The thing about boys being close friends with girls, is that said boys become a bit overprotective of those girls. Especially when said boys and girls - or girl - have been friends since childhood. Even more especially when said girls grow up to be truly beautiful women. Who attract a lot of attention. From boys who aren't her friend. It's annoying, more than anything, especially when that girl doesn't seem to mind that she's attracting so much attention.
Like now, for instance. Kouji finds himself staring, irritated, across the park at this close friend, Izumi. Well, less iritated at Izumi, moreso at the boys around her. Izumi is a flirt, sure, and that was a bother in itself, but she can ususally take care of herself; Kouji and their friends learned that the hard way. If Izumi doesn't want to play anymore, or she just doesn't like the boys, she would let it be known and move on. Right now, Izumi is letting it be known. The boys are not moving on. Kouji is getting pissed.
Fortunately, he is not prone to violence. Well, not unless Takuya gets involved (because Takuya is a headache and Kouji does not do well with headaches). But Takuya is not at the park, so he can't be the hothead who fixed the problem. Actually, Kouji is the only of their friends here, so the responsibility of rescuing Izumi is left to him. And that, Kouji muses, was a bad idea.
Because as Kouji stalks over, he isn't really sure how he is going to handle the gang of boys surrounding his friend, only that he will. That could have something to do with why Kouji chose to aggressively push past two of those boys - he realizes that they are all older than he is - and grab Izumi by the wrist.
"There you are," he declares, not too happily. "I thought I told you not to wander off?" the look Izumi shoots him is incredulous but changes, after a raised eyebrow from Kouji, into one of gratitude. He shifts his gaze to the guy directly in his way. "You can move now."
Perhaps there was something in Kouji's expression; he's not as tall or as big as these high school boys, but the one in front of him steps aside and lets them through with a reluctant apology. With Izumi's wrist still grasped in his hand, Kouji storms away from their circle and further up the path.
"Thanks a lot, Kouji," Izumi says softly. Slowing to a more casual pace, Kouji lets go of Izumi's arm. "They just wouldn't listen... I started to get really uncomfortable." Kouji rolls his eyes. Even if he is relieved to know Izumi is safe and they're both undamaged. He can't just go Spirit Evolution! and whack some sense into them with his Licht Schwert. Kouji and his friends are all human now. At least they still have one another's backs, that hasn't changed even if other things have.
"Yeah, well," Kouji shrugs and the words spill out, even if he isn't entirely sure what he means by them. "Just stay next to me from now on."