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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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What comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Yamaguchi’?
At least for me, it conjures up an image of a chiseled face and masculine eyes.
But it is not a name for a main character.
It’s more fitting for a supporting character, or even an extra.
And here I was, face to face with that extra that was Yamaguchi.
He was sitting on the railing of the rooftop, surrounded by a high fence.
His expression was so blank that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Damn, his physique was incredible.
Must have taken him five years to build a body like that.
He was surrounded by a good number of delinquents belonging to the Supreme Circle.
Among them were Takashi, looking at me with concern, and Samoyama, grinding his teeth.
As I sauntered towards Yamaguchi with my swaggering gait, the enraged Samoyama tried to step forward.
But when Yamaguchi spoke, he had no choice but to retreat back to his spot.
“Matsuda Ken.”
His voice was rather plain.
Thank goodness it wasn’t a low, deep voice like mine.
I almost felt jealous.
“Yes.”
“You want to quit the circle?”
He relayed the message properly. Good job, Takashi.
I nodded and answered.
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
Yamaguchi, to put it nicely, admired those with guts. To put it not-so-nicely, he acknowledged those who would challenge him without knowing their place and respected their spirit.
He also liked honest people.
So, instead of making excuses, I figured I’d just tell him straight up.
“Seeing you guys getting into fights with other academies is pathetic. That’s why I want to quit. We’re not in middle school anymore.”
It wasn’t Yamaguchi who reacted to my words, but Samoyama.
“What the fuck did you say, you little shit?”
He stepped forward from his spot next to Yamaguchi towards me and raised his fist.
He looked like he was about to hit me any second.
Yamaguchi stopped Samoyama with a calm voice.
“That’s enough.”
“…Yes, senpai.”
To be honest, it was pretty funny watching him cower like that.
“Are you prepared to abandon your family?”
That was Yamaguch’s next question.
I wanted to scoff and say, “What family…” but I held back.
“Yes. I want to quit. I don’t want to play these childish games anymore.”
I stared at Yamaguchi with wide eyes as I spoke.
I wanted him to feel my sincerity.
Did he sense it?
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
“You know what happens to quitters, right?”
I knew that very well.
They cut off one of their pinky fingers.
An outdated and ridiculous way to keep members shackled, something straight out of an old yakuza movie.
“You mean cutting off one of my fingers? Is that shit for real? Honestly, I bet there are quite a few members who are afraid to quit because of that stupid rule.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Well, I don’t wanna lose a finger. Can’t you guys just beat me up and we call it even?”
Think about it, Yamaguchi.
You find these yakuza games ridiculous too, don’t you?
You’re just sticking to them because of the bonds you’ve built and the responsibility you feel towards the members of the Supreme Circle.
But I know you’re the type who would seriously consider quitting if you had the chance, aren’t you?
So, let me help you.
The Supreme Circle will be officially disbanded as of today.
I don’t know what kind of punishment you’ll receive, but since you still have a bit of a delinquent bravado, just accept it with your chin raised.
“Hmm…”
Yamaguchi seemed to be thinking hard about it.
I had a feeling he would give me a positive answer.
“You’re saying you want to settle this with a beating, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then so be it. But on one condition: you never speak about anything that happened in the Supreme Circle.”
“Sounds good.”
I see. He understood my feelings, but he couldn’t completely disregard the other members.
Him accepting my proposal was good enough for me.
“S-senpai…!”
Samoyama’s bewildered cry echoed behind him.
Followed by murmurs from all the other extras in the circle…
They seemed annoyed that the rock-solid Yamaguchi had accepted a first-year’s proposal.
If it pisses you off that much, you should have analyzed Yamaguchi’s personality and figured out how to win him over like I did.
“Samoyama.”
“Yes…?”
“You do it.”
Samoyama smirked.
That bastard wasn’t annoyed. He just wanted to beat me up.
I didn’t mind being beaten up by Samoyama, actually…
You’re really out of line, though.
“How badly should I mess him up?”
“Until I tell you to stop.”
“Understood.”
The stage was set.
Now all I had to do was take the beating.
“You’ve been a pain in the ass since summer break… You’re so fucking dead, you motherfucker.”
Samoyama said, approaching me.
I looked down at him with an indifferent expression.
