On the street, Chu Mu held Kafka's hand as they stood behind the boy.
What had happened to this boy reminded him of his former self.
Back then, the children of Rivet Town had often bullied him, showing up at his door to beat him.
At first, he too had thought of swallowing his anger, keeping things from escalating, and not troubling anyone else.
But later, when he drove that pencil into the other boy's flesh and heard his shrill, animal-like howl, everything suddenly became clear to Chu Mu-
You're already bullying me, so why should I keep cowering and worrying about the consequences?
Shouldn't you bullies be the ones worrying about the consequences?
There are more of you, and you're stronger than me, but each of you only has one life.
What a coincidence. I've only got one life too.
You cherish yours. I'm willing to throw mine away.
Once there's no hesitation left in my heart, will you still dare to fight me?
Throw one punch to keep a hundred more from coming! Put yourself on death's doorstep to find a way to live!
And now, Arlan was clearly trapped in the same mindset Chu Mu had once had, missing that one moment of realization.
In terms of fighting skills, Arlan was far better than Chu Mu had been back then. He should never have ended up in such a sorry state.
Sure enough, Arlan's eyes dimmed as he said:
"They're street kids too. They're all unfortunate."
"And you aren't?" Chu Mu asked bluntly.
"I..." Arlan opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't get a complete sentence out.
That's right. We're all unfortunate, so why do they still bully me? I look out for them, but which of them looks out for me?
A faint understanding