A small room, like a supply closet. Boxes were stacked on top of each other, filled with textbooks and random office supplies.

Gray had landed on a piled of empty boxes that crumpled beneath him, breaking his fall. Also breaking his laptop, but that didn't matter too much.

An old wooden door was nearby, leading out from the room.

Seeing that, and since he was unscathed, Gray brushed off his clothes and headed towards it. Since he had fallen through the floor, he had to make his way out somehow, and since that door was the only way out... Well, he could try his luck with the boxes, but he had a feeling climbing back up wasn't the way to go.

Adjusting his bag again, and grimacing when he heard the rattling inside, Gray walked towards the door and opened it. Turning the knob, he pushed the wooden door open... and promptly froze at the sight in front of him.

Another room. Like the one he fell into, the place seemed to be used for storage. Random boxes were scattered around the place, and there was a mattress tossed in the corner of the room.

A bit odd, but nothing too out of the ordinary for the sort of place Gray found himself in.

There was also another door in the distance, slightly ajar and revealing a hallway leading to a staircase going up.

But that wasn't what Gray was looking at.

No, he was staring at the person leaning against the wall by that door.

It was a young woman. A young woman, probably no older than he was and likely younger. A young woman who was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, wearing nothing but rags that barely covered the important parts of her body.

From what Gray could see of her face... and to be fair, it wasn't much, she was beautiful. Not only that, but her hair was an ethereal silver color that seemed to shine even in the dark underground room.

So he faced a dilemma.

She was clearly in distress. There was no way the young woman was here willingly. Every rational explanation pointed to her being abducted and kept here by her kidnappers. And from the fact that there was a worn-out mattress nearby as well, the implications were obvious.

But even so, Gray would be better off pretending he didn't see anything.

First of all, he was in an unfamiliar place with no one to turn to for help. That was reason enough to mind his own business.

Second of all, he didn't know the young woman. And he was better off keeping it that way so that he wouldn't be concerned about it in the future.

And third of all... his life was too valuable to risk. There were too many promises he had to fulfill, too many projects yet to create.

So he had to ignore her. The right choice would be to ignore her and find a way out by himself.

Gray might regret it later. He might one day look back and wonder what would have happened if he hadn't ignored that young woman. If he had helped her instead of turning a blind eye.

But that would be fine. There was too much good in the world that he could accomplish to risk his life saving one person. The good of the many outweighed the few.

Right.

So because of that, Gray resolutely turned his head away from the young woman, walked towards the door, and closed it behind him.

And then he walked back to the young woman and kneeled in front of her, reaching out to untie her blindfold. As he did, he cursed himself under his breath.

"Dammit, Gray. This has to be the only time. Understand? This is the only time you're going to risk your life for someone else."

His fingers fumbled around the knots of the blindfold, trying to untie them. Thankfully, they were loose. Probably because the young woman's abductors were confident that she wouldn't escape the other binds.

Gray tossed the blindfold to the side and then reached out to untie the gag.

And then he froze.

She was awake.

Gray had thought that she was unconscious from how still she was, but the moment he threw the blindfold aside he was faced with a pair of beautiful crimson eyes, almost like rubies.

But they were also lifeless. Dim, as if she had given up on life entirely. Still, they moved to look at Gray, tracking him.

A moment's hesitation.

From that dull gaze, she was clearly trouble. There was an entire story behind it that told Gray he would definitely regret getting involved with her.

But at the same time...

"Argh, dammit. I'm going to regret this so much later..."

He cursed himself again and then reached out to undo the young woman's gag, ignoring her gaze. Pulling it off, he tossed the gag to the side and then leaned back.

The young woman was still staring at him.

Now that the gag was gone as well, her face was completely revealed.

It was still dark in the room, but that fact only accentuated her beauty instead of hiding it.

An eye-catching, no, a breath-taking beauty.

Before Gray realized it, he was frozen, entranced by her beauty.

And then she spoke.

"Why?" A single word, said with a sweet voice that could have charmed any man.

But hearing it brought Gray back to his senses. Running his right hand through his hair, he sighed and said, "Don't ask me why. I really should know better than to get involved... anyway, turn around. I need to untie the rest."

The young woman stared at him for a moment and then obediently turned around.

Gray reached over and then unfastened the rope binding the rest of the young woman's body.

It was... surprisingly loose. Despite seeming sturdy, a simple tug from Gray was enough to unravel everything.

"...There." Gray leaned back and said, "Whoever tied you up definitely won't be winning any boy scout badges for knots considering how loose those were." He paused and then carefully observed the young woman. "You... *were* tied up against your will. Right?"

While the situation looked bad... the fact that the knots had been so loose made him wonder too.

Did Gray wander into one of 'those' sets? After all, the young woman was beautiful and there wasn't a mark on her body.

But then again, those lifeless eyes weren't faked...

"Argh, whatever." Gray ran his right hand through his hair again and said, "You're free now. I'm going." He stood up and adjusted his bag, preparing to leave.

And the young woman stared at him, her crimson eyes following his every move.

Seeing that, Gray felt a pang of guilt.

It should be enough.

He had freed her, so she wasn't his problem anymore. If she still got captured again after this, it was her fault.

Right.

That's how it should have played out.

But seeing those glimmering crimson eyes, Gray couldn't help it.

"Tch. Come on." He walked over and forcibly pulled her up. "You can move, right? Let's get out of here. But don't you dare make a sound. I'm leaving you behind the moment it looks like things are getting hairy. Got it?"

The young woman's eyes widened in surprise. A spark of life returned in those dim crimson eyes before her gaze shifted to Gray's left hand, holding onto her right arm. Then, a faint smile crossed her face and she nodded. "As you wish."

"Good. Now, be quiet and-"

"What the hell? Someone wrecked the front entrance!"

A voice from somewhere above. Masculine and gruff.

Gray's eyes widened and he glanced back.

"Stop joking around, Rozz." Another male voice, but smooth. Cunning. "I reinforced the floor before we left and- Hm?"

Gray didn't stick around. After hearing that, he opened the door and then ran off, pulling the young woman behind him.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He cursed under his breath again and muttered, "I knew I should have gone to college closer to home..."