Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 07: A Nighttime Park Encounter

Chapter 07: A Nighttime Park Encounter

“So listen—this is where we charge straight in!”

“You’d lose for sure. Count me out.”

“If Chiaki doesn’t come, we can’t win!”

Inside a yakiniku joint, two delinquents were going at it.

Chiaki Haruna and Minato Myougi.

The two of them glared at the grill as their heated argument continued.

“Takuma-kun’s been snatched, y’know! You okay just letting that slide!?”

“No. And also, this is all your fault, so don’t gloss over that part.”

“W-Well… yeah, but still…”

Minato snatched up a piece of meat and dipped it in sauce.

“Hey—that’s mine.”

“No meat for traitors.”

“…You looking for a war!?”

Chiaki had been quietly enjoying her salad, but the instant Minato stole the carefully grilled meat she’d been raising like her own child, she shoved her chair back and stood.

While Takuma was busy at the bowling alley, the two of them had ended up here thanks to Minato’s idea.

Not that Chiaki was thrilled about it.

“But seriously…”

“Yeah?”

“What are we actually gonna do?”

Minato leaned back with a sour look, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

What they were thinking about—was how to handle the Akagi faction.

And the two of them alone? Not a chance.

“You could just spin one of your usual tall tales.”

“I don’t make stuff up!”

“…Suuuure you don’t.”

This time, Chiaki firmly clamped her tongs on her meat before Minato could strike again.

“No way we can just charge in from the front. The numbers are stacked against us, and on our side? It’s basically just one person. If we’re gonna do this, it has to be hit-and-run.”

“Yeah, figures… wait. One person?”

“The leader’s just for show.”

“…You’re not even counting me!?”

Minato looked absolutely crushed.

Chiaki, on the other hand, stayed cool as ever—popping a piece of meat into her mouth like nothing was wrong.

“Mmm. Haven’t had this in forever.”

“…Let’s at least split the bill?”

“Nope.”

From the very beginning, Minato had agreed to cover the yakiniku tab.

If not for that, Chiaki wouldn’t have bothered showing up.

Minato let out a long sigh, staring at her wallet with the expression of someone watching their life savings vanish.

And so—though the whole meal was spent bickering—their so-called “bonding session” ended without incident.

By the time they stepped outside, night had already fallen, and the shouts of gangs echoed faintly through the streets.

“Let’s take a walk to the park over there.”

Minato strolled off toward a small park down the street.

With practiced motions, she pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a flourish—

“Cough, cough, hack!!”

“…That’s what you get for trying to look cool.”

Chiaki sighed, shoulders dropping in exasperation.

Still, her hands moved automatically to help Minato out.

Sadly, it was clear she’d gotten far too used to this routine.

“Makes me wanna cry, wasting it like this.”

Muttering, Chiaki picked up the still-lit cigarette herself.

Taking a casual drag, she started walking deeper into the nighttime park.

“…Hm?”

The two of them walked in silence.

And then, beneath the glow of a streetlight, a shadow appeared.

“Whoa, that’s a nasty injury.”

“Got into a fight somewhere, maybe?”

“Yeah, probably. She’s in a Shibakata High uniform, after all.”

The girl slumped against the wall coughed up a little blood from the corner of her mouth.

Not that it stirred any sympathy.

They were delinquents—scenes like this were far too common.

Just as they were about to walk right past, Minato’s lips twisted into a sly grin.

“…I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Chiaki scrunched her face, pure irritation written all over it.

“Hey, you okay over there?”

“Cough, cough…”

“Pretty rough shape you’re in. Who messed you up?”

Her delivery was the flattest thing imaginable.

So flat it was almost impressive—bad acting so blatant that Chiaki actually tilted her head back to the sky in disbelief.

“…Hah. You’re from Shibakata, aren’t you?”

“You figured that out without me even wearing the uniform?”

“Recognized your face. Also, you reek of grilled meat.”

Spitting on the ground, the girl slowly pushed herself up.

“You asked who it was, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Guess it’s partly my own fault, but… it was Yayoi Akagi.”

With a bitter look, she scratched the back of her head.

Minato’s grin only widened.

“Talk about bad luck. But hey, I’ve got a proposal—why don’t you join our faction instead?”

“You’re way too blunt. At least try to sugarcoat it a little.”

Chiaki couldn’t help but cut in.

“Your faction, huh?”

“Damn right.”

“If I joined some weak-looking group like that, I wouldn’t be able to show my face under the sun again.”

“…The hell’d you just say!?”

Minato lashed out on reflex—

Only to eat a clean counter and drop instantly.

“…Wow. Weak.”

“Sorry, that’s just how our boss is.”

“Kyuuu…”

Even the girl who landed the counter looked confused.

Chiaki just gave a wry little smile, like, Yeah, I get it.

“Anyway, let’s put the faction talk aside. What I really wanna know is this—you said Akagi beat you down, right? Mind telling us what went down?”

“Hmm… sure.”

The girl scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“If anyone’s at fault, it’s me. I’ve got this childhood friend at Saemaki High, and we’re still close, so we were hanging out. That’s when Akagi-san spotted us.”

“…Seriously? Of all places, Saemaki?”

Saemaki High—one of the few schools on par with Shibakata when it came to yankee reputation.

Since the two schools were in neighboring cities, the rivalry ran deep.

“And to make it worse—I didn’t know at the time, but turns out my friend’s kinda a big shot over there.”

“…That’s the worst.”

“Exactly. So, yeah… Akagi-san beat the crap out of me.”

She let out a long sigh.

For delinquents, pride was worth more than life itself.

From that angle, her actions were inexcusable.

Even if the other person was a childhood friend.

Chiaki understood that unspoken rule all too well.
So she quietly offered a word of comfort.

“Well, yeah… guess you were just unlucky.”

“Seriously though, Akagi-san’s not the bad one here. It was my careless move that caused all this. She’s insanely strict with her enemies, sure—but with her own crew? She’s surprisingly kind.”

She gave a small, lonely smile.

“I’m Chiaki Haruna.”

“…Huh?”

“Introduction. Now it’s your turn—what’s your name?”

“That came outta nowhere…”

Thrown off by Chiaki’s pushy attitude, the girl’s smile wavered, then shifted.

With a slightly embarrassed look, she puffed her chest out.

“I’m Hinata Takaiwa. Don’t think we’ll be close for long or anything, but… nice to meet you, I guess.”