With a loud BOOM, a truck crashed into an electric pole. The front of the vehicle was crumpled, smoke rising, flames beginning to flare.
At that moment, nestled in Yazuki's arms, was a girl whose beauty could only be described as otherworldly: flawless skin as pale and translucent as freshly fallen snow, perfectly shaped soft pink lips, flowing black hair that reached past her shoulders, and a face that was almost criminally cute.
Though her chest might not have matched certain expectations, her long, slender limbs, narrow waist, and graceful curves made up for it completely.
In short, she was a real-life anime-level beauty—currently caught in Yazuki's arms in a rather abrupt manner.
Normally, if a guy suddenly pulled a beautiful girl into his arms, it would've ended in a slap. At the very least, he'd be called a pervert.
But this particular girl—Yukinoshita Yukino—looked more stunned and frightened than offended.
Wait a minute. Hadn't Ikaros just shoved Yukino into Yazuki's arms earlier in a princess carry? How did it turn into this scene?
Because this was now the second time a truck had come dangerously close to Yukino while they were on their way to Sobu High School.
This time, it happened just as she was turning a corner near a sloped road. A truck that looked like it had been parked but hadn't been properly braked began to roll downhill.
Just as Yukino stepped into the path of the slope, Yazuki caught sight of it and yanked her backward in time.
Moments later, a loud CRACK echoed through the street.
The electric pole couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed with a thunderous crash, landing just a few meters from where they were. Small shards of debris scattered around them.
But that wasn't the end.
Because the cables stretched taut by the falling pole started snapping, one by one, with sharp pop-pop sounds.
One particular live wire, sparking with blue-white arcs, whipped toward them. Just as Yazuki tried to pull Yukino away—
A figure stepped in front of them.
With a delicate, fragile-looking hand, Ikaros brushed aside the live wire like it was nothing more than a strand of hair.
It crackled with electricity, but the girl didn't even flinch. No harm at all.
"You alright, Ikaros?"
"No external damage detected, Master."
Their calm exchange snapped Yukino out of her daze.
She realized she was no longer in anyone's arms and looked up to see someone else shielding someone with quiet determination.
"I, um—"
She tried to speak but couldn't get the words out.
Since he'd already asked, and the girl had already said she was fine, it felt… pointless for her to voice her concern now. Like it'd come off as fake or hollow. Even she felt a little disgusted with herself.
But still, not saying anything left her feeling guilty too. In the end, she chose silence.
Yukino turned her eyes to the burning truck.
Two near-death truck incidents before even arriving at school?
Was she cursed by the god of death?
Hopefully no one else would get hurt because of her.
The previous driver hadn't been seriously injured, and this time the truck was unmanned. No one else around was harmed, either.
That brought her some relief.
"Ah!"
She flinched.
Someone had tapped her on the shoulder.
"You okay? You hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine… thank you."
She shook her head slightly, her voice soft as she thanked the one who had saved her yet again.
"You sure? You've had seriously bad luck today." Yazuki stroked his chin, suspicious. "But still... something feels off. Is this really just bad luck?"
"Did your family piss off someone? Like, political rivals? Business competitors? Maybe someone's trying to get revenge?"
The Yukinoshita family was known to have some influence in Chiba. Yukino was a proper young lady—her manners and bearing were definitely not something an ordinary family could instill.
"That's not possible. It's probably just a coincidence."
Yukino shook her head.
She didn't believe in those TV drama conspiracy plots happening in real life. She trusted her parents; they weren't the kind to be involved in shady dealings or make serious enemies.
Yazuki wanted to push her to call her family just in case, but judging from her expression, it seemed like there might be some issues there.
Every family has its secrets.
Maybe she was right. Some days are just cursed. Even drinking water could make you choke. Today was just one of those days for Yukino.
But then, after walking a little farther toward the school, it happened again—this time proving it wasn't just bad luck.
"HONK—HONK—"
A truck horn.
Another truck charging straight toward Yukino.
Yukino jumped in fright, but then immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Yazuki also tensed up, hearing the familiar sound again.
Once? Okay. Twice? Bad luck. But three times?
There was definitely something wrong. Someone was targeting Yukino.
But when he turned to the source of the noise, he relaxed, even chuckled a little.
He'd overreacted.
It was just a child riding in a toy electric truck—those small kiddie cars made to look like the real thing.
No way that thing could even knock Yukino over, let alone hurt her.
Right?
But… what if that wasn't the point?
The child was steering erratically, looking like he had no clue how to control the toy car. It veered slightly toward Yukino.
Instinctively, she stepped back to avoid it.
And then—she stepped into thin air.
Behind her was a steep, high stone staircase. If she fell backward from that height, especially landing on her head, it could easily be fatal.
In that moment, Yukino's mind went blank. Her field of view tilted sharply, sky flooding her vision.
Was she truly cursed by death?
Why was this happening? She hadn't done anything wrong. Why was she being punished like this?
Why?
No answer came. Only silent protest in her heart.
Why!!!
She reached out a hand toward the sky, as if trying to grasp something—or someone.
She hoped, desperately, that someone would grab her hand. In her mind, a certain figure appeared.
But then she gave a bitter smile.
If death had truly chosen her, then she shouldn't drag others into it.
Tears welled up in her eyes, not just from fear, but from frustration and unwillingness. She closed her eyes, accepting her unfair fate.
Until—
A coarse but warm hand—clearly male—grabbed hers.
"What's with that face? So pitiful and helpless."
The voice, slightly teasing, came from Yazuki.
He pulled her back to safety.
Yukino stared in confusion, her mind still catching up.
Yazuki's gaze drifted to where she would've fallen—his eyes narrowed.
This wasn't a joke anymore. This wasn't about Yukino.
It was about something else—something familiar that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
A disgust he hadn't felt in a long time.
And not because he was overly concerned about Yukino—but because whoever was behind this… was someone familiar. Someone who stirred up this hatred within him.
Maybe next time, he'd activate his Mystic Eyes and confirm it.
Time to "warm up" and get ready.
After that, though, everything was calm again.
Or at least, seemed to be.