I turn this Otome game into Fighting game by mistake...

"Your house is so far away?"

"I don't even know how to answer that, but yeah, it's that far."

This place is about 5 kilometers from the academy and my rented room. Walking here feels like a trek through hell.

Looking at him, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd own a horse or anything fancy like that.

"Here! This is my house!"

'It's a small house.'

A regular civilian home, though what sets it apart is the mouthwatering smell of bread wafting from it.

I quite like it, actually.

"Promise me you'll act like my friend, okay? Please!"

"I'm not great at keeping promises."

"That's fine! As long as Mom doesn't hit me, I'll take it!"

With that, he happily opened the wooden door.

"Mom, I'm ho—"

A punch came flying at his face, sending him hurtling outside and crashing into a neighboring house.

"..."

I stared at the muscular arm retracting into the shadows. Then the roof cracked open.

...She was 4 meters tall, with bulging muscles, and her face was obscured by darkness.

Her head turned toward me, her eyes glowing red like a predator's.

"That little brat invited you over to act as his bodyguard, huh?"

Wow, she figured it out. Coming here was a waste of time.

"...Yes."

"That kid... doesn't he know how many times he's pulled this trick already?"

'So I'm not the first?' I glanced over at him, sprawled flat on the ground.

She stepped out of the house, walked over, picked him up, and flung him back inside. Then she turned to me.

"Sorry for the trouble. Please, come in."

"Ah, um, sure."

Watching her place the roof back like it was nothing and enter the house, I wondered how someone so huge could fit inside.

I stepped in, greeted by warmth and the aroma of bread filling the air.

In front of me was a woman scolding the boy lying flat on the floor.

...Huh? Where did the huge muscular lady go?

"Oh! I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess. You must've come from far away. My deepest apologies!" She turned to me, apologizing profusely.

She had orange hair, looked youthful but with a mature air about her.

In short, she beautiful.

"Are you... the muscular lady from earlier?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Oi, don't act like that's normal. There's nothing normal about that

"M-Mom, I can explain—AGHHHHHHH!"

She grabbed him by the head, making him scream in pain.

"YOU HAVE NO SHAME AT ALL! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NEIGHBORS THINK OF OUR FAMILY BECAUSE OF YOU? YOU IDIOT SON OF MINE!" She lifted him up and started punching his face repeatedly.

"ORAA!" Her final punch sent him flying into the kitchen.

"DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!"

...I shouldn't stay here. I need to leave.

I grabbed the door and tried to open it quietly, but the mother turned to me with a friendly smile.

"What's the matter, dear? Leaving already?"

"Ah, um, I have something urgent, so I'll head out now. Sorry."

I tried turning the knob with all my strength.

'Huh? Why is the door stuck?!'

I shook it, even punched it, but it wouldn't budge.

'W-When did it get locked?!'

"Come, sit down." She poured tea at the wooden table, leaving me no choice but to comply.

She then grabbed her son by the collar and placed him beside her.

"Has my son introduced himself yet?"

"No, he hasn't—"

"YUOAACHHHH!!"

A swelling from a slap appeared on his face so fast I couldn't even register the movement.

"Introduce yourself, son."

"Uga... uhoo... Sio..."

"Speak clearly, son."

"S...Sio."

"His name is Sio. Sorry for any trouble he's caused."

"Oh, it's no problem."

I looked at Sio with pity-filled eyes.

"So, can you tell me what kind of relationship you two have? Please be honest."

"He clung to my leg, begging me to act as a shield so you wouldn't hit him."

"M-Mom, I can explain—UYOAACHHHH!!"

The other side of his face swelled up, and tears streamed down as he sobbed in pain.

"So... you both took the academy entrance exams, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"How did he do?"

"I'm not sure about the magic portion, but during the written test, he copied my answers."

"DON'T SAY THAT—UGAHHAJJDKSKXK!!"

"He got caught by the proctor and was punished by being turned into a goat."

"UHOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"And as a goat, he ate his test paper, so now it probably won't even be graded because it's soaked in drool."

"IAOCHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The mother used some sort of force field to grab Sio like Darth Vader and said in a terrifying tone:

"I spent every penny we had to get you into that academy, and you dare to throw it all away?"

"M-Mom, please forgive m-me."

