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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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Scratch.
A red X marked with a colored pencil.
My heart sank as I confirmed that I had gotten the last question wrong, letting out a sigh deep enough to swallow the earth.
“Ha…”
I had answered only four questions correctly, one short of my goal of five.
Unlike me, wallowing in despair, Tetsuya’s face was bright.
He had gotten exactly seven questions right.
“Tetsuya-kun, well done.”
At Miyuki’s praise, Tetsuya scratched his head shyly.
Damn it, why did the comparison have to be with that idiot? It pissed me off.
I finally understood why Miyuki had set half the questions as my target.
The disappointment was immense, and my competitive spirit ignited.
As I sat there, my head practically buried in the round table,
“Matsuda-kun… I’m honestly surprised. I thought you’d get two questions right at most, but I never imagined you’d solve four. Your solutions were accurate too.”
I lifted my head abruptly at Miyuki’s unexpected praise.
She covered her mouth with a giggle and continued,
“I can see you really studied hard. I’m proud of you, Matsuda-kun.”
It sounded like she was praising a child, but it still felt amazing.
This is why people should work hard, at studying or anything else.
To earn recognition from others.
“I tend to get really into things once I’m hooked.”
“Are you boasting already? You’ve done well, but you still have a long way to go. This is just the very basics.”
Harsh.
But at least she wasn’t comparing me to Tetsuya.
I decided to focus on the positive and think about the next event, when,
Bzzt!
My phone vibrated. I looked at the screen.
[Shimoyama-senpai]
Shimoyama…? Who was that again?
The name came back to me after a moment.
Shimoyama Akiro.
The second-year leader of Supreme Circle, the club I was in.
He was just like the old me.
That one sentence summed up Shimoyama perfectly.
But why was he calling me?
“Who is it?”
I gestured to Miyuki to wait a moment and answered the call.
“Yes, senpai.”
-You know the hideout, right?
He was talking about the basement of a building in a corner of Kabukicho, the red-light district, which Supreme Circle used as their base.
“Yes, I do.”
-Come here right now.
He hung up without another word.
He sounded irritated, so I was probably going to get beaten up.
But this could be a good opportunity.
A preview of the big event that would take place as soon as summer break ended.
Miyuki must have been feeling conflicted after the weekend, so I had to go and create an event I could control.
Honestly, I was terrified, but it had to be done for the sake of my future.
I turned to the others with a serious expression.
“It’s best if you two study on your own today.”
“Huh…? Why?”
“Something came up. Just finish up and leave when you’re done. The door locks automatically, so don’t worry.”
Miyuki, sensing the seriousness in my low voice, replied,
“Ah, okay… Call us as soon as you’re done.”
“Sure.”
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Supreme Circle’s hideout wasn’t a glamorous, modern place like the yakuza hideouts you saw in the media these days.
It was shabby and reeked of stale cigarettes. Like a villain’s lair from an old crime movie.
As I descended into the basement, I saw the first-year delinquents from Yeboni Academy lined up in attention.
There were about ten of them on each side.
I made eye contact with Takashi, who was standing in the middle, and tried to discreetly join the line at the very end.
But Shimoyama, who was sitting on the central sofa, stopped me.
“Ken! You belong here, you idiot. What’s our first-year captain doing that he doesn’t come here?”
Captain… This whole thing was so childish.
At least he didn’t call me ‘boss,’ so I can take comfort in that.
Shimoyama was a skinny guy with a menacing look, his two front teeth replaced with gold.
He said he had chipped them on a rock during a fight… It somehow suited him.
I stood before him and nodded curtly.
“Hello.”
Shimoyama’s right eye twitched at my disrespectful greeting.
He glared at me for a moment.
His voice had sounded intimidating on the phone, but seeing him in person, he looked so weak that I couldn’t help but find him pathetic.
As our staring contest continued, Shimoyama suddenly stood up and approached me.
His breath reeked. I wished for him to go away…
As I was thinking that, Shimoyama’s lips stretched into a wide grin.
You know, that creepy smile psychopaths do after trying to intimidate you with a serious expression…
Normally, I would have been creeped out, but I felt nothing.
Maybe my guts had grown as big as Matsuda Ken’s after possessing his body.
“You’ve… grown a lot, haven’t you?”
“Thank you.”
Shimoyama grabbed the back of my neck and patted it.
“Anyway, you know Inagi Academy, right?”
Inagi Academy…
It was an academy located quite a distance from our Yeboni Academy.
The delinquents there weren’t on good terms with the Supreme Circle, if I remembered correctly.
“Yes, I do.”
“This Friday, take some guys with you and go beat up a few of their students. Make sure you wear your uniforms.”
Aha, so he was trying to instigate a fight between the schools.
What should I do?
Should I pretend to be loyal to the club and participate in the brawl?
Or should I start showing signs of wanting to leave?
I chose the latter.
This wasn’t a case of righteous violence against a criminal; it was just a pointless fight between schools.
If Miyuki found out that I had thrown even a single punch, her affection points would plummet.
