If It’s To Protect The Woman I Love.

The three of us—me, Toko-san, and Ishida—rushed up the stairs and headed for the furthest room at the end of the second-floor corridor.

We stopped dead in front of the door.

Before we could even lean in to listen, an enraged shouting voice cut straight through the door.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with a measly 100,000 yen?! This isn’t anywhere near enough!”

“I don’t have any more money either! On top of this, finding 800,000 yen for your stage show is just completely impossible…”

“There’s no way that’s true! Your family is loaded, isn’t it?! There’s no way in hell you can’t scrap together a paltry 800,000 yen!”

“My family has absolutely nothing to do with this!”

“I thought you were supporting me?! Were you lying through your teeth when you said you’d do whatever it takes for my sake?!”

A heavy silence followed.

“Kazumi, please. You’re seriously the only one I can turn to right now.”

The man’s voice suddenly turned remarkably sweet and gentle.

“This time is a genuine, once-in-a-lifetime big break. The producer even told me, ‘If you make this event a success, I’ll put you on my broadcast show.’ If I can catch the public’s eye there, climbing the ladder to stardom won’t just be a dream anymore. Please, don’t crush this chance for me.”

“…”

“If everything goes well, a year from now—no, maybe even six months—I’ll be a massive star. When that happens, I won’t just pay back all the money I’ve borrowed. I’ll let you live in as much luxury as you want, Kazumi. I swear, that’s what I truly want to do for your sake. I want to make you happy. We just have to grind through this painful stretch right now.”

“…You said the exact same thing last time.”

“This time is completely different from before. The producer gave me his word. He said he has absolutely no intention of letting my talent go to waste. You believe in my talent, don’t you?”

“……Renya……”

After a long pause, Kazumi-san’s voice drifted out.

“The first time I met you, Renya, was when I was a second-year in high school. Back then, you looked so incredibly radiant to me. You were funny, and above all, you were charging forward blindly, betting your entire life on your dream. That version of you was wonderful, and I genuinely believed this person would make it big in the future.”

“And you weren’t wrong about that. Just trust me.”

“But I’m twenty-one years old now. I understand that the world isn’t that sweet or forgiving. If anything, I’ve seen plenty of people out there actually working hard in society. Their lifestyles might seem ordinary, but they are all pushing themselves to the absolute limit at their respective jobs day in and day out, despite all the hardships.”

“…”

“To me, the current you just looks like a coward fleeing from the harsh reality of work, locking yourself up inside your own little dream.”

“Who the hell are you comparing me to?! Kazumi!”

Along with that enraged roar, the violent sound of something crashing echoed from inside the room.

This is bad, Kazumi-san might be getting beaten!

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I reached out for the doorknob.

But someone slammed the door open a split second faster than me.

It was Ishida.

The moment the door swung open, Ishida charged headfirst into the room.

Toko-san and I sprinted in right after him.

Inside, a man was violently grappling with Kazumi-san.

“Get the hell off Kazumi-san!”

Ishida roared, forcefully wedging his massive frame between Kazumi-san and the man.

With a powerful shove, he ripped the guy away from her.

“Who the fuck are you?!” the man barked.

“I’m Kazumi-san’s junior!”

As Ishida roared back, Kazumi-san stared at him, her eyes wide with utter shock.

“Ishida-kun?”

As she muttered his name, I noticed the left side of her cheek was already red and badly swollen.

The man shifted his piercing glare to Toko-san and me as we moved into the room behind Ishida.

“College juniors? What gives you the right to just barge into someone else’s home whenever you damn well please?!”

“This isn’t your apartment! It’s Kazumi’s room!” Toko-san snapped back fiercely.

The man’s face twisted with malice.

Ishida looked back and forth between the man and Kazumi-san, his voice dropping into a low, menacing growl.

“Who the hell are you to Kazumi-san anyway?”

The man glared back defiantly.

“I’m Kazumi’s boyfriend. Got a problem with that?”

“I see. Her boyfriend, huh…” Ishida muttered, his tone falling even lower. “If you’re her boyfriend, shouldn’t you be the one protecting your woman? Instead, you turn around and hit her…”

The man’s face contorted further.

