Chapter 53: How Dare You Bullies Lay a Finger on Her?!

The two of them continued browsing through the mall. Aoki stopped in front of a store selling sportswear. “Come in with me for a look—I want to buy a new tracksuit.” Sora didn’t reply; she simply let Aoki lead her inside.

Aoki had no idea which sports brands were considered good in this world. All the Nikes and Adidases he’d worn in his previous life were nowhere to be seen here. Fortunately, he wasn’t picky about clothes—as long as they were wearable and comfortable, that was enough.

“How about this one?” Aoki pointed to a black tracksuit and looked at Sora.

She nodded.

“Sir, you have a good eye. This tracksuit is one of this season’s bestsellers—absolutely on trend,” the sales assistant chimed in at just the right moment.

Aoki ran his hand over the fabric, finding it loose and sturdy. It would be perfect for autumn, and with a down jacket, it’d suffice for winter too. He said briskly, “I’d like it in a size larger. I seem to be growing lately.”

“Certainly, please wait a moment.” The sales assistant sized him up and went to fetch the right size.

Aoki glanced at his current tracksuit, which was now obviously a size too small. He looked at Sora with a rather smug expression. “I’ve been growing a lot lately—almost at one-eighty now.”

He’d only made it to one-seventy-six centimeters by age twenty-five or six in his last life. Here, the prospect of passing one-eighty genuinely made him happy. It was probably thanks to the system; after all, such strong attributes would be wasted without the right frame to support them.

“Please try it on in the fitting room,” the assistant said, handing him the new set.

Aoki ruffled Sora’s hair and smiled gently at her. “Wait here for me, I’ll go change.”

Sora made a quiet sound of assent, hugging her little bag and sitting on the store’s bench. For her, today’s shopping trip was indeed more activity than usual.

Aoki, cheerful, carried the sportswear into the fitting room.

Sora, shrinking into herself, hugged her bag tightly, head lowered, not daring to look at the people coming and going around her—like a poor, abandoned little animal.

“Isn’t that Sora Kasugano?” Suddenly, a group of girls’ giggling voices sounded from a distance.

Sora’s head shot up, her eyes filled with loathing and fear.

Not far away, three girls, no more than sixteen or seventeen, faces painted with mature makeup, pointed at Sora and walked over.

“Well, well… Kasugano actually comes out shopping?” one of them jeered, thick foundation and a bun atop her head. Paying no mind to the store clerks’ looks of annoyance, the three surrounded Sora.

Sora gripped her bag so tightly her knuckles turned white. She pressed her lips together, head bowed, eyes closed to hide the terror in them, and said nothing at all.

The bun-haired girl mocked her without restraint. “Still no improvement after all this time? I thought you’d gotten better, at least enough to leave your house. But seeing you now, your mental illness doesn’t seem to have changed in the slightest.”

“Come on, this is a men’s store…” the long-haired girl with freckles sneered, feigning sophistication. “Maybe she found herself a boyfriend—someone to take her shopping.”

“Boyfriend? More like a sugar daddy, if you ask me. Maybe she’s out here for compensated dating,” the short-haired brunette said, her tone casual but her words venomous.

Sora’s frail body trembled. She protested in a faint voice, “I’m not…”

“Huh?” The bun-haired girl bent down, ear to Sora’s mouth. “Hey, is that all the louder you can talk?”

The brunette’s eyes flickered with envy as she spotted the white bag Sora clutched, but envy quickly turned to malice. “Still denying it? Could you even afford that bag? Didn’t your family go bankrupt because of your heart disease?”

“What, did your old man sell you off?” The brunette reached out and tapped Sora’s forehead. “You really think you suit that bag?”

Sora clung to the bag, opened her eyes, and looked in despair toward the fitting room.

“What, is your rich backer getting changed?” The bun-haired girl covered her mouth, feigning surprise. “Oh dear, if he sees us and finds out you’re crazy, will he still give you money?”

The long-haired girl, stroking her freckled cheek, smiled slyly. “Why not let us have him? How do you please him? Teach me.”

“She? I bet she can’t even make a sound. Like a mute,” the bun-haired girl said, and the three burst into laughter.

“Mute, your mother!” A furious roar exploded from nearby. Aoki, clad in the black tracksuit, strode over, face twisted with rage.

The three girls blanched. The bald boy before them looked ferocious, now more like a beast ready to devour them. Their legs went weak—they couldn’t even turn to run.

Aoki shoved the three away from Sora without the slightest hesitation or concern that they were girls. They tumbled to the ground, sprawling.

Sora looked up at Aoki, her usually cool face now only fear and sorrow. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and the moment she saw him, two streams slid down her cheeks as she choked out, “Aki…”

Aoki felt as if his chest would burst with rage. Not even when Kida Ishihara ambushed him from behind yesterday had he been this angry.

“You three, get over here!” Aoki barked at the girls, who were trying to sneak away. “Think you can run? If you leave now, I’ll come to your houses tomorrow!”

The three were terrified. “B-big brother, we’re sorry…”

Aoki, seething, stood in front of Sora, jabbing a finger at the long-haired girl, his lips twitching with fury. “What the hell did you just say?”

“I—I didn’t say anything…” The long-haired girl, too scared to even wipe her tears, shook uncontrollably like she might collapse.

Aoki took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to lash out. Seeing Sora behind him, head bowed, clutching his shirt and sobbing, he knew he couldn’t let them off so easily.

“Nothing, huh?” Aoki sneered, glancing at the bun-haired and brunette girls. “And you two didn’t say anything either?”

The brunette kept her head down, silent. The other tried to feign composure. “We just saw an old classmate and wanted to catch up, that’s all…”

“Catch up?” Aoki let out a bitter laugh. How could people be this vile? His eyes narrowed; he was barely restraining himself from striking again.

“Aki… let’s go home…” Sora’s weak voice came from behind, her hand still gripping his shirt.

Aoki turned in disbelief. Seeing Sora’s bowed head, unable to meet his gaze, the surge of pain and fury was almost too much to bear.

“And you think you’re fit to bully her?” Aoki abruptly raised his hand and slapped the bun-haired girl across the face, sending her sprawling.

“He hit her…” whispers rippled through the onlookers, and the girl on the floor wailed in pain, sobbing uncontrollably.

As Aoki saw people pointing and murmuring, he shouted furiously, “All of you, shut the hell up!”

The crowd recoiled; for a moment, no one dared to make a sound. Even the bun-haired girl fell silent.

Aoki glared at the cowering sales assistant nearby, his voice icy. “Did you hear what those three said to my sister just now?”

The assistant’s voice trembled. “I—I heard…”

“Then repeat every word they said, exactly as you heard it.” Aoki, teeth clenched, stared at the three girls huddled on the ground, his expression murderous.