In the slums of the ancient city of Kyoto, along an inconspicuous alley, Aya held the ear of a certain troublemaking young girl in her hand, glaring at her with annoyance.

"Ow ow ow... Sister, sister, can't you forgive me for my mistake?" The girl winced in pain, trying to struggle but hesitating to move too much with her ear firmly pinched by Aya.

"You really need to reflect on your actions! What if I were just a passerby? You could've gotten us both in trouble!" Aya applied a little more pressure with her hand, causing the muscles on the girl's face to twitch again. "And I told you, I'm actually a man!"

"But I really couldn't tell, Westerners I've seen are all tall, burly, and furry..." The girl grimaced innocently.

"Furry... are you talking about gorillas?"

Aya was left speechless. However, it suddenly dawned on the usually slow-to-react Aya that the girl in front of her had been conversing with her in a common Western language all along.

"You can speak a Western language?!"

"Yeah, it's the common Western language. My dad insisted I learn it." The girl shrugged nonchalantly.

Aya silently released her hold on the girl's ear, gently rubbing it. If her magic powers weren't sealed, she might have considered using a healing spell to comfort the girl's wounded soul.

The girl's image in Aya's eyes had completely transformed, from a person who had inexplicably troubled a dragon to a walking, talking translator.

Was this the concept of hitting rock bottom before turning the tide? After a series of misfortunes, could a stroke of luck be waiting? Aya found herself believing in the divine once again.

"Ahem, never mind, I'll let go of the fact that you deceived me..." Aya's gaze drifted absently to the side as she quickly contemplated how to coax the girl into becoming her unofficial translator.

Should she apologize and offer a part-time translation job? Or suggest giving her an opportunity to experience the crucial role of diplomacy and accumulate experience for future related work...

Before Aya could devise her persuasive plan, the girl had already made a move.

"Sister, can you do me a favor?" She grabbed Aya's hand and asked.

"I told you not to call me sister!" Aya snapped, "It's Aya, my name is Aya!"

"Aya... sounds like a girl's name too."

"... " Aya restrained herself from acting out. This was a walking translator, and damaging her was out of the question.

"But it sounds nice, and it's easier to pronounce than those long and difficult names most Westerners have." The girl stood upright, saluting in a somewhat heroic manner. "My surname is Qiao, and my first name is also Qiao."

"Qiao... Qiao Qiao?" Aya tried pronouncing the somewhat strange name, feeling like it was more of a nickname or term of endearment rather than a real name.

"Yeah!" The girl nodded, her eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. "And back to the point, I want to ask you to help me eliminate a threat to our people!"

"Eliminate a threat...?" Aya pondered for a while upon hearing this term. "You mean those two skinheads from earlier?"

"Yes!" Qiao Qiao explained earnestly, "Those two skinheads are henchmen of Lao Lang, the main target I want to deal with this time!"

The "Lao Lang" mentioned by the girl was actually the local kingpin of the Kyoto slum area, akin to a mafia boss. Originally a young officer in the city's defense forces, he had become a prominent figure in the underground world of Kyoto, commanding a small team of around a hundred people, and managing a gambling network that reportedly involved almost the entire defense force of the city.

Although he was eventually discovered and arrested along with several trusted subordinates, due to the network of connections and wealth he had accumulated beforehand, after some arrangements he did not face any serious charges, only being stripped of his military status and kicked out the door.

It was from this point that he began to rise, directly pulling along several trusted individuals who had been kicked out of the military with him to embark on the journey of becoming a local kingpin.

In addition to his original profession in gambling, he also opened a martial arts academy based on combat skills and various martial arts he had learned from the military. Although he only had about a hundred true subordinates, all of them were personally taught military battle tactics by him, making them essentially a landslide in the originally mere brawling and gang-fighting on the streets.

The final result was that the originally chaotic slum area was unified by him. Those who refused to submit were dealt with mercilessly, and with the help of connections left by Old Wolf in the military system, he firmly secured his position as the head of the local underworld.

After all, in areas like the slums where law enforcement turned a blind eye, no city was willing to make a concerted effort to clean it up. However, after Old Wolf unified the street forces in the slums, the overall management of the city became smoother, and occasionally with bribes sent by Old Wolf, the city law enforcement officials were content with the arrangement.

"In any case, I plan to take care of this guy."

Jojo summarized the central idea with one sentence in the end.

If there was a chat window nearby, Aya really wanted to type three dots slowly: "Why?"

