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Ît Ṣhōuld Hãd Bēen à Lifêlong Childhœd Rîvãl...
{ Sudden Discovering }
In every man's life, he must have at least one rival.
At least that was what my 14-year-old self was
convinced of.
Speaking which, my rival is probably a neighbor's
child, nicknamed "Little Tyrant"
Speaking of this, I'm actually kind of embarrassed
because I've been bullied by him since childhood.
Although he's the same age as me, he's always been
taller than me. At one point he was a whole head
taller!
All my treasured items that have been taken are
listed below: snacks, balloons, manga, water guns, a
police hat, and a total of 25 transformer toys.
Apart from stealing my things, he used a wide
variety of tactics to bully. Some examples are:
kicking me into the river while I was concentrated
on fishing,removing my chair right before I sat down, spitting
on me after I fell into a pit, forcing me to eat bread
coated with spicy pepper powder, and dropping a
crab down the back of my shirt.
In short, it's difficult to express how much I
suffered under him. In my childish mind, he was at
one point even scarier than Godzilla.
This year I'm already in the second year of middle
school, next year Ill be in my third. Whatever the
case, I want to settle this with "Little Tyrant" before
I attend high school.
Otherwise, I'll be scarred for life. This is why I sent
him a letter of challenge 3 days ago. Although we
weren't neighbors anymore after our neighborhood
got demolished, he still lives in the same city, only 2
stops away by subway.
He probably already received the letter. I invited
him out for a one-on-one, the loser must grovel
before the winner's feet and admit their mistakes,
and also return all the toys they snatched.
Of course, I don't have any of his toys. However,justice always prevails, right?
The location is at a spacious field just behind the
boiler factory, it's at 9 AM, a time where no one will
interrupt. I intentionally picked a location closer to
his house, this way if he loses it's closer for him to
retrieve the toys.
Don't misunderstand, I'm already 14 so I don't like
playing with transformers anymore. However, this is
a testimony to my strength and bravery. Besides, I
think Optimus Prime must miss me aleady.
Speaking of that I haven't seen "Little Tyrant" in 3
years.
I remember that he grew up in a single parent
household like me. Although I didn't like him, I had a
good impression of Auntie Ren.
This was because Auntie Ren was young and pretty
(she was too young to be an auntie, she was more
like a sister), and she was the idol for many young
men. "Little Tyrant" also didn't dare bully me in
front of her.The formidable Auntie Ren was also an international
level Mixed Martial Arts champion, it's no wonder
that "Little Tyrant" was so strong. By contrast, my
dad was just a glasses otaku that sold various sex
items on an online store, how embarrassing.
I wonder how was "Little Tyrant" over the past 3
years, our difference in height couldn't have
increased again, right?
My last confrontation with him was in the winter 3
years ago, the big snowflakes that day left a deep
impression. I forgot why we even started to fight.
At that time I almost caught up to him in terms of
height, in order to defeat him I was always doing
secret training and gained some muscles on my
arm,
That's why I've decided to not endure any longer
but to put up a fight.
He turned me into a panda numerous times with his
iron fist so I also aimed at his eyes, but my fist only
brushed his chin and didn't touch his face.An expression of "You think you've grown, huh?"
appeared on his face and then he kicked me in the
stomach causing me to lay immobile on the ground.
Damn, I forgot to guard his feet. Although our
heights are approximately the same his legs were
always longer than mine (I'm sorry for inheriting mny
dad's short legs! ).
The strange thing is after he knocked me over, he
never spat on me like before, and didn't leave,
instead he said with a lonely voice:
"This place is going to be demolished and everybody
will move away, our family is going to move to the
red building on North St in the west city, so we can't
meet as often anymore..."
Why are you telling me this? You're going to escape
with my 25 transformers, Congratulations!
"I keep on getting the feeling that I haven't fought
enough with you..."
