"Ah, the knight in shining armor is back," she smiled delightedly at the familiar face.

"What, you wouldn't be a knight if you didn't protect me or if you didn't take me out for some fresh air?" His answer elicited an amused chuckle from her. The man seemed as if he did such heroic deeds every day, as if he didn't mind casually rescuing ‘princesses’ from trouble.

Men with too much ego, hurt for the most insignificant reasons, tended to become violent. Ayako knew this, but she didn't always realize in time when she was in potential danger.

It was the drink she had politely but firmly refused that had caused the man she had met in that club to grab her by the arm in the crowd and, when she refused to go along with him, to raise his hand against her.

Presumably she could have fought him off herself, but the blow that had been dedicated to her hit nothing, for another man had come between them and caught the other's wrist in mid-air.

“Larkin~?” she warbled, not withdrawing her hand as she realized who the hand belonged to that had reached for the bag of chips she'd also tried to take.

Neither of them would have thought that their first date together would end with a criminal fleeing who was planning to mug them in a dark alley.

Her most vocal argument had been her legs, with which she had ripped the obvious gangster's own off the ground. Although the reality was that criminals often kept their hands off women who were out with men, this was obviously not the case in their situation, but as the guy fled, who had even threatened them with a knife, she called after him: "Next time, find someone in your category!"

After the adrenaline had subsided a little, she turned back to Larkin, a victorious smile on her lips.