The drunkard released Mrs. Uehara's hair and staggered towards Ryuzaki Shin, his large, fan-like hand raised, seemingly intending to slap him.
Mrs. Uehara gasped, wanting to step forward and stop him, but the man pushed her away, causing her to fall to the ground.
Ryuzaki Shin watched it all with an expressionless face.
Just as that calloused hand was about to strike his face, he moved.
He didn't choose to meet force with force; instead, he tilted his body slightly, at an extremely tricky angle, just barely dodging the powerful slap.
"Hm?!"
The drunkard's slap missed, and his body stumbled from inertia before he could regain his balance.
Ryuzaki Shin's eyes narrowed; the opportunity had arrived!
Without the slightest hesitation, his left hand precisely gripped the weakest tendon on the inner wrist of the drunkard's empty swing!
Immediately after, he gave the opponent no time to react.
His right hand clenched into a fist, but instead of attacking with brute force, he used his knuckles to fiercely jab at the opponent's funny bone on his elbow!
"Thud!"
A muffled thud!
"Ah!!!"
The drunkard let out a pig-like shriek, and an unbearable, throbbing pain instantly shot through his entire right arm.
This was the experience he had accumulated from countless street fights in his previous life—
Not seeking to kill with one blow, but to incapacitate with one blow!
Taking advantage of the opponent bending over in pain, Ryuzaki Shin didn't stop; his knee shot up like lightning, hitting the drunkard's unguarded jaw squarely!
Bang!
A crisp thud echoed in the narrow corridor.
The drunkard's head snapped backward, seeing stars, and he was completely disoriented by the impact, stumbling backward.
"You... you..."
He pointed at Ryuzaki Shin, both shocked and furious. He couldn't understand how this bean sprout-like kid could possess such vicious moves.
Every move aimed at the weakest, most painful spots!
"What 'you'?"
Ryuzaki Shin's eyes were cold, completely ignoring his shouting, and he followed up with a quick lunge and a clean sweep kick!
"Thump!"
The drunkard, unstable on his feet, was directly swept to the ground, and his large body tumbled down the stairs with a "rumble."
After a series of clanging sounds, he landed miserably on the first floor, reeking of alcohol mixed with dust, looking both comical and pathetic.
He struggled to get up from the ground, clutching his constantly throbbing wrist and chin, and looked up venomously at Ryuzaki Shin and Uehara Asuka on the second floor.
"Good! Very good! You slut, you actually dared to find a pretty boy to deal with me!"
He pointed at the two of them, cursing loudly:
"You pair of dogs, just you wait! I will absolutely not let you off!"
After saying that, he limped away, muttering curses, fleeing the small building, afraid that Ryuzaki Shin would chase after him and give him a few more kicks.
It wasn't until the man's figure completely disappeared that Uehara Asuka seemed to snap out of her fright.
She looked at her disheveled clothes, the stinging pain on her forehead, and her messy hair, and her tears could no longer be held back, falling one by one.
She curled up in the corner, burying her head in her knees, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, emitting suppressed sobs.
Ryuzaki Shin looked at her in this state and sighed in his heart.
No matter how strong her exterior, she was still just a woman.
He walked to Mrs. Uehara's side, slowly knelt down, reached out, and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's alright, Mrs. Uehara."
His voice was no longer cold, but carried a rare hint of gentleness.
Uehara Asuka slowly lifted her head. Her pretty face, tear-streaked like a pear blossom after rain, was covered in tear stains, her beautiful eyes red and swollen, and there was a clear bruise on her temple, making her look pitiable.
She looked at the young man in front of her and choked out, "Thank you, Ryuzaki-kun... I've caused you trouble..."
"Get up."
Ryuzaki Shin reached out and took her cold hand.
Uehara Asuka slowly stood up, following his pull.
Because she was wearing high heels, she stumbled as soon as she stood firm.
Landlady
"Ah!"
With a gasp, her soft body uncontrollably lunged forward, directly into Ryuzaki Shin's arms.
In an instant, a faint scent, a mixture of shampoo and a woman's natural fragrance, wafted over him.