Is it still not enough? Don't you have enough spoils
of war from me? You even took Optimus Prime! Why
are you speaking to me with a lonely voice? Are youdaily from now on?
Or are you saying.. I suddenly shivered from head
to toe.
Or are you saying that you see me as a long time
enemy, just like how I see you?
I lifted my head up from my current kneeling
position, "Little Tyrant" looked down upon me
within the flurry of snowflakes. Because I was
against the sun I couldn't see his face clearly.
"See you later, Ye Lin (This was the first time he
correctly pronounced my name, he always
purposely pronounced my name to things such as
Wild donkey (Ye Lu), Ill help you safeguard those
transformers... When you feel that you can win
against me, come challenge me"
He tossed me a piece of paper containing his
address, I grasped it in my hands and glared at the
writing on the page. I have to admit, his handwriting
is pretty neat.The formidable Auntie Ren was also an international
level Mixed Martial Arts champion, it's no wonder
that "Little Tyrant" was so strong. By contrast, my
dad was just a glasses otaku that sold various sex
items on an online store, how embarrassing.
I wonder how was "Little Tyrant" over the past 3
years, our difference in height couldn't have
increased again, right?
My last confrontation with him was in the winter 3
years ago, the big snowflakes that day left a deep
impression. I forgot why we even started to fight.
At that time I almost caught up to him in terms of
height, in order to defeat him I was always doing
secret training and gained some muscles on my
arm,
That's why I've decided to not endure any longer
but to put up a fight.
He turned me into a panda numerous times with his
iron fist so I also aimed at his eyes, but my fist only
brushed his chin and didn't touch his face.
In the following 3 years I trained myself more
severely, one can say it was to an inhumane extent.
Situps, pushups, pull-ups, starting at only being
able to do 10, to 100, then 200. Every day I ran
around Dongshan lake with a 2. 5kg sandbag tied to
my ankles, and then increased it to 5kg. As for
buying boxing magazines and peeking at it during
class, IIl omit that. In short, when other kids were
eating I was training. When they were sleeping I was
still training. If I don't become a martial artist, that's
just straight up unreasonable.
Even so, I don't have 100% certainty that I can win
against "Little Tyrant".
After all, his mom was a real MMA Champion, he
must have learned some secret training methods
that aren't available to the public, he might even
have one or tWo sure kill moves.
I still must challenge him! I'm not fit to be a man ifI
yield to my fears! Even if I lose I will still challenge
him again, once a year! Until I win back Optimus
Prime! That's right, like I mentioned before, a man
of my age already doesn't like transformers any
more, right? By all means, don't think I'm doing this
for the toys!When it came time to challenge "Little Tyrant" I
remembered that I didn't know his name. I knew
that he had the same surname as Auntie Ren. Since
it's like this, I copied the address he left previously
onto the letter, and wrote "Ren WoXing (Ren can
also mean to allow, Wo means I and Xing can mean
do, so in this context I believe it will mean, allow me
to do anything)" for the recipient name, I believe
this name suits him well. As a result of not wanting
Auntie Ren to laugh at me after seeing the letter, I
didn't write my name on it, and instead wrote "The
hero of justice" . After "Little Tyrant" receives this
letter, he'll definitely know it's from me. After all, he
was always the demon king that bullied the hero.
We are lifetime enemies.
It's actually starting to fog. It's now the beginning of
spring, outside of my sweater I wore a boxing shirt
and pants like the one that Sylvester Stallone wore,
yet I still felt some chilliness.
In order to prevent my muscles from freezing, I
adopted a stance and did some quick punches, the
preparation work before a fight is very important.
There was no one else on the field, I looked at my
watch: 8:50 exactly, I came half an hour early and
already waited for 20 minutes. He shouldn't be the
type of person that purposely comes late, in orderdrill.
This way I would be conspicuous even if the fog
becomes any thicker. After around 5 minutes, I
heard footsteps in the distance.
