I'll even show you crossdressing men.

“Ass we can~” the tiger-man said in their native language. Ishikawa Yu didn’t know what he was saying, but he had a feeling that he was thinking something bad.

"Slap slap slap~" The tiger-man bent his knee and pressed it against his back, twisting Ishikawa Yuya's hand with one hand while raising the other hand high and slapping it on his buttocks.

"Don't push your luck!" This is an insult! Ishikawa Yuya's temper was already on the verge of exploding, and now he couldn't suppress it at all. His blood flowed even faster, his waist arched, and he slowly lifted the tiger-man's body too high.

"So good~" The tiger-man grinned and exerted force again. He was not someone to be trifled with; since he dared to challenge someone to a contest of strength, he must be quite skilled in that area.

Therefore, when he exerted force again, Ishikawa Yu was no longer able to resist. His body went limp, his blood flow slowed, and a soreness came over him. He was powerless, let alone able to fight against the tiger-man.

"Are you a tiger-man or a minotaur? Why do you know this kind of secret technique?" Ishikawa Yuya hadn't had much contact with other races. The only thing he knew was that minotaurs had a very powerful ability. Although he didn't know the specifics, according to the description, it was not much different from what tiger-men were using now.

"I regret to inform you that I am a hybrid of three races. My father has minotaur blood, but it's diluted, so it's not visible in his physical form. However, I do know how to use this secret technique." With a grin, the tiger-man's words left Ishikawa Isamu speechless, and he could only accept his fate.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! How can I ever show my face here again after making such a fool of myself in front of such a beauty?" Ishikawa Yuya was practically grinding his teeth to powder. He blamed himself for not being careful, and even more so for being so arrogant.

"So, just accept my hospitality. Ass we can~" he said again, and Ishikawa Yuya knew he was in trouble.

Sure enough, after the tiger-man finished speaking, he tore his clothes to shreds, exposing his muscular back to everyone, causing them to whistle and scream.

After all, although his body wasn't exactly super strong, his muscles were quite attractive. Unlike those muscular men who look disgusting, he had a sculpted beauty.

"Haha, this little cutie is not bad, but I don't really like skinny men like you. If you were a bit stronger, I might stand up for you, this little cutie, instead of for a beauty." The tiger-man's words were getting increasingly strange, and Ishikawa Yu felt like he had offended someone extraordinary.

"Tiger King, teach him a lesson! Let him be so arrogant, daring to bully such a beautiful woman in front of everyone!" Tiger Man's words caused a stir among the crowd, all expressing their desire for Tiger Man to severely punish Ishikawa Yuya.

"Oh, little cutie, did you hear that? It's not that I'm not going to let you go, it's that everyone wants to see you suffer, so you..." As he spoke, he suddenly straddled Ishikawa's waist, his body, weighing at least 400 pounds, pressing down on him, making Ishikawa Yuya's breath catch in his throat.

"Slap slap slap~" The sound of fists and palms colliding with muscles rang out, and Ishikawa Yuya's back and buttocks received special attention.

What made him even more ashamed and angry was that this guy not only slapped him, but also touched him!

You perverted gay bastard who likes men, stay away from me!

Just as he was about to unleash his spiritual energy to overthrow the tiger-man and get revenge, a pair of red peep-toe high heels appeared in his line of sight.

"Please let him go, I'll concede for him." The woman's voice was alluring and captivating. Ishikawa Yuya's gaze rose, just reaching the expanse of snow-white skin revealed by the stockings. He missed seeing the rest of the beautiful scenery, what a pity.

"You..." Seeing that he was still looking at her with that kind of gaze even though she was pleading for him, the woman got a little angry, stomped her foot hard, and said coquettishly, "If you look at me again, I'll gouge out your lecherous dog eyes!"

"Ahem, I was wrong." Ishikawa Yu knew that his actions had been abrupt and that he didn't want to make his image even worse in her eyes, so he immediately looked away and obediently stared at the toes peeking out from the top of her high heels.

"What beautiful toes! No wonder so many people go crazy kissing their female companions' toes whenever 'Her Majesty' plays. Such beautiful things, even putting them in your mouth would be a wonderful thing, wouldn't it?"

He couldn't take his eyes off her toes, which were encased in red stockings and adorned with red nail polish, as beautiful as red rose petals.

"This little cutie is lucky. Even after you treated her like that, she's still willing to defend you. Tsk tsk, let's see if you dare to be so arrogant next time." After enjoying Ishikawa Yuya's muscles for a while longer, who was completely unaware that he had been taken advantage of, the tiger-man finally let go of his hand and stood up.

While striking a pose and showing off his muscles that looked like the intertwined roots of an old tree, the tiger-man repeated the phrase in his native dialect: "Ass we can~" "Ass we can~" "Ass we can!"

As he spoke, the people around him repeated it, and after they arrived, everyone said the same thing.

Ishikawa Yuu, whose muscles ached all over, twisted his body after the tiger-man released him, looking at his barely clothed state with some embarrassment.

