Chapter 167: I Didn't Lie
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: I Didn't Lie
In the world of romantic comedies, the guys who hit on girls are both everywhere and nowhere.
They are the quintessential uninvited guests who only appear for the sake of a convenient plot development. But perhaps Ayabe-senpai’s earlier comment about “getting hit on a lot” had been a flag, because sure enough, they appeared today as well.
I walked over to the two delinquents who were aggressively talking to the three girls.
Unlike the guy with the buzz cut who had been shouting just a moment ago, a slightly better-looking blond delinquent was trying to sweet-talk them.
He was probably playing the good cop.
"Sorry, sorry, this guy's a bit rough around the edges. There are three of us, too, so the numbers are perfect. Why don't we hang out together instead of being like this? We won't do anything bad."
"Excuse me."
"Huh?"
When I spoke, the guy with the buzz cut, who had been scowling to intimidate the newspaper club members, turned around with a threatening growl.
"Those three are with me."
However, the buzz-cut guy’s reaction was completely unexpected.
"You think we'd be scared just 'cause you're big? If you thought that, you're dead wrong. Piss off if you don't want to be humiliated in front of everyone!"
What was this? This baseless confidence?
I stared in disbelief at the delinquent who was so brazenly telling me to get lost.
Just in case, I glanced at the guy next to him. The blond with the eyebrow piercing also spoke with a confident expression.
"In case you didn't know, we're the Demon Duo of Seikei, the guys who can make a crying baby shut up!"
The Demon what of where?
I gave the two of them a dumbfounded look as they spouted a nickname I'd never heard of, but they were already lost in their own world, rattling off their credentials without a pause.
So, I decided to ignore the delinquents for a moment and asked the three girls behind them.
"Senpai, are you okay?"
Ayabe-senpai nodded, looking bewildered.
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"Just in case, please step back. I'll take care of this quickly."
After saying that, I turned back to the self-proclaimed Demon Duo.
"How dare you ignore us, you bastard!"
"Looks like he's got a death wish."
How should I cook these guys up to get a good reputation out of it…
Just as I was pondering that, a third party's voice cut in.
"Hey! You crazy bastards!"
The one who shouted as he came running over was the former subordinate of that guy Kaz I'd seen earlier.
He smacked the two delinquents on the back of their heads, then immediately bowed to me.
"I'm so sorry! These guys didn't know any better!"
"What the fuck!"
"Shut up! You crazy fucker! I'm saving your life right now!"
The three members of the newspaper club stared, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
Of course, at that moment, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Meanwhile, one of the two delinquents yelled.
"Ah! What the hell is your problem!"
The guy forcing their heads down glanced at me nervously and said.
"You remember that incident recently where the Devil Riders, Tokyo's biggest biker gang, got completely dismantled?"
"What does that have to do with… Hup! No way!"
"That's right! The legendary hero who took down fifty members of the Devil Riders all by himself is this man right here!"
"The Strongest in Tokyo!"
I'm losing my mind.
My head was already spinning.
As if being called the strongest in school wasn't enough, now I had the weird nickname "The Strongest in Tokyo" attached to me.
And more importantly, the newspaper club members were right behind me.
How am I supposed to fix this?
During the interview earlier, I'd played dumb and said I knew nothing about it, but now my cover had been blown in a completely unexpected way.
Unable to get angry with all the stinging glares from the people around me, I spoke in a quiet tone.
"Let's move somewhere else first."
*
"We're sorry! Hyung-nim! We have sinned and deserve to die!"
As soon as we entered the alley behind the arcade, the delinquents who had learned my identity immediately slammed their heads on the ground.
I let out a deep sigh, gave them some valuable life advice about picking their fights more carefully from now on, and let them go.
If no one had been watching, I would have corrected their bad habits, but with the newspaper club members there today, I had no choice.
After the delinquents fled, I looked at the three newspaper club members trembling behind me.
"Um."
"Yes?!"
When I called out in a low voice, Ayabe-senpai jumped and answered.
"I'm sorry for lying during the interview. But I have a private life, you know."
"O-Of course, you would."
Ayabe-senpai, seemingly terrified, suddenly switched to formal speech and nodded vigorously.
"Please keep what happened today a secret. You can do that much for me, right?"
