Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 16: An Invitation to a Fight

Chapter 16: An Invitation to a Fight

The first arc of Fist was simple enough—

It was about the Myougi faction taking control of Shibakata High.

Of course, going head-on against the Akagi faction, which had nearly half the school’s students under its belt, was hopeless.

That’s why it was settled through a fight between three chosen representatives.

Yayoi leaned back on the sofa, pulling a fresh piece of candy from her pocket.

Despite her childish looks, her behavior was calm and commanding.

That alone was enough to make Minato look half ready to faint.

“Minato.”

“…Hahi!”

I poked her lightly, and she snapped back awake.

She wiped away the drool at the corner of her mouth and straightened up in a panic.

“—Um, about what you said earlier…”

“The part about gathering three people and fighting?”

“Yes. I, uh… think I’d like to pass on that…”

Minato peeked up at Yayoi from under her lashes.

“Then stay away from Takuma.”

“…What?”

“C’mon, it’s obvious. Takuma keeps getting hassled by random nobodies ‘cause you guys don’t look strong. I only let it slide ‘cause you’re his friends, but if he’s gonna keep getting dragged into danger, then he might as well just join my faction for real.”

Yayoi crossed her legs.

Her legs were short, so the gesture didn’t really carry much dignity.

“But hey, it’s not like there’s no benefit for you.”

“Huh?”

“If you lose this fight, then everyone calling themselves Myougi faction joins me.”

“…”

“In return, if we lose, then the Akagi faction will join the Myougi faction.”

“Whaaat!?”

So basically, a fight where the winner absorbs the loser’s faction.

On paper though, there was no real advantage for Yayoi.

Even Minato—who usually wasn’t the fastest thinker—seemed to catch on. She frowned suspiciously.

“Why would you…?”

“It’s for Takuma.”

“…Me?”

Caught off guard, I pointed at myself.

Yayoi grinned from ear to ear and shook her head.

“This way, I get to protect Takuma, and he doesn’t have to lose his friends either. Two birds with one stone, right?”

“Why go that far?”

“Because Takuma’s fun to have around.”

She stuck out her tongue with a mischievous grin, candy rolling in her mouth, then turned her gaze back to Minato.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“…I’ll do it!!”

“Good. That’s the spirit.”

“Glad I won’t have to swing these,” Yayoi said, blowing lightly across her knuckles.

Minato’s face went pale at the thought of what would’ve happened if she had swung them.

…Probably a joke.

Then again, maybe not.

My knowledge of the manga made Yayoi Akagi hard to pin down.

“That’s all I wanted to say. You can go now.”

Granted permission to leave, Minato bowed so fast her head nearly slammed into the floor and bolted out of the classroom.

It happened at lightning speed—so fast I just stood there dumbfounded.

“…Takuma, wanna hang out?”

“Ah, I’ve got plans today too.”

“Too bad~. Then tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

She gave a lazy wave as I stepped out as well.

I shut the door carefully behind me and let out a sigh.

“…You really went full-on flunky back there, huh?”

“Hehe, don’t flatter me like that.”

“That wasn’t flattering in the slightest.”

I shrugged at Minato, who was rubbing her nose all embarrassed.

As we headed down the stairs, she muttered,

“Really, she’s way nicer than the rumors said.”

“You mean Yayoi?”

“Yup. And, uh, you call her by name? That’s like… pretty close, isn’t it?”

“Guess she… kinda likes me or something.”

“Well duh! Takuma-kun, you’re funny as hell!”

“Have some confidence, would ya!” She smacked me on the back.

Ow. That actually hurt.

“Anyway, was it really okay for you to just nod along like that?”

“Huh? To what?”

“The fight. You didn’t even ask the other two first.”

“…Ahhhhhh!!”

Like it had only just hit her, Minato clutched her head.

Her teeth chattered like crazy.

“This is bad… I just went along with the flow, but thinking about it calmly—this is seriously bad! Chiaki and Hinata are totally gonna kill me!!”

Her hair was a total mess, and she was in full-blown panic mode.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose gently.

…Was it just me, or was Minato Myougi way more reckless here than she ever was in the manga?

She scratched at her head furiously, then finally let out a long sigh.

“Oi, you little shit—what the hell is this about!?”

“Why the hell are we fighting Akagi-san now!?”

“Hiiiiiiiiii!?”

After school, once class had ended, the four of us were in the classroom.

No one else was around—just me, Chiaki, Minato, and even Hinata, who had come all the way over from her own class.

The air was heavy, like a battlefield about to erupt.

Minato was grabbed by the collar and pinned against the window.

Her eyes were already brimming with tears.

Honestly, it looked like she could burst out crying any second.

Chiaki had a vein bulging on her forehead, her face twisted into a wild grin I’d never seen before.

Even from the sidelines, it was terrifying.

“Ohhh? So you’re some kind of genius at dragging us into crap? How the hell do you go from buying snacks to picking a fight with Shibakata’s Boss!?”

“And dragging us into it too! How the hell am I supposed to get back into the Akagi faction after this!?”

“W-Wait, calm down—”

“You think I can calm down right now!?”

Hinata slammed her fist into a locker with a loud BANG.

The rebound must’ve been stronger than she expected, because she winced and rubbed her hand right after.

Even so, she hid the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and shot Minato a sharp glare.

“I told you already—the only reason I even joined this so-called Myougi faction was to get back into Akagi-san’s group.”

“Y-Yeah, you did say that…”

“So how the hell am I supposed to do that if we’re fighting them head-on!?”

This time, Hinata slammed her hand on the desk—careful not to break it like before.

Minato, overwhelmed by her intensity, threw both hands up in surrender.

“W-W-Wait! But if we lose the fight, then we’ll just join the Akagi faction, you see?”

“…So what, you’re saying I should purposely lose?”

“W-Well, no, ‘cause then my faction would disappear after I went through all the trouble of making it…”

Minato fidgeted, tangling her fingers in front of her chest, looking downright miserable.

I already knew from the manga, but seeing it in person drove it home again—
This was who Minato Myougi was.
A magnet for trouble, constantly dragging everyone into her mess.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to look like it didn’t concern me, and let out a wry smile.