When Arashi saw the adult charging toward him, he already understood the man's weakness—he was relying only on brute strength. True strength, Arashi thought, was the kind that used both the body and the mind.

  Arashi quickly signaled the girls to step aside by moving his hand backward, giving them time to clear the way so he could dodge freely. They caught on to his signal and moved out of the way. Seizing the opportunity, Arashi suddenly darted to the side. The adult, not expecting such a move, stumbled forward and crashed to the ground.

  Furious, the man scrambled back to his feet, but by then Arashi had already gained the advantage. He snatched up a bucket lying nearby. A thought struck him: Whenever something is thrown at a person, their eyes instinctively close. Now, it was time to use that to his benefit.

  He hurled the bucket straight at the man. As expected, the adult squeezed his eyes shut. In that brief moment, Arashi closed in and smmed a punch into the man's stomach. Before the adult could recover, Arashi followed up with a sharp strike to his jaw. The impact rattled him, and the man colpsed to the floor, groaning in pain.

  Arashi felt a rush of triumph—it was the first real fight of his life, and he was actually doing well. But he had no time to celebrate. His eyes shifted toward the three other boys, who were now charging straight at him.

  Seeing the three boys charging toward him, Arashi's nerves spiked. His breath quickened—he was alone, outnumbered three to one. For a brief second, panic cwed at him. What can I do against all three?

  Then his mind sharpened. He didn't need to beat them all at once—he just needed to control the fight. Quickly, Arashi formed a pn: take advantage of their reckless charge, use their momentum against them, and strike before they could surround him.

  The first boy lunged forward, swinging wildly. Arashi stepped aside at the st second, grabbed the boy's arm, and used his own rush to yank him off bance. With a sharp shove, the boy stumbled forward and crashed face-first onto the ground.

  The second boy was already upon him, fists flying. Arashi ducked under the first punch, twisted, and smmed his elbow hard into the boy's stomach. The breath rushed out of him in a loud gasp. Arashi didn't stop—he pivoted and drove a knee into the boy's chest, sending him sprawling onto his back, coughing and wheezing.

  But the third one was faster, smarter. Before Arashi could reset his stance, a heavy fist smmed into his side, knocking the air from his lungs. Pain seared through his ribs as he stumbled and fell to the ground.

  The boy wasted no time. He kicked Arashi in the side, again and again, each strike thudding with brutal force.

  "Where's all that bravery now, huh?" the boy sneered between kicks. "Thought you could py hero? Look at you—pathetic, rolling in the dirt. You should've stayed out of our way!"

  Arashi gritted his teeth, curling his body and using his arms to shield his stomach, ribs, and head—the sensitive spots that could cripple him if struck directly. Each kick hurt, but he refused to give the boy the satisfaction of seeing him broken.

  His arms ached, his body trembled under the blows, but deep inside, a fire kept him going. I can't lose here… I've come this far.

  The boy kept kicking Arashi mercilessly, but then—Arashi's hand shot out. He grabbed the boy's leg mid-kick and yanked it hard toward himself. The boy's bance shattered, and he toppled to the ground with a heavy thud.

  Arashi scrambled to his feet, fury burning in his chest. He pulled his fist back, ready to sm it into the boy's face—

  —but before the punch could nd, a strong grip cmped around his wrist. The boy he had knocked out earlier had recovered, and now he was holding Arashi back. At the same time, the second boy had also gotten back up. Together, they seized Arashi by the arms, dragging him across the ground.

  Arashi struggled, twisting and pulling, but one of them locked his arms tight, pinning him in pce. He couldn't move, couldn't fight back.

  The other two snickered cruelly."Keep him held down," one of them said coldly. "Make sure he doesn't run. Until then…" His eyes flicked toward the girls. "We'll have our fun with these cute ones."

  Arashi's blood boiled. His chest heaved with rage as the boys started walking toward the girls. He thrashed violently, trying to break free, but their grip held firm. His heart pounded when he saw one of them grab Lyanna's wrist roughly.

  Something inside him snapped. With a raw growl, Arashi sank his teeth deep into the arm of the boy restraining him. The startled scream made the grip loosen for just a moment—and that was all Arashi needed.

  He tore free and charged forward at full speed, eyes bzing with fury. Closing the distance in an instant, he unleashed a devastating punch straight into the jaw of the boy who had grabbed Lyanna. The impact was so strong it rattled through his arm, sending the boy crashing back.

  But before Arashi could follow up, another kick smmed into his side, forcing him to stumble back. The attacker raised his leg again, ready to strike a finishing blow—

  When suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed his leg mid-swing.

