While Holding Her Hand… I Accidentally Became Someone’s Hero

Just like that, Yi Yi held my hand, closed her eyes, and fell silent for a while, as if praying.

I didn’t disturb her. I just stood there, my attention completely focused on the hand she was holding.

It was very warm. Her warmth seeped into me. Fortunately, my hands weren’t sweaty.

A girl’s hand… Well, I had touched one before. My cousin’s.

But that was a long time ago. I could barely remember what it felt like.

So, let me give you a virgin’s perspective.

Yi Yi’s hands were, first, “soft.” Second, “warm.”

Yeah, that’s it.

Forgive my limited vocabulary. That’s about the extent of my description.

Most guys probably get riled up because they haven’t touched a girl in ages, plus it’s someone they like, so they get nervous and exaggerate.

For me, though… I’m excited, just not that excited.

How should I put it? Compared to physical contact like this… the charming, adorable expressions she makes, the words she says, the way she moves—those make my heart race more.

Right now, this feels less like “heart-pounding” and more like “heartwarming.”

There will be more chances like this in the future. I hope we can hold hands more naturally.

Thinking this, I looked at Yi Yi’s earnest face and smiled without realizing it.

A voice suddenly interrupted.

“Um…”

“Huh?”

I jumped.

Yi Yi also snapped out of it and opened her eyes.

She wasn’t shy at all. She smiled naturally.

“Welcome. What can I get for you?”

A customer. When had he come in? I didn’t hear any footsteps… Had he been there for a while?

I hadn’t noticed at all. I was completely lost in our little world.

If you’re here to buy something, you could have said something sooner. Is dog food that tasty?

A bit annoyed, I turned around and gave my standard greeting.

“Welcome… Huh? Aren’t you that kid from yesterday?”

Then I recognized him. It was the kid who came to buy cigarettes yesterday.

When he saw I recognized him, he rushed up to me excitedly.

“Oh! Big Bro! You gotta hear this! You gotta hear this! It actually worked!”

“Who’s your big bro?”

“You are! Just like you said, our homeroom teacher reamed them out in front of everyone… Haha! It felt so good!”

Oh, so the plan worked.

I didn’t expect it to resolve so quickly.

The teacher was more upstanding than I’d imagined. Probably the firm, strict type. Otherwise, she might have tried a gentler approach.

Judging by how triumphant he looked, the bullies had definitely gotten an earful, and he’d watched the whole thing.

Guess this kid got lucky.

“Congrats.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Big Bro! I’m so grateful!”

“I didn’t do anything. Don’t thank me.”

“How can you say that!”

Just as the kid was getting worked up, Yi Yi seized the opportunity to interject.

“Excuse me, what’s this about?”

“Uh…”

The kid turned to look at Yi Yi. His excitement vanished instantly. He chickened out.

He looked just like he had yesterday when he came to buy cigarettes, all timid and nervous.

His eyes were fixed on Yi Yi’s white hair… He was probably fascinated by it.

No matter how beautiful Yi Yi was, her white hair would always be the most eye-catching feature.

Yi Yi noticed his gaze, too. She looked a bit uncomfortable. She still wasn’t used to being stared at.

Most people who see Yi Yi will look at her hair. They’ll feel puzzled, surprised, curious, or appreciative…

I doubt many would appreciate it. Only weirdos like me who can accept it easily.

Most people are probably thinking, “Why is her hair white?”

So I said,

“She’s my girlfriend. Pretty, isn’t she?”

The kid immediately understood. His curious gaze turned into a kinder one.

“Ah! Big Bro’s girlfriend? That explains it! Mm! She really is pretty! And her hair color is really unique too!”

Nice. He even called her “Big Sis-in-law.” This kid knew what was up.

“Oh…”

Yi Yi looked surprised. She probably didn’t expect the kid to say that.

It was simple. Because I vouched for him, the kid’s impression of Yi Yi shifted positively.

Because I’d helped the kid, he respected me and thought I was a good person. And because I said Yi Yi was my girlfriend, he naturally thought she was a good person too.

He’d also think positively of her white hair instead of speculating mindlessly.

This was the classic “love me, love my dog” halo effect.

“Thank you…”

“Don’t thank me! She really is beautiful!”

Yi Yi smiled shyly and thanked him. The kid quickly waved his hands.

Then he turned back to me.

“Oh, right, Big Bro! How did you come up with that plan?”

“I just thought of it…”

“You just thought of it? How come I couldn’t?”

“Because your perspective is limited. ‘The onlooker sees most of the game.’ Haven’t you heard that before?”

“That makes sense… Hey, Big Bro, can I become like you?”

“Read more. Knowledge changes destiny.”

“Ugh, even you say that, Big Bro… You just don’t want to teach me!”

It was clear the kid wasn’t satisfied with my answer. He’d probably heard lines like that from teachers so many times his ears were calloused.

Well, that’s how kids this age are.

“Hey, kid, have you ever thought about ‘why you go to school’?”

“Huh? School is…”

“Forget about your parents making you go. Do you have any reason to go to school?”

“Uh… not really… I have plenty of reasons not to go…”

“If you don’t, then why go?”

“But… if I don’t go…”

He looked troubled. I finished his sentence.

