Einosuke shifted into a kneeling position and bowed towards Kusa. “I’m sorry.”

Kusa’s eyes widened a little and her mouth formed a tiny “o” of surprise before falling open. “Wh-what?” she stammered. A tiny bit of color came into her cheeks.

Einosuke straightened, remaining on his knees, but bringing his body back to a normal sitting position. Palms flat on his thighs, he looked very formal and very contrite.

“I just thought… well, I don’t know what I thought, if I’m honest. I just wanted to help. You were in trouble and you asked for help and then I thought I should keep on helping, but you’re right – you don’t owe me anything and I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as you’re going to be!”

Kusa’s eyes flew up, rising from Einosuke’s face to the source of the new voice. Pushing through the crowd of afternoon shoppers, headed towards them, was the Boss. His normally cool, polished exterior was gone and naked rage showed on his face as he rolled up the left sleeve of his blazer, revealing a manaccelerator that already emitted a faint blue light. Not far behind him was Slick, likewise readying himself for combat. There was nothing subtle about their approach this time and the crowd instantly picked up on the energy that practically sizzled in the air around them. A space opened around the two men, forming a passage that led directly to their quarry. Others circled behind Kusa and Einosuke, cutting off their avenue of escape.

Some of the bystanders looked worried, or even scared, and moved to put distance between themselves and the area, but others were excited at the prospect of action, of something unusual developing right before their eyes. More than a few cellphones appeared in people’s hands. Photos and videos may well have already started making their way onto Twixter and FaceSpace and if they hadn’t already, they would soon.

“Shit,” Kusa swore.

Einosuke twisted around to look behind him then leapt to his feet. Something in his left leg protested at the sudden movement. The rest he took hadn’t been long, but it would have to do.

Boss stopped maybe four meters from the two. Kusa backed up to the edge of the crowd that now encircled them.

“It’s been a merry little chase, Kusa, but I’m done playing games with you.”

The girl threw a glance at Einosuke. She clenched her fist and swore beneath her breath.

Einosuke was lost. He didn’t know this girl, he didn’t know these men, he didn’t want to be involved, really, but still he wanted to help. The contradiction never even entered his mind. Some part of him told him he had to be here. He meant what he said to Kusa a few moments ago, about being sorry he tried to force his help on her. Despite that, there was a part of him that wasn’t sorry at all – that was maybe even glad this happened. He was scared and confused, but deep down, he relished the idea of what he knew in his bones was coming next. He trained long and hard and still failed at every turn in the Mage-Agent trials. Maybe this was what he needed: practical experience. If he could help someone at the same time, why not?

Einosuke stepped towards the center of the “ring” that formed around the four of them, putting himself between Kusa and the men who pursued them. “Okay, guys, I don’t know what’s going on here—“ He kept moving until he was directly in front of the sleek-looking man who called out to them. “But hasn’t it gone far enou— oof!”

Without warning, Slick moved from behind his boss and rammed a rock-hard fist into Einosuke’s belly, doubling him over. “You shut up, you little punk-ass.”

Einosuke stumbled back a step or two and then fell to all fours, gasping and heaving. He tried to rise, but his breath was stuck somewhere in his throat. He felt like he was going to puke.

“No, he’s right.”

Before Einosuke could make a second attempt at standing, a sinewy arm wrapped itself around his neck and dragged him to his feet. Boss held Einosuke firmly in place, the boy’s throat in the crook of his right arm, and pressed the blue-glowing fist of his left, thirdtech-clad arm against Einosuke’s temple. A whiff of body odor reached Einosuke’s nose, mingled with a scent like old leather and mint. He struggled, but it was no use – the man’s grip was iron, stronger than seemed humanly possible.

“Holy crap!” someone in the crowd cried.

“Is this real?” a deep, masculine wanted to know.

“Maybe they’re filming a movie…” a young woman, just visible from out of the corner of Einosuke’s eye said to no one in specific.

From half a dozen steps away, Kusa watched, her expression angry and growing fierce, but inside, she was undecided. Battle-lust seeped into her veins. It was the same feeling she’d experienced dozens of times before: the desire to dominate and prove her strength.

This wasn’t that simple, though. This wasn’t an exhibition fight or tournament match. There were no rules of engagement on the streets. Even that wouldn’t have stopped her, but it wasn’t just her own life at risk – it wasn’t even just hers and Einosuke’s. There were what seemed like a hundred people gathered around them and more faces appeared every moment. The excitement would draw official attention before long, too.

Kusa grit her teeth as the conversation she had with herself earlier in the station-yard—about who owed who what, and whether she wanted to help the boy—repeated itself at lightning speed. She began to wonder if maybe her conscience could handle this one after all…

From right behind Einosuke’s ear, he heard: “This has gone on long enough, so be smart and come along quietly, Kusa. We’ll gladly take what you owe outta this kid’s hide if we have to.”

“Someone call the cops!” a woman’s voice said somewhere off to Einosuke’s right. In his peripheral vision, he saw Slick turn in that direction and take a step forward. He didn’t see what happened next, but he suspected no cops were being called. At least not yet.

“Well, Kusa?” Boss shifted his position slightly. “Are you going to use your head—“

The knuckles of his left fist pressed tighter against Einosuke’s skull, hard enough to dig into the flesh and send tendrils of pain crawling down his jaw and through his head. At the same time, the blue glow of whatever spell he was charging up intensified, the light making motes of dancing green jump around the edges of Einosuke’s vision.

“Or is your boyfriend going to lose his?”

Kusa squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, then turned on her heel and ran, pushing a young couple out of her way, parting them like Moses did the Red Sea.

“Huh?” Einosuke blinked a couple of times, not sure he really saw what his eyes told him he did. Kusa’s reddish-brown ponytail bobbed once, twice and then disappeared among the press of bodies.

“Damn,” Boss said. There was a feeling of movement at the back of Einosuke’s head and he realized the man was shaking his own head slowly. “That’s one cold-hearted little bitch. Sorry, kid. I don’t know what that girl is to you, but I guess you ain’t shit to her.”