I'm Just an Ordinary Bystander

Sato Hayato clutched his head as three girls crowded around him, kicking and beating him.

In truth, if the two sides had actually fought, then even if Sato Hayato was weak and meek, the three girls wouldn't have been able to beat him so easily, since he was a boy.

Unfortunately, Sato Hayato didn't dare hit girls, or even risk earning a bad reputation for fighting with them. If word got out, he wouldn't be able to stay at school.

So he could only lie there and take the beating, hoping that after the girls had vented their anger, they wouldn't bully Asaka anymore.

"You... stop it! Don't hit him!"

Asaka Akie hurried over to pull the three girls apart. "Junko-chan, stop!"

The short-haired girl, Watanabe Junko, shoved Asaka Akie to the ground with one hand and sneered. "Asaka, we haven't settled things with you yet."

As she spoke, she raised her foot and kicked at Asaka Akie.

Asaka Akie instinctively covered her head with both hands, but the pain never came. Instead, she heard a loud, crisp smack.

"Smack!"

Watanabe Junko clutched her butt and let out a piercing shriek. "Aah—!"

She stumbled forward a couple of steps before turning around to glare at the person who'd hit her from behind.

The other two girls stopped and looked over, too. They saw an unfamiliar boy holding a tree branch.

Watanabe Junko felt a burning pain in her buttocks. She was sure the skin had been scraped raw.

Her eyes reddened with rage, and she gritted her teeth. "Who the hell are you?"

Fang Cheng pointed the branch at the three of them and declared righteously, "I'm just an ordinary bystander. I can't stand scum like you, ganging up on people. If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one."

Asaka Akie looked up in surprise. "Fang-kun?"

Well, thanks to his clueless teammate blurting that out, Watanabe Junko and the other two immediately realized that this was another boy sticking up for her.

Watanabe Junko was furious. She rushed at Fang Cheng, trying to grapple with him, and the other two girls did the same.

Fang Cheng dodged their grabbing hands with ease, swinging the branch like an electric fan. It kept landing on their butts, thighs, and arms.

Amid a flurry of sharp smacks, Fang Cheng chased the three girls around like ducks, sending them hopping and squawking.

Watanabe Junko chased Fang Cheng in a fit of rage, but not only did she fail to catch him, he left her thighs covered in red welts.

The angrier and more frantic she got, the more tears filled her eyes. At last, she dropped onto her butt and burst into tears, completely breaking down.

"Waaah... you jerk... waaah... stop running..."

The other two girls glared at Fang Cheng as they wiped their eyes.

Sato Hayato had already gotten back to his feet. Seeing them, he couldn't help feeling sorry for them. "Fang-kun..."

Fang Cheng smiled at him. "Want to plead for them? Buy me lunch, and I'll let them off."

Sato Hayato hesitated, mostly because he was afraid Asaka Akie would misunderstand. But seeing the three girls in tears softened his heart.

He glanced at Asaka Akie and saw that she looked just as reluctant. Sato Hayato nodded. "All right."

Only then did Fang Cheng stop. He turned to the three girls. "Now tell me. Why were you bullying Asaka?"

Watanabe Junko shouted through her tears, "Who was bullying her... waaah... She was the one who hit me yesterday... I was just trying to get revenge..."

"Impossible!"

Before Fang Cheng could answer, Sato Hayato shouted in agitation, "Asaka is so gentle. There's no way she'd hit anyone. Don't slander her!"

Watanabe Junko shouted back at Sato Hayato, "Then ask her yourself!"

Fang Cheng looked toward Asaka Akie. Her face was pale, and she held her hands together, her eyes darting around. "It wasn't me... I didn't... I didn't get into a fight..."

Sato Hayato immediately said, "See? Asaka says she didn't."

Watanabe Junko angrily cursed at Asaka Akie. "Asaka, you shameless liar! You did it, but you won't admit it. Lots of people saw you hit me yesterday."

"It wasn't me! You've got the wrong person!"

Asaka Akie answered in a panicked voice, then covered her head with her hands, turned around, and ran away.

"Asaka?!"

Sato Hayato called after her and tried to chase, but Fang Cheng grabbed him.

Fang Cheng put the tree branch in his hands and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll leave these three girls to you. Remember to buy me lunch."

"Huh?"

Sato Hayato looked completely dumbfounded. By the time he came to his senses, Fang Cheng was already far away.

He slowly turned around and saw the three girls glaring at him with eyes blazing like fire.

"Fang-kun, wait for me!"

Sato Hayato was so frightened that he dropped the branch and ran after Fang Cheng.

When Fang Cheng returned to the classroom, Asaka Akie was nowhere to be seen. He noticed that the schoolbag on her desk was gone, too.

Asaka Akie didn't show up for any of her afternoon classes. She'd probably left school early.

The way she'd looked when Watanabe Junko accused her at noon had practically been a confession.

Still, Fang Cheng found it hard to believe that Asaka Akie would get into a fight, let alone start one.

Maybe she had her reasons. Even the mildest person could be terrifying when they finally lost their temper.

As Fang Cheng was getting ready to leave after school, Sato Hayato came over to him, looking worried. "Fang-kun, Asaka hasn't shown up all afternoon. Do you think something happened to her?"

Fang Cheng took out his phone and called Asaka Akie, putting the call on speaker as well.

She answered almost immediately.

"Asaka, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Fang-kun. And thanks for your help at noon."

"No problem."

"And Sato, if you get the chance, please thank him for me."

Hearing Asaka Akie's words, Sato Hayato was so excited that his face turned red.

Fang Cheng grinned. "Sato's right here in front of me, dancing with joy like a rutting gorilla..."

Sato Hayato sprang forward and covered Fang Cheng's mouth, pleading with him.

"Hm? What's wrong with Sato?"

"Nothing. He wants to discuss the plot of some dirty comics with me. Anyway, goodbye."

Fang Cheng didn't ask what had happened at noon, just as Asaka Akie hadn't asked why he'd skipped school.

When Fang Cheng ended the call, Sato Hayato breathed a sigh of relief. If he was going to confess his feelings, he wanted to do it himself, not have someone else say it for him.

"Fang-kun!"

Sato Hayato said earnestly, "Let's investigate what happened to Asaka yesterday!"

Fang Cheng picked up his schoolbag. "You go ahead. Good luck."

Sato Hayato stared at him in surprise. "Isn't Asaka your friend? Don't you care what happened to her yesterday?"

"I care a lot."

Fang Cheng patted Sato Hayato on the shoulder. "But my family's poor, and I have to work to get by. Otherwise, I'll starve to death. I really don't have time for anything else, so I can only entrust this arduous and glorious mission to you. Don't let me down."

Sato Hayato looked determined. "Don't worry, Fang-kun. I'll uncover the truth. I won't let you down."

"Go on, then. May fortune favor you and victory be yours."

After sending Sato Hayato on his way, Fang Cheng finally left school at an unhurried pace.

If Asaka Akie asked him for help, Fang Cheng might lend her a hand. Or if something happened right in front of him, like at noon, he'd help out without a second thought.

Apart from that, Fang Cheng really had no interest in sticking his nose into trouble.

Given his circumstances, he wasn't keen on getting too involved with ordinary people, either. If something happened, it would only end up hurting them and him.

Mostly, he didn't want anyone holding him back, or some melodramatic situation where a friend got kidnapped or threatened.

As long as he was still part of the orphanage, he was invincible when it came to emotional attachments.

After leaving the school gates, Fang Cheng headed toward the subway station, wondering what he should eat that evening.

A pretty high school girl suddenly leaped out from around the corner.

"Hey, fancy seeing you again."