Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 08: A New Ally

Chapter 08: A New Ally

Hinata Takaiwa whipped her blonde hair, shouting like she just couldn’t believe it.

“But why the hell are you picking a fight with Akagi-san?!”

“Because we’re saving the captured prince, duh.”

“Even if this moron started all of this!?”

“Kyuu~…”

She jabbed a finger at Minato, who was still sprawled flat.

Chiaki only shrugged.

“To be honest… I don’t really get it myself.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean it. I don’t even understand why I’m moving for this idiot’s sake.”

She gave Minato’s side a light kick.

That finally got her to stir, letting out a groggy groan.

“Maybe Minato Myougi’s got… something like a weird kind of charm.”

“…Charm?”

“You could even call it charisma.”

Chiaki folded her arms, frowning deeply.

Her expression made it obvious she didn’t want to admit it.

“Not that I’ll ever say it out loud.”

“Ughhh… wait, what’s this place?”

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. You overslept, and now it’s already night.”

“Whaaat?!”

“Lies.”

Chiaki shut her down with a single flat word, looking utterly fed up.

Hinata’s hair—blonde at the tips but fading to black at the roots, classic “pudding head”—swayed as she squinted in disbelief.

Really? This girl?

“Can’t believe this.”

“Then why don’t you see for yourself up close?”

“…Meaning?”

“Try joining the ‘Myougi Faction.’”

“You too?!”

Chiaki’s wicked grin made Hinata grimace.

Meanwhile, Minato—still not following the situation at all—just flailed in confusion.

Hinata wrestled with herself for a while before clawing at her hair in pure frustration.

“…Ahhh, mou! Akagi-san beat me down, my childhood friend and I are on bad terms now, and on top of that I get dragged into this mess with you weirdos! My life’s a total disaster!”

She grabbed Minato by the collar and yanked her up.

“Hey!”

“Y-Yeah!?”

“Until I can go back to Akagi-san’s side, I’ll stick with you as an ally! But once I can, we’re enemies again—got it? That’s the condition for me joining the ‘Myougi Faction!’”

Hinata shouted it out, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

Minato, still drowning in the chaos, practically spun in circles from sheer confusion.

She shot a pleading look at Chiaki for backup—only to be completely ignored.

“Heh, guess that makes one more comrade.”

“Wait, what the hell does that even mean?!”

◇

[Takuma’s POV]

When I showed up at school the next day, there was someone unfamiliar waiting.

The first thing I noticed—her pudding-head hair. She gave me a casual wave.

“Yo.”

…Yeah, I had no idea who this person was.

Not that someone like me—a gloomy, mob type—could ever say that out loud to an obvious delinquent.

So instead, I turned my eyes to Minato, who was standing proudly at my side, chest puffed out like she’d just pulled off something incredible.

“Uh… who’s this?”

“Comrade!”

“…Comrade?”

“Yup! A proud member of the Myougi Faction!”

Ahh… right.

That hair color—had to be Hinata Takaiwa.

In the manga, she was the one who got kicked out by Yayoi Akagi for breaking an unspoken rule.

That’s when she crossed paths with Chiaki Haruna and Minato Myougi.

At first, she only tagged along temporarily, but the more time she spent with them, the more she started feeling weirdly at home…

That was the kind of character she was.

Fans even nicknamed him the “Two-Panel Instant Conversion Guy.”

“…Hold up, this doesn’t match the story.”

“What doesn’t?”

Hinata tilted her head, suspicion in her eyes.

Naturally, Minato copied her, tilting her head the same way.

“Didn’t this Takuma-kun get snatched away by Akagi-san?”

“Yeah, he got dragged into the Akagi Faction.”

“But he’s standing right here in front of us.”

“It’s not like he was locked in a basement or anything.”

“…Wow, I feel completely tricked.”

I set my bag down with a long sigh.

“…What’s going on?”

“Oh, when we were recruiting Hinata, we kinda used you as bait.”

“Hah?”

At that moment, Chiaki walked over and brought a sharp hand-chop down on Minato’s head.

Still riding high from her little scheme, Minato instantly crumpled into a crouch.

“Ow, that hurt!”

“You were in the way. No malice intended.”

“No, that was all malice!”

Leaving those two to their usual bickering, I turned my attention to Hinata.

Strangely enough, there was this odd sense of familiarity about her. Maybe it was the hair color.

She sat coolly by the window, then suddenly turned her gaze on me.

“The wind’s crying today, huh…”

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“You don’t get it…? My world…”

Ah, right.

Hinata Takaiwa was that kind of character.

Not exactly gloomy, but when she got nervous, her words came out all weird—

Like now, spouting random chuunibyou lines.

The strange part was why.

Just a moment ago, she’d been talking completely normal.

Which left only one explanation… me.

“…Wait, are you just not used to guys?”

“Wha—! N-No way! As if!!”

“Heh… sure.”

Uh oh.

I was starting to get the appeal of those teasing little devil types.

With Hinata blushing right in front of me, I couldn’t help wanting to push her buttons more.

But holding back the urge, I simply said—

“Let’s get along, okay?”

“…I-I don’t really plan on that, though.”

“That’s a shame, Hinata.”

“D-Don’t make that lonely face… Hinataaa!?”

She slipped right off the window frame.

Through her messy blonde hair, I caught a glimpse of ears burning bright red—all the way to the tips.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“You just dropped my name like that!?”

“Did you not like it?”

“…I-I didn’t hate it.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

Uh oh. This could turn into a habit.

No wonder those sexy manga characters love teasing innocent types—

It really is fun.

I tried to stifle the laugh bubbling up in my chest, but it slipped out anyway.

“Pffft—”

“Takuma, you makin’ fun of me!?”

“Sorry, sorry. Couldn’t help it, you were just too funny.”

A minute ago, her delinquent aura had me on edge.

But actually talking to her? Hinata was surprisingly easy to get along with.

Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I held out my hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…F-Fine. Nice to meet you, too.”