"Here, take this. Let's go, let's not stay here." The woman handed him a coat, and Ishikawa Yu quickly took it and put it on, thus avoiding being looked at as if he were a pervert.

Seeing the beautiful woman hand him her coat and then leave, he hesitated for a moment, but still followed her. After all, what she said was true.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Heaven and Hell

Walking down the bustling street, the girl's red curly hair fluttered in the wind. She was dressed lightly, but in the night, she was as beautiful as a blooming fiery red rose.

"What's wrong?" Seeing the boy beside her staring intently at her, she touched her cheek, as if worried that something was stuck to it.

"No, I just think the quality of the beauties in this city is so high." This was indeed the most incredible thing he felt. He had already been amazed by Ji Shuise before.

I never expected that there would be Ji Xiuyu, the woman Ji Xiuyu impersonated, and the woman in the present.

These are all top-tier beauties. In other cities, you'd be lucky to find even one, but here there are so many—it's truly a miracle.

"Ha, appearance is given by one's parents, and even the most beautiful appearance exists only to cover the heart. If the heart dies, the appearance is just a living shell, and it doesn't matter whether you have it or not." Her thoughts were surprisingly mature, which made the boy slightly surprised. She was different from the girl in the bar.

"When you experience more, you'll think the same way. After all, only those with a heart have a chance to live. Those without a heart have their life cut off and are essentially living dead, aren't they?" She stood still, turned to the side, the wind blowing against her cheeks, her long hair dancing in the air.

The fragrance of roses became even more pronounced, wafting into his nostrils. Inhaling that scent, he felt slightly intoxicated. She truly was someone who could captivate at first sight and remain unforgettable.

If he hadn't made so many mistakes, he probably would have fallen for her allure too, right? It was a temptation more deadly than Xiu Yu or Shui Se, something a boy his age couldn't resist.

"You have some unforgettable memories from your past, don't you? If you could, could you tell me about them?" He suddenly wanted to know about her past, her origins, and everything about her.

This was a dangerous sign, a sign that he was beginning to succumb to her charm, but he didn't want to stop this feeling. If he was really going to succumb, then so be it.

"I can't tell you yet. I'll tell you when you walk into my heart." Turning back, she smiled charmingly; every move she made was so captivating.

"I was being presumptuous." Ishikawa Yuya knew he had asked for too much. How long had they known each other? Why should she tell him those secrets?

"Come on, let's sit by the river for a while." Seeing that he was no longer asking questions, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, raised her fair right hand, and pointed to the riverbank in the distance. The wind there was gentle, and sitting on the grass would be even more comfortable.

"Sure, if you want, I'll go with you." This is a question that doesn't need to be asked. Only a fool would refuse an invitation from such a beautiful girl to sit together.

"Nighttime is my favorite time, because under the dark night sky, I can hide my true self and not let anyone see the bad side of me." Although she said she didn't want to talk about the past, she couldn't help but reveal a little bit herself.

However, Ishikawa knew that this was just her grumbling, and she wasn't really saying it to him. If he pressed her for details, he would most likely just get silence in return.

"No matter how many thoughts you have about life, it's really just to make yourself aware that there are still many things to be done and that you need to work harder." She stretched, and the moonlight seemed to veil her curvaceous figure, making her even more alluring.

“I know, so I’m trying my best. But some things can’t be achieved just by trying. There are many other factors that are unavoidable.” Her words reminded Ishikawa Yu of some things as well.

Isn't this the end result of my attempts to keep Xiuyu? No matter how hard I try, it's useless because she doesn't belong to me.

“Yes, but how do you know you won’t succeed if you don’t try?” She smiled, then suddenly bent down, her slender, white fingers slowly tracing a path from her absolute territory down her thigh, calf, ankle, and finally to the instep, before disappearing into her red peep-toe heels and pulling them off.

This seemingly ordinary act of taking off her shoes took on an incredibly moving quality in her demeanor, as if it were an innate charm she possessed.

She pulled down the other heel in the same way, leaving her feet bare except for a red stocking.

The shape of the arch of the foot was perfect, slender and delicate. He carefully compared it in his mind and thought that if he reached out, he should be able to grasp it completely.

He had this idea, but unfortunately she wouldn't let him do it.

She stretched her legs and leaned back slowly, looking at the stars in the sky and the night, feeling very peaceful.

Although things are not the same as before, being with him still gives me a sense of peace.

"Sometimes, people need to fly into the sky to realize how insignificant they are, don't they?" She reached out her hand, wanting to grasp that wisp of cloud, but she couldn't.

"The sky? This sky is too small." As a powerful individual who could fly into the sky by paying a certain price, Ishikawa Yu was also fortunate enough to touch the transparent energy barrier at the top and know just how high the "sky" of this city really was.

Once you cross that barrier, all sorts of giant beasts, monsters, and monstrous insects will swarm in and turn that person into food.

This is what they call the sky, what they call freedom, so cruel that he dared not speak, lest he shatter the girl's fantasy.