"Ma'am, that written test was extremely difficult. It's normal to struggle," I intervened, feeling bad for Sio.

Hearing that, she dropped him, and Sio gasped for air.

"You're lucky to have someone who cares about you," she said, then smiled warmly at me.

"Sorry for showing you this. What's your name?"

"It's Willhart."

"I hope you'll look after him at the academy if he gets in."

"Ah, yes, of course."

She sighed and sank into a chair, looking weary.

"It's just me and Sio here. His father passed away early, so I've had to carry this family's burdens on my own."

Wait, why is she telling me her life story? I didn't ask for this.

Meanwhile, Sio struggled to stand, his face swollen and bruised beyond recognition. Poor guy.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ah, excuse me! Who is it?" She got up and easily opened the door (so it wasn't locked after all... she really is strong).

But as the door opened, three burly, scar-faced men in sunglasses loomed over her.

"Who are you...?" she asked, now visibly worried.

"I'm here on behalf of the Libretty gang to collect your debt!" The man in the middle walked in, taking off his sunglasses.

Her and Sio's faces turned pale. Sio looked furious, and it seemed like they knew this Libretty gang.

"I thought... I'd paid everything off already?" she stammered.

The leader strutted in, twirling his sunglasses.

"Your friend died yesterday. His share? You have to pay it now!"

Hearing that, even I was stunned by this.

What the heck? I've never heard of anyone paying off debts for someone who wasn't even family.

Sio, boiling with anger, tried to step forward, but his mother stopped him. Still, his mouth was quicker than his actions.

"Who in their right mind pays a dead man's debt?! He wasn't even related to us—he was just a friend!"

"You should remember that you owed us once, which means you're still on our list, even if you've paid off your debt. Now pay up! Or I'll toss shit into your water supply!"

He pointed aggressively at the mother.

"Wait, how are you planning to jump into my water supply?" she replied calmly.

Everyone fell silent, staring at her.

"You little bitch! Eating too much bread's made you cocky, huh?!" one of the thugs cursed.

"Your asshole! Hasn't my family suffered enough already? Why do you keep finding ways to make our lives miserable?!" Sio stormed forward, pointing directly at the leader.

"Not yet... If you keep resisting, I'll take her to the Libretty gang and have her undergo a little 'test' of endurance, ehehe." The thug sneered.

Hearing that, Sio began to sweat profusely. Even though his mother constantly beat him, he never held any resentment toward her because she was the one who raised him and gave him the life he had today.

Clenching his teeth, Sio was forced to swallow his pride and plead.

"Please... anything but not that... We'll pay."

Both Sio and his mother suppressed their anger and accepted the humiliation.

But life isn't that easy.

"The muscles in your face are betraying you. You're speaking at a frequency of 39Hz—that's a clear sign of deception!" The thug smirked. (Apparently, 39Hz is when the human ear can pick up on subtle lies or internal conflict; I'm not entirely sure.)

"So, I don't believe you'll actually pay up after all your resistance. Which means... your mother, we'll take her instead!" He walked toward Sio and slapped him hard across the face.

Sio collapsed into his mother's arms as she stared in shock at the gang.

The thugs closed in, ready to grab her, when suddenly a hand gripped the gang leader's arm.

"Huh?" He turned to see a young man with brown hair glaring at him.

"Life is like a tango," the young man said, confusing all three of them.

"What the hell are you talking about? Let go, or I'll beat you up!"

"If I step back, you can only step forward," the young man continued calmly.

The leader, losing his patience, pulled out a knife.

"I SAID LET GO!"

"And if you step forward twice, then..."

Willhart's hair stood on end as flames ignited on his forehead.

"YOUR MOTHERF*CKER! TASTE MY PUNCH!" Willhart shouted, landing a straight punch to the thug's face, sending him flying.

The other two thugs froze, staring in shock at the young man standing before them.

"You—you dare hit someone from the Libretty gang?! Do you have a death wish?!" One of them shouted, drawing his weapon.

Sio and his mother stared at the young man in awe as the flames on his forehead burned even brighter.

"It seems I've been too lenient with you all, I will clean this up when I come home." Willhart said, his orange eyes glowing with intensity.

The air around him grew heavy as he prepared to end the fight in an instant.