True to his self-proclaimed title of an “up-and-coming comedian-slash-model-slash-musician multi-talent,” he was tall and possessed well-defined facial features.

However, he exuded an unhealthy, thoroughly unpleasant aura.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered, thinking, Kazumi-san actually fell for a guy like this?

“This has got absolutely nothing to do with you! This is between me and Kazumi! Outsiders need to keep their damn mouths shut!”

His sheer arrogance set my blood boiling.

“We are Kazumi-san’s friends and juniors! If she’s in trouble, it’s only natural for us to help her! We are not outsiders!”

“Shut the fuck up! Don’t go sticking your noses into a lovers’ quarrel!”

As I moved to argue back further, Ishida raised a hand to cut me off, keeping his focus locked dead ahead.

“If you’re her boyfriend, why don’t you start acting like one? Stop pulling such pathetic, low-life stunts like mooching off your woman for cash.”

The man’s complexion warped instantly.

But Ishida kept pressing him relentlessly, his words cutting like a knife.

“If you actually had a single shred of real talent, you’d be able to scrap together that kind of money on your own. The very second you decide to rely on her wallet, it proves you don’t have any talent—and you know it yourself.”

“Shut up!”

Pushed beyond his limit, the enraged man swung a wild fist.

The punch connected squarely with the side of Ishida’s face.

“!”

The instant I moved to lung forward, Ishida thrust his left hand out, blocking me.

He kept his footing, his voice remaining eerily steady.

“Laying your hands on her just because things don’t go your way? Turning to violence against your own girlfriend… you don’t have the right to call yourself anyone’s boyfriend.”

“Shut up! I told you to shut the hell up!”

The man threw a barrage of frantic punches.

Ishida didn’t even bother trying to dodge, absorbing the impacts head-on.

“What the hell does a privileged brat like you, who goes to college on his parents’ dime, know about anything?! The world isn’t that damn easy! You can’t survive on pure talent alone! You need cash to climb your way to the top!”

The sickening sound of fists striking flesh echoed through the room.

Yet, Ishida didn’t give up a single inch of ground.

I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.

“You piece of trash, that’s enough!”

As I lunged forward to restrain the man, Ishida blocked me once more.

“Yuu, this is my fight. Keep Toko-senpai safe and stay back.”

I stared at Ishida in utter disbelief.

It was true that Ishida had been in the rugby club back in high school and possessed an incredibly solid, heavily built frame.

But could anyone really take that many clean hits to the face and be completely fine?

The man glared at Ishida with eyes burning with venomous rage.

“Why the hell are you going this far for her?! Are you in love with Kazumi?!”

“Yeah,” Ishida answered without a shred of hesitation. “I am completely in love with Kazumi-san. That’s exactly why I refuse to stand by and watch a piece of human garbage like you make her life miserable. Don’t you ever come near Kazumi-san again.”

“So you’re just a dog trying to steal my woman, that’s all this is! Don’t go acting all high and mighty with me!”

Right then, Kazumi-san screamed.

“No! Ishida-kun isn’t trying to do anything of the sort!”

The man snapped his glaring eyes over to Kazumi-san.

“It’s true that he confessed his love to me once. But the exact moment he realized I already had a lover, he hasn’t said a single improper thing to me since, nor has he tried anything! He doesn’t harbor a single wicked intention!”

“Are you turning your back on me too?!”

“I see you clearly now, Renya. You are a man who is utterly incapable of being loved by anyone. You spout big dreams but never put in an ounce of the actual effort required to achieve them. A person like that is entirely worthless… I knew that all along, yet I was so incredibly foolish.”

“Don’t screw with me! You think you can just change your mind out of nowhere?!”

The man suddenly lunged toward Kazumi-san.

But Ishida instantly moved, shielding Kazumi-san behind his back.

“I won’t let you lay another finger on Kazumi-san. If you want to hit someone, hit me. I’ll let you swing until you’re satisfied. But in exchange, you vanish from Kazumi-san’s life forever.”

Completely overwhelmed by the sheer, suffocating intensity of Ishida’s resolve, the man froze, his trembling fists clenched tightly as he glared at Ishida and Kazumi-san.

