This young man was, of course, Shin. He boarded this train simply with the thought of going to school. As for encountering a pervert, that was purely a matter of luck. His attire was also because Mineoka High School hadn't given him a school uniform yet; apparently, he had to take a placement test and pass it before they would issue him one. So he wore the Bondrewd fantasy suit instead.
Call him paranoid, or cowardly if you will, but even within a safe metropolis, Shin still felt a deep sense of unease due to being in an alternate world. Bondrewd's fantasy suit could provide him with a certain level of self-defense, and there weren't many parts of Bondrewd's equipment that deviated from common aesthetics. He simply needed to remove the 'Ascension to the Stars' laser helmet, detach and store the 'Return to the Cardinal' laser emitter, and slightly fold in the combat parts of the 'Piercing the Heavenly Vault' specialized armor.
Although it still looked somewhat different from the style of this country, walking on the street, he wouldn't be mistaken for a 'disgusting otaku' who was cosplaying. In fact, he could put on the disassembled equipment at any time, it just required a little preparation time, so wearing it was still the most reliable choice. And more importantly, even when wearing only parts of the 'suit,' this Bondrewd fantasy suit still endowed him with remarkably calm mental judgment. He needed this powerful and calm judgment to make correct and beneficial choices most of the time.
This layered preparation and backup plan were all because this was an 'otherworld.' No matter how normal it seemed, no matter how similar it was to his own world, since this wasn't his world, Shin wouldn't trust anything here. Maybe he'd walk along and suddenly a group of strange people with belts would transform and start fighting? Or maybe he'd encounter some cannibalistic species hidden in the city? Or maybe a mud truck would jump out and hit him, sending him to another world? Since there's no definite proof that these things don't exist, he might as well assume they do and prepare fully, because there's only one chance to gamble with his life.
However, soon after Shin boarded this clearly antiquated train, he witnessed an interesting phenomenon. A middle-aged, pot-bellied, balding man, driven by his lower desires, was cornering and molesting a pretty and cute high school girl. In other words, this was a "chikan" incident.
Actually, when he noticed this, Shin was already preparing to intervene. After all, even as an ordinary person, he would help stop such an ugly act. But the calm thinking brought by the Bondrewd suit made him pause. Stepping in impulsively was fine, but this fat man would still be difficult to convict, and simply playing the hero seemed a bit of a waste. Should heroic acts of chivalry go unrewarded? No, of course not. Heroes gain satisfaction from having their self-image affirmed through such acts, but Shin didn't need that. He needed fragrant Fukuzawa Yukichi (10,000 yen bills).
So, he recorded the evidence, then naturally stepped forward to stop everything, and then—began to blackmail. "Hmm... Mr. Sawanaga Kurojiri, I think you should understand the terrible consequences of being caught as a chikan in Japan." Shin looked at the man trembling and bowing before him, tossing the man's work ID up and down, and said calmly, "You know these things, but you still did this because you couldn't control the impulse from your excessive hormone secretion in your lower body. Let me see... hmm, Chapter chief at Kameyu Department Store chain. You're quite successful in your career, how could you do such a thing?"
"I was wrong, I deserve to die, I really was wrong!" Kurojiri kept bowing to the young man in front of him, his voice trembling with fear.
"You should apologize not to me, but to this young lady," Shin glanced at the somewhat dazed girl, then smiled gently at her blinking big eyes, which made the girl blush slightly. Oh, that damned charm! It seemed his attractiveness had indeed increased significantly after one Coordinator modification surgery.
"Miss, do you want to let him go?" "Ah, this..." The question was suddenly directed at her. The girl hesitated for a moment, her voice as faint as a mosquito's. "I was wrong, I really was wrong, please give me a chance to turn over a new leaf!" Kurojiri unhesitatingly slapped his fat face hard, begging loudly for mercy.
Seeing him like this, the girl also timidly said to Shin, "How about... how about we just let it go? He seems to have admitted his mistake..."
"Alright, since you, the victim, have chosen to forgive, of course I won't condemn Mr. Sawanaga further." Hearing Shin's gentle and unusually polite voice, Kurojiri let out a long sigh of relief, but secretly, he was viciously calculating something in his mind. This wasn't the first time he had done such a thing, and the fact that he hadn't been caught red-handed until now naturally meant he had his ways! He had been caught more than once, but he always managed to smooth things over, even getting those high school girls to willingly submit to him afterward...
However, just as he was triumphantly thinking about things, and skillfully putting on a remorseful expression while asking Shin to delete the video, Shin gave Kurojiri a stunned answer.
"No." Shin smiled and shook his head.
"Although this young lady has forgiven your sin, I cannot further condemn you. However, as a sound individual who abides by and enforces Japanese law, I believe it is necessary to provide this criminal video to the police authorities."
"You..." Kurojiri's eyes widened, but upon seeing Shin's still kind and polite smile, an indescribable chill pierced his heart. "This... since he's already admitted his mistake, why don't we just let it go?" The girl tugged at Shin's sleeve, speaking softly.
"No, this matter cannot be resolved just like that. Forgiveness is a good quality, but excessive indulgence will only give these criminals more room for leniency. If you let him go this year, he might commit another crime tomorrow. Perhaps he'll be disgraced, or perhaps other girls will suffer!" Shin said with a righteous expression, and he genuinely believed what he was saying.
This greasy, middle-aged, bald uncle was no good; the abilities provided by the Bondrewd suit included not just absolute rationality, but also a certain ability to see through human nature. This old pervert, who thought he was invincible on the train, was definitely no good, and turning over a new leaf after being let go once was even more nonsense. Since Shin encountered him, he felt it was necessary to make this guy experience what real 'pain' was.