“Yes, the sky isn’t really that free.” She smiled, as if she knew the truth, which made him fall silent.

"By the way, what's your name?" It's really rude of me not to know her name even now.

"You can call me Rose. I am someone who only appears at night, and someone destined to be a passerby in everyone's life."

She glanced back at him, her eyes filled with the same coldness and desolation as Ji Xiuyu when she sought his help on stage—a look of utter helplessness.

But she isn't herself, is she?

"A passerby..." he murmured as he watched her close her eyes and slowly rest.

Listening to her breathing become even, I knew that she had fallen asleep.

Upon seeing her fair, flawless, and incomparably beautiful face, he hesitated for a moment, but could not suppress the impulse in his heart. He leaned down and kissed her face.

"Yuya, what are you doing?" Lina's voice suddenly rang out behind him, plunging him from heaven to hell...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Choice, the Heartbroken Girl

"Lina?" Ishikawa Yuya's lips stopped short of her cheek, not kissing her. He no longer had the heart for it, because the girl behind him was his current girlfriend, and for her to see him like this was simply...

"Hehe, I knew it! Who was that person I just saw? It was my dear boyfriend. How does it feel to date another girl behind your girlfriend's back? Is there a thrill of cheating?" The girl's voice was very calm, but Ishikawa Yu could hear the determination and sadness in it.

He turned around, wanting to step forward and embrace the girl, but she took a step back, hugged her shoulders, and screamed hoarsely, "Don't touch me!"

"Lina, let me explain. I didn't date anyone behind your back, I just..." He couldn't explain anymore. It was his own inability to control his desires that led to this; who could he blame?

"Just what? You can't say it, can you? Can't you even make up a reasonable excuse to lie to me? Even if it's a lie, I'll convince myself to accept it!" Lina's eyes suddenly reddened, and she, who was not a particularly strong girl to begin with, finally couldn't hold back her sadness and tears streamed down her face.

"Lina..." Ishikawa Yuya felt a pang of heartache. The person he had vowed to protect was now being hurt and crying in front of him. How painful must this feeling be?

"Don't come near me!" Seeing him trying to approach, Lina shook her head and shouted, tears streaming from her eyes and falling into the grass. Each tear contained a beautiful memory between them, shattered, shattered, falling into the grass and disappearing.

"Lina, let me explain. Things really aren't like what you're saying. There's nothing between me and her! Really! We just met by chance!" Ishikawa Yuya's voice rose as he saw her like this, as if to tell her that it was the truth.

Hugging her shoulders and hanging her head, she wept silently for a long while before finally answering his question: "If I hadn't seen you kiss her, then I would believe your reason, I would be willing to believe it. But how do you explain your attempt to kiss her just now?! Don't tell me she seduced you while she was asleep, that excuse is meaningless!"

"I..." Ishikawa Yuya stammered. He glanced back at the sleeping girl in red, then at the sorrowful Lina before him, and finally spoke the truth: "I couldn't help it. I'm sorry, Lina. Seeing her like this, I couldn't control my impulse, so..."

"Yes, I couldn't resist. That's your reason, that's the reason you told me you kissed her. What a good reason." She kept repeating the word "reason," clearly implying something.

Looking up at him through her teary eyes, she hissed, "Ishikawa Yuya, you and I are... irreconcilable...!" She wanted to say "irreconcilable," but before she could finish the last two words, a loud bang from the sky interrupted her.

"Thump thump thump!" The whole city seemed to be shaking, making it hard for people to stand up straight.

The shouting girl stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Ishikawa Yuya rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. Ignoring her violent struggles, he shouted, "The energy shield is under attack! Enemies are coming from outside! We must leave and go to a safe place!"

His words calmed the girl down. She looked up at the extremely nervous Ishikawa Yuya, bit her lip, and believed him.

"Clang~" Just as he was about to leave with Lina, a sound like shattering glass came from the sky. The protective shield had been broken.

Although it will recover instantly, a wave of enemies may have already entered, so we must leave quickly!

Unfortunately, he made his decision too late. A huge figure landed directly behind him, creating a hurricane that completely separated the red-clad girl, who had been awakened by the tremor and was still somewhat dazed, from him.

"..." His heart sank. The question now wasn't whether to save her, but whether he could even save her. Because even he wasn't entirely confident in defeating the enemy before him.

It was a two-meter-tall green praying mantis, its huge compound eyes staring at him with icy coldness.

The scythes on his arms reflected a cold, sharp edge under the moonlight, a quality that only metal could possess.

“Assault Mantis…” Gritting his teeth, Ishikawa Yuya uttered the name of the monster and ran forward without hesitation, carrying Lina in his arms.

As for the girl in red, I'm sorry... I'm truly powerless against such an enemy...

“Yuya…” He reached out his hand, wanting to stop her, but stopped in mid-air.

She shook her head slightly. Yes, she could never compare to her importance in his heart. No matter what happened, she would never be the first person he thought of.

If you already knew, why did you test me?