"Do I even need to ask? This guy runs a gambling den to cheat money from the poor, collects protection fees, and lets his subordinates run rampant and bully people. The days in the slums were already tough, and now it's even harder, right?" The girl clenched her fists with a strong sense of justice.

"Are you rebelling because you, living in the slums, were bullied?" Aya glanced at the girl. It didn't seem like it, judging by her attire. Although it was simple and practical for mobility, the quality was quite good, a far cry from the rough fabric commonly worn by the poor.

"No, my father is an Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs."

"Then what's your motivation?" Aya nearly choked on her own saliva. Turns out she's a rich girl?

"What does that have to do with you..."

"What does it have to do with me? Acts of chivalry don't need a reason. The great chivalrous acts are for the country and the people, the small acts are for friends and neighbors, as described in the books!" The girl spoke confidently.

"What book is that?"

"Martial arts novels."

All right, diagnosis of Chuunibyou complete. And she's planning to take action as well?

"Hey, what's with that look? Don't give me that dumbfounded expression!"

"So, are you going to challenge him directly?"

"Challenge? It's called sparring! That's what they do in novels! Testing the results of training! Those cultivating immortality also practice like this!"

"Fine..." Covering her face and pondering for a moment, Aya looked up and said, "I'll help you, and you'll do me a favor in return, deal?"

"Sure, of course! Plus, it was indeed my fault just now. Even if you don't help me, I can still help you as an apology." The girl patted her still developing chest, readily agreeing.

"Uh... then how about I don't help you but you help me, just chivalrously lending a hand?"

"Umm! Well..." Jojo, who was originally just trying to say something polite, was completely taken aback by this magical move.

Seeing her stunned expression, Aya found it a bit amusing. Oh, Shaojiu, you really need more beating from society. Like me, barely over two hundred years old and already having to deal with an unfortunate child like Tiran... Thinking back on her own tragic history, she let out a sigh.

"Alright, just kidding, I'll help you. In exchange, you take me to meet someone. Since she's the daughter of the Foreign Minister, you should have the chance to see her, right?"

"Whom do you want to meet?" Jojo became cautious.

After all, she was the daughter of a minister. Although Jojo had a bit of a chivalrous complex, her brain wasn't bad either. Aya, as a Westerner of unknown origin wandering in the slums, wanting to meet someone who seemed to have a high status sounded quite strange in itself.

"Hoshimi, you should know her, right?"

"Huh? Lady Hoshimi?"

Despite having a guess in mind, Jojo couldn't help but slightly open her mouth when she heard the name.

Hoshimi was not only highly respected in status, but also a top-notch expert within the empire, capable of confronting even the immortals. Usually, she didn't appear in person unless it was a grand national ritual.

"Is... there a problem?"

"Well, you are actually a bit suspicious. Most Westerners who come to Lucheng are here for business. I've never seen a Westerner running into the slums before."

Did she really say it so bluntly?

Aya felt like she was hit in the heart, but she had to explain: "I actually know her... Do you know about the Milt Academy Festival in the West? I met her there, and I am considered part of the management of Milt Academy. It's just that due to some personal reasons, I came to East Land, unable to communicate and being directionally challenged, I ended up here."

It's not exactly a lie, right? Tiran was at least an acting principal, and she... um, acting principal's secretary?

"Milt Academy? Oh! I know! Someone from Princess Xiangling's Southern Sky Branch is participating! No wonder she's so powerful!"

But then Jojo hesitated and touched her cheek awkwardly, "But... actually, I can't directly request to meet Lady Hoshimi. Only my father can make a meeting request, and I don't know if Hoshimi will agree."

"It's okay, as long as we have a channel." Aya breathed a sigh of relief. That's fine, she could reveal her identity to Hoshimi, and seeing it on behalf of Miss Tiran, she would definitely meet her.

"So, do we have a deal?" Aya extended her hand.

"Yes! Let's go now!" The girl, full of spirit, pointed loudly in the direction she had just run from.

Gurgle...

A strange gurgle drowned out the girl's voice.

"Um, maybe, um, let's find a place to eat first." The girl blushed, covering her stomach and slowly raising her head to see Aya still looking at her with a smirk, she couldn't help but explain loudly, "Really! I just had a big battle with over ten of Elder Wolf's men, it's normal to be hungry!"

"Of course, Lady Warrior, you should find a place to fill your stomach first."

Aya held back her laughter with open hands.

This child, she's a bit cute.