. Just a really realistic-looking model."
Asada clutched her chest and sighed heavily.
"I know… but because of what happened, I just can't look at that kind of gun without freezing up…"
She hadn't expected Endou to go that far.
Not only had he learned her past—he even recreated the exact gun model she used that day.
If Hayashi Maki hadn't shown up…
I don't even want to think about it…
"Thank you for saving me. I'm Shino Asada. I go to Mizutaka High nearby."
She bowed deeply.
Then her tone turned serious.
"We should leave. If someone finds them like this, we'll both be in trouble."
But Hayashi Maki waved her off.
"You go ahead. I'm going to make sure these guys never come near you again."
"Unless you want them showing up to extort you again?"
He held up her bag.
"Oh, and this is yours. You'll want to hang onto your paycheck."
"R-Right… okay. I'll go."
She hesitated, then looked at him with shining eyes.
"Um… can I know your name? I want to repay you somehow."
Her heart was racing.
This guy…
He'd shown up out of nowhere, like a prince from a fairy tale, rescuing her when she had nothing left.
She didn't want to let him disappear without even knowing who he was.
Hayashi Maki gave her a faint smile.
"Name's Hayashi Maki. I go to Hakuo Academy."
"Go on home now. We can talk about repayment later."
Of course he wouldn't say "no need to thank me."
He wasn't the kind of guy who did favors for free.
"Alright… then I'll go. Thank you. Really."
Asada bowed deeply again before turning and hurrying out of the alley, her legs still shaky.
Hayashi Maki watched her go, then narrowed his eyes at the unconscious thugs.
You don't leave the weeds, or they just grow back stronger.
Asada's going to be one of mine someday. That means I have to deal with these guys.
But how to do it without leaving a trace…?
Right then, his panel suddenly popped up.
[Red Name targets eliminated. Magic unlocked. Basic demonic abilities now available.]
"Magic…?"
Hayashi Maki's eyes gleamed.
Without hesitation, he lifted the brick again and finished the job—
Coldly striking down all three red named scumbags.
As the last breath left their bodies, Hayashi Maki felt a strange, powerful energy surge through him.
He could feel it: the awakening of his magical potential.
He flipped his hand over—
A ball of demonic fire ignited in his palm.
He dropped it on the bodies.
Seconds later, not even ashes remained.
Dusting off his hands, Hayashi Maki picked up his plastic shopping bag and casually walked out of the alley.