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 18: A Double Combo of Part-Time Work and Delinquents!? …No, this is just checkmate, isn't it?

Chapter 18: A Double Combo of Part-Time Work and Delinquents!? …No, this is just checkmate, isn’t it?

At this point, I don’t know if it’s fate or a curse…

I was supposed to use this school transfer as a chance to sever ties with my past and start a new life.

And yet, for some reason, I ended up getting involved with the three most beautiful girls in the school—the ones ranked as the undisputed top tier in terms of looks.

Under normal circumstances, people would say, “Damn, I envy you!”

But for me, this is nothing short of hell.

Thanks to these three, my entire daily routine has been shattered.

On top of that, weird, baseless rumors started spreading.

“Rumors eventually fade away.”

There was a time when I naively believed that.

But apparently, this school is severely lacking in people with common sense.

It’s just full of idiots.

Realizing that things were spiraling out of control, we turned to our homeroom teacher, Sasaki-sensei, for help.

Sensei came up with the idea of creating a so-called “Literature Club – Branch Division” and assigned us as its members.

Then, she relayed this information to the main Literature Club president, who spread it throughout the school, gradually putting an end to the rumors.

…Or so we thought.

For some reason, what actually spread was the news that “those three joined the Literature Club.”

As a result, guys started flocking to the club, all hoping to join.

Of course, they were all rejected.

Well, obviously.

Our so-called “branch division” was never meant to function as an actual club—it was just a tool to put an end to the rumors.

In other words, it might as well not exist.

Because of that, the Literature Club president issued a statement: “The branch division is not accepting new members.”

That put an end to any wannabes trying to join our so-called club.

…But.

The persistent idiots didn’t give up—they started applying to the main Literature Club instead.

I mean, seriously? You’re joining a club just to get closer to those girls? How desperate can you get?

This school really is full of morons…

Anyway, our “branch division” wasn’t supposed to have any actual club activities.

──At least, that’s how it was supposed to be.

But now, things have taken an unexpected turn.

A few days ago, Sasaki-sensei suddenly declared that our club activity would be working part-time at a café.

…Hold on. Since when is that considered a club activity?

Apparently, it’s “just temporary,” but for the time being, we have to work at the café after school.

Which means my after-school life is now completely hijacked by a job.

There goes my peaceful reading time…

…Well, I guess I just have to accept that I got the short end of the stick.

***

“Maid uniforms, finally delivered!”

“Waaah~! They’re so cute! Senpai, this is amazing!”

A week had passed since we all agreed on the café’s renewal plans.

And today, the maid uniforms—designed by Nakano and Tsunekawa and ordered by Sasaki-sensei—were finally in our hands.

At that moment, Sasaki-sensei’s younger sister, Sasaki Yuki, gazed at them with sparkling eyes, as if she had just received a priceless treasure.

…Well, I kind of get it.

Girls probably get excited over cute outfits.

By the way, these maid uniforms aren’t the overly revealing, sexy kind you see in manga.

The design is simple: a long white-striped skirt and a modest maid’s headband.

A completely normal maid uniform.

──I’m serious! Totally normal! Stop thinking weird things!

One unexpectedly intricate part of the design was the headband’s decorations.

Apparently, Nakano and Tsunekawa incorporated their own names into the design—

Specifically, sakura (cherry blossoms) and momiji (autumn leaves).

The headband features alternating cherry blossom and autumn leaf motifs in a delicate, cute pattern.

Sakura → Momiji → Sakura → Momiji…

Of course, they’re all made from fabric, not real petals or leaves.

…Yeah, this would definitely be a hit with girls.

***

“This is surprisingly easy to move in! I could totally do my karate practice in this!”
“Ehh?! Who practices martial arts in a skirt!?”
“I do! See? Hehehe~!”
“That’s just because you’re not normal, Ayana-chan…”
“Well, whatever. At least this proves our design isn’t just cute, but also functional!”

Tsunekawa smirked proudly, folding her arms.

