Kazuya threw him to the ground, glanced around, and then picked up his backpack that had been tossed aside. Looking at Yoko, who was tightly holding onto his clothes and trembling, he gently embraced her, "It's okay, Yoko. Don't worry, it's over."
Yoko exerted all her strength to hug him back, nodding amidst sobs. "Thank you, Onisan!"
"Let's go home." Kazuya was ready to leave the scene quickly. Although the security here wasn't great, there were still police around. In case someone reported the brawl, it would be troublesome to get involved with the police.
Yoko nodded forcefully. "Yes, let's go home quickly, Onisan."
She held onto Kazuya and didn't want to let go, feeling safe and reliable for the first time in her life.
The location of the fight wasn't far from the apartment. Kazuya soon returned to the apartment with Yoko. Surprisingly, Yoko showed no intention of going to her own home. Instead, she clung to Kazuya's clothes and followed him into the room. Toratoro happily greeted them, but seeing the tears still on Yoko's face, it became suddenly anxious. He circled around her, sniffing everywhere, expressing a sense of restlessness.
Kazuya had Yoko sit down and went to the bathroom to prepare a wet towel to wipe her face. Her tears had left streaks on her face, and with her attempts to wipe them away, her face looked like that of a calico cat.
Yoko hugged Toratoro, feeling the warmth from it, which eased her anxiety. She then noticed Kazuya's backpack with a large rip on the side. Feeling a bit guilty, she dragged it over and tried to press it back into shape with her hands. Unfortunately, it was of little use. The backpack had served as both a hidden weapon and been kicked many times, and no matter how good its quality was, it couldn't withstand such abuse.
Kazuya came out with the wet towel, shooing Toratoro aside, and carefully wiped Yoko's face. Once it was a bit cleaner, he examined her face. There were marks all over, both cheeks were swollen, and the corners of her mouth were cut. His heart ached, "Yoko, what happened?"
Yoko, who had just finished crying, couldn't hold back her tears again. She lowered her head and sobbed, "I'm sorry, Onisan. I caused you trouble. I'm sorry."
Kazuya gently patted her little head, "It's okay. Big brother is not afraid of trouble."
Many children didn't like to talk to their parents when something happened outside. However, to address the issue properly, he had to ask again, "No matter what happened, it's okay. Big brother will figure it out. Are you willing to tell me?"
Yoko nodded willingly, choking back tears as she nodded. She explained tearfully about the incident where she was bullied by Takekawa and splashed disinfectant on his face the day before.
After finishing, she seemed somewhat embarrassed and anxious. She tightly held onto Kazuya's sleeve, "I didn't mean to provoke them. I've been trying to avoid them. They only came after Toratoro... I'm sorry, Onisan. I really didn't mean for this to happen."
Kazuya quickly reassured her in a gentle voice, "It's okay, Yoko. It's not your fault. They were the ones looking for trouble, and getting disinfectant in their eyes is their own fault." It's not a big problem as long as it's treated in time. Even if it hurts for a couple of days, it's nothing serious.
But another fight might be a different story. Delinquents were like sticky dog excrement. The stench could linger for a long time once you stepped on it. He needed to find a way to deal with this properly.
"But the Kameda family is really tough. What if they come after you, Onisan?" Yoko was still very anxious. She clung to Kazuya's sleeve, not even caring about the pain on her face and expressing her worry.
Kazuya gently patting her hand, "It's just a fight, nothing to worry about. That Kameda family won't bother us. But how much do you know about the Kameda family?"
Yoko replied, "They live at the end of this street. The high school student earlier was Jikawa Kameda, the first son of the family. He has a younger brother named Takekawa Kameda, who used to go to the same elementary school as me. He's the one who wanted to kill Toratoro yesterday. Their dad is Jiro Kameda, very fierce and a heavy gambler. There are their several uncles and brothers living nearby, all troublemakers, good at fighting. Nobody dares to provoke their family around here."
Kameda family is a local bully gang. Kazuya nodded slightly and understand. However, he found it strange that Yoko knew so much. He asked, "Have they caused trouble for your family before?"
Yoko lowered her head and whispered, "Two years ago, I accidentally knocked over their bicycle. They came to my house, demanding compensation for the bike."
"And then?"
"My mom was very angry. She made me kneel down and apologize to them, even slapped me a few times. But the Kameda family was still angry. In the end, we had to pay them some money. Since then, I've been avoiding them and trying not to go out. I didn't expect... I was careful today, taking a different route, but they still caught me nearby. If you hadn't come, he would have forced me to steal money from my mom for him."
Kazuya thought the situation seemed off. "Your mom made you kneel down and apologize? And she slapped you?"
Was Yoko misspeaking?
Yoko dared not lift her head, "I don't have a dad, and my mom doesn't dare to provoke them."
Kazuya was shocked for a moment.Two years ago, Yoko was only seven or eight years old. Thinking about the situation at that time, he felt uncomfortable for her. Being bullied by a group of adults and having her only relative unwilling to protect her, she must have been scared and felt uneasy kneeling there.
He tightened his grip on Yoko's small hand, trying to convey warmth to her. "There won't be such things happening in the future, Yoko. You don't have a dad, but you have a big brother. I will protect you."
Yoko's small hand moved, but she resisted the urge to hold back. "I don't want to cause trouble for you, Onisan. You have a bright future ahead..."
Kazuya spoke softly, "Living is a continuous process of facing troubles, Yoko. It doesn't matter with others. Either you act like a turtle and ignore everything happening around you, letting others trample on you and scold you when troubles come. Or you sharpen your claws and teeth in peacetime. When someone dares to cause you trouble, you bite them hard, making them think twice before bothering you again."
Yoko didn't fully comprehend and was still immersed in self-blame. Kazuya hugged her and patting her back to comfort her, "Yoko, don't think too much. You're still young without the ability to protect yourself. So, your big brother will protect you for now. When you grow up, you'll have to rely on yourself. You know?"
Yoko looked up at Kazuya's face, seeing his serious and tender smile. Feeling the warmth in his words and the indulgence in his expression, her nose became even more sore. She quickly lowered her head, letting her tears wet Kazuya's clothes. "Thank you, Onisan! I'm sorry, Onisan!"
Kazuya gently embraced her thin shoulders and let her cry quietly. After a while, he supported her shoulders. "Alright, stay at home for a while. I'll go out and buy some medicine for your face."
Yoko grabbed his hand and refused to let go. "No need, Onisan. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Kazuya rubbed her small head and said with a smile, "It's better to apply some medicine. I don't want your face to swell up tomorrow."
Although he had a skill called [Medicine], it was only at level 2 and he hadn't really delved into it. It was slightly better than a Mongolian doctor but still far from the expert level at level 6. He also had an avaliable skill called "Four Diagnosis", which could only assess injuries and illnesses, prescribe herbs, but now he had neither tools nor herbs. Therefore, he needed to go out and buy some medicine.
As he was about to get up, he heard Toratoro suddenly barking wildly at the door. As long as Yoko was here, he would leave the door slightly open to avoid suspicion and to prevent Yoko from getting scared. Toratoro was usually very obedient, seemingly aware that Kazuya didn't like noise. Even when it farted, it tried to hold it in, afraid of being kicked out if it made a sound. This kind of situation was very rare. Kazuya walked to the door and Yoko followed closely behind fearfully.
As they stepped out, they saw a middle-aged man with a face full of flesh standing at the corridor. His shirt was wide open, revealing dark chest hair. Behind him was a vague voice calling out, "Dad, it's here. That brat and that whore are neighbors. Both of them are in!"