Chapter 54: A Promise Never Lies

After the clerk recounted everything that had happened, Aoki Tsukasa felt a chill run through his entire body.

How could the world be like this?

Why would girls, who should be blossoming in the prime of their youth, be so malicious?

Do they not understand how deeply their words can wound?

Looking at the three girls sitting on the floor, silently weeping as if they were the victims, Aoki Tsukasa’s tone was icy: “Is this how you catch up with old classmates? Huh?”

“I was wrong, we were wrong, we won’t dare do it again…” the long-haired girl sobbed, apologizing.

“Just because someone dresses better than you, she must be selling herself?”

Aoki Tsukasa’s voice grew louder.

“Because she’s been bullied so much by garbage like you that she’s afraid to speak, you call her a mute?”

“Because she’s kind, she becomes a target who never talks back or fights back?”

The more Aoki Tsukasa spoke, the angrier he became, his finger trembling as he pointed at the three girls. “Fine…”

“You like bullying people, don’t you? You think you’re better than others, so you can trample them as you please?” He stared at the three girls, emphasizing each word: “Now, get on your knees and apologize to Sora.”

“If you don’t apologize, I’ll make sure you know exactly what it feels like to be bullied, to be tormented. Do you understand me?” Aoki Tsukasa glared at them, leaving no room for negotiation.

The three girls glanced at one another, then looked pleadingly at the crowd that had gathered around, but all they saw were countless excited eyes and phones held high, with some even cheering for Aoki Tsukasa.

Resigned, they slowly turned to Sora, knelt on the ground, and whispered, “We’re sorry. We were wrong.”

“Are you all mute?” Aoki Tsukasa mimicked the store clerk’s account, squatting down and putting his ear close to the bun-haired girl’s face. “Hey, is that as loud as your voice gets?”

“S-sorry! We were wrong!” The three girls wailed, crying uncontrollably.

Aoki Tsukasa merely cast a cold glance at them.

“Sora…” He turned back, looking at the girl who was already sobbing uncontrollably. With a sigh, his once icy expression softened into a gentle smile, and he placed his hand gently atop her head. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore… From now on, I’ll always be here. I promised you, I’ll protect you. Why didn’t you call out my name just now, silly…”

Sora leaned forward, suddenly burying her head in Aoki Tsukasa’s chest, clinging to him tightly as she wept aloud. “Tsukasa… Tsukasa…”

He could feel how frail her small body was in his arms, how piercing her cries sounded. He sighed, holding her even tighter, gently caressing her long silver hair, softly rubbing her back. Through her slender frame, Aoki Tsukasa could almost feel the faint heartbeat fluttering beneath his palm.

Holding Sora close, Aoki Tsukasa turned to look at the three girls still kneeling and crying where they were, his voice colder than ever. “You’d better remember what happened today. Burn it into your memory; remember it for the rest of your lives.”

“And the next time you even think about bullying someone, just remember this face.” He stared into their terrified eyes, speaking slowly and clearly. “If I ever see it happen again—”

“Remember, just once.” His eyes widened, fierce and intense. “I’ll show you what real bullying is. Got it?”

The three girls nodded frantically, wiping away tears. “We understand.”

“If you want revenge, or whatever else, come for me.” His face was icy. “Go back and tell everyone who bullied Sora with you: don’t let me ever find out you dare touch her again. I don’t care about what’s happened before, but from now on, you remember this—she has a brother. His name is Aoki Tsukasa.”

“Don’t forget—Aoki Tsukasa of Muyang High School!” His gaze was sharp and unyielding.

The three girls nodded through their tears. “We won’t forget.”

“Get lost.” Aoki Tsukasa spat the words coldly, unwilling to waste another moment on them.

The girls staggered to their feet, covered their faces, and ran off.

Aoki Tsukasa looked down at Sora, who was still crying in his arms, and sighed. “Sora, they’re gone now…”

She continued to weep, as if trying to pour out all the tears she’d held back for years.

Staring at the crowd around them, with their phones still raised, Aoki Tsukasa’s expression was glacial. “When she needed help, all you did was stand by and film. Was there not a single one of you who could speak up for her when she needed it? What more do you want to record? Huh? Can’t any of you turn your phones on yourselves and see whether there’s any light or warmth left in your hearts?”

His furious questions made the bystanders lower their phones in unison. No one dared to talk back to this fierce youth; under his glare, the crowd quietly dispersed in small groups, though their whispered discussions could not be entirely silenced, only hushed.

“What’s he so mad about… He looks like a delinquent anyway…”

“Don’t be fooled by his righteous act—who knows how many people he bullies behind the scenes.”

“Exactly… He doesn’t look like a good person at all…”

Those mutterings inevitably reached Aoki Tsukasa’s ears.

He felt chilled by the coldness of reality.

And he refused to blend in with it.

Perhaps, for his whole life, he’d never become a beacon, lighting the way for others.

Perhaps he’d never be a hero, saving people in their hour of need.

But what he could do was protect the ones he loved, with his own fists, his teeth, giving those dear to him a world that was bright and safe—as long as he lived, he would do just that.

He couldn’t write essays that woke the world, nor sing songs that moved hearts. All he had were increasingly heavy fists, and a body that could take more and more blows.

A delinquent?

Hell yes, he’d be a delinquent—a delinquent who only beat up scum!

He didn’t care if others accepted him, or how they judged him. Living with no regrets—that was enough.

For the first time, Aoki Tsukasa felt so certain about his life’s purpose, and for the first time, he truly and openly accepted the label of “delinquent.”

A passion he’d never known before burned hotter and hotter within him, fueled by the sound of Sora’s heart-wrenching cries in his arms.

“Sora, don’t be afraid anymore… from now on, there’s nothing to fear…” He rested his chin gently atop her small head, closed his eyes, and softly patted her back.

Only when Sora finally stopped crying, her sobs reduced to silent trembling, did Aoki Tsukasa reach out, wipe the tears from her face, and gaze gently into her reddened eyes, smiling softly. “Are you still afraid?”

Sora looked at him, her crying slowly fading. She wiped her own tears, met his eyes, and replied in a hoarse voice, “I’m not afraid anymore…”

“Tsukasa…” she lifted her head, her red eyes full of longing. “Will you ever hate me, like they do?”

“Never,” Aoki Tsukasa answered with absolute certainty.

On Sora’s usually cold face, tears still fresh, a teardrop slid down her delicate nose to the corner of her mouth. Her lips trembled, and finally, all the words she wanted to say condensed into a radiant smile she had never shown before. “Thank you, Tsukasa… thank you.”

“Silly… You don’t ever need to thank me.” He held her, watching as she smiled blissfully through her tears, and smiled in contentment himself. “I promised, I’d protect you for a lifetime.”

“I, Aoki Tsukasa, have never lied about a promise.”

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PS: These days, I’ve been updating once after midnight, and once at noon. Also, asking for your votes—love you all~