"I'm exhausted... I can't move anymore..."

"It was busier than yesterday. This was my first time working a part-time job, and it's tough, isn't it?"

"I'm wiped out too... I didn't expect working at the merchandise booth to be this hard. How about you, Tachihara? You were working backstage all day, right?"

"Yeah, backstage work is pretty demanding too. Oh, and after I graduate, they asked me if I'd like to work there."

"Whoa, seriously!?"

That's right. I'd been helping backstage all day, and after we finished, the person who had been giving me instructions asked me to join their company after I graduated. I thought it was just a polite gesture, but they even gave me their business card, so I think they were serious. Well, I did work about twice as much as everyone else.

"In any case, the job's done now. After working so hard these past two days, let's enjoy ourselves tomorrow!"

"Yeah! Let's play at the beach and set off fireworks at night!"

"Yukari said she’s off tomorrow, so she can join us too. And she invited us to have a barbecue together in the evening."

"Oh, that sounds awesome!"

Spending the day playing at the beach, then having a barbecue and setting off fireworks at night? That's absolutely perfect! Plus, we'll have Kawabata and Sayama—two cute girls—with us. I might finally get to experience that "normal, fun life" everyone's always talking about.

"Oh, it's about time. Sorry, but I have to go help out with Mogi-san's training again."

"Ah, sure. See you later."

"Be careful not to get hurt, okay?"

I had already told everyone that I was helping Mogi-san with his training. At first, Kawabata wanted to come and watch, but I had to turn her down.

Since Mogi-san seemed pretty serious about it, having a girl there might make things awkward. Not to mention, I'd probably get distracted trying to show off or something.

"Hah... hah... Thank you, Aniki. I learned a lot today."

"I'm glad I could help even a little."

Just like yesterday, I spent the evening sparring with Mogi-san. Over the past two days, he seemed to have gotten more used to my speed and was reacting better than before. I guess I was able to help him improve his reflexes, if nothing else.

Afterward, Mogi-san had the taxi drop me off at my inn before heading back to his hotel.

"Still, you're amazing, Aniki. After working so hard all day, you just went all out with me and you’re not even tired!"

"Well, I was mostly working behind the scenes today, and the work wasn't too heavy toward the end. But what about you? You seemed super busy in the dressing room."

"Ah, yeah, preparations are hectic, but once the live show starts, all I have to do is check the outfits and make final adjustments. And after the show, there's not much cleanup, so it’s easier than it looks."

Didn't look easy to me. If that's considered "easier," then I can't even imagine how chaotic things must be before a concert.

"I’ve got a fight coming up soon. If you have time, please come and watch! I’m aiming for first place this time."

"If I have the time, sure."

A martial arts tournament, huh? I'm not particularly interested, but maybe I'll go just to see what it's like.

"Huh? Driver, can you stop here for a moment?"

"O-Of course!"

"Aniki, what’s wrong?"

"I might’ve imagined it... but I thought I saw someone getting beaten up in that alley back there. Driver, I'll go check it out. Please wait here."

"Understood."

"Aniki, I’m coming with you!"

Just now, while passing through that alley, I caught a glimpse of someone being hit. It was dark, and I only saw it for a moment, but with my enhanced vision, I was pretty sure of what I saw.

Using my Presence Detection skill, I sensed seven people nearby. If it’s just some harmless scuffle between friends, we can leave it alone. But if it’s serious, we'll have to step in.

"Mogi-san, stay back for now. If it looks like a minor argument, we'll just leave."

"Got it!"

"Tch. What a bust. Only thirty thousand yen?"

"Yeah, man. If you’d just handed it over earlier, you wouldn’t be in this mess."

"Yeah, right... like you weren’t planning to beat me up either way."

"Ah, busted? Well, I lost thirty grand at the pachinko parlor today, so I needed to blow off some steam. Lucky for me, you showed up. Too bad you didn’t have a hundred grand on you."

"P-Please... just let me go..."

"Nope, sorry! Luck wasn't on your side tonight. Here comes another one!"

"No, no, please!"

"Die, bastard!!"

Thwack!

"Guh!"

"Hey! I told you to wait for me!"

"Sorry, Aniki, but I can't stand seeing a group gang up on one person like this!"

"I get it, but you can’t just go hitting people like that!"