I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About

Chapter 01: A Chance Encounter

For some reason, my alarm didn’t go off, and now I’ve already overslept past the ideal time to wake up.

“Crap! Ahhh, geez, geez, geez! I’m gonna be late!”

I jumped out of bed, grabbed the clothes I had prepared the night before, and threw them on while rushing to the bathroom. This was a race against time.

At this hour, if I took my bike, I’d definitely be late! Looks like I have no choice but to take the train…

I don’t usually take the train. To be honest, I hate it.

Biking to school saves on train fare. My school is in the neighboring district, but since both my house and the school are near the border between districts, it’s not that far.

But today, I woke up late. Taking the train is the only way I can make it on time.

A taxi? No way! The distance from my house to the school is too far, and I don’t even want to imagine the final fare.

And biking? Even worse. It takes 40 minutes to get to school by bike—there’s no way I’d make it before class starts.

After a quick wash-up, I grabbed my backpack and dashed out of the house. At that moment, I wished I had the flying speed of Ultraman.

Ultraman’s flight speed is “Mach” level, and 1 Mach is about 1,224 km/h. If I could move that fast, I wouldn’t even need a second to get to school. I could sleep in until the very last moment every morning.

…No, that’s just a fantasy! Back to reality—I need to hurry to the station and catch the train!

The house was empty. My little sister, Umika, had already left for school. I heard there was some event at her school today.

Usually, we go to school together. Since her school is along the way to mine, I walk with her every morning before heading to my own.

I’m Misaki Nagisa—seventeen years old, a second-year high school student.

My name… sounds kinda girly, right?

But don’t get the wrong idea—I’m a guy! I don’t know why my parents gave me this name, but whatever…

A month ago, I was the leader of FORCE, a team known as the strongest in town.

This town is divided into four districts: DEATH, ALCATRAZ, RASCALS, and KITE. Taking the initials of each, the town was named DARK City.

FORCE was one of the two dominant groups ruling over the DEATH district.

Our goal was to protect the weak from bullies by fighting delinquents.

On the surface, it sounded like some noble hero team, but to most people, we weren’t any different from the thugs we fought.

Hot-headed, reckless, and always picking fights—that’s how outsiders saw us.

Hearing that over and over, I started to wonder… Maybe using violence to fight violence was wrong from the start.

I used to be one of the weak, constantly bullied by delinquents. I hated them so much that I trained my body and learned martial arts just to fight back.

Then, I made it my mission to hunt down delinquents and protect the weak.

I heard someone say the name “FORCE” sounded cool, so I went with it—and from there, the strongest team in the DEATH district was born. Members kept joining, and before I knew it, we had grown into a massive force.

But as the team expanded, so did our bad reputation. Worse, people I didn’t even know started claiming to be part of FORCE, and before long, the team’s identity began to twist into something unrecognizable.

After a long time of thinking, I finally made a decision.

I disbanded the team I once took pride in and chose to start over as a normal student at a new school.

—“I… I made it…!”

Just as I dashed onto the station platform, the train slid in. I let out a deep breath—I made it just in time.

I expected the train to be packed, but when I stepped inside, it was surprisingly spacious.

…Well, not that spacious. If people squeezed a little, we could probably fit more, but honestly, I don’t want to sit down.

This stifling atmosphere is exactly why I hate taking the train. I have to constantly mind my posture, and if I have to stay cramped like that, I’d rather just stand.

—“Ah, Misaki-kun.”

As I grabbed the nearby handrail and started reading a manga on my phone, a voice called out to me.

I recognized the voice, but I couldn’t immediately recall whose it was. Reflexively, I lifted my head and searched for the source—

…Oh. Tsunekawa Akane. No wonder it sounded familiar.

Tsunekawa was sitting quietly in a seat, flipping through a magazine.

On either side of her were two other girls.

One was Nakano Ouka, who was fiddling with her phone right beside Tsunekawa.

The other was Satohama Ayana, who had dozed off, resting her head on Tsunekawa’s shoulder.

“…Tsunekawa-san?”

Why is she calling my name? We’ve barely spoken before. Could it be because of yesterday?

—“This is the hairpin you were looking for, right? I saw it near the stairs earlier.”

—“Ah! Thank you! You’re a lifesaver!”

That was all there was to it. I just happened to find her hairpin and returned it.

The reason I knew Tsunekawa Momiji’s name was simple—she and those two girls were the famous “Three Beauties” of our school.

And to top it off, Tsunekawa Momiji is in the same class as me.

With looks that are absolutely stunning, there’s apparently no one in the entire school who doesn’t know her.

Even though I’ve never been that interested in school gossip since transferring here, even I had at least heard her name.

“I never expected to run into you in a place like this.”

“Yeah, same here. Who would’ve thought we’d meet on the train…”

“Momiji-chan, who’s this?”

Nakano, who had been watching my exchange with Tsunekawa, looked puzzled. Her gaze kept flicking back and forth between us.

“This is Misaki-kun, our classmate who transferred in the other day. He’s the one who found your hairpin yesterday.”

Huh? That hairpin was Nakano’s? I totally thought it belonged to Tsunekawa.

“Oh, really? Thanks a bunch, Misaki-kun! Nice to meet you! I’m Nakano Ouka!”

“Oh, uh… nice to meet you. I’m Misaki Nagisa.”

…Wait a minute. We’ve seen each other a few times already, haven’t we? That reaction… does that mean she didn’t remember me at all…?

“Hey, Misaki-kun. If we scoot over a bit, I think there’s enough space for you to sit… what do you think?”

Nakano shifted slightly toward Tsunekawa, patting the empty spot next to her with her hand—like she was saying, “Come on, sit down already.”

…Huh? W-Wait a sec, what’s going on here!?

I’ve always believed it—rom-com scenarios don’t exist in real life! And yet… could this be…? No, no, no! That’s impossible! There’s no way!

I’m just overthinking it. There’s no way something straight out of a rom-com is actually happening!

Besides, these three are ridiculously popular beauties at school.

If anyone saw me sitting with them—no, this wouldn’t just be a simple misunderstanding. Worst-case scenario, I’d become the center of attention all over school starting tomorrow.

…But, up close, Nakano really has an amazing figure…

Even in that tight-fitting uniform, it’s not hidden at all. Actually, if anything, it highlights her curves even more—

No, no, no, no, no! That’s not the point! This is NOT the time to be thinking about that!

What the hell am I doing…? I’m seriously disappointed in myself.

“Misaki-kun?”

Nakano called my name again, noticing how I was just standing there, zoning out.

Her voice snapped me back to reality, and I suddenly realized—oh crap! My mind had totally wandered! No, no, it wasn’t because I got distracted by Nakano’s figure! Absolutely not! It was just… my eyes happened to land there! That’s all!

“Uh… I’m fine standing. I don’t really need to sit…”

“But won’t you get tired just standing there?”

“Nah, I’m good. But… thanks anyway.”

The station was coming up soon, so it wasn’t like I’d be standing for that long. And if I were to sit, I’d rather have a seat all to myself where I could relax.

Being right next to someone like that makes me feel weirdly restless. That’s why I ride my bike to school most days instead of taking the train.

“Sitting would be more comfortable, though?”

This time, it wasn’t Nakano who spoke, but Tsunekawa. Her voice was calm, but oddly persuasive.

“I’m really fine.”

I turned her down firmly.

Most guys would probably be jealous of a situation where they could sit next to a cute girl like Nakano, let alone one with such a great figure.

But I just can’t handle that kind of “close-quarters contact.”

And if someone from school saw this… it would definitely cause a huge misunderstanding.

So, I’d rather just stay standing.