Chapter Eighteen: The Bald-Headed Boss?!

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of someone rapping at the door echoed from outside. Qiong opened her eyes in a haze and fumbled for her phone beside the bed. It was still early, just past seven. With a sigh of impatience, she set the phone back down, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to shut out the bothersome knocking.

"Qiong, I’ve already made breakfast and set it on the dining table downstairs. When you wake up, wash your face before you eat. I’m off to school. Oh, I made egg soup; to keep it from getting cold, I left it in the pot. If it’s cooled when you eat, just heat it up. If the fried eggs are cold, don’t eat them. I saw some instant sausages in the kitchen—you can microwave them for about two and a half minutes and they’ll be ready."

The unfamiliar voice outside made Qiong poke her head out from under the blanket, her large eyes half-open, gazing blankly at the ceiling. It took her sluggish thoughts a long moment to recall that her parents had left for their trip at five o'clock that very morning. Then, who was at the door?

Oh, it was that... Aoki Tsukasa. Qiong yanked the blanket over her face again.

But for some reason, though she’d slept less than five hours, she found it impossible to drift off again.

As the sound of the front door opening and closing faded, silence fell once more over the house. After a while, she threw the blanket aside in irritation, grumbling as she forced herself to sit up. She made no effort to tidy her silver hair, and barefoot, pushed open the door and yawned her way downstairs.

On the dining table sat golden-brown toast and steaming fried eggs, while unopened instant sausages lay to the side.

Qiong stood there, staring blankly at the table. This was nothing like the grim scene she’d anticipated.

"He looks just like the sort of delinquent who only knows how to fight, but it seems he can cook unexpectedly well…" she murmured, pulling out a chair and, with some effort, settling her small frame onto it. She picked up a slice of toast and took a bite.

It tasted quite good. Setting the bread down, she grabbed an empty bowl from the table and headed to the kitchen. Lifting the lid from the pot, she was met with the delicate aroma of egg soup, still gently steaming. "Egg soup?... It smells pretty good."

She tasted a spoonful and nodded impassively. It seemed she wouldn’t have to subsist on snacks for the next few days after all.

She had completely forgotten Aoki Tsukasa’s reminder to wash her hands before eating. Sitting alone at the empty dining table, bowl in hand, she pressed her palms together. "Thank you for the meal," she said quietly to the vacant room, lowering her eyes as she began to eat.

Meanwhile, Aoki Tsukasa had no idea that the little sister he’d only met once had given his breakfast a decent review. At that moment, he was facing a difficult decision.

In front of him, a blond-haired boy cowered behind a trash can, his face contorted with fear. Around the corner, on the other side of the street, a group of a dozen or so obvious delinquents were hollering and searching for something.

"Hey, you bald guy over there!"

One of the delinquents on the street, a tall figure, seemed to have come to a decision and strode toward Aoki Tsukasa.

Aoki glanced at the blond boy beside him, who was holding his breath behind the trash can until his face had turned red. The corner of Aoki’s mouth twitched, and he muttered under his breath, "Are you delinquents always this energetic? It’s not even eight in the morning and you want to brawl?"

The blond kept his voice low, pleading, "Hey, man, please, don’t give me away!"

Aoki shot him a look but said nothing. As the gang approached, he took two steps forward, placing himself between them and the trash can so that when they drew near, the blond hiding in the corner was out of sight.

"Hey, Baldy, did you see a blond kid run past here?" the tall leader asked. Unlike the rest, his hairstyle wasn’t outrageous—just a little long, with a single earring, nothing flashy.

He also had a remarkably forgettable face.

Aoki stared at him coldly and replied in a level tone, "I’m not bald."

The leader narrowed his eyes, about to get angry, but one of his cronies suddenly seemed to remember something. He urgently tugged at the leader’s sleeve and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Hmph, let’s go!" The leader’s expression shifted several times before, without another word, he turned on his heel and left.

Aoki watched, puzzled, as they strode off and disappeared around the corner. Only then did he kick the trash can lightly. "Hey, it’s safe now."

The blond staggered out from behind the trash can, sniffed at the smell clinging to his clothes, and burst out in fury, "Damn it, damn it! Those bastards actually made me, the great Mitsuhashi, hide in a place like this! I’ll bash their skulls in!"

"...Oh." Aoki wondered if he should have bothered saving him, but since it was done, he said nothing more and started walking toward the school, ignoring the blond.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The blond hurried in front of him, his movements exaggerated as if performing in a silent film, even miming coming to a screeching halt. "I’m the boss of Softleaf Private High, the strongest man in the world, Mitsuhashi Takashi! I’ll remember what you did today. If you ever need help, just come find me."

Hah, as if I can’t tell those guys chasing you wear the same uniform as you. The school’s supposed big shot, driven to hiding in a trash can by his own classmates—does he think I’d believe that?

Aoki’s face made his skepticism plain.

Mitsuhashi saw the vacant, perfunctory look on Aoki’s face and clenched his teeth, shouting, "Hey! Don’t underestimate me, Mitsuhashi! I just skipped fighting because I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Tch... Just you wait, soon everyone in Yachiyo City will know my name!"

"Mm." Aoki nodded and pulled out his phone to check the time, his expression weary. "I’m going to be late. Can you move?"

Mitsuhashi gaped at him in disbelief. "You—you… You’re a delinquent, and yet you show up to school on time every day?"

Aoki couldn’t be bothered to argue. "Studying makes me happy," he replied blandly.

Mitsuhashi looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost, speechless for a long moment. Then, suddenly, he thrust out his thumb in approval. "No wonder you’re the infamous Bald Boss of Muyang High. Enough said, I’m out of here! I’ll make it up to you sometime! Bye!"

Bald… Boss? A vein pulsed on Aoki’s forehead, but Mitsuhashi had already vanished in a flash. Aoki took a deep breath, his expression growing thoughtful.

It felt as though something was brewing that he had yet to discover…