After his gaze darted over to Toko-san and me, he spat on the floor in disgust.

“Annoying… you guys are fucking pathetic. I don’t have time to waste on garbage like you.”

With that, the man reached down and grabbed his belongings—a guitar case and a massive suitcase.

He strode heavily toward the front door.

“If you’re happy taking my sloppy seconds, go right ahead. I’ve got plenty of other women lined up anyway.”

Leaving those parting insults behind, he slammed the door shut and left the apartment.

“What a repulsive human being…” I muttered involuntarily.

Right after the words left my mouth, Ishida’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor.

I rushed over to his side in a panic.

“Are you alright, Ishida?! You took a lot of clean hits to the face.”

“You know how tough my body is. This is nothing, I swear,” Ishida managed to say, though his face was already covered in nasty bruises.

The areas with internal bleeding were beginning to swell up rapidly.

“Stop trying to act tough… man, you’re swelling up bad. We need to ice it right away…”

As I turned my head toward the kitchen area, Kazumi-san was already rushing back, holding a thoroughly soaked cold towel.

“Isshiki-kun, step aside. Let me take care of Ishida-kun’s injuries.”

Hearing the quiet intensity in her voice, I yielded my spot and stood up.

Kazumi-san wrapped her arms around Ishida to support his upper body and gently pressed the wet towel against his swollen face.

“Thank you, Kazumi-san,” Ishida mumbled a quiet thanks.

Kazumi-san slowly shook her head from side to side.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be thanking me here. I’m the one who owes you everything. Thanks to you, Ishida-kun, I’ve finally snapped out of it…”

“What’s with the attitude? You’re being awfully honest today, Kazumi-san.”

Ishida tried to break into a playful smile, but the sudden movement winced his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain.

“Don’t tease me. Even I can be honest when a man completely puts his body on the line for my sake… no, when someone stays right by my side and truly connects with my heart.”

Watching the two of them huddled close together, Kazumi-san and Ishida looked exactly like a couple that had been together for a lifetime.

Seeing them like that made me think, Yeah, this is how it’s supposed to be.

Suddenly, a light tug pulled at my left hand.

I turned around to find Toko-san standing behind me.

Without saying a word, she gave a gentle shake of her head and gestured toward the front door, indicating we should step outside.

You’re right. It’s best to leave the two of them alone right now.

Nodding in agreement, I quietly followed Toko-san out of the apartment room.

The following Monday.

The second-period class had been abruptly canceled due to a sudden faculty conflict, so I found myself walking toward the campus cafeteria.

Looks like Ishida hasn’t shown up today either…

Ever since we parted ways at Kazumi-san’s apartment on Saturday evening, I had fired off multiple messages to him that night and throughout Sunday, but Ishida hadn’t sent a single reply back.

Don’t tell me his injuries were actually way worse than he let on? Like, what if the bruising got infected and he ended up hospitalized?

A heavy layer of anxiety settled over me.

If he still hasn’t replied by the time classes end for the day, I’ll try reaching out to Kazumi-san directly.

Lost in my worried thoughts, I stepped into the cafeteria. As my eyes scanned the room, I spotted a guy slumped over a table by the window, looking completely drained of life.

It was Ishida!

“Ishida!”

I called out his name and rushed over to the table, but Ishida didn’t offer a single reaction.

He was just staring blankly into space, looking completely spaced out.

“Ishida?”

When I called out a second time, Ishida slowly turned his head toward me, his eyes entirely hollow and vacant, like a zombie.

While the swelling on his face had gone down considerably, faint purple bruises still lingered across his cheeks.

“Oh… Yuu…”

“Dude, what the hell happened to you?” I asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down right next to him.

“What happened…?”

“I sent you a bunch of messages from Saturday night through Sunday, you know? But you completely ghosted me and didn’t reply to a single one.”

“Ah… sorry about that.”

“And look at you right now, you’re just staring into space… you are completely not normal.”

It was true; his current state was profoundly abnormal.

It looked as though his entire soul and consciousness had been sucked right out of his body.

Wait… what if he suffered some kind of hidden brain injury from getting punched so many times… No way, right…?

