2|Prologue 0 (part two): Kagenou Karima
"Mhmmm…" Karima regained consciousness. She tried to speak, but her lips were being obstructed by a cloth gag. Her legs and arms were tied tightly with ropes; she couldn't move an inch.
She opened her eyes slowly. A bald man, most likely in his forties, stood by a pillar. In front of her was an unruly-looking man; he stank of alcohol, with no way to block her nose. She turned away from him.
"Little miss, it's so unfortunate that this is the second time you are getting kidnapped." The man grabbed her chin forcefully. "Feisty, aren't we?" He grinned.
"Aggggghhhh… I don't know why I have to walk with such a degenerate." The bald man frowned, his eyes raking over his partner. "Whatever you do, don't damage the goods. She needs to be in good shape when her father arrives with the ransom." He moved his face away from them.
"Hehehe… this isn't the first time she's been through this." The unruly man forcefully opened Karima's thighs. "The first time, it was a stalker. Unfortunately for you, it seems your father has made a lot of enemies." He placed a hand over her chest with an unsavoury look on his face.
Badump…
Horrific memories came rushing back like a stream that broke through a dam. Karima could not get a hold of herself; both her body and mind were in a state of panic. "No, no, not again…" her voice sounded distorted.
The tips of her fingers and the soles of her feet suddenly became cold. Her eyeballs flickered; sparse amounts of tears filled her eyelids. She felt as if she had been placed under water—there was a sufficient amount of air, but she couldn't breathe.
Her legs lifted and kicked the unruly man in the chest. She squirmed backwards. In her state of panic, all she thought of was how to get away from her captors. She still remembered vividly how she cried for help the first time she was captured, but no one answered her call—nobody showed up. Out of desperation, she screamed; her voice echoed across the entire street.
She bruised her lips in the process. She was terrified, scared, and helpless—like a deer in a lion's den. She had to use any means possible to guarantee her survival.
The two men staggered; they stood defensively, waiting for something to happen—but no one came.
"Hehehe… foolish girl, it seems that ther—"
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of running footsteps coming toward the door caught the unruly man by surprise; the cat got his tongue, most likely.
Bang!
The wooden door was kicked wide open. A male figure stepped into the abandoned house, face covered with a black bandit-like mask, wearing a black tracksuit.
Foosh—
He sprinted over to the unruly man's location. Before the man could process such non-human speed, his head was slammed onto the ground.
"Huh?!"His pupils rolled; he blacked out completely.
"Perv." The masked man wiped his hands on the body of the unconscious kidnapper.
"Hahahaha… I never thought I would ever meet such a skilled individual again after I retired from service." The bald kidnapper cracked his fists and neck.
"Hmmm… ex-military. This is going to be tasking—but fun." The masked man grinned inwardly. "So you are basically like a mid-grade boss?" He crouched on the ground, flexing his legs.
"Huh? What do you me—"
The bald man blocked a heavy strike from the side with his forearm. He rotated his body and threw the masked man off.
"Wooah, nice going, old man." The masked man slid backwards on the floor, regaining his balance.
"This guy is really something. Only pro fighters know about this technique. He deceives the eyes of his opponents with that black tracksuit of his that blends perfectly into the darkness, and in that brief moment where the brain goes blank, he sprints with incredible speed over to the target's position," the bald man groaned.
"Wait! Did you just call me ol—"
Another attack came from underneath. He leaped backwards just in time, dodging the attack.
"He really is skilled…" the masked man thought. "I guess simple tricks won't cut it anymore." The brain has a very long attention span when it focuses on something that doesn't require much processing. He was well aware of this crucial flaw, so he utilised it flawlessly in combat.
He always wore a black tracksuit at night, which easily blends into the environment; while his opponents are deeply focused on his current position, he sprints at full speed over to where they were standing.
Bam!
A heavy metallic weight dropped from his arms; he reached out to his legs.
Bam!
Metallic weights fell on the ground. They were heavy enough to crack the floor. "This has to be a joke… he was doing all that while handicapped?" the bald man grunted inwardly.
That wasn't all. The masked man placed his hands into the pockets by the side of his tracksuit and brought out a pair of nunchucks. "Since you are such a high-level opponent, I have decided to go all out." He flipped the nunchucks. "In reality, I know it's going to be hard to defeat him if I don't equip my secret weapons," he thought.
The masked man dashed toward the bald kidnapper, swinging his nunchucks rapidly in a circular motion. "Do you really think nunchucks are faster than a gun?" The bald kidnapper pointed a gun at the incoming masked man. Before he could aim and shoot, the masked man closed the gap between them and kicked the gun out of his hand.
"Do you really think a nunchu—"
The nunchucks coiled around the bald kidnapper's arm, and the masked man pivoted. He slammed the bald man into the ground, taking full advantage of the force of gravity. Before the bald kidnapper could regain his footing, the masked man conjoined his nunchucks and thrust them into his head.
A classic finishing move; there was no way the bald kidnapper could have survived—or so he thought.
"Aghrahhh!"He rose to his feet, eyes white like that of a maddened gorilla.
"Tch… old man." The masked man gripped his nunchucks. "You should really learn to know when to stay down."
"Huh?!"Those were the last words the bald kidnapper uttered, like a sheep who had just stepped on a lion's tail. He knew it was over for him—completely.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The masked man moved the nunchucks so fast that his hands became blurry. He barraged the bald kidnapper with multiple strikes that he couldn't count nor comprehend.
He fell to the ground, convulsed, devoid of life.
"Hcckkkk—" Karima squirmed backwards, tears of fright rolling down her supple cheeks.
The masked man walked up to her slowly with a knife in hand. "No, no, don't, ki—"He cut her loose.
She was too stunned to speak; she could have fainted if not for the pain that eroded her body at that moment.
Just like every midnight hero, the masked man walked out slowly—no catchphrases, just mystery and aura farming. Soon after he left, the police came rushing in, late as usual; they always come after the main event—boring!
Anyways, just like in the movies, when the victim had been saved, they were covered with a light blanket—no, there was no rain; this was literally the middle of summer. Karima embraced her parents, crying heavily. Like, calm down a bit—you have already been saved.
Atop the roof of the building, our mysterious man in black stood, watching closely at the aftermath. He pulled up his mask slowly—here comes the grand reveal you have all been waiting for.
It was Takato Sai.
The next morning, Karima appeared in school like nothing happened. As usual, she was welcomed by a horde of students. In the locker room, she was face to face with Sai—another day of correcting him on her name.
"Good morning, Sai," she smiled brightly, patiently waiting to correct him.
"Good morning, Karima." He turned away from his locker.
"It's Kari—" she paused briefly. "Wait… he actually got my name right!" She looked upwards. "He's actually looking at me… directly at me." For the first time in forever, Sai's gaze towards Karima wasn't distant—it was focused directly on her.
Sai walked away slowly, the floorboards creaking under his feet. At least now we know why the floorboards are always twitching anytime he steps on them… If you still haven't pieced it together, it's the weights he's always wearing underneath his uniform… geez.
"I always thought he was wearing a mask like me," Karima sighed, "but I guess now I'll never know." The fury in her eyes dissolved into likeness.