Unfortunately, Hiyori was not around, and I had unquestionably fallen into crisis. In any case, it was best to keep the peace here, since I didn't have much attacking power myself.
So Ryuto tried to find another way out.
"Um, is there no other solution?" he asked.
"I'm just here to find that girl," the alluring middle-aged woman replied.
"I see."
Seeing Ryuto's lack of response, the middle-aged woman looked impatiently at him and shifted her gaze from Setsu Saori to Ryuto himself.
"Why haven't you left yet? Do you want to butt in and stand up for this little girl?" she warned in a scolding tone.
"No, that's not it," Ryuto shook his head repeatedly, while the alluring middle-aged woman continued to speak harshly.
"Young man, I advise you to mind your own business. Otherwise, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself. Learn to protect yourself. This is the rule of the adult world, and also the rule of society."
"Well, you're right," Ryuto replied, nodding.
With this response, the alluring middle-aged woman looked somewhat astonished.
"Young man, this matter has nothing to do with you. You can leave. Besides, is that little girl worth you doing this for her? Do you know what she's doing besides being a bartender here? None of us know, only she knows. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."
As she spoke, Ryuto naturally looked at Setsu Saori, who still maintained her cold expression.
"I haven't done anything else," she said, in a rather brief manner.
Ryuto then turned back to the alluring middle-aged woman and replied, "That's what she said."
"Heh, of course she would say that. It's obvious. Who would voluntarily admit such things? Plus, who would be dumb enough to believe it?" the alluring middle-aged woman laughed mockingly, as if teasing a fool.
To this, Ryuto simply said calmly, his eyes showing no confusion, "Well then, I guess I'm that fool. Although I can't deny that I am indeed a fool."
The alluring middle-aged woman's smile froze upon hearing Ryuto's response.
"Ah..."
Hearing Ryuto's reply, both the alluring middle-aged woman and Setsu Saori were stunned.
No, actually, everyone present was stunned. But that was no surprise. When someone suddenly declares themselves a fool, no matter who it is, everyone would be stunned.
"So, are there any other solutions?" Ryuto asked, facing the silent crowd in a plain tone.
The two young men instinctively looked at the silent middle-aged woman, seemingly waiting for her instructions. After a moment of silence, the alluring middle-aged woman spoke angrily.
"For me to forgive her? For me to forgive this little girl? That's impossible. No matter what, it's impossible. If you insist on making me forgive her, young man, then you must kneel before me. There's no other way."
To this, Ryuto shook his head helplessly.
"Well, if that's the case, then there's nothing more to be done."
After saying that, Ryuto knelt on one knee without any hesitation.
"..."
The response he received was another round of silence from the entire audience.
The alluring middle-aged woman looked furious, or rather, she was on the verge of losing control. Regardless of whether anyone was watching, she furiously shouted.
"Are you out of your mind? Do you really understand what you're doing now? To actually kneel for this little girl who...who is not clear about anything..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she angrily raised her right foot and kicked towards Ryuto. Since Ryuto was already kneeling, he couldn't avoid it and reflexively closed his eyes.
However, several seconds passed and there was no expected pain. Ryuto opened his eyes in confusion.
He saw a figure, no, it was Setsu Saori who had shielded him, using her left arm to block the middle-aged woman's kick.
"Why..."
Setsu Saori spoke in a voice that was different from her usual self, uttering words that confused everyone. And although it wasn't very obvious, her voice was undoubtedly trembling.
"You little brat."
The middle-aged woman cursed as she pulled back her right foot and swung her right hand upward.
Facing the attack from the seductive middle-aged woman, Seto Sayuri easily dodged by sidestepping without even looking, then seized the woman's right arm. At the same time, she rotated her body, lowered her center of gravity, took a step forward, and flipped the seductive middle-aged woman onto the ground in one smooth and natural motion.
When she came back to her senses, the seductive middle-aged woman was already lying on the ground.
If this were a competition, it would definitely be a perfect score.
Signs were raised...
Ryuto and the two young men beside him were dumbfoundedly watching.
After a while, the two thugs finally reacted, and then they rushed forward without saying a word, but both were overturned by Seto Sayuri using the same move.
This move is simply extraordinary, another folk master discovered.
However, Ryuto didn't understand martial arts, so he didn't know if Seto Sayuri was using judo or something else.
"We'll see in the future."
The seductive middle-aged woman struggled to get up, seeing that she couldn't gain any advantage, she left with the two thugs while uttering these harsh words and staggering.