As anxiety flared inside me, Ishida slowly tilted his head back, staring up into the empty air.

“Not normal…? Yeah… you might be right about that…”

I stayed completely silent, staring intently at Ishida’s vacant expression.

“I am no longer… the same man I was before…”

Those ominous words sent a sharp spike of dread straight through my chest.

“Ishida…”

“…It turns out, the rumors were true. The sky really does look yellow when it happens.”

What the hell is this guy talking about?

I reached out and grabbed him firmly by the shoulder.

“Hey, snap out of it! If you’re feeling sick or dizzy, we need to get you to a doctor right this second—”

“…I have finally graduated from being a virgin.”

“Huh?”

The sheer, staggering mismatch between the dramatic atmosphere and his words caused my brain to completely short-circuit for a second.

A thoroughly loose, dazed smirk spread across Ishida’s face.

“Man… on Saturday night alone, we went four times. And then Sunday was literally all day long… four times during the day, and three times at night.”

“…Wait, you guys…”

“I barely got any sleep over the last two days. By the end of it, it felt like absolutely nothing was coming out anymore…”

As I sat there, utterly dumbfounded by the revelation, another person suddenly appeared at our table—the primary architect behind Ishida’s current state.

“Oh, if it isn’t Isshiki-kun. Sorry for causing so much trouble on Saturday.”

Kazumi-san gave a wry chuckle as she set down two trays piled dangerously high with heavy dishes onto the table.

“Kazumi-san?”

“It’s pretty rare to see you in the cafeteria at this hour, Isshiki-kun. Was your second period canceled?”

She spoke with complete, unbothered nonchalance, acting exactly as if the dramatic events of Saturday had never happened.

“Here you go, Ishida-kun. I grabbed your portion for you too.”

With that, she slid one of the trays directly in front of Ishida. Staring down at the plates, I noticed the menu consisted of…

Stir-fried liver and chives, pork sautéed with heavy garlic, grated yam soup, sautéed oysters, and an okra salad.

Every single dish was packed to the brim with ingredients famous for boosting stamina and male libido.

“Make sure you eat every last bite. If you’re going to date me, you need to be able to satisfy me at least three times a night.”

Kazumi-san offered the encouragement with a smooth smirk.

Ishida just sat there, exposing a completely melted, idiotic grin as he nodded along like a doting fool.

…And just like that, the mystery behind Ishida’s zombie transformation was completely solved.

I can’t believe I wasted my energy worrying about this idiot.

Utterly exasperated, I stood up from my chair.

There was absolutely no reason for me to intrude on this happy couple any longer.

“Ishida, make sure you actually show up for the afternoon lectures properly.”

Leaving those parting words behind, I turned to walk away from their table.

“I know, Yuu,” his response floated back, sounding thoroughly loose and lacking any proper tension.

After walking a short distance away, I couldn’t help but look back at them one last time.

Kazumi-san was currently leaning over, holding up a pair of chopsticks to feed Ishida a bite.

I had no idea Kazumi-san possessed that kind of sweet, doting side to her.

While feeling thoroughly amazed, I averted my eyes from the newly minted idiot couple who were currently radiating an incredibly intense, lovey-dovey aura.

Honestly, it felt exactly like I had been leading the entire race on a thoroughbred horse, only for a horse trailing at the very back to suddenly execute a blinding sprint from the final corner and steal the victory right at the finish line.

But seriously, when are Toko-san and I ever going to reach that level in our relationship?

Toko-san had told me before, ‘I have never engaged in that kind of intimacy with Kamakura, or with anyone else for that matter. I won’t do it until I get married.’

It had already been six months since Toko-san and I officially started dating.

And just like that, Ishida had completely leaped past me.

Well, as long as the two of them ended up genuinely happy, I guess that’s all that matters.

Muttering that thought silently in my heart, I walked out of the campus cafeteria.

As I looked up at the sky, it didn’t look yellow to me at all; it was a crisp, crystal-clear blue.

Come to think of it, how did Toko-san even end up dating Kamakura in the first place?

Out of nowhere, that lingering question drifted quietly into my mind.

This marks the conclusion of Volume 3.