Although the actions of the middle-aged man and Sawanaga Taikai's group wouldn't incur severe legal penalties, there was no doubt that if discovered and exposed, these individuals would at the very least face the contempt of those around them. Consequently, being fired from their companies or forced to withdraw from school wouldn't be unusual.
This was especially true in Japan, a society that emphasizes interpersonal relationships and where everyone tries to avoid causing trouble for others. Therefore, if Sosuke made a big deal out of this, these people would essentially be socially ostracized.
Shifting his gaze away from the flustered older and younger pervert duo, Sosuke expressionlessly looked at the other men surrounding him.
"You, and you, and you... can you please stop pretending to be innocent? You're all in this together, aren't you? I have other evidence here, do you want me to release it?"
"Just confess obediently, and I won't expose you online."
That's right, the group that stood up to accuse Kitahara Sosuke was the kind of molester gang often seen in anime. Each time, a few people on the periphery would act as cover while the others committed the crime, and then they would rotate personnel for the next instance of the crime. Having more people made it easier to coordinate, and if they occasionally encountered a strong-willed woman who dared to resist, they could use their numerical advantage to subdue her, or even turn the tables and accuse her instead.
They had even become something of an urban legend. But that didn't work on Sosuke.
"We'll talk about the rest later, you guys quickly grab his phone!"
The balding, fat middle-aged man who had tried to touch Kotonoha earlier was the leader of this group. He was usually respected as "Sensei" (teacher) due to his excellent qualities and efficiency. He even had a legendary experience where he was once caught red-handed by a pursuing female police officer but ultimately turned the situation around and won. He was the existence who, in their hearts, had created the legend of the "Train God."
However, he, who was usually calm no matter what unexpected situation arose, was now panicking. The video in Sosuke's hand was undeniable evidence. His position as a senior executive at a certain company meant that once exposed, his life would be over.
"Sensei?"
One of the veteran members was seeing their leader so distraught for the first time. It was only natural for him to be this way. Back then, the naive female police officer had no real evidence, so this seasoned veteran had plenty of ways to deal with her and deny his crimes. But today's opponent was completely different. He only needed to lift a finger to use the internet to destroy his entire life. As for the option of voluntarily surrendering as the other party suggested, that was completely out of the question.
"Looks like you've chosen to resist stubbornly, huh..."
Watching the group of people opposite him stirring restlessly, Kitahara Sosuke tilted his head and a bright smile appeared on his face. Just in case, he turned on the camera on his phone. Of course, the group of fools with their backs to his phone couldn't see the action he was taking. For Sosuke, since it was a public place, he had to be careful about the extent of his self-defense.
"Everyone attack together!"
The first to move was the blond-haired Sawanaga Taikai, and a few of the braver ones followed suit, rushing forward all at once. The guy opposite them might have incriminating evidence against them, so they couldn't hold back.
"Sigh..."
Kitahara Sosuke sighed helplessly, his face wearing a pair of dead fish eyes as he went to meet them. Relying on his excellent lineage and quickly absorbing the knowledge and skills he had learned from Sensei, Sawanaga Taikai had already become a respected second-in-command in this group. He was also a staunch supporter of the Train God. However, his incompetence in certain areas was also rarely seen.
"Thump…"
The light-footed blond-haired guy was pushed to the ground. Sosuke really didn't use much force. God knows why this guy, who was clearly in his energetic youth, was so weak. Then, a few seconds later, Sosuke, while glancing at an incoming call on his phone, very easily dealt with the group of people opposite him. As for the fighting process, there wasn't any. How could there be anything called a fight? For creatures in the natural world, the most direct and effective way to assess the difference in fighting power between two sides is to look at their size. Young males who have just ventured out into society wanting to defeat landlords who are larger than them will almost certainly fail unless they band together. Big equals strong.
Humans are a bit special because, due to modern life, the difference between individuals who have mastered a certain level of combat skills and those who haven't is astonishingly large. However, fighting, when broken down, comes down to two things: speed and power. Youth fears age, but a flurry of punches can defeat a master... power is the truth.
Without the other side using weapons, Kitahara Sosuke, who had an overwhelming advantage in strength, didn't even need to use any techniques to deal with these people.
Then, when the frantic female police officer who had received the report arrived at the station with her submissive follower, they were met with a very bizarre scene.
"..."
Including the middle-aged man and Sawanaga Taikai, five people were obediently holding their hands behind their heads, facing the wall and squatting down. Kitahara Sosuke had shown these people some leniency and hadn't exposed their faces collectively, otherwise, this bizarre scene resembling performance art would definitely have caused a stir on Twitter. Although the current state of affairs was already bizarre enough, passersby were already secretly taking pictures. This group was about to make their successful debut online.
"Are you alright? If you feel troubled, you can leave now."
"N-no, I..."
Kotonoha lowered her head as she spoke, nervously clutching Sosuke's Kokoa in her arms, burying her in her chest. By the end, her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. Sosuke was leisurely chatting with Katsura Kotonoha beside him. Of course, to avoid unnecessary trouble, both of them were wearing disposable masks.
"Wow... this girl is really incredibly introverted."
Kitahara Sosuke mused to himself. Of course, he knew about Katsura Kotonoha. After finally getting her name, Kitahara Sosuke instantly recalled everything about her. Katsura Kotonoha, the representative of moe attributes like "chainsaw," "yandere," and "darkening." And the term "nice boat," which anyone with a slight understanding of anime subculture has probably heard, can also be said to have been created and popularized by this seemingly very introverted girl.
It could be said that she was a legendary figure in anime history. Because of her outstanding appearance, she was bullied by female delinquents, and due to excessive pressure from her family, she didn't have time to make friends. She was betrayed countless times and suffered all sorts of misfortunes... However, she was originally just a pitiful girl. Although he hadn't bought her figures or posters, she probably wasn't one of Sosuke's "wives."
Kitahara Sosuke simply felt pity for her and hoped to comfort this girl with words. Helping her out this time was also a way for him to clear his mind.
And...
"This is really... really big!"