The girl looked at Shin, who had a righteous expression, hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to bury her head like an ostrich.
"What do you want to delete that video?!"
Kurojiri gritted his teeth and asked directly.
"You must receive sufficient punishment to engrave this matter deeply in your memory. And for someone like you, either your tools of crime are confiscated, or..." Shin made a gesture that sent shivers down his spine, then chuckled,
"You hand over enough money, the money you've worked so hard for, to get rid of a future where you're disgraced and have nothing. I think that should be a very worthwhile deal."
Kurojiri's face alternated between green and white, and finally he bit his lip slightly, saying, "How much do you want!"
"That depends on how much money is in your bank card," Shin said cheerfully. "I won't name an exaggerated figure, nor will it be too low. You know, if this video gets to the police, you'll lose your job, lose social credit, your mortgaged house and car will be foreclosed, and you'll end up on the streets, a despised homeless person..."
"Compared to such a terrible future, paying a little money, isn't it worth it?"
Kurojiri said nothing more. At this point, he no longer saw the young man in front of him as an inexperienced kid. This guy was definitely a serial blackmailer, absolutely!
Maybe this girl was even in on it with him; this scoundrel was pulling a scam!
"To ensure fairness, this phone, which is the only recorded evidence of your crime, will be managed by this young lady," Shin handed the phone to the dazed girl in front of him, smiling at her.
"But I'll have to trouble you, Miss, to come with us. Don't worry, half of the money we get will be given to you as compensation for your emotional distress."
"I..." The girl looked at the old phone in her hand, blinked, and suddenly felt an indescribable sense of relief. It wasn't about the money, but an inexplicable, forbidden sense of comfort, a release of some emotion from deep within her heart.
The train stopped at Mihara-me Station. Mineoka High School was right there. With forty-five minutes left until class, Shin, who had already planned his route, took the weeping pervert Kurojiri to an ATM near the station.
"Only 2 million yen in deposits... Well, that's about right." Shin, wearing gloves, nodded slightly as he looked at the pervert's bankbook. Although he was a shameless pervert, his position was just a middle manager at a department store, with a monthly income of around 450,000 yen. After deducting daily living expenses, childcare, and mortgage payments, having 2 million yen in his account was already quite impressive.
However, it was also possible that this guy had other cards with money on them, which was quite likely, but Shin felt there was no need to go too far. "Then let's take two million. Withdraw it all. That's less than half a year's salary for you. As punishment, I think it's enough."
Shin's voice was like a dagger twisting in the pervert's heart. With a pained expression, he could only tremble as he entered the nearby bank, withdrew two large stacks of Fukuzawa Yukichi, and handed them to Shin with a trembling hand.
Weighing the two hundred Fukuzawa Yukichi notes in his hand, Shin nodded contentedly and said with a smile to the pale-faced Kurojiri, "Alright, that's enough. Miss, please delete the video in front of Mr. Sawanaga."
"Oh, okay..." The girl's expression was a little strange, as if she was trying to suppress the joy in her heart. While trying hard not to let her lips curl up, she deleted the video completely in front of Kurojiri. Kurojiri's expression immediately relaxed, but soon, a sinister look passed through his eyes.
"I advise you not to," Shin's demonic voice shattered his illusion. "If you try to report me for extortion, I'm sorry, but I'm underage, and besides the cash in my hand, you have no evidence. I can destroy them before you catch me, or even launder them after several transfers. The police won't work so hard for such a small amount of money."
"Furthermore, if you want to sue me, you can certainly try. I will truthfully state what happened in court. I'm not sure if this young lady will testify, but if things are exposed, you'll be the one losing out, you know~"
Shin tilted his head, his kind smile turning a little sinister and terrifying. He casually picked up a nearby stone and crushed it gently. "And perhaps... I have evidence you can't even imagine~~"
The crushed powder scattered with the wind. Kurojiri retreated half a step in fear. The aura emanating from this extortionist at this moment was unsettlingly contradictory: on one hand, he was like those legal thugs who reigned supreme in court, and on the other, he was like a yakuza boss! He would never forget how he was almost driven to financial ruin by a loose-tongued, rogue lawyer in court. This scoundrel in front of him, like that scoundrel lawyer, instilled in him both physiological and psychological fear. Without hesitation, Kurojiri scrambled away in fear. Watching his fleeing back, Shin smiled joyfully. This scoundrel would have to live in the shadows for the rest of his life. Unless he was even bolder than Shin expected, he probably wouldn't continue being a chikan.
Villains are dealt with by other villains. That pervert was a scoundrel, and Shin was certainly not a good person either. But being a big villain who punishes scoundrels was actually quite a pleasant feeling. However, then, the thought that his one million would soon be reduced to only one hundred thousand, and might not even last him through the month, plus the internet bill he owed, made Shin's mood sour again.
"Here, Miss, this is what you deserve."
Despite this, Shin still gave half of the money in his hand to the girl beside him. The girl, who had been staring blankly at Shin dealing with the pervert, finally reacted and quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, I can't take this money!" Although the girl's family wasn't short on money, she was still a student, and she couldn't imagine what it felt like to earn a million yen in less than a morning.
"Take it. This is compensation for your emotional distress, and also for me using you as an excuse," Shin said firmly, pushing the money into the girl's arms. His gaze swept over the badge on her left school uniform, which was slightly raised, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Are you a student at Mineoka Academy?" The girl nodded gently. Shin's lips curled into a smile, and he said, "What a coincidence, I'm also a student at Mineoka. But I'm an exchange student, and I'm reporting to school today."
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Shin, from Viet, a second-year exchange student at Mineoka High School."
"...My name is Kotonoha Katsura, please take care of me, Shin-kun." The girl said with a very polite smile.
Shin: ???????
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