Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 276 I Want to Learn to Fight from You

"Why should I leave!" the blond boy defiantly stared at the other children. "Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"

"Hmph, looks like you didn't get enough of a beating before!"

The tall, thin boy snorted and punched him.

The blond boy tried to dodge, but two children grabbed his shoulders from behind, immobilizing him. He could only watch helplessly as the tall, thin boy's fist drew ever closer.

"That Furuya kid deserves a beating!"

"Beat him up!"

Amidst the children's malicious jeers, the blond boy instinctively closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to begin.

Unexpectedly, someone nearby kicked out and sent the tall, thin boy flying.

The children were all stunned, and the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent.

"Sorry," Lin Xiuyi lazily withdrew his leg, casually brushing off non-existent dust from his trousers. "I lost control for a moment. Are you alright?"

"...You dare hit me!"

The tall, thin boy's face flushed red, like an enraged rooster. He jumped up from the ground, waving his fists and charging forward again.

The result was predictable—he flew out again, this time rolling several times on the ground before stopping.

"What are you all standing there for? Come at me all at once!" the tall, thin boy roared angrily.

The remaining children looked at each other, and seeing the ambiguous smile on Lin Xiuyi's face, they swallowed hard and took a few steps back in unison.

"With such little courage, you dare to gang up and bully people?" Lin Xiuyi sneered, grabbed the chubby boy's wrist, and subdued him with a gentle twist.

The fat boy's face contorted in pain, and he immediately let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

Lin Xiuyi asked with a smile, "Will you still bully people in the future?"

"No, no..." The fat boy shook his head like a rattle.

"No? So you don't want to change?" Lin Xiuyi pretended not to understand and increased the pressure.

"It hurts! It hurts so much..." The chubby boy couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, his face covered in tears and snot.

"Now you know what pain is?" Lin Xiuyi reprimanded coldly. "When you were bullying him just now, did you ever think about how much pain he was in?"

"No, I won't dare again, I really won't dare again..." the fat boy sobbed, his round face trembling with each sob.

"And you?" Lin Xiuyi looked at the other children.

“…I won’t do it again,” the children said, trembling with fear, and quickly shook their heads.

"Then get out of here!" Lin Xiuyi released the fat boy's arm and pushed him back to his companion.

"What kind of man bullies a child and takes advantage of the weak?" the tall, thin boy shouted defiantly.

"So, all of you ganging up on one person, outnumbering the enemy, does that make you men?" Lin Xiuyi said with amusement.

"We...we're all boys, we're not men!" the tall, thin boy retorted stubbornly.

"Oh, what a coincidence," Lin Xiuyi clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. "I'm not an adult yet either, so I'm still a boy. Come on, let's continue..."

"...Furuya, you just wait!"

Seeing that Lin Xiuyi was about to make a move, the tall, thin boy left a harsh remark and hurriedly fled with his companions.

"Are you alright?" Lin Xiuyi's gaze fell on the boy's still bleeding knee. "Do you need any help?"

“No need,” the blond boy turned his head away awkwardly. “Even if you don’t help, I’m not afraid of them.”

"Then I was being nosy," Lin Xiu shrugged indifferently, about to leave, when she heard the little boy whisper, "Thank you." Not bad, although he's concerned about his image, he's still quite polite...

Lin Xiu waved his hand and walked towards the library.

The blond boy behind him watched his retreating figure, his expression shifting. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly followed.

……

Inside the library, Eri Kisaki, clutching a thick law book, looked at her childhood friend who had arrived late: "Why did it take you so long? Did you 'coincidentally' run into another girl who needed help?"

"Huh? How did you know?" Lin Xiuyi feigned surprise and continued, "She's a blonde mixed-race girl."

"Blonde hair?" Eri bit her lip, her tone clearly turning sour. "You're very pretty, aren't you? What's your name?"

"I didn't ask for his name, and as for his appearance..." Lin Xiuyi pretended to think, "He's alright."

"Hmph, you wouldn't even bother to help a girl who isn't pretty," Eri snorted, turning her head away, not wanting to talk to him.

"Am I the kind of person who gets lustful at first sight?" Lin Xiuyi cried out, feeling wronged.

Just then, someone suddenly interjected, "I...I'm a boy!"

"Ok?"

Eri Kisaki turned her head in confusion. The speaker was a little boy with light blond hair, covered in dust and dirt, and his clothes were disheveled. He looked quite disheveled.

“Look,” Lin Xiuyi teased, “the person I just rescued has arrived.”

"I'm not a girl!" the blond boy said, his face flushed, emphasizing again.

“Alright, anyone can tell you’re a boy,” Lin Xiuyi chuckled, patting the blond boy on the shoulder. “It was just a joke, don’t take it so seriously.”

"Is he the one you just helped?" Eri Kisaki looked at the blond boy with surprise.

“Yes,” Lin Xiu nodded, “This child is of mixed race and is bullied by other children because of his hair color.”

"Is your knee alright?" Seeing the bloodstains on the little boy's knee, Eri Kisaki squatted down and reached out to check it for him.

“No need,” the blond boy said stubbornly, taking a step back. “It’s just a minor injury, it’s nothing!”

"Let's get it treated," Eri Kisaki said, ignoring him and turning to her childhood friend. "The bathroom is at the end of the corridor. It's best to rinse the wound with water and clean it thoroughly."

“Let’s go,” Lin Xiuyi said, ignoring the blond boy’s objections, and pulled him by the arm toward the bathroom.

……

In the bathroom, Lin Xiuyi was rinsing the blond boy's knee with tap water.

The water flowed over the wound, causing a slight stinging pain, but the blond boy gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Just like he said, it was just a scrape, really just a minor injury.

"Speak," Lin Xiuyi said gently as she stood up after treating her wounds, "Why have you come to see me again?"

"I..." The boy clenched his fists, as if he had made up his mind, "You're a great fighter, I want to learn how to fight from you!"

"Huh?" Lin Xiu turned off the tap. "Why did you have to learn to fight?"

"Even though you chased them away for me just now, they'll still bully me in the future." The boy clenched his fists. "I can tolerate them bullying me, but they always bring up Mom!"

At this point, he choked up, but stubbornly tilted his head back to stop the tears from falling.

"My mother is the best mother in the world, and I will never allow them to say anything bad about her again!"

(End of this chapter)