Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 12: A Surprise for Shinobu Asama

Chapter 12: A Surprise for Shinobu Asama

The day after we swiped the bike from the police impound, Akira and I kept sneaking these suspicious little glances at each other.

Of course, Asama noticed. She pushed her glasses up and tilted her head.

“What’s with you two, acting like mischievous children?”

“Nah, nah, it’s nothing at all, really.”

“Yep. Totally nothing. We haven’t done a single thing.”

Truth was, Yayoi was supposed to bring the bike around at noon.

And since we wanted to surprise Asama, we hadn’t told her a thing.

“…I see.”

Even if she suspected something, without proof she couldn’t call us out.

Not even the “brilliant and logical” Asama—as she was drawn in manga—could manage that.

Time ticked by, and she seemed calmer than before.

But still, you could tell the whole bike situation weighed on her.

With a heavy sigh, Asama slumped onto the sofa.

Meanwhile, Akira and I exhaled in relief.

The classroom clock pointed exactly to twelve.

Almost time.

Right then, the distinctive roar of an engine echoed from outside the school building.

Asama instantly sprang to her feet.

Figures—the real owner would recognize that sound anywhere.

“…No way.”

“What’s the matter, Asama-san?”

“Oh hey! We should totally go to the convenience store right now, Asama-san!”

With some smooth tag-team work, we managed to drag Asama outside.

For some reason, she frowned, but surprisingly enough, she followed us without putting up much of a fight.

At the entrance, she slipped into her shoes, and the moment we stepped out into the schoolyard—

There she was. Yayoi, standing tall and proud at the school gate.

And right beside her… the bike.

Asama froze on the spot, silent.

Yeah, no doubt about it—that was the reason.

“So that’s why you two were sneaking around since yesterday…”

“Eh, you noticed?”

“When I woke up, the classroom was empty.”

She looked away, a little embarrassed, as if to say:

You two aren’t the kind of people who’d leave me behind.

“Shinoooobu!”

“…Haa. Wasn’t that motorcycle supposed to be at the police station?”

“Exactly! That’s why we stole it back!”

“…If you’d been caught, you’d have been in serious trouble.”

Yayoi grinned, proudly pushing the bike along as she waved her arm.

Asama pushed her glasses up and asked, only to get the most straightforward answer possible.

“…Don’t tell me, you two as well?”

Her eyes shifted toward us.

I met Akira’s gaze. Uh oh. Were we about to get scolded?

But instead, Asama pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.

“Yayoi. Don’t drag your juniors into this.”

“Ehh, c’mon!”

“That’s not true, senpai! We were the ones who took the lead!”

“That makes it worse. When your juniors are about to do something reckless, it’s a senpai’s duty to stop them—even if it means standing in their way.”

She flicked Yayoi’s forehead with a sharp thwack.

The sound echoed, and Yayoi crouched down, clutching her head in pain.

“Ughh… still as strong as ever…”

“Takuma-kun, senpai gets really scary when she’s mad, y’know.”

“I’ll… be more careful from now on.”

“How rude. I can hear everything, you know.”

Asama let out a sigh—but then she smiled softly.

She gently wrapped her arms around the three of us.

“But… thank you. Honestly, I had already given up on this bike. To have friends like you by my side… it makes me really happy.”

The three of us glanced at each other.

Like flowers blooming all at once, warm laughter slipped out.

And soon enough, Asama joined in too—so the four of us ended up laughing together.

“Sorry, Shino~. I’ll get my license soon, I promise.”

“Then you’ll need to work on your brain first.”

“Wha—rude!”

“Your practical skills are perfect, yet you keep failing the written test. If I recall, you’ve failed more than four times already, haven’t you?”

Even with all the sweetness, it still ended on a clumsy note.

But somehow… that just made it all the more fun.

◇

Meanwhile, while the four of them were messing around in the schoolyard—inside the classroom, the three members of the Myougi faction were talking.

Chiaki peered out the window and said,

“Takuma-kun’s getting hugged by a girl, huh?”

“Whaaat!? Absolutely unacceptable!”

Minato slammed the desk and shot to her feet, furious.

“Oh, straight into a charge, huh?”

“Yeah, we’ll be cheering you on!”

The one lazily waving her hand was none other than Hinata Takaiwa, instantly recognizable by her pudding-colored hair.

She slurped on a strawberry milk through a straw, sighing gloomily.

Hinata was actually in a different class from them, but Minato had dragged her here by force.

Since they were “technically allies” now, Minato figured she should join them.

As a result, Hinata looked like she felt a little out of place.

Chiaki, who had been poking at her lunch, paused and raised an eyebrow.

“So, still thinking of going back to the Akagi faction?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

“I dunno much about that. I don’t like being under anyone’s thumb.”

She turned her eyes back toward the schoolyard.

Even from far away, the three getting hugged looked like they were having fun.

“I get why you’d be jealous of… that kind of thing.”

“…You calling me lonely?”

“More or less.”

“Don’t mess with me,” Hinata snapped, chopping her hand down in a mock strike.

Chiaki just took the blow with a small, shadowed smile.

“I can’t laugh with comrades anymore.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve got her, don’t you?”

“She? She’s an idiot tho.” Hinata pointed straight at Minato.

Chiaki blinked, then burst out laughing.

“C’mon, if I started calling that moron my comrade, I’d be too embarrassed to even show my face at the local convenience store.”

“Then just settle for me. It’s only a limited-time deal, though.”

“Kuhaha… not bad. I like that.”

Leaning back against her chair, Chiaki quietly closed her eyes and swallowed down the smile bubbling up inside.