“So then, there’s only one thing we can do.”
“Yeah, make Akabana smile from the bottom of her heart… But Yukiharu, are you really sure about this?”
“Huh? Sure about what?”
“Well, Akabana said it herself, remember? If we get on the bad side of those families, we won’t be able to survive in gifted society.”
…Yeah, I mean, having finally made it into this dream world, only to have to disappear right away is honestly a bit lonely.
But, and forgive me for being irreverent, there’s no way I could just skip over something this interesting. It would be a lie to say otherwise. I left home, cut off all my middle school friendships, and threw myself into this world based on a suspicious man’s recruitment pitch. It would be meaningless to not see this through.
“I was planning to go back to my old life eventually to inherit Granpa’s dojo, but you—”
“So like this.”
I cut off Touji, who had an apologetic expression on his face, and spoke firmly.
“If it looks like I can’t get a job in this society, just hire me at your dojo. As staff or something.”
“……”
Upon hearing my words, Touji’s face went blank for a moment, but then, a few seconds later, he started laughing out loud. Of course, I joined in too.
“Man, I needed that laugh. It’s weird, you know? Even though I’ve only known you for a week, it already feels like we’ve been friends for years.”
“Yeah, I kinda get what you mean.”
After we’d laughed for a bit, Touji and I started brainstorming ways to execute the [Akabana Smile Great Operation (Named by Touji)].
“That said, I’m not really coming up with good ideas on my end. How about you, Yukiharu?”
Touji asked me that question, and I was about to say I didn’t have anything yet either, but after laughing with Touji just now, a certain plan had come to mind.
“Actually, I’ve got one idea.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah. If involving the families becomes a problem, we just make it seem like student-on-student trouble.”
“…? What do you mean?”
“Just wait and see. I’m about to gather all the pieces necessary to make this operation work.”
As I said that, I made a phone call to a certain person. It was to negotiate with an important person who held the information that would determine whether this plan succeeded or failed.
“Hello? Yagawa-kun? Actually, I—”
The next day, after gathering all the necessary information and sharing the operation plan with Touji, we stood in front of classroom 1-3—Narumiya’s homeroom. Obviously, it was to make the operation a success.
“Ready? Touji?”
“Of course! Bring on expulsion from gifted society!”
Touji responded to my question with a powerful nod.
To be blunt, what we’re about to do is nothing but self-satisfaction. We weren’t directly asked by Akabana—in fact, we were told to stay out of it. From the perspective of people in Akabana’s circle, our actions would be nothing but a nuisance.
But even if this action turns out to be meaningless, we couldn’t ignore those tears in her eyes, and we just couldn’t stay silent. Plus, there was a little bit of curiosity mixed in there too.
Bring on the trouble! We’re already hated anyway. Might as well go all out and be hated as some clueless punk!
With that kind of spirit, I forcefully opened the classroom door. But I’d put too much force into it, and the door bounced back and closed again. So this time, I adjusted my strength and opened it properly.
Naturally, all eyes in the classroom were on us. Every single student gave us looks that screamed Who the hell are you?
But without letting that faze us, Touji and I moved to the desk of our target. Standing before Narumiya Kaneaki, who sat with his legs crossed, surrounded by a crowd of followers.
“Well, well, well… if it isn’t the worthless outsider duo. What’s up? You here to apologize for your withdrawal?”
From the moment he opened his mouth, out came that venomous tongue. Man, his upbringing really does show.
“Narumiya… I’ve got something to talk to you about.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you. Or should I say, want me to crush you like a dirty rag again? This time in front of a big audience too—”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
As Narumiya was shooting off his mouth while casually glancing around, he suddenly seemed to hesitate and stopped speaking. Apparently, he’d noticed the strangeness—both inside and outside the classroom.
That strangeness being an abnormally large gathering of spectators. Not just students from class 3, but clearly many students from other classes had gathered, directing interested gazes at our exchange with Narumiya.
Of course, this was all our doing. We’d set it up so that outsiders challenging Narumiya would make an impression on a large crowd of students.
“Narumiya Kaneaki! Touji and I challenge you to a duel!”
I declared it boldly, loudly, and with pride, slamming a pair of gloves I’d bought yesterday (two hundred yen tax included) onto Narumiya’s desk. This was supposed to make a dramatic sound—but it only made a pathetic rustling noise. Damn, I should have practiced this yesterday.
“…A duel?”
Narumiya looked confused as he glared at Touji and me. Apparently, the gloves were deemed not worth paying attention to.
“That’s right. Both sides present what they want, and the winner of the duel gets their wish granted. Simple, no hard feelings afterward, a clean way to settle disputes… (Illegal).”
As I explained this, Touji slammed a piece of paper onto Narumiya’s desk. It was covered with writing from top to bottom, and at the top were the words [Contract].
“The contract you’re looking at—signing it is what we want if we win the duel.”
While making a face that said he didn’t understand at all, Narumiya picked up the contract and began reading its contents aloud.
“What the hell is this?…… [I, Narumiya Kaneaki, hereby pledge to observe the following articles within the academy, abandon my rotten-tangerine-like personality, and rehabilitate myself into a proper human being]…………What the hell is this?”
He said it twice.
“[Article One: Do not shout loudly without reason. Article Two: Do not behave as if you are royalty. Article Three: Live humbly and steadfastly. Article Four: Properly eat your green peppers too–] ……Hey, are you making fun of me?”
Narumiya stopped reading the articles midway and glared at us with increased pressure. Unfortunately for him, we were completely serious.
After hearing Akabana-san’s story, I had been thinking. What was the single point that complicated this whole fiancée problem the most? After considering it from various angles, I arrived at one conclusion and came up with an answer. [No matter how you look at it, it’s because Narumiya has a terrible personality.]
To be honest, I don’t think the fiancée system itself is a bad thing. In an era where love marriages are the norm, some people might feel averse to it, but I think the form of marriage where you don’t marry because you have love, but rather cultivate love after marriage, is also a respectable form of couples. Though it’s a bit different from arranged fiancées, arranged marriages used to be mainstream in Japan too.
However, whether Akabana could cultivate love if she were to marry Narumiya as things stand……well, that would be impossible.
Then we have no choice but to reform Narumiya’s personality. That’s what I thought, and that’s why we launched this operation. By making him follow the contents of the contract that lists ten [behaviors to maintain good conduct], even if it’s just for show at first, perhaps eventually his heart will catch up to his actions and he’ll be reborn as a proper human being—that was the hope embedded in this.
“Hah, I thought you were incompetent trash, but it seems you’re irredeemably crazy. Why should I bother accepting such an absurd duel?”
Saying that, Narumiya tore up the contract document we had created with 100% good intentions. Well, of course, that response was within expectations. We had a hundred more copies of the contract.
That said, at this rate, he’d just tear it up a hundred times and be done with it. So I threw certain words at Narumiya. This was a last-ditch reversal play.
“Running away?”
Yes, a provocation. Don’t say “again” now.
“……Hah?”
It was a simple provocation, but it seemed to be extremely effective. Narumiya’s voice tone became obviously lower.
That’s right. Even such an elementary school-level provocation—you can’t help but react to it. After all, besides your lackeys, many other students are paying attention to this conversation right now.
“Two outsider students who haven’t even properly learned how to use their supernatural powers yet, and Narumiya’s running away from them. Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Because no matter how noble your birth, no matter if your ability rank is B, in the end you’re just the same lump of protein. In a match, anything can happen, and losing is scary after all, isn’t it?”
I put on the best smile I could manage and doubled down on the provocation.
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