Today, I wouldn’t lower my head and take the beating like I did at the hideout…
Wham!
My head, which had been looking down on him, snapped back with a heavy thud.
My mouth felt like it had split open… This hurt more than the beating at the hideout.
Should I just curl up and try to endure as much as I can?
No. I had already put up a facade, so I had to keep it.
Maybe Yamaguchi would stop Samoyama if I did.
I straightened my head and spat out the blood pooling in my mouth.
Then, I tried my best to produce a wide smile.
So that my bloodstained smirk would further enrage Samoyama.
“You bastard, I’ll wipe that smirk off your face…”
Wham!
As expected, Samoyama fell for my provocation and started to beat me up for real.
Wham! Thud!
I had club activities to attend, so I couldn’t let him hit me hard enough to give me a concussion like last time.
I had to take the beating strategically, to let Samoyama feel the impact.
As I was thinking that,
Thud!
But then Samoyama grabbed me and threw me to the ground, Judo-style, and I knew I was screwed.
Well… I couldn’t expect everything to go my way, could I?
But wasn’t I the protagonist?
Being humiliated by an extra… Of course, I brought this upon myself, but this was a little too much.
Whack!
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How many times have I been hit?
I counted up to thirty hits, but I lost track after that.
It felt like a long time, but I was surprisingly clear-headed.
Samoyama wasn’t exactly a weakling… Was this some kind of protagonist’s durability buff?
It was more than just a little bearable; it was almost as if my body didn’t care at all.
Except for my busted lip.
“Huff… Huff…! This fucking bastard keeps blocking…!”
Samoyama was breathing heavily, clearly getting tired of hitting me.
I glanced at Yamaguchi, and he seemed ready to intervene.
But Takashi was faster.
“You son of a bitch…! That’s enough, you asshole!”
He couldn’t stand to watch me get beaten up any longer and charged towards Samoyama, yelling curses.
Just as Samoyama’s face contorted in anger at the Takashi’s insults,
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Loud noises came from the locked rooftop door.
Click…! Screech…!
Followed by the sound of something being picked…
I knew it was the faculty and the student council.
Miyuki must have told them after getting worried that I hadn’t returned after the break.
That’s my Miyuki. She can’t sit still at all.
Crash!
As everyone froze in surprise, the doorknob of the rooftop door was ripped off, and the door burst open.
Several students wearing student council badges on their chests and a group of teachers, led by the PE teacher, rushed in.
“You brats…!”
The PE teacher, who had a build similar to Yamaguchi’s, growled. Then, he saw me getting up and flinched.
“Are you… alright…?”
I answered with a grin, swallowing the blood that was welling up in my mouth. I picked up my phone that had fallen to the ground and stared at Yamaguchi.
He gave a small nod.
It was a sign that I had successfully quit the Supreme Circle.
Finally, I had cleaned up all of the mess that was Matsuda Ken, and escaped that childish group of yakuza wannabes.
Even though it was a group that had little to do with the real me, the feeling of liberation was overwhelming.
I really had to work my ass off for this result.
I left the rooftop, pushing through the crowd.
A young teacher offered to help me walk, but I declined.
The only person who was allowed to support me at this time was Miyuki.
Wait, wasn’t it the second period now?
The fact that several teachers and the student council rushed up here despite it being class time meant this was a serious incident.
“I’m exhausted…”
Mentally, I was fine, but my body was tired.
The accumulated damage was taking its toll, and my arms, which I had used to block the blows, were complaining like crazy.
My face was throbbing too.
I carefully descended the stairs and slumped down on the second-floor hallway.
I caught my breath and glared at the students who came to gawk, trying to scare them away, and then…
“Ahhh!!”
Miyuki, who was rushing up the stairs, screamed when she saw me.
Her eyes widened at the sight of blood on my face and uniform. She covered her mouth with both hands.
Her reaction was similar to the one she had when she saw me beaten up after the hideout incident.
I frowned and wearily plugged my ears with my fingers.
“Why are you so loud… You’re tearing through my eardrums. Be quiet…”
I wondered if my voice sounded okay.
Miyuki slowly approached me and said,
“M-Matsuda-kun…?”
“What?”
“Are you… okay?”
“I’m okay now.”