The soft footstep sounds of sneakers stepping over
grass. It was somewhat hurried, somewhat
impatient., and somewhat hesitant.
Heng (Scoffing sound), "Little tyrant" , it's been 3
years, don't tell me you're afraid?
In reality, my body began to shake uncontrollably, it
must be because of the cold.
I won't lose! I definitely won't lose against you! Even
if it means using the forbidden technique amongst
men, such as the crotch kick...
A gray silhouette separated from the fog and started
to run closer. It started to slow down because it
seemed to have discovered my location.
Based on its running posture, I concluded it was
definitely the Little Tyrant.
As he walked passed the two little trees I had also
previously passed, I nervously estimated his height
based on the height of the branches of nearby trees.
Great! He didn't grow taller! To be precise, it seems
like he hasn't grown at all since we separated three
years ago! These three years have been the three
years where I developed the most, I'm actually a
head taller than him now!
Ha ha ha ha Little Tyrant, I've never thought you
would receive retribution soon!
But height isn't everything, I still kept my vigilance.
The Little Tyrant stopped about five steps away
from me. His cheeks were rosy red and he exhaled awhite mist. It seems he didn't take the bus here, but
ran the whole way.
It seems like he is also doing warm ups before the
fight! Ye Lin, you can't be careless! The opponent is
as dangerous as Frieza! Although he's not as tall as
me, Frieza's final form was also small and cute!
In any case, let's take a closer look at the enemy.
The Little Tyrant's battle outfit was a thick gray and
white sweater with navy blue blue jeans. It was a bit
strange because it does not seem suitable for a
fight.
In particular, because he was afraid of the cold, both
his hands were retracted into his sleeves, revealing
only his fingertips.
Although overall he had short hair, he had long
bangs in front of his forehead. This silhouette is
very disadvantageous in a fight!
There's a high chance of being grabbed by your hair,
then being kneed in the face!Also... is it my imagination? Why does his waist-to-
hip ratio have a subtle sense of disharmony? Also,
those skintight jeans that accentuates the elegant
curves of his legS...
Don't tell me that his body type reflects training of
attacks with the lower body? Will sure kill
techniques like the life stealing scissor kick appear
in our upcoming duel?
As matters stand, it's pointless letting my thoughts
wander.
I took off my watch and tossed it under the old
banyan tree without even looking. I took a stance
that was somewhere in between Muay Thai and
Chinese boxing.
"Let's get started, Ren WoXing!" (TN: Name he gave
her on the challenge letter)
The Little Tyrant giggled a bit. He was shorter than
me now, so if he didn't raise his head, I couldn't see
his expression because it was blocked by his bangs.
"You still remember your toy robots..."
The Little Tyrant rubbed his two frozen hands
together while using his breath to bring warmth.
Not only did he not enter a battle stance, but he
also appeared to be a bit happy.
His voice and intonation was very strange. Although
it barely changed from what I recall, it still feels
strange..
Right! Its strange it didn't change!
Boys around our age all experience changes in their
voice! Due to the vocal chords getting thicker and
thyroid cartilage protruding forward, my voice has
become much deeper. How come his voice didn't
change at all?
I suddenly felt that on his neck, behind the collar of
his sweater, he might not have what I have, an
Adam's apple.
But maybe it's because he hasn't hit puberty, since
he hasn't grown at all in the past three years. Icomforted myself and stopped my mind from
wandering.
"Why aren't you moving? Are you afraid because I'm
taller than you now?"
The Little Tyrant raised her head slightly frantically,
then she quickly lowered it again.
"Why do you keep fidgeting! What are you doing?
Are you going to fight or not? If we're not going to
fight, then return my toy robots!"
I shouted impatiently, I didn't even understand why
I suddenly became very annoyed.