Well, she does have a point.

A maid outfit that allows for full-range movement isn’t exactly common.

…Not that any of this matters to me.

I was told my uniform would be “a special edition,” but…

The only thing special about it is that they slapped on extra cherry blossom and autumn leaf decorations.

──Wait. Isn’t this just a girly version of the uniform!?

What kind of “special edition” is this supposed to be!?

Sasaki-sensei… don’t tell me you made me wear this on purpose to make sure I actually work properly!?

Damn it… this is seriously messed up!”

“Alright, now that we have the uniforms… tomorrow marks the ‘revival day’ of the café.”

Sasaki-sensei crossed her arms and swept a strict gaze over us.

“Which is why we’re heading over to the café right now to prepare for the grand reopening!”

“…Huh?”

—No, no, no, I never heard anything about this!?

I was totally expecting a simple “Okay, the uniforms have arrived~” and then we’d be dismissed.

Or at the very least, I thought we’d be heading home to relax. But instead…

“Alright then, senpai-tachi, let’s head out!”

Sasaki-chan cheerfully raised her voice and took the lead alongside Sasaki-sensei.

Reluctantly, we followed, leaving the school behind.

We were on our way to the café that was about to be reborn.

—However, unexpected events always have a way of happening when you least anticipate them.

“Yo! Misaki. Been a while, huh?”

We had barely stepped out of the school gates when four guys suddenly called out to me.

…Who the hell are you guys?

Their faces didn’t ring a bell. Not even a vague memory.

As I frowned, about to speak—

Click—

A faint metallic sound.

The blond guy reached behind me.

Something pressed against my back.

“Don’t try anything stupid. We’re from DEMON.”

The blond guy whispered in a low voice.

“This isn’t the place for a chat, so how about you come with us?”

His voice was quiet, yet laced with a clear warning.

It was as if he were saying, “Make the wrong move, and I’ll stab you right here.”

…Shit.

DEMON.

A gang with over twenty years of history, uniting the delinquent leaders of DARK.

As far as I knew, DEMON had around 2,000 members. Their main base was in DEATH District, and they had dozens of branches across DARK.

In other words, they were the biggest and strongest biker gang in DARK.

And, of course, they were the sworn enemies of FORCE.

—Back then, we clashed with DEMON head-on. We even stormed their main headquarters.

But now, FORCE has long since disbanded.

Yet they’re still coming after me?

…Is it him?

“I—”

“Shut up and move!”

The moment I tried to speak, I was immediately cut off.

I had no idea what was going on, but it was obvious that this was going to be a massive pain in the ass.

…Damn it, why does this kind of crap always happen to me?

“Misaki-kun, are these people your friends?”

Nakano’s innocent voice suddenly chimed in from the side.

“Uh, yeah… I guess you could call them old friends from back in the day?”

I forced a smile and answered as naturally as possible.

“I’ve got something urgent to take care of, so go on ahead without me.”

I tried to act as calm as I could.

“You better hurry up and deal with it! And don’t even think about running away!”

Sasaki-sensei shot me a glance.

Her eyes practically screamed, “You know what happens if you slack off, right?”

—No, Sensei, I’m the one getting threatened here!?

I’m the one being dragged away against my will!?

…Not that I really wanted to go with them either, but still.

And seriously, how the hell am I supposed to escape with Sensei watching me like a hawk?

Honestly, she’s scarier than these DEMON guys…

“Sensei, you’ve called us your students before, right?”

“Of course.”

“…Then, could you trust me on this one?”

“I was merely giving you some ‘advice’.”

She kept a cool expression, but her eyes clearly said, “Don’t even think about running.”

“…Well, whatever. Just make sure you wrap it up quickly.”

With that, Sensei turned away and left with the others.

…Yep. I’ve been completely abandoned.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The knife pressed just a little harder against my back.

…No choice.

First, I need to assess the situation.

Without a word, I started walking alongside the DEMON guys.

—As for what happens next, I’ll figure that out when the time comes.