"…Yes!"
Ayabe-senpai shouted, her face tense as if she were a soldier receiving orders.
Well, this is a bitter outcome.
This meeting was supposed to clear up the misunderstandings about me at school, but it looked like it would only make them worse.
I once again earnestly asked Ayabe-senpai to maintain secrecy and told her she could speak comfortably again.
At that, Ayabe-senpai hesitantly said, "Got it," switching back to informal speech.
Takagi and Hanami, who had been trembling and watching from the corner, let out a small "Eek!" when our eyes met.
I brought my index finger to my lips, asking them to keep the secret as well, before walking out of the alley with a sense of melancholy.
*
"Chief, what are you going to do?"
At the question from the vice-chief, Takagi, Ayabe opened her mouth with a firm expression.
"We have to keep it a secret, right?"
If the fact that Kim Yoo-Sung was the star of the 1-on-50 fight video that became a hot topic just before summer vacation got out, it would surely be a huge scoop for this year's cultural festival.
An article with the headline, 'The scholarship student who effortlessly ranks first in his grade by day is a delinquent who beats up biker gangs by night?!' would sell like hotcakes.
But the popularity gained that way would surely come back to bite them like a double-edged sword someday.
Besides, she didn't think they could handle the aftermath.
"I'm saying this as the club chief. We're burying this story."
At that, Takagi chuckled and nodded.
"I knew you'd say that, senpai."
"What do you think?"
"Well, he did expose his identity to help us, so I was going to suggest we cover for him."
"You're more conscientious than you look, Takagi."
"What do you take me for?!"
"Haha, just kidding, just kidding."
Having reached a dramatic compromise, the two of them looked at the first-year, Hanami Yuzuko.
"Hanami, what will you do?"
Hanami nodded.
"I'll keep it a secret, too. I want to prove that we can succeed without having to publish sensationalist articles."
"Then it's unanimous."
As Ayabe said that, she once again organized the information she had learned today.
"Let's keep this a secret just between us: the fact that Kim-kun actually has connections to the yakuza, is known as the 'Strongest in Tokyo' in the underworld, is strong enough to win a 1-on-50 fight all by himself, and dismantled the biker gang called the Devil Riders."
"This certainly clears up the mystery of why he has so many girls around him."
"There's the saying, 'A hero loves beauty,' after all."
As Hanami said that, she unknowingly blushed.
She was beginning to realize that what she had felt might not have been fear.
Ayabe also nodded in agreement with the other two.
"It seems his unique charisma captivates women. It's a woman's instinct to be drawn to a bad boy, after all."
And so, in a place unknown to Kim Yoo-Sung, the suspicions and misunderstandings surrounding him only grew deeper.
*
At that same time,
Somewhere in Kyoto.
Pour! Clink!
"President. Word has come from the Fujiwara family."
"Is that so? Their response was quite swift."
"It's to be expected. This concerns the reconciliation between our two families, who have been at odds for a long time."
"And who, might I ask, are they sending to the matchmaking meeting?"
"It seems they are sending Fujiwara Sai, the second son of the current clan head."
"Fujiwara Sai… The child who was rumored to be a prodigy since he was young. He's twenty this year, was he not?"
"It would seem they are also viewing this proposal for reconciliation quite favorably."
"Then we must send a child of suitable stature from our side as well."
"Yes. Do you have someone in mind, President?"
"Hmm, what of Kumiko?"
"Young Lady Kumiko?"
"She will be eighteen next year. Attending a matchmaking meeting would be a good experience for her."
"Do you not think the young lady will protest such a sudden decision?"
"Kumiko will likely accept it without a word of complaint. That child understands the duty of one who stands above others better than anyone. That is why she is my most cherished grandchild."
"…I understand. I will go and speak with the young lady myself."
"Yes. I'm counting on you, as always."
"I will carry out your command."
Having received her orders from Saionji Harunobu—the head of the Saionji Group, ranked third in Japan's business world, and the 27th head of the Saionji family—the kunoichi, Koga Izumo, vanished into the shadows.
Saionji Harunobu gazed at the spot where she had disappeared, then chuckled and brought a long pipe to his lips.
"Autumn is already here."
It was the perfect season for the young to begin falling in love.