Logan felt his eye twitch as he followed Diane off the bus. There, standing quietly but exuding a cold elegance, was Olivia. Her long legs stood firmly, motionless yet commanding an aura that instantly set her apart from the passersby.
"Yo." Olivia greeted Logan with a casual wave, her tone faintly surprised, but it felt more like a polite formality than genuine emotion.
The bus doors closed with a metallic click behind them, kicking up dust that mirrored Logan's chaotic state of mind.
Not all encounters are beautiful. Logan glanced between Olivia, who had suddenly appeared, and Diane. It didn't take long for him to piece things together.
As the corner of his mouth twitched, Logan could only force a smile as he replied, "Hello."
Diane moved to Olivia's side and, to Logan's surprise, linked arms with her in an unusually close manner. Smiling sweetly, she said, "So, what do you think? We're going to the martial arts school together. After the autumn field trip, I realized how important it is for girls to know some self-defense techniques."
Olivia's arm shifted slightly as if she wasn't used to such gestures, but ultimately, she didn't resist.
Watching the two of them act like old friends, Logan was at a loss for words, "You two... sure get along well..."
In his impression, Diane and Olivia, one a bubbly girl-next-door and the other a campus celebrity with an aloof reputation, had little to no connection.
'But from their interaction and conversation, it was clear they'd bonded after the casino incident. Perhaps shared adversity, or simply mutual admiration, had brought them together.'
Logan imagined their friendship blossomed through some kind of girlish chatter, culminating in a shared decision to learn self-defense at the martial arts school Logan had supposedly attended but never actually visited.
After understanding the situation, Logan nonchalantly pulled out his phone and glanced at the lock screen, pretending to be busy. With a tone that suggested time was of the essence, he addressed the two girls, "Well, since you're here to study self-defense, I won't hold you up. Best of luck with your training! My house is just over there, so I'll be off now..."
Logan rattled off his excuse and was about to bolt. No way he was sticking around. After all, he'd never even seen the inside of the martial arts school he'd claimed to attend.
Both girls were here because they'd believed in his impromptu lie about his martial arts prowess, and at this rate, the truth would come out the moment they joined a sparring class.
The coach wasn't even paying him, so why risk it?
"Wait."
However, Olivia suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path with her leg. Yu Logan instinctively glanced at her long, shapely legs before quickly averting his gaze.
The other party's resolute demeanor caught him off guard. For a fleeting moment, in the golden glow of a freshly lit streetlamp against the fading daylight, Logan noticed she was wearing her hair in a ponytail today.
"Logan, right?" Olivia said, pausing briefly as if to ensure she'd gotten his name right. She glanced at Diane before continuing with a hint of hesitation, "I heard you're quite skilled?"
'Skilled? In what?'
Logan blinked, unsure how to respond. But under Olivia's piercing gaze, eyes so clear they seemed to embody the phrase penetrating insight, he suddenly understood. "Oh, that kind of skilled..."
Olivia frowned slightly, but fortunately, Logan quickly clarified, "It's nothing. Diane probably exaggerated. I just know a little bit… barely enough to handle small-time troublemakers."
Judging from the situation, she was clearly asking about his fighting skills. And why wouldn't she? He'd foolishly claimed to have learned Karate, and Diane must have shared that story with her.
"Diane said you kicked a gangster flying. Wasn't it just a shove? And…" Olivia's rare, earnest tone surfaced as she asked a series of questions. Finally, her sharp gaze swept over Logan's not-so-muscular physique, clearly skeptical, "Does joining a martial arts school really work?"
Though her words were slightly rude, they likely stemmed from her privileged upbringing, which left her unaware of their bluntness.
Hearing this, Logan only responded with a nonchalant smile.
Martial arts had long faded from prominence. As dazzlingly choreographed combat became ubiquitous in media, the once-revered practice of calculated attack and defense began to feel distant and unreal to the general public.
Scandals involving so-called 'masters' being easily defeated in viral one-punch knockouts only deepened skepticism. It was understandable that someone like Olivia, who had never been exposed to martial arts, would harbor doubts.
Logan's youthful face lacked sharpness, his pale, understated demeanor resembling someone who spent most of their time indoors and struggled with social interactions. There was nothing about him that suggested anything beyond the ordinary. Yet, the faint smile on Logan's otherwise nondescript face, which is seemingly indifferent, caused Olivia to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Her expression betrayed a hint of confidence as she stepped closer. Initially, she hadn't expected much from this conversation, but a spark of curiosity had crept in. Maintaining her aloof exterior, she deliberately narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "How skilled are you?"
…
The distance between them shrank slightly, and Logan caught a faint whiff of her perfume.
Watching the normally composed senior standing so close, her mannerisms almost playful despite her usual reserved demeanor, Logan couldn't help but find her actions endearing.
"How am I supposed to answer that?" Logan replied with a chuckle.
But the mood was abruptly shattered.
Olivia pursed her lips coldly, and just when she was about to speak, a piercing car horn suddenly tore through the air.
A child's shrill scream followed. The evening breeze rustled the leaves, as if an unseen hand had stirred the tranquil twilight. An immediate sense of urgency replaced the calm, drawing everyone's attention to a speeding bus with a 69 route number.
The horn blared from the bulky vehicle as it barreled down the road. Logan instantly recognized the bus's route number, as it was the same as the bus he'd just gotten off.
Suddenly, Diane let out a startled cry, covering her mouth in shock. Because in the middle of the road, a young child stood, frozen in terror.
No one's mind, in the throes of panic, paused to consider the details of the six- or seven-year-old boy. His handmade sweater, his yellow hat, none of it mattered. How he ended up in the middle of the road, why no one had stopped him, or how such a dangerous moment had unfolded? All these questions were overshadowed by the imminent collision. Most onlookers, like the boy himself, could only stand helplessly as the massive bus bore down on him.
The screeching brakes screamed against the asphalt, trying desperately to halt the bus. Logan's senses sharpened instantly. Chakra surged through him, and his mind raced.
'At such distance, even with braking, the bus couldn't stop in time. The traffic camera on the nearby signal…' His thoughts started to calculate.
But before he could act, a tall figure darted into his field of vision.
"Wait…"
"Senior!" Diane shouted in disbelief.
Indeed, in such a short span, there was no time to weigh risks or consequences.
As the bus, its momentum reduced but still lethal, hurtled toward them, Olivia sprinted into the road. She swept up the small child in her arms and turned her slender back toward the oncoming danger, shielding the boy with her own body.
The collision was inevitable——
Or at least, it should have been.
But then, someone stepped beyond the constraints of fate.
With a speed swifter than a breeze rustling leaves, with a force more overwhelming than sunlight melting snow, Logan moved. He shattered the oppressive atmosphere, cutting through the roar of the bus as he positioned himself between the vehicle and the impending tragedy.