Ryuzaki Shin only felt a soft, fragrant warmth in his embrace, and the astonishing elasticity made his heart flutter.
He looked down. Mrs. Uehara's face was pressed tightly against his chest. At 1.65 meters tall, she appeared particularly petite in front of his 1.8-meter height.
From his perspective, he could clearly see her chest rising and falling from panic, the neckline of her floral dress slightly open, outlining a breathtakingly deep curve.
Uehara Asuka didn't realize anything was amiss.
Because she was already twenty-eight this year, and Ryuzaki Shin was still just an eighteen-year-old child in her eyes, she didn't immediately push him away, merely steadying herself with a slight blush on her pretty face.
"Sorry, Ryuzaki-kun."
She said softly, stepping back from his embrace, tidying her messy hair and clothes, and giving him a grateful smile.
"Thank you so much, really. If it weren't for you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her gaze suddenly fell on Ryuzaki Shin's right hand.
"Your hand!"
She saw that the skin on Ryuzaki Shin's right fist knuckles was broken, and blood was dripping down.
It turned out he had accidentally injured it when he was teaching that drunkard a lesson earlier.
"I'm fine."
Ryuzaki Shin glanced at it, saying carelessly.
"How can you be fine!"
Uehara Asuka's face was filled with anxiety and self-reproach. Without another word, she directly grabbed Ryuzaki Shin's wrist.
"Quick! Come with me! I'll help you bandage it!"
Ryuzaki Shin's fist was also throbbing with pain at this moment, and he couldn't help but inwardly complain:
"This body is still too weak; I even get injured beating up trash."
"If I had used a little more force just now, I wouldn't have broken my own fist, would I?"
He didn't resist, allowing Mrs. Uehara to pull his hand and lead him into her room.
The room was decorated very warmly, filled with a feminine atmosphere.
"You sit down, don't move!"
Uehara Asuka had him sit on the sofa, while she frantically ran to find the first-aid kit.
Soon, she ran back with the first-aid kit, carefully kneeling in front of Ryuzaki Shin.
As she knelt down, the hem of her floral dress naturally draped.
Ryuzaki Shin, looking down from above, inadvertently swept his gaze.
Holy cow!
He saw that the open neckline, due to her bowing her head, made the view even more spectacular.
Two full 'little white rabbits' were squeezed into a bottomless crevice.
If he were to tell fortunes today, it would definitely be a great misfortune!
He secretly thought to himself: How could such a good woman end up with such a scoundrel? What a waste of heaven's gifts!
Uehara Asuka was completely unaware of his gaze. She was carefully cleaning his wound with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
"It might hurt a little, bear with it."
Her movements were incredibly gentle, as if afraid of hurting him.
After wiping with alcohol, she lowered her head again, gently blowing on the wound. Her warm breath brushed against the back of his hand, bringing a tingling sensation.
When she had mostly finished, she looked up.
"Ryuzaki-kun, it's cleaned..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Ryuzaki Shin's direct gaze.
She subconsciously followed his line of sight and looked down, instantly understanding.
"Ah!"
With a shriek, she stood up in a panic, covering her chest with both hands, her pretty face instantly turning as red as a ripe apple.
"Ryuzaki-kun... you... what strange thing are you looking at!"
Ryuzaki Shin was also stunned, not expecting to be caught red-handed. The situation became extremely awkward.
He was just about to find an excuse to argue.
Just then, the system's voice in his mind rang out again.
"Ding! Detected a special scene, triggering a new choice!"
"Option One: Give an evil smile, directly push her onto the sofa, and show her with actions what you're looking at. Completion Reward: Gain skill 'Berserk Strength', Mrs. Uehara's favorability -100."
"Option Two: Tell the truth, tell Mrs. Uehara, 'I'm looking at meat buns.' Completion Reward: One 'Good Kid' stamp."
"Option Three: Shift your gaze to the bruise on her forehead, and say with concern, 'You have an injury on your forehead, let me put some medicine on it for you. Don't worry, from now on, I will protect you.' Completion Reward: One bottle of [Special Healing Potion], Uehara Asuka's favorability +20."