  Ren stood there, his eyes burning with anger. "That's enough," he growled, holding the boy in pce.

  Ren's grip tightened on the boy's leg as he gred at him. "You y a single finger on them again," he snarled, "and I'll break you."

  Arashi's chest heaved, relief and determination flooding him as Ren arrived. He wiped the blood from his lip and stood tall beside his cousin.

  The two boys facing them froze, hesitation fshing across their faces. But pride wouldn't let them back down. They charged forward together, fists raised.

  "Ren, left side!" Arashi barked quickly.

  Ren smirked. "Got it."

  The first attacker swung wildly at Ren, but Ren ducked low, ramming his shoulder into the boy's stomach and flipping him hard onto the ground. Without missing a beat, he stomped on the boy's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

  Meanwhile, the second boy aimed a punch straight at Arashi's face—but Arashi sidestepped smoothly, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back. With a sharp shove, he sent the boy sprawling.

  Both cousins moved in sync now, their eyes locked on the st boy still standing—the one who had been kicking Arashi earlier. His face paled as he stumbled back. "Tch… damn it…"

  Arashi stepped forward, his voice cold. "You should've walked away when you had the chance."

  Ren cracked his knuckles. "Now, you're stuck with both of us."

  The boy tried to throw a desperate punch, but Arashi blocked it cleanly. Ren followed up immediately with a powerful kick to his ribs, sending him staggering sideways—straight into Arashi's waiting fist. Arashi's punch nded square on his jaw, snapping his head back and sending him crashing to the ground, completely beaten.

  The street fell quiet. The three boys y groaning, defeated.

  Breathing heavily, Arashi and Ren took a long breath of relief.

  "Let’s go," Ren muttered, brushing the dust off his shirt. "Before these guys wake up again."

  The girls hurried over to them, smiles of pure relief on their faces.

  "Thank you for saving us!" All of them said brightly.

  "Ren, we already knew you could fight… but Arashi, since when did you become such a good fighter?" Aurelia asked.

  As they started walking together, Arashi scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "You probably won’t believe me, but… this was my very first fight. I’ve never fought anyone before, and I didn’t even want to. But they attacked before I could say anything."

  "What? Your first fight?" Era’s eyes widened. "That’s unbelievable—you were amazing out there! I still can’t believe it."

  Arashi gave a small ugh. "Well, if Ren hadn’t shown up when he did, things wouldn’t have ended like this. He deserves some credit too."

  Ren waved him off. "Forget it. But really, you guys should’ve called me earlier. I would’ve come right away. You didn’t even bother." He said to girls.

  Arashi shook his head. "If they had called you, the boys attention would’ve shifted toward the girls. So they actually did the right thing by not yelling for help."

  Ren shot him a gre. "Yeah, yeah… keep acting all clever. Anyway—are you hurt badly?"

  "Not too much," Arashi replied. "I’ll recover in a few days. Honestly, I never thought I’d end up in a situation like this."

  Before anyone could say more, Aurelia, walking behind them, piped up with a pyful grin. "How about we all py Truth or Dare tonight? I want to know more about everyone… especially you, Arashi. You’re such a mystery."

  The group exchanged amused gnces, the tension of the fight finally melting into ughter.

  said brightly. "Ren, we already knew you could fight… but Arashi, since when did you become such a good fighter?"

  As they started walking together, Arashi scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "You probably won't believe me, but… this was my very first fight. I've never fought anyone before, and I didn't even want to. But they attacked before I could say anything."

  "What? Your first fight?" Era's eyes widened. "That's unbelievable—you were amazing out there! I still can't believe it."

  Arashi gave a small ugh. "Well, if Ren hadn't shown up when he did, things wouldn't have ended like this. He deserves some credit too."

  Ren waved him off. "Forget it. But really, you guys should've called me earlier. I would've come right away. You didn't even bother."

  Arashi shook his head. "If we had called you, their attention would've shifted toward the girls. So they actually did the right thing by not yelling for help."

  Ren shot him a gre. "Yeah, yeah… keep acting all clever. Anyway—are you hurt badly?"

  "Not too much," Arashi replied. "I'll recover in a few days. Honestly, I never thought I'd end up in a situation like this."

  Before anyone could say more, Seraphine, walking behind them, with a pyful grin. "How about we all py Truth or Dare tonight? I want to know more about everyone… especially you, Arashi. You're such a mystery."

  The group exchanged gnces and, with a few ughs, agreed—"Alright then, tonight we’ll py".