"That was it? It felt too straightforward. No twists and turns, no hair-raising fury."

Standing at the restaurant entrance, Oriental September puffed her cheeks slightly in dissatisfaction. She was clearly bored by how easily things had been resolved.

"What else did you expect? Just because I was scammed, should I go beat them up? This is a law-abiding society. I can't afford medical bills and stuff."

"Tch, coward. But your words could also mean that if no compensation was needed, you'd still throw a punch?"

I neither denied nor confirmed it. Things like this were best left to personal interpretation.

"Need to borrow this? It's a self-defense tool. Not only can it peel fruit, but it can also hurt people. And as a high-tech product, this fruit knife is more than just a fruit knife."

She pulled a black dagger with fiery patterns from her bag. I casually took it and tucked it into my pocket. My house needed a fruit knife anyway. Free is free.

"It also has a stun gun function, right? I recall the blade voltage reaches nearly ten thousand volts when activated."

I casually pulled a cigarette from my coat pocket, lit it, and glanced at the upper floors of the restaurant out of the corner of my eye.

"You seem to know quite a bit about it."

Of course. This is an Ouyang Family product. As a tester, I have one too—more advanced than hers. It even doubles as a lighter.

Lately, though, I've felt like the Ouyang Family's tech tree might be misallocated. They keep producing weird gadgets. No wonder the company's on a downturn.

"How much longer are we standing here?"

Oriental September only now realized that since leaving the restaurant, we hadn't moved an inch.

"Didn't you want to see a fight? I'm risking my life just to keep you company."

"Really?"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She exhaled a puff of cold air and scanned the area for enemies.

Hey now, a girl being this warlike—is that really okay?

"Don't manga always have scenes like this? An ordinary person offends a young master and gets secretly taught a lesson later?"

"That's just manga. It doesn't happen in real life. Besides, standing here, they wouldn't dare attack us openly."

"We're here to be easily found. What if they can't locate us?"

Would I admit that I was just here to smoke a cigarette? The above was purely an excuse.

"Makes sense."

She actually believed it...

After waiting about ten minutes, I smoked two cigarettes while chatting with her about trivial stuff. She was surprisingly straightforward, lacking the usual shyness of girls. Oh, and she even casually mentioned her panties' color. Blue and white stripes—truly the signature of a sporty girl.

Meanwhile, Ark and his group lived up to expectations. They emerged from the restaurant. Ark glanced at me but said nothing. Surrounded by boys and girls, he got into a black sedan.

"Seems our expectations were dashed."

"Why? Why? Why?!"

Three consecutive "whys." Oriental September stomped her foot hard. Just how much did this girl love stirring up trouble?

"Let's go. I'm heading home."

"Huh? All that waiting for nothing? I've been freezing out here for ages. It's cold!"

"My fault?"

Ignoring her, I headed into the alley. It was a bit out of the way, but I'd go home from here. Not to the high-rise apartments in the complex, but to my single-story house.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!"

Shouting, Oriental September chased after me. She really had boundless energy.

Inside the black sedan, Ark watched the distant figures through the window. His face was clouded with gloom.

"Lulu, I have a task for you. No problem, right?"

"So, that matter can be discussed."

"Naturally. But it depends on how well you handle it."

Watching the two figures grow smaller in the distance, Ark continued. "As long as no one dies, you have free rein."

"Understood."

Lulu, beaming with excitement, got out of the car. Leaning against a white sports car nearby, she lit a cigarette and dialed a number.

"Remember, I want to see proof."

"Don't worry, Young Master Ark. I'll handle it personally this time. You can rest easy."

"Mm."

As the black sedan slowly disappeared from view, Lulu couldn't hide her ecstatic joy. "Hahaha! So I can finally join the 'Eight Kings' guild? Heaven helps those who help themselves. Don't blame me, commoner kid. Crossing Young Master Ark was your own doing."

Strolling down the quiet path, the sky had already darkened. The pure moonlight shone in the night air.

They should be here soon.

I stopped walking and stood still.

"What's wrong? You stopped suddenly and scared me."

Oriental September looked at me with a puzzled gaze.

"Hey, how much longer will you follow me? If this continues, I'll be home soon."

"Home?"

Oriental September looked up and scanned the surroundings.

Even in a bustling metropolis, forgotten corners exist. And this was one of them. Right next to the campus, with crowds of all kinds, yet here stood decades-old buildings. Surrounded by skyscrapers was a cluster of simple, single-story houses. This must be what they called a slum area.

"You live here?"

"What? Doesn't seem like it?"

I casually lit a cigarette and leaned against the cold wall.

"Found them! Over here! Block all the exits. Don't let that kid escape!"

Oriental September, about to say something, froze at the sound from the alley entrance. But soon, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Hey hey hey, are we about to get robbed? Or is this a delinquent gang?"

Was this really something to get excited about? I was starting to wonder if this girl was a bit crazy.

"Aren't you scared?" I asked quietly.

Judging by the footsteps, about thirty delinquents had gathered. Each carried weapons like metal rods, knives, and iron pipes.

"Why be scared? I've been dying for a scene like this! If you can't fight, leave it to me. This lady is a tenth-dan black belt in karate."

*Clap clap clap.* I clapped expressionlessly. A tenth-dan black belt? Whatever. There are thirty of them. Are you sure you can take them all down alone?

"What's that look for? Don't you believe me?" Oriental September placed her left hand on her hip, pointed at me with her right, and asked haughtily.

Looking at her, I nodded. I stubbed out my cigarette and lit another.

"Tch. Then I'll show you this lady's strength."

The gathering delinquents blocked the entire alley. Any remaining pedestrians, seeing this, fled in fear.

"Come on! This lady will be your opponent."

Hearing her, the delinquents exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is this girl an idiot?"

"Probably some kind of moron."

"Ignore her. The guy behind her is the target."

"Bring it on."

Oriental September took a fighting stance. Honestly, it looked decent. But to me, it was child's play.

"Go! Break their limbs, but don't go too far."

"Got it."

The delinquents charged, swinging their weapons. Yet, Oriental September showed no sign of backing down. She threw a punch, sending the frontmost boy flying. Then, spinning around, she kicked another away.

"Take out that bitch too. She's in the way."

"Big talk! Come on! Face me head-on if you dare!"

Huh, this girl did have some skills. She easily took down about five alone. But unarmed, she couldn't inflict serious damage. Instead, the boys who got up became even more enraged.

Gradually, she started to falter. Fighting a group alone, surrounded, it was hard to maneuver.

At the other end of the alley, about ten more stood guard. They showed no intention of joining the fray.