“There’s blood on your face… and your clothes…”
“It’s just a busted lip. I’m fine everywhere else. Want me to show you?”
I tried to stand up, but Miyuki quickly grabbed my wrist.
“S-sit down…! I’ll get the nurse…! Just… wait a little bit…! Okay…?”
She turned to go back down the stairs.
“Don’t go.”
She stopped and turned around at the sound of my low voice.
I gave her a weak smile, swallowed the blood in my mouth, and patted the step next to me with my hand.
“Stay with me.”
“…But you’re bleeding…”
“Stay with me.”
“…”
She seemed quite flustered by my gentle tone, but she eventually came back and sat down carefully next to me.
Then, she took out a handkerchief and started to wipe the blood around the wound on my face.
I looked at her, and said,
“You called them, didn’t you? Those people.”
“…Yes. You weren’t coming back after five minutes, so I went to the faculty office…”
“What did you tell them?”
“I told them that some students were causing a lot of trouble on the roof…”
Really? Good job.
“Did you really think I could quit the Supreme Circle in just five minutes?”
“I don’t understand you, Matsuda. Why did you have to follow the rules of an illegal group…? I know you were worried about me and Tetsuya getting involved, but… the school could end up punishing you along with them…”
“You said you trusted me today. But you couldn’t even wait for five minutes… Does that mean you didn’t really trust me?”
“If I had just stayed put… You would be in an ambulance right now. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I was just too worried…”
“Forget about it. It’s over, so I’ll let it slide this time.”
Miyuki’s head shot up.
“It’s… over?”
“Yeah. I quit. As soon as I met them, they started beating me up, but I guess they were impressed by the fact that I didn’t fight back, so they let me quit. Unlike you, I kept my promise.”
“…What promise…?”
“You told me not to fight. So I didn’t. I never planned to fight in the first place.”
Miyuki pouted.
She looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After a moment of silence, she scolded me,
“Who… told you to just take a beating for over 15 minutes without fighting back…? Even I wouldn’t do that…!”
It had been over 15 minutes?
That was a long beating.
“Then you should have said so.”
Miyuki bit her lower lip at my playful joke.
“…Sorry…”
Feeling sorry? Then wear a bunny girl outfit and fishnet stockings for me.
A nurse or police uniform would be nice too.
I could see tears welling up in Miyuki’s eyes.
She seemed genuinely sorry that I had followed her words so literally.
She must also be grateful that I was changing for the better so quickly after meeting her.
Miyuki’s hand, clutching the handkerchief, tightened into a fist.
But the blood in it would stain her hand.
So I flicked the handkerchief sticking out of her fist with my finger.
“Hey.”
“…What…!”
“Did I do well?”
“You did well… Yes, well done…!”
Her tone sounded like a sulking girlfriend throwing a tantrum.
I chuckled at Miyuki’s reaction and seized the moment before her face could crumple.
“Then I’ll call you Miyuki from now on.”
I didn’t ask if I could call her Miyuki.
Or if I could address her more casually.
I just said it in my own way, like a declaration, a joke, with a double meaning.
I knew my true feelings would get through to her even if I spoke this way.
Because this was who I was.
And Miyuki knew that.
She stared at me for a long time with teary eyes, then wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
She replied in a tearful voice, scolding me,
“Do whatever you want… You dummy…”
Was she calling me a dummy in this situation because she was happy?
I felt good hearing her acceptance.
I gave Miyuki a bright smile.
Miyuki scoffed and turned her head slightly, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“…Also, make sure to brush your teeth… You look silly…”
I guess the sight of my bloodstained pearly white teeth kinda ruined the mood… It was embarrassing, but who cares?
Accidentally causing trouble like this…
Being clumsy at expressing emotions honestly…
Misunderstanding each other’s feelings…
And eventually realizing how they feel about one another.
This is youth, this is what it means to be in a love comedy.
Now was the time to nurture our love while experiencing the typical clichés that unfold both inside and outside of school.
I would develop my relationship with Renka while subtly escalating the physical intimacy with Miyuki.
Kids these days were quick about it, weren’t they?
This was a generation where some people would even start making out the moment their eyes meet. Being able to get physical while in some kind of relationship with a girl—be it a very strong friendship or full-fledged dating—was only natural.
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