After driving away the thugs, Zaohua Street had been peaceful for a few months—but that peace only lasted two before it was broken again.
Kiana had been busy working part-time to get herself an ID card when Hayuki, the granddaughter of the barbecue stall owner, came to her with bad news.
Ever since Kiana single-handedly chased off those bullies, the children of Zaohua Street saw her as an invincible hero.
But now, those same kinds of thugs were back—eating without paying, demanding protection money, and even nearly smashing the barbecue stall.
Kiana was furious. What, the scum respawned like monsters in a game?!
She immediately took a day off to catch those bold idiots and teach them a lesson.
But somehow, word got out. Those cowards never showed up that whole day, and she wasted her precious day off.
She waited two more days, confirmed there must be an informant among the locals, and decided to leave the stakeout work to a few idle little kids who wouldn't draw attention.
And so, she came to the river.
As expected, she saw a few young men laughing and joking there, their hair dyed in all sorts of colors, most of them thin as sticks.
Setting little Yoshi down, she noticed the grass nearby rustle—soon, the dry grass was pushed aside, and two kids about Yoshi's age, a boy and a girl, peeked out.
"Kiana-sis! Yoshi!"
Kiana frowned. "Didn't I tell you to leave after confirming they were here?"
The little ones exchanged looks before replying in unison, "We're not scared! Even if the bad guys catch us, Kiana-sis will swoop down like a superhero and beat them all up!"
Kiana facepalmed.
Since when was she that amazing? Where were they even hearing this nonsense?!
Cartoons really were full of lies!
"I'm definitely telling your parents about this," Kiana said, pulling out her ultimate threat.
"Eh?! But we're helping you, Kiana-sis!" the kids cried, eyes wide with disbelief at her betrayal.
"I'll apologize to them for that too."
If she didn't scold these brats properly, they'd only get bolder next time. She needed to teach them a good lesson.
Stuffing the kids back into the bushes, she whispered, "Stay hidden and don't make a sound until I've knocked them all out."
"Mhm!"
The moment they heard she was about to fight, their eyes sparkled like stars, completely forgetting about her threat to tell their parents.
Good grief…
Being watched by them made Kiana's head ache.
When this was over, she was definitely tattling to their parents. Absolutely.
But she couldn't take her frustration out on kids, so she directed all her anger toward those useless thugs—men with hands and feet who refused to work, spending their time extorting the weak.
It was all their fault!
If those idiots hadn't stirred up trouble, she wouldn't have had to waste her time here. She could have accepted Mei's invitation, stayed at the shrine, and maybe even… shared a bed with her.
"Hey! You bastards!"
The group of men by the river—half drunk from cheap liquor—turned around at the voice. Seeing Kiana striding toward them with a cold glare, their alcohol buzz vanished instantly.
"B-b-boss!" one of them stammered, a red streak dyed in his hair. "It's that white-haired demon Kanda told us about!!"
"I'm not blind, idiot!"
The burly leader with dyed yellow hair stood up, fueled by alcohol and false bravado. He smashed an empty bottle on the ground, glaring at Kiana with a drunken snarl.
"I've had enough of you!"
"How funny," Kiana said with a sharp grin. "Because I've had enough of you worthless street trash for a long time!"
Just to catch these thugs who were extorting Zaohua Street, she'd wasted so much time—missed so many chances.
Ahhh! The chance to sleep next to Mei!
How were they going to make up for that?!
"Enough talk! Let's fight!"
"You could be running your own gang, ruling over a whole district, but instead you waste your strength protecting a bunch of old people in this dump? Don't make me laugh. There's no way you can take on all six of us!" the blond-haired thug yelled, swinging his fist forward.
Kiana didn't even need to try. With one effortless kick, she sent him flying.
They were just regular people.
Plain, ordinary humans. The kind that wouldn't last a minute against Yae Sakura or Raiden Mei—heck, even the teenagers practicing at the local dojo could probably take them.
"Using your strength to bully the weak… maybe you should try reflecting on yourselves!"
The blond's five underlings immediately panicked. Seeing their boss kicked halfway across the ground, they scattered in terror.
They weren't loyal. They'd only followed him because they were desperate for food, collecting protection money for pocket change. No way were they sticking around for a beating.
"You've got hands and feet, yet you refuse to work. Instead, you pick on the elderly and kids! Don't you idiots realize it's people like you that make the world worse?!"
Kiana wasn't about to let them get away. If she didn't teach them a painful lesson, they'd be back before long.
Fueled by pent-up frustration, she caught each one with ease, beating all six until they were on their knees, unable to stand.
They were weak to begin with—add in the alcohol, and it was no contest.
Seriously, who drinks by the river at night? Did they not consider the chance of falling in and drowning?
Every punch landed solidly, venting all her bottled-up anger until she felt the tension drain from her body.
Words don't make trash reform.
Fists do!
"From now on, you're never setting foot in Zaohua Street again. This is my territory, got it?"
Kiana rubbed her aching right shoulder—she'd gotten a bit too caught up in the fight and forgotten it was still injured.
The thugs, trembling and terrified, nodded furiously. "Got it, got it! We'll never come back to Zaohua Street again!"
They really didn't want to. Their last turf had been taken by another gang, and they couldn't fight anyone stronger, so they'd come here instead. They figured as long as they avoided the white-haired demon, they could collect some easy cash.
They hadn't expected her to actually care so much about this street—to come looking for them after work, just to beat them senseless again.
Her fists felt like iron.
And the pain—oh, it was real.
"Hmph. You'd better remember what you said. If I ever see you back in Zaohua Street again, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your lives begging in wheelchairs!"
Kiana knew they might only be pretending to give in, so she added a little intimidation to drive the point home.
Apparently, she'd hit them hard enough that not one of them doubted her.
"Please don't! I swear! We'll never come near Zaohua Street again!"
"You'd better not," Kiana muttered, letting out a sigh.
She cast a final glare at the beaten men, deciding she'd wasted enough time here. The kids were probably still hiding in the bushes, waiting to see the "hero" in action.
"Get out of my sight. And take your trash with you while you're at it."
As she turned, her foot kicked an empty bottle, and she glanced toward the river beside them. Judging by how close they'd been drinking to the edge, she wouldn't have been surprised if one of them had drowned by accident.
"Y-yes! We'll clean everything up! Not a single piece of trash left!" they babbled, completely sober now.
"Good."
Kiana grumbled under her breath and walked toward the bushes where the kids were hiding, ready to take them back to Zaohua Street.
But after only a few steps, the hair on the back of her neck stood up.
A chill ran down her spine.
Her instincts screamed danger.
Her body reacted faster than her thoughts—she spun around and dashed forward, crossing her arms just in time to block a powerful blow that came crashing down from behind.