“Did Inagi do something wrong?”
“Huuuuuh? What did you say?”
Shimoyama cupped his ear, as if he hadn’t heard me properly.
I scratched my chin with my index finger and feigned a troubled expression.
“It seems a bit much to pick a fight with them after they’ve been quiet for a while…”
Slap!
My head snapped to the side with a sharp sound.
It stung. He was stronger than he looked.
Could you hit me one more time, until it swells up nicely?
I straightened my head after being slapped and cracked my neck.
Shimoyama rolled up the sleeves of his Yeboni uniform shirt.
“You little shit, who do you think you’re talking to… Hey, when have we ever cared about their circumstances before picking a fight? You motherfucker?”
“Even so…”
Bam!
A punch this time. Perfect.
I straightened my head again.
Annoyed by my defiant attitude, Shimoyama grabbed me by the hair and started punching me relentlessly in the face.
Bam! Thud!
My nose started bleeding, my cheekbones throbbed, and my jaw and the area under my eyes ached with every punch.
But I endured it, focusing all my energy on suppressing Matsuda Ken’s rebellious instincts.
If he had been any bigger, it would have been excruciating.
After landing about ten punches, Shimoyama stopped, staring at me in disbelief as I remained silent, not even letting out a scream.
Then, he turned to Takashi, my closest friend in the club, and asked,
“Hey, did this guy eat something weird or something?”
“Huh…? Ah, no, sir. I’ll talk to him.”
“Whatever, you’re in charge of handling the Inagi thing. Got it?”
“Ossu!”
It was a greeting used in Japanese martial arts circles.
I hadn’t expected to hear it in this context, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Pfft!”
I just realized, Takashi’s hilarious reactions mean that he’s supposed to be… the stereotypical comic relief character in rom-coms.
I covered my mouth, trying to stifle my laughter, and looked around.
“…”
The already chilly basement grew even colder.
Seeing Shimoyama’s eyes burning with rage, I clenched my jaw.
Fine, hit me again. But go easy on me this time.
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“You idiot… What were you thinking, laughing at a time like that?”
Takashi scolded me as he helped me walk.
I spat out the blood that was pooling in my mouth and said,
“I… I couldn’t help it… It was funny…”
“What was so funny?”
“Ossu…”
“No, but really, did you eat something weird or something? You almost got me beaten up too. You think this is the first time I’ve seen him do that?”
“You haven’t seen him that often…”
“Well, yeah… Ugh… Damn it… whatever. Just go home and rest. You look terrible.”
He was just a delinquent, but he was surprisingly loyal.
I would give him credit for that.
I nodded silently in response. We arrived at my house.
Takashi watched me fumble with my keys, my hands trembling, and asked worriedly,
“You look like you’re about to collapse… Want me to help you inside?”
“I’m fine… Just go…”
“Still trying to act tough… Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Go… And thanks for today.”
“Are you for real?”
“Damn it… Just go…! Ow…!”
I tried to kick Takashi’s butt, but a sharp pain shot through my ribs, and I doubled over.
Takashi chuckled at my pathetic state and said,
“You idiot… I’m outta here. Call me if anything happens.”
“Yeah…”
I weakly opened the door and went straight to the bathroom.
I somehow managed to take off my clothes and filled the cypress bathtub with cold water.
Then, I sank into the water and closed my eyes tightly.
The ice-cold water constricted my muscles.
My entire body ached. It seemed like I had taken more hits than I had anticipated.
I should have just held back my laughter… But that ‘ossu’ was such a random thing to hear…
I grumbled to myself and soaked in the cold bath for a while. After a quick shower, I collapsed onto the living room floor and looked around.
The legs of the round table were folded, and it was leaning against the wall.
The tray and the bowl I had used for the melon were washed and put away.
Miyuki and Tetsuya must have cleaned up. So tidy.
I checked my phone and saw a message from Miyuki.
[Did you take care of that thing you had to go for?]
The timestamp showed it was sent while I was getting beaten up.
I laboriously typed out a reply.
[Mission clear.]
My phone vibrated moments later.
[You didn’t look so good… What happened? Can you talk?]
Ah… Miyuki, were you waiting for my reply?
I could feel the genuine concern in her words. The pain seemed to subside.
You’re going to put bandages on me with your delicate hands tomorrow, right? I’m counting on you.
[Sorry, but I’m really tired right now. I’ll tell you tomorrow.]
[Okay. Get some rest as soon as you get home.]
[I’m already home. You even did the dishes. Thanks.]
[It’s the least I could do. Get some sleep, see you tomorrow.]
[Sure.]
After ending the conversation with Miyuki, I stretched out on the floor, spreading my arms and legs.
I had gotten beaten to a pulp today.
Yet, I felt refreshed.
I wondered how Miyuki would react tomorrow.
Would she scold me for getting into a fight?
Or would she freak out and ask what happened?
I had no idea.
But one thing was certain.
If I explained the situation honestly, her affection points would increase, not decrease.
So I should stop thinking about it and go to sleep.
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