Thud.
Without any surprise, Felt was yanked down.
Scrambling up from the ground, Felt's delicate, palm-sized face was flushed red with fury. She didn't say a word as she stood up; forgetting about her escape, she swung her leg in a fierce kick aimed straight at Satoru Gojo.
"You bastard!"
"This guy, I'll—"
"Alright, alright, I understand how you feel."
"After all, to be able to meet again in such a massive Royal Capital, you must be incredibly moved."
Satoru reached out a hand to block Felt's incoming kick. With a smile that looked utterly punchable to Felt, he spoke with mock seriousness.
"You people... you've really pissed me off!"
"Satoru, watch out!"
From behind came Rachins' sullen snarl, accompanied by Subaru Natsuki's tense warning.
Even Felt, whose kick had just been blocked, widened her eyes as she looked past Satoru's shoulder.
"Get out of the way—!"
"Hmm?"
"What are you two talking about?"
Facing their warnings, Satoru remained completely unmoved. Without even turning his head, he spoke to them with a chuckle.
At that moment, behind him, Rachins stared down at the two daggers in his hands, his face a mask of bewilderment. He hadn't stopped himself from stabbing Satoru.
However...
As the daggers drew close to Satoru, they were stopped by an invisible force, as if an intangible wall had been erected. No matter how much strength he applied, he couldn't force the blades through that barrier to harm the man in front of him.
Subaru and Felt witnessed this startling scene clearly. Their hearts were equally filled with shock.
"Ah, you mean this guy?"
Satoru seemed to realize what was happening only then, as if he were a bit slow on the uptake. "I wondered what the fuss was about."
"If it's just a guy of this caliber, he won't even manage to touch the hem of my clothes."
Saying this, Satoru turned around. Looking at the incredulous Rachins, he raised a hand and made a flicking motion with his fingers.
"Robbery and intent to harm... that should be a serious crime no matter where you are, right?"
"You... what kind of trick is this?!"
Rachins looked at the mocking Satoru with a mix of shock and fear. He swung his daggers again, desperately trying to breach that invisible layer of power. But no matter his effort, it was utterly futile.
"I'll help!"
Gaston saw this and rushed forward, swinging his massive fist at Satoru.
Unfortunately, whether it was daggers or fists, they simply couldn't penetrate that invisible defense. Instead, the two of them looked like jumping clowns—completely ridiculous.
"And me!"
Hambalie charged in as well. It had to be said—though these three weren't "good" people, they certainly were loyal to one another.
"How touching. Since that's the case, I can't leave anyone out."
The finger Satoru had held against Rachins' forehead flicked gently.
A powerful concussive force slammed into the three of them simultaneously. Like cannonballs launched from a barrel, they were sent flying out of the alley, crashing into the far wall and losing consciousness instantly.
"There. Now no one will disturb our 'old friends catching up' time."
Satoru turned back to Felt with a beaming smile. The girl's ankle was still in his grip; she couldn't run even if she wanted to.
Felt snapped out of her daze from watching the show.
"Bastard, let go of me!"
"Hurry up! Let go!"
Having seen the scene just now, Felt knew she couldn't pose any threat to this guy. But that didn't stop her from punching and kicking at Satoru in a frenzy.
"Eh, why act like this? I thought we were good friends."
Seeing Felt's frantic state, Satoru teased her with a hint of mischievousness.
"Who's your friend, you bandit!"
"A bandit?"
"Doesn't that make us even more suited to be friends then?"
"Isn't that right, Miss Thief?"
At some point, an exquisitely crafted insignia carved with the image of a Great Dragon had appeared in Satoru's hand. In the center of the insignia was a thumb-sized gem that resembled a precious orb.
With Satoru's status and eye as the head of the Gojo family, he could tell at a glance that this insignia was worth a fortune. Even in the modern world, its value would be staggering.
"You stole my stuff again!"
"Give it back!"
"Give it back to me!"
Felt felt her empty pocket and immediately panicked. Ignoring the fact that one leg was still held, she bent her body with incredible flexibility and tried to bite Satoru's arm, attempting to force him to return the item.
However, just like the three thugs, Felt couldn't actually touch Satoru. she could only snap her teeth at the air like a fish out of water.
"Alright, alright, I'll give it back. You're really not cute at all."
Satoru shrugged. He had only intended to tease the girl. Who she stole from or how she got it was none of his business; he felt no need to act as a life mentor and correct her behavior.
"But as a condition for the exchange, shouldn't you tell me your name? After all, this is our second meeting."
"I am Satoru Gojo, a traveler who ended up here by chance. This is Subaru Natsuki; he's in the same boat, so we're traveling together."
"Felt! My name is Felt, okay?!"
"Eh, surprisingly, you didn't lie. That's a bit unexpected."
"Here, take it."
Satoru tossed the insignia toward Felt and released her leg. Felt let out a sigh of relief and scrambled to catch the insignia in her hands.
The moment Felt touched it, Satoru saw the previously ordinary-looking insignia emit a faint red glow. It was quite peculiar.
It glows?
In an era without electricity, Satoru could only attribute this to magic or something similar. No wonder Felt treasured it so much. Items possessing supernatural power would be extremely expensive in any world—just like the Cursed Tools used by sorcerers. It would likely fetch a high price.
"Honestly! Don't let me run into you again!"
Felt tucked away the insignia and threw out a harsh parting shot, ready to bolt.
However, just as she started to move, Satoru raised his eyes toward the other end of the alley.
"Don't you dare leave!"
"Give my insignia back!"