The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 181: The Old Man vs The Pickup Group

181: The Old Man vs The Pickup Group

Facing the pickup artists squarely, I ponder my next move. Now, what would be the best course of action…?

The simplest method would be to bind them all at once using the otherworldly web, just as I did with the living dead in the other world. However, I might accidentally crush them with too much force. If that happens, I could dispose of the bodies in the other world, but—

No, no, that’s not an option. I’ve started to lean towards otherworldly violence in my thinking. This is Japan, and excessive self-defense is absolutely forbidden.

Moreover, even though I’ve somewhat adapted to the other world, thinking it’s inevitable to kill or be killed, I’d prefer to handle things as peacefully as possible unless it’s absolutely necessary. This isn’t out of mercy, but for my own peace of mind. I mean, isn’t it just plain unpleasant to kill someone?

Besides… there’s another problem. I glanced behind me.

There, I saw Aihara, trying to call the police with her smartphone, being firmly held by the smiling Isezaki-san, looking puzzled.

If it were just about subduing them, it wouldn’t be a problem. But I have to make sure Aihara doesn’t see the magic. That requires a bit more effort.

“Oh-ho! The old man’s got some guts!” “Trying to show off to the high school girls, huh?” “Woo, so cool!” “A hero of justice!” “Man, that’s scary! (lol)”

The pickup group jeers at me. By now, this kind of thing doesn’t bother me at all.

Among the noisy crowd, a blue-haired guy stepped forward, rolling his shoulders.

“Guess I’ll do it. Sorry, but I’ll end this with one punch (lol).”

“If Tetsu-chan goes, we won’t see the old man’s cool side!” “One-hit kills are boring.” “Seriously, you’re too much (lol).” “Come on, come on. Let’s finish this quickly.”

“Yeah, just watch.”

The blue-haired guy responded with a confident smile to the group’s cheers. He was notably taller than the others, and his muscular physique was evident beneath his tank top. He must be quite confident in his strength, maybe practicing some form of martial art.

He stopped in front of me, cracking his knuckles, and smirked.

“Alright then, old man… die!”

The blue-haired guy swung his fist towards my face. I muttered softly—

“[Accelerate Haste].”

In that instant, his movements slowed dramatically. The effect of [Accelerate Haste].

[Accelerate Haste] is a spell that makes my movements faster. From my perspective, everything else appears slower.

I dodged his slow-approaching fist by slightly moving my head to the side. He hadn’t noticed yet, still grinning.

I kicked his legs out from under him, exploiting the vulnerability. His leg lifted off the ground with surprising ease, and his body spun half a turn. Thanks to the increased speed from [Accelerate Haste], the kick had more power, I suppose.

Losing his balance, he fell forward, crashing chest-first into the ground. I then deactivated [Accelerate Haste].

“—Gah!”

He hit the ground hard, gasping for air. The pickup guys burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Tetsu-chan, what the hell are you doing!” “That’s hilarious!” “Even now, you’re cracking us up!” “Tetsu-chan, you read the room too well!” “Hahaha!”

Amidst the jeers, the blue-haired guy propped himself up against the wall and stood. He grimaced from the pain in his chest but quickly forced a grin. He turned to the onlookers, waving his hand.

“Sorry, sorry, still feeling the effects of last night’s drinking (lol). Next time, I’ll really beat him up—yo!”

As he turned, he threw a backhand at me.

Of course, I had already activated [Accelerate Haste]. I ducked under his backhand and used the spring of my knees to jump lightly, adding a slight twist.

Then, I launched my right fist straight at the chin of the blue-haired man who was glaring at me with a face full of rage.

→↓↘＋P, in other words, a rising dragon punch. With [Accelerate Haste] active, I could pull off such a move.

(Note: I mean, I’ll leave this here in case some of you had bad childhood and never played street fighter before)

My accelerated fist, thanks to [Accelerate Haste], connected with the blue-haired man’s chin.

With a squishy impact, his chin snapped upwards—at the same time, a dull pain shot through my fist.

Of course, hitting someone would hurt me as well. The added impact from the acceleration probably made it worse. I need to be careful not to injure myself…

As I thought about this, the blue-haired man slowly tilted his head back to gaze at the sky and then fell backwards, hitting the ground with his back—

“Ugh!”

The blue-haired man hit the ground hard and went limp, his head drooping.

The alley fell silent.

Aihara was the first to speak up.

“Whaaat!? No way, was that a fluke!? Or maybe this is a prank? Where’s the camera?!”

What a rude person. Well, even if it wasn’t a fluke, it was almost like cheating, so I can’t say much.

Meanwhile, Isezaki-san remained unperturbed, just watching over me. She still held Aihara’s phone firmly in both hands.

The pickup group began to murmur as they looked down at the blue-haired man lying sprawled on the ground.

“What? Tetsu-chan, seriously?” “No, no, it was a fluke…right?” “Yeah, Tetsu-chan couldn’t lose to an old guy.” “Well, he did say he hadn’t been to the gym recently…”

I swung my throbbing fist and called out to the group.

“If possible, I’d like you to leave now. You guys must be bored of this by now, right? Forget about us and go have fun with your friends. You’ll feel better in no time.”

“What the hell, this old guy’s talking crap. There’s no way we’re backing off.” “Yeah, right.” “But isn’t fighting kind of a hassle?” “Getting reported would be bad.” “Tetsu-chan’s really down. What should we do?”

The pickup group looked at each other uneasily. It seemed like they might be willing to talk, thanks to knocking out their strongest member and killing their momentum.

If they would back off, that would be ideal, but—

“That’s right!”

At that moment, Isezaki-san’s voice echoed through the alley.

She stood tall, arms crossed, and declared loudly.

“You saw it, didn’t you? Just a fraction of the old gentleman’s power. Even you fools must realize the difference in level between you and him. If you continue, only ruin awaits you.”

“Hey, wait a minute, Isezaki-san?”

“However! The old gentleman is very merciful… If you sincerely apologize, I’m sure he will forgive you even now. Kneel before him, bow your heads, and repent for your foolishness and insignificance! It is the only way to seek his mercy…!”

Seriously… What on earth is she saying all of a sudden?

Isezaki-san, having finished her long speech, exhaled through her nose and looked at me with sparkling eyes as if saying, “Right, old man?”

Unfortunately, her words only fueled the fire.

“What!? Don’t mess with us!” “Do you think you’ve won just because you got lucky and knocked out Tetsu-chan!?” “We’ll kill you!” “Don’t get cocky, you bastard!” “Die!” “I’m definitely gonna kill that girl!”

The pickup group, with faces red with anger, shouted in fury and charged at me all at once.