Encounter

"Don't! Help!!"

Hearing a woman crying for help from the direction of the nearby parking lot, Wu Yufei immediately rushed over without hesitation.

The moment he charged into the parking lot, Wu Yufei collided head-on with a petty thief running out while clutching a small bag.

But who was Wu Yufei? He was a burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall! The little thief before him was under 170 centimeters and skinny to boot. How could he possibly knock Wu Yufei over?

"Ugh!!"

With a miserable cry, the thief was sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

"You dared rob someone right in front of me? You've got some nerve!"

Wu Yufei looked down at the fallen thief and said disdainfully.

"Hmph! Where did this little brat come from? If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

The thief came to his senses and, seeing Wu Yufei still dressed in a high school uniform, immediately found his courage.

"And what if I don't?"

Wu Yufei shot back.

"You're asking for it!!"

The thief flew into a rage. No one knew what had gone wrong in his head, but he actually raised his fist and swung it straight at Wu Yufei.

"You're the one asking for it!"

Wu Yufei did not even bother dodging. He lifted his leg and kicked the thief back into Mother Earth's embrace.

"Ugh!"

The thief screamed again as he collapsed to the ground.

"You brought this on yourself!"

The next moment, the thief pulled a fruit knife from his waistband and viciously stabbed it toward Wu Yufei.

"Hmph!"

With such an overwhelming advantage in strength, Wu Yufei was not afraid of a mere little knife. Even if the thief had been carrying a machete, Wu Yufei would not have been the least bit frightened.

The next instant, Wu Yufei launched another flying kick, knocking the fruit knife from the thief's hand. He followed it up with a flurry of kicks that sent the thief flying again, leaving him sprawled on the ground groaning for ages without recovering.

"Are you okay?"

Picking up the small bag that had fallen near his feet, Wu Yufei walked over to the frightened girl lying on the ground and comforted her.

"Mm... thank you..."

Only then did the girl wipe away her tears and take her bag from Wu Yufei.

"Junko?! Are you all right?"

The next moment, a voice Wu Yufei knew quite well rang out behind him.

That voice...

Wu Yufei turned toward the sound and saw one of his basketball teammates.

Naito Tetsuya!!

"Iron?!"

"Yufei?!"

The two pointed at each other and cried out at the same time.

Afterward, the thief, Wu Yufei, Junko, and Tetsuya were all taken to the police station by officers who had arrived on bicycles. After Wu Yufei and Junko gave brief statements, they were released.

At a coffee shop, Wu Yufei, Naito Tetsuya, and Naito Junko happily chatted over coffee.

That was right, the girl's name was Naito Junko, and she was Naito Tetsuya's biological younger sister.

When Wu Yufei learned the truth, his jaw had nearly hit the floor.

For a moment, he wondered whether Naito's father had two wives, but the answer was that Naito Tetsuya and Naito Junko really were full siblings, born to the same father and mother.

Heh, DNA really was a miraculous thing.

No matter how hard Wu Yufei tried, he could not bring himself to imagine the two people before him as siblings.

After all, one was huge and burly, nearly two meters tall, with solid, mountain-like muscles and bulging veins, his skin tanned bronze from years of exercising under the sun.

The other had fair skin, a petite and adorable figure, exquisitely delicate features, and two incredibly cute dimples whenever she smiled.

How could these two possibly be siblings?! Just how had Naito Tetsuya's father managed that?

Though Wu Yufei found it impossible to believe, facts were facts.

What had happened earlier was roughly this: after the siblings finished shopping at the mall, Naito Tetsuya went to retrieve the things they had stored in a locker, while Junko came out first and happened to run into the robbery.

That thief really had to be desperate. Junko was only a high school girl; what valuable things could she possibly have in her bag?

"Yufei, thank you so much for earlier."

The terror Junko had shown during the robbery was gone from her face, replaced by a remarkably sweet smile.

Then again, with two big men protecting her now, what was there left to fear?

Wu Yufei smiled, raised his cup, and clinked it against Junko's.

Through chatting with Tetsuya and Junko, Wu Yufei also learned much more about Naito Junko.

It turned out that not long after school had started, Junko had caught the flu and been forced to rest at home. That rest had lasted half a month, and she had only fully recovered yesterday.

So, in order to lift his sister's spirits and let her return to school tomorrow in a relaxed mood, Naito Tetsuya had brought Junko out to browse the mall.

"Ehh~~, then whose basketball skills are better, Iron Brother's or Yufei's?"

Huh?!

Hearing Junko's question, both men's eyes widened instantly.

"Mine, of course!!" X2

The next moment, Wu Yufei and Naito Tetsuya spoke at the same time.

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Wu Yufei narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Iron, lying is a bad habit, especially in front of your own little sister."

"Heh, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Naito Tetsuya was incredibly stubborn. It seemed he was unwilling to admit in front of his sister that he was less skilled than Wu Yufei.

"Junko, that question is completely unnecessary. Just looking at the most obvious difference between him and me, you should be able to tell who's stronger, right?"

Naito immediately resorted to the physique argument. After all, he was indeed taller and more muscular than Wu Yufei, with greater impact behind him.

"Mm... what you said makes sense too, Iron Brother, but I still feel like Yufei is probably better."

Junko puffed out her cheeks, making it clear that she did not believe her brother.

That was an incredibly accurate judgment!

Wu Yufei nodded approvingly.

"Since little Junko can return to school starting tomorrow, why not come visit our basketball gym? Then wouldn't it be obvious at a glance who's better?"

"Really!?"

Naito Junko asked excitedly, "Can I really visit the basketball gym?"

"Of course. As long as you don't interfere with the team's normal training, the coach won't say anything if you watch from the sidelines or the stands. Besides, if a girl comes to watch, those guys might play even harder."

"You bastard, what do you take someone else's little sister for?!"

Naito Tetsuya was extremely dissatisfied, but Junko beside him nodded excitedly.

"Then it's settled! Tomorrow afternoon after school, I'll go to the basketball gym to watch Iron Brother and Yufei play!"

"You're welcome anytime."

The three of them sat in the coffee shop chatting for another hour.

"Ah!! Little Junko, I just remembered something very important I need to discuss with Iron. Wait for us by the entrance."

Without waiting for Naito Junko to reply, Wu Yufei threw an arm around Naito Tetsuya and turned to walk back into the coffee shop. They went all the way to the restroom.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? You're just leaving Junko alone by the entrance? What if some dangerous guy sets his sights on her again?"

Naito Tetsuya shook off Wu Yufei's hand and turned to leave, but Wu Yufei blocked his path.

"Relax, this is a coffee shop. It's brightly lit. What blind idiot would do anything dangerous to little Junko right outside the store? More importantly, I have a very important question for you!"

Seeing the determined look in Wu Yufei's eyes, Naito Tetsuya finally settled down.

"Go on. What is it?"

"Um... does little Junko have a boyfriend?"