The men's gaze was filled with contempt and mockery, and as Subaru received it, he was also appraising them.
They looked to be in their mid-twenties. Their dirty appearance and the meanness inside them were clearly reflected on their faces. They didn’t seem to be demi-humans, but they couldn’t be good people either.

“Uh-oh, a forced event has triggered,”

Subaru wiped his face and hastily stood up in response to the men who were smirking. Clearly, they were robbers—moreover, given the world's setting, there was a possibility they could steal more than just belongings but lives as well.
Mission 1: ‘Repel the Robbers’ has started. The clear condition is the annihilation of the enemies. The defeat condition is Subaru's death.

Subaru felt a chill run down his spine, but he slapped his own cheek to ignore it.
Being resolute is the best course of action for now; dithering could lead to death. He has confidence in his decisiveness.

“Besides, isn’t this an isekai summoning? If this is one of those overpowering scenarios, I might unexpectedly be really strong in this world. Maybe the gravity is one-tenth of what it was in my original world... Thinking that makes my body feel lighter! I might actually stand a chance!”

“That guy’s muttering something,”

“He probably doesn’t understand the situation. Maybe we should teach him."

While Subaru’s spirits were rising, the men’s reactions were rather cold.
But Subaru, undeterred by their attitude, puffed out his chest and said,

“Well, the time for you to act cocky is now. Just so you know, guys like me often fantasize about scenarios where they get involved with thugs in an alleyway like this. I’ll take you all down and use it for my growth tomorrow, you experience points!”

“I don’t really get what you’re saying, but I understand you’re mocking us. I’ll kill you.”

“That’s... my line!”

Having said that, before the men could move, Subaru launched a preemptive strike.
He jumped into their midst and delivered a full-force right straight. He hit the leading man square on the nose, and blood gushed from Subaru’s knuckle because of the man’s front teeth.

—I’ve hit someone for the first time! And it hurts more than I thought!

Despite his thorough simulations, this was his first practical attempt.
The man who was struck fell to the ground and didn’t move. Fueled by his emotions, Subaru then leapt at another man who was stunned.

"Take this! A high kick made possible by post-bath stretching!"

"Ugh!"

The arc of the foot struck the side of the man's head, slammed him into the wall, and knocked the second guy out cold. In the midst of this unexpectedly favorable battle, Subaru's sense of "I am invincible" began to solidify into conviction.

"So I really am supposed to be strong in this world, huh! With adrenaline pumping like this, I can win---"

Revving up, Subaru turned to take down the last man.
However, the moment he saw the knife gleaming in the last man's hand, his crouched body sank.

"I'm sorry, it was completely my fault! Please forgive me, just don't kill me---!"

Prostration. It is the ultimate and lowest gesture of surrender in the spirit of Japanese culture. The excitement Subaru had felt until just moments ago vanished completely, and as he felt the blood drain from his entire body, he desperately ground his forehead against the ground, pleading for mercy.

Because dealing with blades is impossible. If he got stabbed, it would all be over, and he had no skills to take on a knife-wielding opponent.

He realized that the two men he had supposedly taken down with a single blow were already getting back up. Though each held a hand to their bleeding noses or shook their dizzy heads, otherwise they seemed fine.

"What!? How can my attacks deal such little damage!? What happened to the summons trope!?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!? You're going to pay for this!"

Subaru's prostrated face was stomped on from above, scraping his forehead against the ground and making him bleed.
The kicks to his face followed, and numerous attacks continued to rain down on his desperately curled-up body.

---Crap, this really hurts. I might actually die, for real.

Having attacked first, they showed no mercy, and unlike in his original world, there was no guarantee that thugs here wouldn't kill him. There was a real possibility he could be tortured to death.
Should he muster the courage and fight back with everything he had? If he hadn't been injured, that might have been an option, but now, on the brink of severe injury, even landing a single blow would be a long shot. Yet dying like this was also not an option.

"Don't you dare move, you idiot!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!"

Trying to stand, Subaru's palm was mercilessly stomped on, and all he could do was scream. The man, spitting in fury, turned red with rage, and Subaru could see him switch his grip on the knife to a reverse hold.

"After immobilizing you, I'll strip you of everything you have. How dare you mess with me..."

"If you're after valuables, honestly, it's pointless. Because, I'm completely broke...!"

"Then anything unique like your clothes or shoes will do. Become food for the big rats in the alley."

Oh, so there are rats in this world too. A name that sounds like a minor monster.

At the sight of the knife about to be swung down, such escapism casually crossed his mind.
No particularly vivid memories flashed before his eyes, and he didn't experience the phenomenon of seeing the world slowly.
It was about to end—just like that—when suddenly...

"Hey, move, move, move! You guys over there are really in the way!"

With a desperate shout, someone rushed into the alley.
Following the stunned looks of the men, Subaru lifted his gaze with his immobilized body.
A girl dashed across his field of vision.

A small girl with semi-long blonde hair swinging.
Her eyes seemed determined, a mischievous gleam to her slightly protruding canines. Though her face looked somewhat cheeky, she might still possess a certain cuteness appropriate to her age.
A girl in shabby, worn-out clothes had just stumbled upon a scene of attempted robbery and murder.

At this perfect timing, the flickering hope inside Subaru jumped for joy.
Yes, this was it, the turn of events he'd been waiting for. If the flow continued, this girl would have an overflowing sense of justice and save Subaru’s flickering, and almost extinguished, life.

"This looks like quite a scene, but sorry! I'm really busy! Stay strong!"

"Wha—?! Seriously?!"

However, such hopes were shattered instantly.
The girl, making eye contact with Subaru, raised her hand apologetically and, without breaking her stride, ran past the men and through the narrow alley, heading for what should have been a dead end.
She kicked a board that had been propped up at the end of the cul-de-sac, grabbed hold of a part of the wall with surprising agility, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared onto the rooftop of the building.

As the girl disappeared from sight, silence naturally settled over the place.
The girl who passed through like a typhoon left everyone present in stunned surprise, but it was also a fact that Subaru's predicament had not changed.

"After all that, you don't feel any less threatening or feel like changing your mind?!"

"Rather, I am offended that you spoiled my mood. Don't think you can die easily, okay?"

Seeing the glint in the man's eyes, Subaru thought that this time it was really the end. His hand was still under the man's heel, making it impossible for him to stand up without a moment's delay. Naturally, a sense of resignation began to dominate his chest.

Was it really going to end, here of all places, without having accomplished anything? Sure, it couldn't be said that he had led a decent life, but even so, this kind of ending was too cruel. If he asked what he had done to deserve this, the answer would likely be that he had done nothing at all, leading to such a meaningless end. It wasn't pain that was getting to him. It was something else that made him feel like tears were about to overflow.

It wasn't fear of ending, nor a dislike of dying. It wasn't that kind of petty level of concern. He just couldn't bear the thought of ending with nothing, completely empty.

"――That's enough, villain."

That voice cut through everything—the bustle of the crowd, the vulgar shouts of the men, even Subaru's own ragged breathing—everything was subdued as it echoed through the alleyway.