"Yeah, wait a second. I need to put my shoes on first," Ami replied as she hurried to grab them.
As soon as they reached their destination, she got off the scooter and respectfully took Regi's hand. "You didn't have to pick me up, Bro. I'll catch a ride home with Siska later."
"Yeah... but remember, come straight home! Don't go wandering around!" Regi ordered sternly.
"Yeah... Geez... When have I ever gone wandering around without a reason? All right, Bro, I'm going in." "Mm..." Regi watched his younger sister half-run through the school gate. The smiles of his sister and his mother were his motivation to keep working hard and earning a living.
After dropping Ami off, Regi headed to the place where he worked as a parking attendant. He had official permission and identification from the authorized institution.
On the way, Regi's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a woman running behind the trees along the edge of the city road, which was still crowded with passing vehicles because it was morning rush hour and everyone was busy with their own activities.
"Isn't that Mely?" Regi muttered curiously. He slowed down, pulled over slightly, and saw four thuggish-looking men chasing the woman who had been disrupting his sleep for the past week. *Why is that damn gang of thugs chasing her again?* Regi wondered, simmering with anger. Mely hadn't told him anything that night about the complicated problem she was facing. Regi had always been the kind of man who hated getting involved in other people's business, especially when they were strangers. Yet, for some reason, whenever it involved Mely, he wanted to know everything, and his curiosity wouldn't leave him alone. A powerful urge to protect her suddenly surged through his mind.
Without realizing it, Regi twisted the scooter's throttle harder. He couldn't just stand by and watch the woman who had invaded his thoughts remain in danger.
Up ahead, Mely was running breathlessly, nearly out of air, while the thugs drew closer and closer. Just as one of them was about to reach out and grab Mely by the shoulder, a scooter shot down the road and cut directly across their path.
"Vroom..."
"Screeech..."
Regi stopped right in front of Mely, the scooter's tires spinning in place as he became a human shield between her and the thugs, who were forced to take several steps back. Without hesitation, Regi grabbed Mely's wrist and pulled her toward the back seat. "Get on, quick!" Regi ordered in a firm voice, completely at odds with his usually laid-back nature.
"Bro Regi," Mely said, startled but relieved. She immediately did as he said without putting up much of a fight—a miracle for someone who usually always had something to argue about.
"Hey! Don't interfere! That girl is our business!" the lead thug shouted threateningly as he quickened his approach.
Regi didn't flinch. His gaze sharpened as he clenched his jaw until his teeth rattled. Without wasting any time, once Mely was seated behind him, Regi twisted the throttle. The scooter sped away in a thin cloud of dust, carrying Mely farther from the danger that continued to stalk her.
"Son of a—get them!" one of the men shouted furiously.
"Our car's over there, idiot! Ahh... My eyes feel like they're going blind, damn it... That girl is pretty clever. We can't underestimate her next time," the short man yelled, cursing as he covered his stinging eyes after Mely sprayed them with pepper spray.
"Yeah... I think we need a hospital. My whole body hurts, damn it. Turns out she was carrying a stun gun too."
"But... who was that guy? Is he her boyfriend?"
"That snake woman said the girl didn't have a boyfriend!"
"Come on... We need to talk this over with that woman, but don't let the boss find out, bro. We're screwed."
"Yeah... You're right. Let's get out of here."
The morning wind blew hard. Mely, sitting on the back, had no choice but to hold tightly around Regi's waist so she wouldn't be thrown off. The sudden silence was completely opposite to Mely's usual nature.
A few minutes later, the scooter stopped in front of a somewhat crowded convenience store. The man put the kickstand down, then glanced back with a flat expression.
Meanwhile, Mely fixed her windblown hair and flashed a wide, guilt-free smile. "Whew, good thing they didn't chase us, Mr. No-Expression Regi... We meet again, hehe... Thanks for saving me for the second time. If you hadn't shown up, I might've become an investigative reporter in the afterlife. Oh, right, I don't think I told you my name last time. My gosh, what did I talk about that night anyway... Haha, all right, my name is Mely. Just call me Mel-Mel. That's your special nickname for me, okay, Bro Regi? Uh... do you have a girlfriend yet? If not, then as it happens, I..."
Regi let out a long sigh, reached into his jacket pocket, and tossed her a small bottle of water that he had bought while he was still at Ami's school. Then he glanced at his knockoff G-Shock watch.
The bottle landed squarely in Mely's lap, and Regi said briefly before getting back on his scooter, "Drink! So you don't use up all the oxygen in your lungs just babbling." "Vroom..."
The scooter immediately took off, leaving Mely alone in front of the convenience store, staring blankly while holding the bottle of water and blinking adorably. "Ugh... A handsome guy this gruff? He's even gruffer than a Black Rain Frog. Ribbit-ribbit... croak-croak... Wait, is that how it sounds? Or is it more like squeak-squeak... Haha," Mely murmured, imitating the animal sounds she meant as she giggled, finally breaking into a wide grin. "But he's pretty cool too... I wonder if he'd want to be my boyfriend."
Not long after, suddenly...