“Yeah, if you don’t go, your parents will yell at you. It’s the same as you giving in and buying cigarettes for those punks.”

“Huh?”

“Because if you didn’t run errands for them, you’d get beaten up, right?”

“That’s true…”

“That’s where your limitation is. You’re used to giving in. When faced with anything, your first thought is ‘what if,’ and you passively accept reality.”

This had to do with the kid’s personality, and personality came from family environment.

I could imagine what the kid’s parents were like. Probably the stereotypical “Chinese parent.”

Hmm… Should I say what I’m thinking?

I looked at the kid. He didn’t look lost. He looked thoughtful.

It’s good that he’s thinking. I’ll give him a little tip.

“Don’t think about the consequences first. Think about the cause.”

“The cause…”

“For example, those punks bully you. Have you ever thought about why they bully you?”

“…Because I look like an easy target?”

“And why do you look like an easy target?”

“…Because I’m not strong enough… I guess…”

“Yeah, so?”

“So… So! I need to become stronger!”

There we go. A chuunibyou is born.

Kids this age are so easy to influence. Puberty is the most emotional period, after all.

My own puberty, on the other hand… was pretty dark.

After listening to me, the kid clenched his fist, all fired up.

“I get it now! I’ve been running away all this time… I didn’t even realize it… There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

“Exactly. It’s just inertia making you choose to run.”

Though it’s not just this kid. Most people choose to accept and give in.

The adult world is full of “have to’s,” after all…

But a kid like this doesn’t need to worry about adult problems yet.

“It’s good that you realize you need to become stronger. But the real world isn’t an anime or a novel. You’re not going to awaken superpowers… So there are only two ways to get stronger.”

I raised my index finger and pointed at his body.

“The first is to make your body stronger. Get more physically fit. That’s simple enough, right? The second way is…”

I poked the kid’s forehead.

“Make your brain smarter.”

He looked up at my face. I gave him what I thought was a dashing smile and tilted my head.

“Which one do you want to pick?”

The way he looked at me was full of admiration.

Sometimes I think I’d be pretty good at pyramid schemes.

“I… I want to be like you, Big Bro!”

I shrugged.

“And now, you have a reason to go to school.”

“Ah…! I see! Studying…! So that’s it! I’m not studying for someone else. I’m studying for myself!”

He looked like he’d had an epiphany, like the whole world had changed. I shrugged.

“That’s it. Simple logic.”

“I get it! Thank you, Big Bro! Thank you so much!”

The kid snapped to attention and bowed to me—a perfect ninety-degree bow. I doubt he ever bowed that deeply to his teachers or parents.

Changing someone’s psychology… It’s so interesting.

Heh heh…

Ah, I didn’t laugh out loud, did I?

I didn’t want Yi Yi to see such a sinister smile.

After bowing, the kid spoke again.

“Oh, right, Big Bro. My name is Zhao Zhencheng. Zhao like the surname, Zhen like defend, Cheng like city.”

“What’s your name, Big Bro? You said yesterday you’d tell me if it worked!”

Ah… I did say that.

At the time, I didn’t want to get involved, so I didn’t tell him. But now… it doesn’t matter.

“I’m Ming Qi. And my girlfriend’s name is Kaori.”

After telling him my name, I also introduced Yi Yi.

“Got it! I’ll remember!”

After exchanging names, Xiao Cheng scratched his head.

“Oh, and one more thing, Big Bro. Don’t get mad, okay?”

“What?”

“Our homeroom teacher somehow saw through the plan. She knew it wasn’t my idea… I didn’t want to tell her about you, but she kept asking…”

“And you told her about me?”

“Uh… but I didn’t tell her your name! Since I didn’t know it myself…”

Phew. Good thing I didn’t tell him.

What kind of teacher was this? How did she sense that I was behind it?

Did she see through it and turn the tables to teach those punks a lesson?

Probably not.

“But I did tell her I ran into you at this convenience store.”

“Huh?”

Hey, kid, that’s not cool. You told someone where I live.

“It’s fine! I think! She just asked and then let me go!”

“Huh…”

This teacher wouldn’t come looking for me, would she?

I didn’t want to deal with some rigid, by-the-book teacher… Then again, I helped her student. If she came, it’d probably be to thank me, right?

Hmm… Well, what’s done is done. No use worrying.

She was probably just asking.

I’m overthinking it.

“It should be fine.”

“R-Right? That’s what I think too…”

“Alright, you’ve reported the results. Time to go.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going… Um, Big Bro, can I come see you again?”

“Staying up late is bad for your health.”

Meaning: don’t come in the middle of the night.

Xiao Cheng wasn’t stupid. He understood the implication.

“Oh…”

Seeing his disappointed face, I added,

“I work until eight in the morning, though. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy.”

“Right! Got it! I’ll come before school!”

“No, don’t come every day. If there are no customers, fine, but if there are, I can’t chat with you like this.”

“I won’t bother you while you’re working!”

“Hah… Suit yourself.”

“Okay! Bye, Big Bro! Bye, Big Sis!”

He bowed to us again, waved, and ran out.

Kids have so much energy.

What a mess.

The romantic, warm mood between Yi Yi and me was ruined.

Ah, well.

The night is still long.

Plenty of time for the two of us.

Hehe.