Reincarnated Into a Delinquent Manga… Where the Genders Are Reversed and Everyone’s a Girl - Chapter 17: A Nighttime Fight in the Mountains

Chapter 17: A Nighttime Fight in the Mountains

Shibakata High sat at the base of a mountain.

At its peak stood a giant Buddha statue, so the place was known as Mihotoke Mountain.

Normally, it was quiet, with barely any traffic.

A hangout spot for rowdy kids.

But tonight, it was the grand stage for a showdown.

Minato swung her leg off her bike.

It wasn’t even that cold this season—

Yet her face was pale, and her whole body shook.

Obviously, pure fear.

“You okay?”

“…D-D-Do I look okay!?”

“You look like you’re about to die.”

“E-Exactlyyy! Today’s my death anniversary!”

She was already on the verge of tears.

Chiaki got off her bike a moment later and clapped Minato on the shoulder.

“You’re the one who dragged this fight in. You’re our so-called leader, so hold it together. If you look weak, they’ll walk all over us.”

“Easy for you to say… we’re about to fight Akagi-san and her crew!”

Minato whimpered, eyes wet, crouching down to draw circles in the dirt.

A short distance away, Hinata had been watching.

Finally, her irritation boiled over—her footsteps pounded against the ground as she stormed toward Minato.

“Minatooo!!”

“Y-Yes ma’am!?”

“I’m having a harder time than you are, got it!?”

It was a scream straight from the soul.

And sure enough, Hinata’s face looked like she was about to cry too.

“My whole goal was to get back into the Akagi faction… Sure, I could just throw the fight on purpose, but with Akagi-san’s personality, like hell she’d forgive me! Just the fact we fought in the first place is guaranteed to leave bad blood!”

“S-Sorry, I really do feel bad about it…”

“Then quit bawling like a damn baby!!”

You could call it “tough love.”

But honestly, Hinata’s hit was more like a full-power strike than love.

Minato hacked out violent coughs from the blow.

Chiaki, standing beside me as we watched, cut her eyes my way.

“…She’s hopeless.”

“Well, that’s kinda Minato’s charm.”

“You really think so?”

She sounded doubtful.

I could only cover it with a wry smile.

Just then, the distant roar of engines reached our ears.

It was a sound I’d heard a few days back—had to be Asama’s bike.

My guess was right.

Three motorcycles tore through the night, headlights splitting the darkness.

Yayoi, dressed to kill, grinned wide.

“—Oh, look who actually showed up.”

“You did say there was a chance they’d chicken out…”

Akira trailed behind them, most of her face hidden by her bangs, her narrowed eyes glinting faintly under the backlit glare.

The eerie vibe rolling off her made Minato gulp audibly.

“C’mon, buck up, boss.”

“Hwa-wah!?”

Chiaki shoved her forward with a sly grin.

And just like that, Minato was shoved to the front lines—taking the full brunt of Yayoi and her crew’s focus.

“…O-On this fine and beautiful day!”

“It’s night, you idiot.”

“Maybe she means, like, the moon sure is pretty kinda vibe?”

Yayoi tilted her head.

Akira frowned too.

I couldn’t see her face clearly from here, but I was pretty sure Minato’s cheeks were burning red.

“Haa… Guess I should’ve planned out the opening lines ahead of time.”

Asama stepped forward with a sigh, taking off her helmet and sliding on her glasses right after.

Probably to keep them from fogging up.

Cool and composed as always, she fixed a sharp gaze on Minato.

“Now then.”

“Eeek!?”

“…Please don’t look so terrified. Wait—am I the bad girl here?”

“Pretty sure it’s not Asama-san’s fault,” Akira added in her usual deadpan.

The hollow attempt at comfort only made things more awkward.
Asama adjusted her glasses with a faintly hurt look, then continued.

“As promised, you’ve brought three representatives.”

“…Y-Yeah.”

“On our side: Yayoi Akagi, Akira Narukami, and myself—Shinobu Asama.”

“And ours: Minato Myougi, Chiaki Haruna, and Hinata Takaiwa.”

“…Actually, forget Minato. Let’s swap her out for Takuma-kun.”

Chiaki tossed in her jab with a half-smirk.

Minato’s eyes bulged in outrage.

“Quit screwing with me! I can at least fight better than Takuma-kun!”

“Ehh? Not sure I believe that.”

The quick back-and-forth lightened the mood.

Maybe that was the whole point—to shake Minato out of her nerves.

Lazy as she usually acted, Chiaki had this weird, intimidating aura that somehow kept things steady.

“Well then, a nice polite briefing doesn’t suit delinquents anyway. Let’s get started. I’ll take the first match.”

“…T-Thinking time!!”

Minato puffed up her chest like she was brimming with confidence—

And then immediately ran to hide behind us.

“So, uh… who’s going first?”

“Duh. You.”

“Wait, the opponent’s Asama-san? Then yeah, it’s gotta be Minato.”

See, Shinobu Asama’s real strength was in gathering intel, not throwing punches.

Out of the three, she was definitely the weakest pick.

Naturally, Minato got volunteered as tribute.

She looked annoyed… but at the same time, a little relieved.

“…Tch. Fine, guess I’ll do it.”

“Oi, Chiaki, look at her face—she’s totally thinking, ‘Heh, no way I lose to a four-eyes nerd.’”

“Yeah, probably can’t even see herself objectively.”

“Shut up! Don’t go throwin’ around big words like ‘objective,’ you damn Yankees!”

“…Wow, she actually snapped.”

Ignoring Chiaki’s deadpan stare, Minato stood with a huff.

“First match is mine!”

“I see. Then come this way.”

Cheering had no place in a proper brawl.

The rest of us hung back, just watching from a distance.

Someone swallowed hard—

That alone was enough to signal the start of the fight.

“Here I go—!”