It was as if the Little Tyrant was scared by my tone
of voice and he curled up his body. He stood on the
Spot without a word for a couple of seconds, then
he finally bit her lips like he made up her mind. He
made a deep bow towards me, a 90° angle where his
body was almost parallel to the ground. He placed
both her hands on his knees and appeared to be
sincerely apologizing."I'm sorry for always bullying you in the past, I must
have caused a lot of hardships!"
"What? Is this how the mighty Little Tyrant
apologizes? Didn't I clearly write in the letter that
the loser has to kowtow and apologize? Do you
really think you can reduce your punishment if you
admit defeat?"
"I'm really sorry, but it would be too embarrassing
to kowtow and apologize... Also, if I got my new
jeans dirty, my mom will get mad..."
What's going on? I can't keep up with his train of
thought. It has only been three, but now the
heartless and evil Little Tyrant can't even dirty a
pair of jeans?
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you saying
you don't want to fight because you're afraid of
getting your clothes dirty? Didn't we once have a
fight naked in the mud when we were in the fifth
grade? Where did your heroism from that time
go?" (TN: Only nude on the top)
It must have been my imagination because after Isaid that sentence, the Little Tyrant's face turned
even redder.
"Sorry, that will never happen again..."
"Why? You can't fight with me anymore because I'm
taller than you?"
I was very angry. This behavior was as nasty as
running away after winning a game of chess, or
backstabbing someone then saying "Let's get along"
with a smile on your face. (TN: In this case, it's a
literal stab in the back)
"It has nothing to do with height." the Little Tyrant
was hesitant.
"Then, why?"
"Actually... there is one thing, I've always kept it a
secret from you.."
"What is it? Is it like the time when you secretly put
a note on my back that said 'please give me anenema, and it caused me to get 'A Thousand Years
of Pain' from children?"
"Please don't say anymore, I'm also embarrassed
about that.."
"Then, why? Why can't we fight anymore? Aren't we
old enemies?"
I was furious to the extent that cracks started to
appear in the corner of my eye.
"I'm actually a girl.."
"So, what? In this day and age, men and women are
equal... wait wait wait wait wait wait -- what did
you just say!!!???"
"I said, because I'm a girl, something like fighting
naked in the mud will never happen again." (TN: Or
will it...?)
It seems like it took him a lot of effort to tell me. His
face was red to the Doint steaming. it was like aboiled crab.
Although he still had short hair like before, his
delicate facial features, his big eyes, dainty lips, the
curves of his face... are all proof that he's telling the
truth.
As long as you don't look at him with eyes of
ingrained hatred like me, anyone will come to the
conclusion that he is a girl.
Would I have to refer to him as 'her' from now on?
I suddenly felt that it wouldn't be that bad if I fell
into DongShan Lake and turned into ice.
Compared to the truth that was just revealed, I'II
rather choose to freeze to death.
"No! You're definitely lying! Nowadays it's not
strange for a boy to look like a girl! You're a trap!
Don't try to deceive my feelings anymore! I won't be
fooled!She flashed her eyes, along with her long eyelashes,
while silently staring at me who was going
hysterical.
"Yes, you must be a trap! We were both 11 years old
in the fifth grade. When we were fighting in the
mud, I ripped off your top in order to get my bag
back... I would have realized if you were a girl!
Although your skin was very white, your chest was
as flat as a mirror! It was so flat that I could say it
was frictionless, if I slid a block on it, it would keep
going forever with the same initial velocity!"
"Please don't mention the one thing that I was
ashamed of anymore, at that time, I haven't
developed... It all went to my height.."
She answered while mumbling.
"Additionally, I haven't grown at all in three years..."
"I can see that, what's your point?"
"I'm saying.... it got a little bigger...""What got a little bigger? Speak clearly!"
"Breast... My breasts got a little bigger:.."
She pressed the tips of her index fingers together as
if she was embarrassed to death.
"That's why... I'm not flat-chested anymore..."
What? ! What does your flat-chest have anything to
do with me? Instead of spouting nonsense, return
brother Optimus Prime to me!