“Then I'll drop you off here, Kayako.”
At Kayako's doorstep, Lin Ze stopped, preparing to say goodbye, but at that moment, sounds of arguing and crashing came from inside the house. Lin Ze turned to look at Kayako.
“...It should be that Dad is back too. He and Mom often argue.” Kayako's mood was very low, not because of her parents' discord, but because she had to part ways with Lin Ze...
However, this scene looked different to Lin Ze. Sighing, he reached out and tucked Kayako's fallen hair behind her ear, clearing her face from being obscured. “If you ever need my help in the future, or...” Lin Ze hesitated for a moment, “or if you really don’t want to stay at home, then feel free to come find me to hang out. I can take you home later; I have a bicycle.”
Kayako's eyes instantly lit up with unexpected joy! It seemed Lin Ze misunderstood something, but that was fine; Kayako was a mischievous girl, so a little deception towards Lin Ze was acceptable.
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Yeah, but it’s best to let your parents know. After all, what if they can’t find you and start to worry?”
They wouldn’t, Kayako thought to herself, “Okay!”
“See you tomorrow, Kayako.”
“See you tomorrow, Lin Ze. Be careful on your way.”
Watching Lin Ze wave goodbye as he left, Kayako suppressed the urge to follow him again. “It’s okay, Kayako. No need to follow him anymore. From now on, I can go find Lin Ze openly.”
Once inside her home, Kayako paid no mind to her arguing parents, who also didn’t spare her a glance. After putting her things down, she walked to the yard and sat down, where a small black cat ran over. “Xiao Hei, come here.”
The little black cat jumped onto Kayako's lap, sniffing her as if it sensed something different about her. It looked up at Kayako, seemingly puzzled.
“Xiao Hei, let me tell you…” Kayako began to recount her moments with Lin Ze, and the cat's eyes showed a hint of human-like understanding. “It seems my owner has undergone some changes. I don’t know if it’s good or bad... but at least it seems she has found her happiness?”
Lin Ze strolled leisurely down the road, passing by the convenience store from yesterday, where he noticed a familiar figure pleading for something inside.
“Hiraki-san?” At the counter stood Hiraki Hanako. Upon hearing the familiar voice, she mechanically turned her head, her shoulder-length hair slightly disheveled, a few strands sticking to her face. Her eyes were red and teary, and her delicate features and petite stature made her look like a broken doll at that moment. “Lin... Ze-kun?”
“So you were forced by them to buy cigarettes?”
“Yeah...”
“This classmate, in situations like this, you should tell a teacher or your parents. I really can’t sell you cigarettes; otherwise, I’d be committing a crime. And you, male classmate, should advise her too, sigh.”
After hearing about Hanako's predicament, the convenience store clerk had no solutions, and Lin Ze's temples were starting to throb.
“Take me to find them.”
Seeing Lin Ze getting angry, Hanako shook her head. “They... they have several boys with them. There are too many... Lin Ze-kun, you should just go. No need to trouble yourself.”
“I said, take me there!” Lin Ze's tone left no room for doubt, prompting Hanako, who was used to being submissive, to comply instinctively. “If I can’t deal with curses, I can’t handle a few punks? The fighting skills I learned in my past life weren’t for nothing!”
Following Hanako into a narrow alley, a group of students with dyed hair were smoking, and there was also Hayano Haruna, being embraced by a boy with yellow hair.
“Hey, Hanako, did you get it?” Hayano Haruna turned around upon hearing footsteps.
“Lin Ze?!”
“What Lin Ze? Is he the one you mentioned today?” The boy with yellow hair looked over disdainfully upon hearing Haruna's call. Standing at 1.87 meters tall behind the 1.5-meter Hanako, he seemed particularly imposing, but so what? They had six boys on their side; were they afraid of dealing with just one?
“Darling, that’s him. He’s the one who stood up for this worthless woman and humiliated me today. What? Are you still going to stand up for her? Lin Ze, your taste is truly unique; do you like this disgusting Kawakami and this useless guy?”
Hayano Haruna first complained to the yellow-haired boy, then began to bully Lin Ze with her advantage. Lin Ze didn’t respond but instead took off his jacket and handed it to the nervous Hanako beside him. “Hayano-san, I’ve told you before, your bullying behavior is quite disgusting.”
“Bastard, what did you say? Brothers, get him!” The yellow-haired boy was furious upon hearing this.
“Hanako, let me teach you something. If you’re at a disadvantage compared to the opponent, then you should use everything around you as a weapon to assist yourself.” Lin Ze pushed Hanako behind him and casually picked up a brick from the ground, throwing it at the approaching delinquents.
Watching his companion fall unconscious, the yellow-haired boy and the others stopped in their tracks. “Don’t worry, I controlled my strength; he just fainted. You guys are the real weaklings!”
Lin Ze tossed aside the brick and suddenly charged at the yellow-haired boy and his gang. They were just a bunch of bullies who relied on their numbers, lacking any strategy, and with their morale lower than Lin Ze's, they soon began to cry for help.
“Hayano-san.” Seeing the gentle Lin Ze, Hayano collapsed in fear. “I... I was wrong... Lin Ze-kun... please let me go.”
Looking at the terrified opponent, Lin Ze smiled gently. “Don’t worry, I generally don’t hit women, but I’ve already told you twice that I dislike your behavior, so can we agree to not make it a third time?”
After receiving a positive response, Lin Ze took the stunned Hanako and left.
“Lin Ze-kun, you’re amazing!” Hanako's eyes sparkled with admiration.
“You’re amazing too, Hanako. This kind of thing has been happening for a while, why didn’t you tell your parents or teachers?” Lin Ze was quite puzzled.
“I... I didn’t want to worry my mom; she would cry... I told the PE teacher... but the other party...” She didn’t pay attention to Lin Ze’s change of address, just explaining helplessly like a child who had done something wrong.
“You didn’t tell anyone? Sigh...” Lin Ze wasn’t surprised by this. “Forget it, they probably won’t dare to bully you anymore. If anything similar happens in the future, you can tell me.”
“Okay, Lin Ze-kun, have you practiced before? Taking on six at once is so impressive!” Hearing that Lin Ze didn’t blame her, she returned to her normal state. Hanako, aside from being reluctant to trouble others, was actually quite lively and cute. If it weren’t for Hayano Haruna, she probably wouldn’t lack friends.
Isn’t this the cold-hearted social view of Sakura? Although not everyone is like this, most people tend to avoid troublesome matters.
At this moment, Hanako kept asking questions, and Lin Ze could only interrupt her. “Alright, alright, Hanako, where do you live? Do you need me to take you home?”
“No, no, my home isn’t far. It’s no trouble for you, Lin Ze-kun.” A predictable refusal.
“Then I’ll head back first. See you at school tomorrow.”
“Okay, thank you so much, Lin Ze-kun. Goodbye, Lin Ze-kun.”