Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 01: Guess This World Isn’t All Delinquents

Act 01: Shibakata High Pacification Arc

Chapter 01: Guess This World Isn’t All Delinquents

“…What is it, Takuma-kun?”

“Eh? Ah—nah, it’s nothing.”

Chiaki tilted her head, her neatly cut black hair slipping off her collarbone.

I muttered “nothing” again and took another bite of my bread.

It had been a few days since that pitiful little fight.

Somehow, the three of us had gotten close enough to eat lunch together.

Minato, though, still had her hostility dialed up to max.

In the middle of the rose garden courtyard sat a bench.

That’s where we were having lunch.

“I still can’t accept it.”

“Same here.”

“Aaahn…?”

“You wanna go…?”

“Stop, stop.”

Minato grumbled, and Chiaki fired right back without missing a beat.

I hurried to step in before it turned into an actual fight, letting out a sigh.

Whether it was because they were straight out of a delinquent manga or just their natural personalities…

These two had ridiculously short fuses.

Fighting wasn’t my thing, and the last thing I wanted was to get dragged into the original manga’s plot.

Stuffing the rest of my bread into my mouth, I prayed I could stay out of it.

I’d always loved games—even back in my previous life.

But in this world, things were a little behind the times—there weren’t any casual, pick-up-and-play games lying around.

If you wanted to play, you had to go somewhere dedicated.

The roar of the game center swallowed me whole.

I made sure to avoid the spots where delinquents were hanging around, wandering instead toward the machines that looked more interesting.

“…Hm?”

Tucked away in the back, a lone girl sat at a machine.

Her long black hair was tied into twin-tails, and she was fiddling with the joystick while sucking on a lollipop.

“Nu-gaaah! Whyy?! It’s way too hard!”

She leaned back hard into the seat, clearly frustrated.

No parents in sight.

—Uh… is she okay?

I was a little concerned… but not enough to actually talk to her.

One wrong move and I could end up looking like some creep.

Just then, I spotted an interesting game right next to her.

So I casually plopped into the seat with an air of, “Nope, not watching you at all—totally here for the game.”

“…………”

“…………”

“…………”

“…Staaare.”

“…………”

…Okay, what is this? I can’t focus.

I’d dropped in my coins and started playing, but the stare from my side was so intense it was impossible to concentrate.

Was she… waiting for me to talk to her?

She looked like she was two seconds away from blurting something out herself.

I finally stopped playing and turned toward her.

“Uh… do you need something?”

“Nope!”

“…Right.”

“I just thought it’s super rare to see a boy playing here, that’s all!”

From my old-world perspective, that was a weird thing to say.

But in this world, where chastity-reversal was a thing… she wasn’t wrong.

Now that I thought about it, I’d never actually seen another guy in a game center before.

“I see. You here alone?”

“Yup!”

“I mean, it’s not really my place to say this, but… places like this are better if you come with your parents, y’know.”

“I’m fine! I’m a full-grown woman, after all!”

She puffed her chest out proudly.

Must be that age when kids are desperate to be seen as adults.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“The name’s Yayoi! What’s yours, onii-san?!”

“Eh, my… name?”

“Yeah! Introductions are super important!!”

She wagged her lollipop at me like she was scolding someone younger.

“Uh… Takuma Takamure.”

“Takuma, huh!”

Nice to meet you, Takuma!

She beamed at me with the purest, most genuine smile.

It was so sincere that I didn’t even care about the whole “calling me without honorifics” thing.

“Yayoi…-chan, do you always come here alone?”

“Yeah. I love games.”

“Guess we’ve got that in common, then.”

After that quick exchange of introductions, Yayoi suddenly grabbed my arm and tugged.

“Let’s play!” she said, dragging me from one machine to the next.

I wasn’t heartless enough to turn her down.

Before I knew it, we’d spent hours—maybe more—completely absorbed in a world of flashing screens and electronic sounds.
By the time I finally glanced outside, the sky had already gone dark.

“Yayoi-chan.”

“Mm?”

“It’s already dark out… won’t your parents be worried?”

“It’s fine!”

Even with my concerned tone, she puffed her chest out proudly.

“And besides, I’ve got plans with a friend!”

“Plans…?”

“Yup! We’re meeting at seven o’clock!”

“That’s… pretty late.”

Maybe that was normal for an elementary schooler in this era.

Or maybe our sense of “late” was just different.

Still tilting my head inside, I waved a hand.

“I see. Well, guess that’s fine, then.”

“It’s fine! No need to worry—V for victory!”

“I’m heading home now, but if some scary person talks to you, run away, okay?”

“Fufun, I’ll just beat ’em up instead.”

“…Please don’t beat them up.”

As much as I wanted to hang around longer, if I stayed too late my own parents would start worrying.

And even with my past-life memories, the ones from this life still made me want to avoid causing them trouble.

Yayoi waved me off, and somehow, the walk home felt lighter.

Thoughts about being reincarnated or being stuck in a delinquent manga… all of it just faded away.

“This world isn’t all delinquents, after all.”

Well, of course.

It’s not like every single person is a yankee.

There were still pure, innocent kids out there—kids like Yayoi.

And with that thought, the weight in my chest eased just a little.

◇

The night streets bustled with delinquents on the move.

Judging by their uniforms, they were probably students from Shibakata High.

Dozens of girls strode straight into a game center.

No one said a word.

But their steps were steady—without a hint of hesitation.

Eventually, they reached a spot deep inside the building, tucked away far from prying eyes.

There, all at once, they bowed their heads.

“Good evening! Thanks for your hard work, Akagi-san!!”

“Aw, I’m not tired at all~”

You’re the ones who walked all the way here, thought the girl—Yayoi Akagi—smiling with a surprisingly mature expression that didn’t quite match her youthful looks.

“…? Akagi-san, you’re in a good mood today.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. Did something good happen?”

“Mm…”

Yayoi Akagi.

Third year at Shibakata High.

The undisputed top of the most notorious yankee school around—her strength was overwhelming.

She popped a candy into her mouth, savoring the memory from just a few hours ago.

“Yeah… I guess I met a pretty interesting guy.”

And so, the night deepened—quietly, steadily, in a way no one else knew.