Chapter 15: The Disobedient Elder Brother

At the dining table, a young girl sat on a chestnut wooden chair, staring intently toward the door.

“Yu Ze, why didn’t I see you come out at the school gate?”

Her brows furrowed deeply, eyes burning with unspoken fury.

Her brother had stood her up, leaving her waiting in vain for half the day.

Did he not care at all about the safety of his soft, delicate little sister?

In the dark, how unsafe it was for a lone girl like her to be left all alone!

Seeing her fiery demeanor, Yu Ze had no choice but to call upon his trusty aide—Teacher Hoshino Seri—and hurriedly explained, “Today, when I left school, I went out the back gate with Teacher Hoshino Seri. It’s no wonder you didn’t see me.”

“Then why are you only just back now?” Hearing the teacher’s name, Xiao Qing felt a pang of sadness. They weren’t siblings by blood, but closer than many siblings.

Now that her brother was grown, it was time to start courting girls.

She could understand that, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something belonging to her had been taken away.

A sadness that was neither easy to describe nor to bear...

Seeing that his sister had accepted most of his explanation, Yu Ze made up a casual excuse.

“On the way home, I saw a few ruffians in an alley trying to harass some girls. How could I stand by? I just learned some grappling techniques, and I took on five at once. That’s why I got home late.”

“What a coincidence, you ran into them too... Phew! You weren’t hurt, right?”

Jumping down from the chair, Xiao Qing stepped barefoot onto the floor with her fair, tender feet, her steps light and cheerful as she came to stand beside Yu Ze, glancing here and there.

After a moment’s careful inspection and confirming he was unharmed, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Yet her face remained troubled as she pointed to the bowl of sauerkraut beef noodles already prepared with seasoning on the side.

“Want some late-night snack?”

Yu Ze’s gaze lingered on her bare feet before he slowly picked up the instant noodles to prepare them.

“Don’t always go around barefoot at home; you might catch a cold.”

“I know, I know. Hurry up and eat your noodles.”

Xiao Qing nodded, but made no move to rise, her cheeks faintly flushed.

With his eyes withdrawn, Yu Ze sighed and focused on the noodles in his hands. These sauerkraut beef noodles were reliable; since the arrival of the disaster beasts, instant noodles had been designated as emergency national reserves with stricter production standards, nothing like the shoddy products of the past.

A few minutes later, they sat facing each other at the table.

Yu Ze ate while Xiao Qing watched.

Every few bites, she looked up.

That dinner was anything but peaceful for Yu Ze, who began to feel as if she already knew his secret.

After a long while, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Xiao Qing, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t keep staring at me like that; it makes me nervous.”

“What are you nervous about? If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.”

“But if you keep staring like that, I can’t even eat.”

The more critical the situation, the calmer Yu Ze became.

He pointed to the bowl, now only soup left.

Clearly, Xiao Qing wasn’t scheming; she pressed her delicate jade-like foot onto the table and declared with a commanding air, “Since you asked sincerely, I’ll be generous and tell you.”

Pausing for effect, she then pleaded in a soft, sweet voice, “Brother, can you help me write a self-criticism report?”

Looking at his seemingly deranged sister, Yu Ze’s mind settled somewhat.

After all, with her intelligence, it would be a miracle if she could guess his true identity.

But why on earth would she need to write such a report?

“First tell me why you need it, then I’ll decide if I’ll help.”

Taking control of the conversation, Yu Ze slouched back in his chair, adopting a relaxed, commanding posture.

Xiao Qing, like a little mouse, scampered over and wrapped her arms around his, shaking him energetically.

“It’s because yesterday I went to a haunted house with my best friend, Gu Xiaorou. You’ve met her—pretty face, gentle nature, always getting bullied.

“On our way back, we ran into six thugs. How could I stand for that? Using my new grappling skills, I took on all six and beat them to a pulp.

“But then Teacher Chen saw it and told me next time, I should call the police instead of acting on my own. So now I have to write a report. If you don’t believe me, you can call Gu Xiaorou or Teacher Chen.”

Her charm and gentle demeanor moved nothing in Yu Ze; he even wanted to laugh.

As her best friend, Gu Xiaorou would naturally side with Xiao Qing.

But why would the teacher side with her? With all the recent personnel changes, it was clear the teacher was likely a magical girl too.

Never mind; whether human or ghost, it wasn’t his concern.

He only needed to know one thing: even if Jesus himself came down, those six thugs were definitely the ones Xiao Qing had beaten.

Not wanting to expose her, Yu Ze continued.

“If no one provokes me, I don’t provoke anyone. Since you stood up for your friend, I won’t say anything. But be careful with your safety in the future; we live in a society ruled by law, and there are police for a reason...”

“Stop, stop! Enough preaching, Brother! Next time if I see thugs, I’ll run far away, okay?”

Covering her ears, Xiao Qing hastily cut off her brother’s tedious lecture.

He never liked her rushing into danger; he was afraid she’d get hurt.

She understood his concern, but why was it only allowed for him to be brave, and not for her to stand up for justice?

Wasn’t that a classic double standard?

She almost voiced her complaint but swallowed it back because she still needed his help.

Yu Ze fell silent.

He wasn’t one to talk much, but somehow over the years, he’d become a bit of a worrier.

Since the disaster beasts invaded, idlers and ruffians had inexplicably increased.

Societal order was no longer what it used to be.

Returning to the present, Yu Ze looked at his sister suspiciously.

“Writing a self-criticism report isn’t too much trouble, right?”

“So, will you help or not?”

“With only one cup of instant noodles, it’s hard to work,” Yu Ze’s gaze flicked between the kitchen and the trash bin, hesitant to speak.

Following his eyes, Xiao Qing quickly caught on and decisively said, “I’ll take care of the chores this week.”

Her straightforwardness left Yu Ze puzzled. How could a simple report be so hard to write? But sticking to his principle of hitting hard regardless, he continued, “I’ve been aching all over from work these past few days...”

Before he finished, a pair of soft hands pressed onto his shoulders.

“Brother~ How’s this pressure?”

“Oof—harder, harder.”

“Not bad, not bad.”

Yu Ze enjoyed the thoughtful massage, his body and mind completely relaxed, yet his desire to help with the report vanished instantly.

Come on, for the lively and spirited Xiao Qing to be so gentle and considerate now, the teacher’s demand for that report was definitely more than it seemed.

Embracing the art of free-riding, Yu Ze let the massage continue for half an hour before gently lecturing, “Xiao Qing, while I really want to help you with the report, I think your teacher is right. Standing up for justice is good, but matters like this should be left to the police. I believe the teacher’s real aim isn’t to punish you but to make a deep impression. I think I...”

“Yu Ze, are you sure you want to say that last part?”

Yu Ze, enjoying the massage, felt the pressure on his shoulders steadily increase, but his expression remained unchanged.

Come on, three years had passed; did they still think he was the weakling who could be knocked down with one hand?

Through hardship and perseverance, even the fiercest warriors rise.

Yu Ze bluntly said, “I think you should write the report yourself.”

The gentle and adorable expression on Xiao Qing’s face faded, replaced by a look of “I knew it.”

She had long known her brother was the type who’d tear the house down if not beaten for three days straight.

Even if he agreed to help initially, hearing the demand for ten thousand words would surely make him refuse.

For a disobedient brother, a good thrashing was the best remedy!