Sett Chapter 2: Shizuka Hiratsuka (Patreon)

"Please, no!"

"Spare us!"

The two thugs screamed in terror, but it was to no avail.

The large hands gripping their necks yanked them back into the alley.

Outside the alley, passersby who witnessed the scene quickly turned and hurried away.

"Let's go! Hurry!"

"Something's about to go down in that alley!"

"Better not get involved."

As they distanced themselves, murmurs of conversation reached the ears of a spirited young female teacher.

"Hmm?"

Her expression froze as she glanced toward the alley.

"I can't just ignore this!"

Changing direction, she walked toward the alley.

As she strode forward, she clenched her fists, making her knuckles crack loudly.

In her younger days, she had been undefeated in all of Chiba, earning the nickname "Iron Fist!"

…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of heavy impacts echoed from within the alley.

Not long after, two thugs sat obediently on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, sitting more upright than schoolchildren.

"Is this all the money you have?"

Higashino Tadashi counted the 100,000 yen in his hand, his face showing disappointment.

The two kneeling thugs opened their mouths but said nothing.

They were just petty criminals—collecting 100,000 yen in protection money was already quite an achievement for them.

But remembering Tadashi’s fists, they quickly lowered their heads in submission, not daring to protest.

You’re the boss; whatever you say is right.

"I guess it'll be enough to get by for a while." Tadashi sighed, reluctantly stuffing the money into his pocket.

At that moment, a tall woman entered the alley and happened to see Tadashi putting the money into his pocket.

Her brow immediately furrowed.

A quick glance revealed one person lying unconscious on the ground and two others kneeling in fear.

Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately understood: this was an extortion and bullying incident!

"Take this!"

With a shout, Shizuka charged forward, throwing a punch.

Whoosh!

Her punch came with the force of a hammer aimed directly at Tadashi.

Without even looking up, Tadashi casually reached out and caught the punch.

"What?!"

Shizuka’s face was filled with shock—he had caught her punch so effortlessly?

She was naturally strong, known for knocking people out with a single blow back in her school days, which had earned her considerable fame.

Unfortunately, it also led to her being single to this day.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that she could usually knock someone’s teeth out with a punch like this!

Yet, the boy in front of her had caught it so easily.

‘Who is this guy?’

Shizuka grew wary, staring intently at Tadashi.

"Interesting…"

Tadashi, on the other hand, looked pleasantly surprised.

As soon as he caught Shizuka’s punch, a system notification sounded in his mind!

【Ding!】

【Congratulations, host! You've successfully checked in with Hiratsuka Shizuka, and your template progress has advanced!】

【You have gained the skill: Knuckle Down!】

【Knuckle Down: When moving toward an enemy, gain 30% movement speed. Your next two attacks deal additional damage equal to 10/20/30/40/50 (+1%/1.5%/2%/2.5%/3%+0.1% AD) of your maximum health.】

‘Check-in?’

‘Hiratsuka Shizuka?’

Tadashi looked up.

Standing before him was a tall, graceful woman with a strong and confident aura, glaring at him in anger.

He immediately understood.

No wonder she looked familiar—this was Hiratsuka Shizuka from the world of *Oregairu*, the Japanese language teacher at Sobu High.

At that moment, the two remaining thugs, noticing that Tadashi’s attention had shifted, quickly hoisted their unconscious companion and darted out of the alley.

"Hey, you two, stop!"

Shizuka called after them, still intent on serving justice.

"Why don’t you take a better look at who they are," Tadashi said with a lazy smile as he let go of her hand.

"What do you mean?"

Shizuka, puzzled, turned to look.

The two thugs had dragged their unconscious friend out of the dark alley and into the brightly lit street.

Under the streetlights, their dyed yellow hair, earrings, and loose, sloppy clothing were clearly visible to Shizuka.

"What?!"

The fire of anger and sense of justice in Shizuka's heart faded by half.

So, they weren’t being bullied… but still, that didn’t justify what happened!

Shizuka’s eyes narrowed as she sternly said, "Even if they’re delinquents, that’s no excuse for you to extort them!"

"I call it serving justice," Tadashi replied seriously.

"That’s nonsense!" Shizuka retorted. "That’s just a criminal taking advantage of another criminal!"

"But in the end, didn’t I still punish the bad guys?" Tadashi shrugged, his expression indifferent.

"You…"

Shizuka was speechless.

Technically, the delinquents had been dealt with.

But you also took their money! Your sense of justice is flawed!

"What’s your name? What school do you go to?" Shizuka took a deep breath, determined to set this boy on the right path.

"Take a guess," Tadashi replied with a playful smile.

"Guess, my foot!"

Shizuka couldn’t help but curse, veins popping on her forehead. "Tell me, or I’ll make you regret it!"

As she spoke, she clenched her fists, making her knuckles crack menacingly.

The sound was intimidating.

But Tadashi remained unfazed, chuckling softly as he clenched his fists in response.