A dense crowd formed a human wall that blocked everyone's view.
People had gotten used to crowded transit; it was an infrastructure issue that complaints would not fix. They simply had to adapt.
All most passengers could do now was find a spot that was as comfortable as possible.
But not everyone shared that mindset.
This kind of environment was also a perfect crime scene, offering opportunities to those with ill intentions.
It was not even rush hour, and this train was not on a particularly busy line.
To someone paying close attention, the passenger flow in the car clearly looked unnatural.
In the farthest corner of the train, a girl dressed in a high school uniform appeared clearly distressed.
Her long black hair reached just below her hips, an unusual length even among the many long-haired girls, and it was immaculately maintained, gleaming faintly. Most ordinary households could not manage this level of care.
The girl had a gentle, quiet expression. Her skin was fair and delicate, and her facial features were very refined.
Her appearance was striking.
But most eye-catching of all was her stunningly mature figure, unusual for her age.
How to describe it...
Kasumigaoka Utaha's measurements were 89-61-88, a figure most would call perfect.
But this girl's stats were astounding: 102-60-84.
Even among the bustiest anime girls, she would be a top-tier contender.
The girl's name was Katsura Kotonoha, and her figure was the kind only visual novel heroines usually had.
But such an exaggerated figure also made her a target for unpleasant people.
Despite her perfect looks, years of piano, ballet, and cram school had left her socially withdrawn. In certain situations, she was extremely passive.
Like now.
With more and more passengers boarding, she was pressed into a corner, holding her schoolbag in front of her in an attempt to shield herself from a fat, bald man pretending to be shoved into her by the crowd.
She was not good with strangers. Though she practiced kendo, she was unarmed and unable to resist.
"P-please... do not do this..."
Using her schoolbag like a shield, she tried pleading with the man.
But obviously, her words only seemed to excite and encourage him further.
---
"That is enough, scumbag."
Just as Kotonoha was about to cry, a low voice came from behind the man.
A tall, young man, much taller than the bald pervert, stood there.
It was Kitahara Kousuke.
While the surrounding crowd either had not noticed or chose to stay out of it, Kousuke stepped in.
Before the man could react, a sudden blow hit his enormous butt, sending him sprawling to the floor like a tipped-over ball.
Kousuke did not care to reason with people like this.
"Disgusting."
He tapped his toe on the ground and spoke the truth plainly.
Then he turned to the girl.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah... yes."
Kotonoha was still dazed by everything that had happened and answered in a panic.
"That is good."
Kousuke stepped closer and smiled at her to ease her nerves. Then, turning back around, his face became expressionless.
The man from earlier had already been helped up by a yellow-haired young man, who looked like he had expended great effort.
This young man was Zawayama Taisuke, and about half a month ago, he and his buddy Itou Makoto had met this bald man on a train and started hanging around with him.
Makoto was still at the "lust without courage" stage, lacking initiative.
But Zawayama Taisuke, a yellow-haired delinquent through and through, was different. He was the type to act on his urges, a criminal-in-waiting.
He considered the bald man his "master" and had started following him around, even ditching Makoto.
Several other men also stepped forward from the crowd, each dressed strangely, calling themselves "comrades."
They surrounded Kousuke and Kotonoha in a corner.
---
"This guy hit someone. Everyone saw that, right?"
Still helping the bald man, Taisuke, behaving like a monkey, pointed at Kousuke and tried to shift the blame.
"Do you even know what you have done? Apologize to this gentleman."
"Yeah. What school are you from?"
A few of the men chimed in, criticizing Kousuke. But no one else seemed interested.
Japan is a society that suppresses individuality in favor of harmony. Even a train scuffle usually ends quietly.
To Kousuke, it was almost cute.
His actions may have seemed reckless, but he had already held back.
Though he was not yet sixteen, Japan's strong laws for minors offered him protection.
Still, Kousuke was a reasonable person.
"Take care of her for me."
He took a step back, handed Kotonoha his bag (and the vanilla bean inside), and scanned the group of delinquents with sharp eyes.
"Pretty righteous of you to accuse others, as long as you are not the one in this video."
Standing in front of a girl he did not even know, Kousuke raised his phone, started a video, and let the progress bar run.
He lifted the phone to show the onlookers the proof: the same men harassing girls earlier.
The phone camera might have had poor resolution, but there was no mistaking the faces in the footage: it was clearly the bald man and Taisuke.
"You... you..."
Both men stared wide-eyed at the screen.
"What is wrong? Trying to say that is not you? Oh, by the way, I already called the cops, Mister Pervert."
In fact, they had started misbehaving even before Miko and Hana got off the bus.
Kousuke had not acted because the previous "victim" looked like she might have actually been enjoying herself.
But Kotonoha clearly was not.
And these bastards, forcing themselves on someone unwilling?
That, Kousuke could not ignore.
---
So, Kousuke stepped forward, intending to deal with this group and also find something to do before heading home.
Behind Kousuke, Katsura Kotonoha lowered her head timidly, occasionally stealing glances at the young man in front of her.
And in the girl's arms, Kokoa managed with some effort to push aside the two mounds of flesh with her paws.
"Meow..."
Having finally breathed in fresh air again, Kokoa's eyes were vacant, and she stuck out her tongue, letting out a pant that sounded like a sigh of relief.
---