Days had passed since I last gave Nana a gift. Life seemed to be drifting back toward tranquility—boring yet peaceful. At least, true calm had never really existed around me before.
"Don’t read while walking. It’s dangerous," Nana said, shaking her head at me clutching a dictionary. "You don’t have to rush learning Japanese." She was right. Mastering a language wasn’t something done in three or five days.
"Sorry, it was an accident!" Ahead, a girl in our school uniform was cornered by four thugs. "Hey, kid," one sneered, "this suit’s expensive. You think a simple apology cuts it?" "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" The girl kept her head down, trembling.
*Haven’t fought in ages… my hands are itching.* "Wait here," I told Nana. She nodded obediently. "Be careful."
"Hey, tough guys," I called out, smirking. "Picking on a girl? Real classy." A man with cockscomb hair glared. Honestly, if I were just a normal high schooler, I’d have run already. "She stained my clothes. Compensation’s only fair." I looked up at him—my 169cm frame felt short against most men. "Harassing a girl over something so small? Zero backbone." He leaned in. "This is none of your business. Scram, or I’ll smash you." His buddies stepped closer. *Think numbers scare me?* "Trash," I spat. Insults hit harder than sarcasm.
"What did you say?!" Perfect. One more push. "I’m not singling you out," I said coolly. "I’m saying all of you here? Trash."
The cockscomb-haired guy lunged. But under my Time Acceleration, his punch crawled like a snail’s pace—unnoticed by them, obvious to others. I stepped back, pulled a 10-yen coin from my pocket (*When did I even pick up this habit?*), and flicked it. Accelerated, the coin shot like a bullet, slamming into his gut. He flew backward, crashing to the ground with a groan.
"What the hell was that?!" His friends froze. "Don’t let me see you near her again," I said flatly, turning to the girl. "You okay?" She pointed behind me, eyes wide. "Watch out!" *Damn. Still pulling dirty tricks.* I dodged a knife thrust effortlessly under Time Acceleration, then tossed another coin—no time to check the denomination. I aimed half a meter ahead of the attacker. The coin punched a hole deep into the pavement. "Leave. Now." My voice turned icy.
"Monsters!" one thug shrieked, bolting. The others followed. Even the cockscomb-haired guy scrambled up. "Wait for me!" They vanished in seconds.
I turned to the girl. Chestnut-straight hair, delicate pink glasses, a petite frame in her stand-collar uniform. She shrank back, clutching her bag like a shield. A trace of tears glistened behind her lenses. *One wrong move and she’ll cry. Adorable.* "Don’t be scared. We’re from the same school." I pointed to my uniform. Nana approached gently. "Are you alright?" "Y-yes," the girl whispered, bowing deeply. "Th-thank you so much."
"Just doing my part," I smiled slightly. Nana offered to walk her to school. "What’s your name? I’m Takanashi Haruna."
"Taka-nashi?" I echoed the literal meaning.
"Eagle-free," Nana clarified. "No eagles around, so little birds play freely."
"Fascinating surname," I said. "I’m Cold Creek. From China. Still new here. Sorry about the confusion earlier."
Surprisingly, Takanashi knew of me. "I’ve heard about you—the super handsome Chinese transfer student in Class 3." Even my thick skin flushed. "Thanks."
Dropping her guard, Haruna chatted easily with Nana. The walk to school felt shorter, though I’d subtly slowed time around us. By the end, we’d exchanged numbers.
I never expected to blow up overnight. My shoe locker overflowed with love letters—way beyond the usual handful. "Let me see!" Nana bounced over. "Whoa! Cold Creek, you’re popular!" *I have no idea why either.*
In class, Rika and Tamado cornered me. "Senpai, you’re famous," Tamado said, elbowing me. "Nice move, hero. Made the news club." Ah. Yesterday’s incident got reported. Whatever.
Rika showed me her phone. A 1-minute video titled *The Coin-Throwing Hero Saves a Damsel in Distress*. *Who came up with that infuriating name?* It showed me flinging coins, ending with a close-up of the pavement crater. Comments flooded below. I winced. "When was this posted?"
"Yesterday. On the school news site." Rika pocketed her phone. "I thought you only threw coins for me." *Seriously? "Throwing coins" is one thing—but "coin-throwing"? I’ll find whoever coined that term.* "Whatever. Not worth worrying about."
"Um, Cold Creek-san? Wait!" A stranger blocked me in the hallway. "Yes?"
"I’m Hanazawa Rei. I hoped… to…" Before she could finish, a group of girls yanked her away. "Trying to skip the line?!" Her muffled protest faded instantly. Back in class, Rika delivered another shock: "Principal wants you at lunch. Office. Go." *Where even is that?*
