After walking for half an hour, they returned to the residential area.
Eiji pushed aside his worries and temporarily stopped thinking about these troublesome matters.
Since he wouldn't get an answer no matter what, he decided to abandon useless thoughts. After all, as the saying goes, "the cart will find its way around the hill when it gets there." His only focus should be on strengthening himself.
This was Eiji's way of handling things.
"Brother, look ahead!"
As they walked through a small alley, Souji was still engrossed in playing with the black card. But from the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a few familiar figures. Startled, she immediately tugged at Eiji's sleeve.
Eiji followed her gaze, and his expression darkened.
It was the group of delinquents from yesterday.
Once again, they were gathered at the entrance of their neighbour's residence, grinning shamelessly while saying something to Tomoe Gouzen.
Tomoe looked confused and kept waving her hands in refusal.
"Damn, am I too merciful?"
Eiji, clearly annoyed, rolled up his sleeves as he approached. "Hey, you guys! You've got some guts coming back here. Do you really not take me seriously?"
"Ah?!!"
"It's the God!"
"Please don't smile at me!?"
The three delinquents, upon seeing him, instantly reacted like mice encountering a cat. Terrified, they covered their eyes, as if determined not to look at him.
Are you all insane?!
Why would I even smile at you?!
Duang!
Duang!
Duang!
Eiji landed a punch on each of them.
The three rolled their eyes and collapsed to the ground in unison.
Ah, he didn't smile at me!
That's such a relief!
Two of them lay there with faces full of bliss, while the remaining one looked rather regretful.
"Ah, um…"
Tomoe was startled.
It was her first time seeing Eiji resort to physical violence.
As a virtuous wife and mother who had always disliked unruly people, witnessing Eiji's actions—so similar to those of a delinquent—she suddenly felt…
So manly!
Tomoe felt her heart racing wildly.
She thought, 'Entrusting my daughter to a man like this would really put my mind at ease!'
But she had completely misunderstood!
Whoosh!
Before Tomoe could say anything, a petite girl suddenly dashed out from behind her. She swiftly moved past Tomoe and, with an expressionless face, threw a punch straight at Eiji.
It was a textbook-perfect straight punch, carrying much greater force than that of an average male.
Thud!
Eiji caught it effortlessly.
The girl tried to struggle, but upon realizing she couldn't break free, her eyes flashed with surprise. She then attempted a knee strike to his abdomen.
Thud!
Eiji extended his other hand and caught the girl's thigh.
Huh, not bad. The texture felt quite nice.
With both her hand and leg restrained, the girl completely lost her ability to resist. Her cold expression began to crack.
"Wait, Eiji, you misunderstood. They came to apologize to me."
Only after the brief scuffle did Tomoe hastily explain.
"Is that so?"
Eiji was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, this young girl even bought me a lot of gifts. She helped me carry them inside just now. I kept telling her it wasn't necessary…"
Tomoe earnestly vouched for them.
Ah!
So I punched the wrong people?
"Let me go."
The girl's cold voice suddenly came from his arms.
Though her voice was icy, there was also a hint of suppressed anger.
"Oh."
Eiji responded and released her wrist and thigh.
"Artoria?"
Only now did he have the leisure to take a good look at the girl before him.
She had the exact same face as the famous kendo club captain, bearing some resemblance to both Souji and Nero. However, her expression was completely devoid of warmth, making her seem unapproachable.
She wore a black sleeveless shirt with a jacket over it, paired with ultra-short shorts and long boots—an outfit that gave off the vibe of a delinquent.
And most notably, she had no ahoge.
"…I am Alter."
The girl took two steps back and flexed her wrist.
Her gaze flickered slightly, as if surprised that Eiji knew her name. She then added,
"Artoria is my sister."
Ah… That makes sense. It fits her setting quite well.
Come to think of it, Eiji recalled that she was also a student at Type-Moon Academy. Like her sister, the Blue Saber, she was in her second year. However, he had never interacted with her before.
"My subordinates owe you a debt of gratitude."
She glanced at the three delinquents lying on the ground.
Her expression suggested she was looking at garbage. Although she disapproved of their actions—harassing a respectable housewife—she still considered them her subordinates.
Originally, she had planned to restore their dignity.
Unfortunately, she couldn't win.
Even though her strength exceeded that of many adult men, the moment he grabbed her limbs, she felt like she was caught in a vice.
"Um… I'm sure they are very magnanimous people and hold no grudge against me."
Eiji felt slightly guilty.
"You guys hate me, right?"
He squatted down and sincerely asked the three unconscious delinquents.
"See? They're not saying anything. That must mean they don't hate me at all! If you don't believe me, ask them!"
"..."
Miss No-Ahoge was at a loss for words.
She clenched her fists, but realizing she wasn't his match, she gave up on the idea.
"Then how do we settle the old scores?"
"Huh?"
Eiji looked bewildered.
Have I met you before?
What old scores?
"Over 30% of my subordinates have changed their sexual orientation after encountering you."
Miss No-Ahoge stated this in a cold but blunt manner.
"…And what does that have to do with me?"
"Do you not know about the legend of 'God's Smile'?"
"The what now?"
Eiji looked at her as if she were joking.
"Brother, brother."
Souji suddenly approached from behind and whispered in his ear.
"That's one of Type-Moon Academy's Seven Unsolved Mysteries. It's said that if someone encounters the God and he smiles at them, their sexual orientation might change!"
What kind of heinous deity is this?!
…Wait a minute.
Although Type-Moon Academy had a few divine Servants, the only one publicly recognized as "God" was… him.
Ah.
Eiji was at a complete loss for words.
Why was this classified as one of the "Seven Unsolved Mysteries of Type-Moon Academy"?
Shouldn't it be an urban legend instead?
A sudden chill ran down Eiji's spine!
There was only one possible explanation for this.
This legend had originated from Type-Moon Academy and had spread outward, which meant people naturally assumed it was an academy mystery.
Which raised an even bigger question.
He had been at Type-Moon Academy for over three years.
Just how many people had he unintentionally "converted"?!
***
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