Can we get a protagonist that actually fights back instead of just getting shat on? Even if he does wind up losing because the opponent is trained, at least we see him trying. He didn't even try to fight back against that assistant.
Kuroto was distraught and she caught him off guard. There's a reason sucker punches work so well.
I am getting invested because of the lack of clear answers, which is how storytelling is supposed to work: a hook to draw readers in and keep them interested. The hints dropped regularly keep the mystery alive and have interesting implications, so's sad folks here want the answers spooned o them immediately.