Wounded, Airi's Heart Aches, Not a Loss, Airi Will Feed You Personally Tonight.

So this is what it feels like to be cut by a blade? It really hurts.

Chang Yuan's hands trembled slightly, but he still didn't let go.

"Brother Chang Yuan!"

Seeing Chang Yuan's hands stained red with blood, Airi cried out in alarm.

She immediately prepared to pick up a rock and throw it at them.

But facing so many people, what good could a small rock do?

However, this wasn't a dead end.

Chang Yuan looked at these people and then shouted loudly, "Qianjie, are you going to remain ignorant forever? These people won't thank you at all, nor do they consider you family. They're just using you as a blood bag."

As Chang Yuan finished speaking, the figure tied to a rack at the back moved.

Clang—!

The rack was violently dismantled by the figure, and he casually pulled out the wooden stakes piercing his body with his bare hands.

"Kid, how do you know my name?"

"We'll talk about that later. Save us first!"

"Hmph, if you don't give me a satisfactory answer later, you'll be sorry."

Qianjie snorted coldly, then flashed forward. All the villagers who had surrounded them fell to the ground, one by one.

However, since Qianjie didn't want to harm them, they only fell into a deep coma. At most, some might have broken a few bones.

"Kid, talk now, or your fate will be the same as theirs."

After finishing everything, Qianjie approached Chang Yuan, ignoring his own injuries.

Chang Yuan's hands were still bleeding slowly. Seeing this, Airi quickly took out a small medical kit from her backpack.

First, she injected Chang Yuan with antibiotics to prevent infection from the rusty weapons, then disinfected the wounds with hydrogen peroxide, and finally, Airi wrapped Chang Yuan's hands with bandages, layer by layer.

"Because I know you. You're not as fierce as your tone and appearance suggest. You just want a place to call home. Because you're not from this world, you're lost and want to find a sense of belonging."

"..."

After hearing Chang Yuan's words, Qianjie fell silent.

These were things he had never told anyone, nor would he ever tell any outsider.

But precisely because of this, he became even more curious about how Chang Yuan knew.

"How did you know?"

"It's inconvenient to tell you right now. But we will definitely meet again in the future. When that time comes, I'll tell you everything, as repayment for saving our lives."

"..."

Qianjie didn't say anything else upon hearing this. He crossed his arms, turned, and prepared to leave.

However, Airi called out to him at this moment.

"Uncle, do you need me to help you tie a bandage to stop the bleeding and disinfect it?"

"No need."

"Okay, coming right up."

Completely ignoring Qianjie's refusal, Airi took the bandage and began to tie it around him.

When she finished, she even tied a bow.

Seeing this, Chang Yuan almost burst out laughing.

If not for the fear of Qianjie's fiery fists smashing down on his head, Chang Yuan would have definitely burst out laughing.

A tough-looking Qianjie with a bandage tied in a bow, oh, it was too hilarious.

After Airi forcefully tied the bandage to stop his bleeding, Qianjie quickened his pace to leave.

This little girl was too enthusiastic; he couldn't handle it.

"Brother Chang Yuan, don't do anything so dangerous next time. Did you ever think about what would happen if you hadn't caught me just now? You would have been in grave danger."

"But if I hadn't done that, wouldn't you have been the one to get hurt? I promised to protect you. I won't go back on my word."

Chang Yuan said with a chuckle.

If it were the future Airi, perhaps she wouldn't need his protection.

But the current Airi hadn't even encountered the Honkai yet; she was no different from an ordinary person.

Perhaps only after encountering a sufficiently concentrated Honkai energy in the future would Airi's hidden power be activated.

At that time, she would become humanity's strongest fighting force. At least until the appearance of Fusion Fighters, she would always be the strongest.

But for now, Airi was still an ordinary girl who needed his protection.

"You're such an idiot. I could have dodged it back then."

"But what if? I never want to gamble on those vague possibilities." Unless it's absolutely necessary to gamble, to gamble that you can survive.

Chang Yuan naturally didn't say the latter part of his sentence.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. Looks like I'll have to feed you for the next few days, but what's with that uncle? Why do you know him?"

"...That's my secret, but I'll definitely tell you in the future. But please let me keep it a secret for now, okay?"

"Mmm, alright. After all, who doesn't have a little secret? Chang Yuan Ge won't hurt me anyway."

Hearing this, Airi didn't pry any further.

Night...

"Ah, open wide."

"Ah~"

Seeing Chang Yuan open his mouth, Airi blew on the food to cool it before feeding it to him.

"Mmm mmm~, Airi, your cooking has improved again."

"Yes, yes, how could it not improve? I really don't understand you, making me, a girl 4 years younger than you, cook. Be careful, you might not find a girlfriend in the future."

"Heh heh, I can't help it. I don't have any talent, it all depends on you, Airi."

Chang Yuan shrugged helplessly.

He had absolutely no talent for cooking. If he had any talent, he wouldn't have been ordering takeout every day before he transmigrated.

After all, the money for one takeout order was enough for him to cook for two days.

"So, it wasn't you taking care of me along the way, but me taking care of you."

"Uh-huh, let's just say that. Continue."

"Yes, yes, yes. Ah, open wide."

"You don't have to say it like that. I can open my own mouth, I'm not a child."

"Only children say they aren't children."

"Compared to me, you're more like a child."

"Nyah nyah nyah, needing a child younger than yourself to feed you. Chang Yuan Ge, you're the child now, hehe."

One year later...

"Is this Schicksal? It really has a different style from other places."

Looking at the brightly lit houses and the corridors, Airi immediately felt the atmosphere of the New Year.

And the time they arrived here was precisely the New Year in Schicksal.

"Yeah, according to Schicksal customs, when you meet people during the New Year, you have to say 'Happy New Year,' and some people might even give you a red envelope."

"Uh-huh~? That sounds nice. Hey, Chang Yuan, look, what is that over there?"

Seeing a character '五' written on the door of a shop, Airi became curious.

Upon hearing this, Chang Yuan also turned his head to look. With just one glance, he could guess the general idea.