"Hey, Hojou Kyousuke, how about becoming my underling?"
After class, Hanagaki Takemichi turned to Kyousuke and asked casually.
"Huh?"
What? Soone suddenly wants to be their underling?
Kyousuke was completely confused, a big question mark popping up in his mind.
He wanted to ask Yamauchi Sakura for help because only she might understand this absurd statent.
The noise from Hanagaki Takemichi caught the attention of the other students in the back row.
Ishida Shoya and Shimada Kazuki overheard, turning their heads away in sympathy, already knowing a new victim was about to erge.
Hanagaki Takemichi was incredible.
Not only had he provoked that demon, but now he was trying to recruit him as his little brother.
When Ishida Shoya noticed the sword bag leaning against the wall, he rembered sothing he'd heard during the break.
"I heard that Hojou has been practicing kendo over the break and even received a certificate for the Hokushin-Ichiryu, an ancient kendo style."
This demon was getting stronger, Ishida Shoya thought, shivering in fear.
Who knew how hopeless he felt when he saw Kyousuke's na on the class roster.
It solidified his resolve to avoid any contact with Kyousuke in middle school.
'Run, Hanagaki Takemichi! Run!'
Unaware of Ishida Shoya's inner turmoil, Hanagaki Takemichi thought Kyousuke must be overjoyed, as if sothing great had fallen from the sky, and continued speaking boldly.
"So, how about it? If you beco our underling in the Higashi Five, no one will bully you anymore."
"Yeah, Takemichi's cousin is the leader of Shibuya Third Junior High and a mber of Kanto Manji. Soon, the entire Higashi will be under our control."
Just then, Atsushi Sendo ca over, not entirely sure what Hanagaki Takemichi was up to but still supporting his good friend.
Before Kyousuke could say anything, Kisaki Tetta suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at, kid? Are you looking down on us?"
The other three mbers of the Higashi Five gathered around, with Suzuki Makoto, the only one with black hair, speaking up.
"No, no, how could I look down on the Higashi Five?" Kisaki Tetta quickly waved his hands, but when he ntioned the Higashi Five, he couldn't help but laugh again.
"You little brat, you say you don't look down on us, but what were you laughing at?"
"I rembered sothing funny."
"What's so funny, kid? If you don't say, you're dead!" Yamagishi Kazushi, who was weak but spoke with a cocky attitude, threatened.
Kisaki Tetta, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, pushed up his glasses.
"What makes happy is that you, Higashi Five, will soon have the chance to make a na for yourselves in Higashi."
Before anyone could respond, the classroom door suddenly slamd open with a loud bang. A group of older students, clearly from higher grades, walked in.
The leader had a spiky hairstyle—one that wasn't like Ishida Shoya's natural spikes, but rather a set of sharp spikes that looked like they could be used to screw in bolts.
"I heard soone say that Higashi is their turf?" His voice had a sharp, clicking sound as he spoke.
He lowered his head, glaring fiercely at Hanagaki Takemichi and the others.
"This..."
Despite talking big earlier, Hanagaki Takemichi and his group were just beginning to learn how to act tough.
Now, being yelled at by actual delinquents, they revealed their true colors.
Atsushi Sendo and the others couldn't speak, frozen in fear.
"I'm Tsuzuki Ryou, a second-year student."
"Rember this—there's only one boss in Higashi, and that's the 'Rampaging Angel' from the kendo club, the one who rules over the entire Bunkyo district."
Tsuzuki Ryou stepped forward and slapped Hanagaki Takemichi's face lightly.
"Since you're first-year students, I won't hold it against you this ti, but you better watch yourselves from now on."
"Got it."
The Higashi Five whispered in response.
"Didn't eat lunch or sothing? We don't speak like that in Higashi, get so spirit!" Tsuzuki Ryou shouted, and several second-years behind him joined in, scolding as well.
"Heard you loud and clear!" the five of them replied in unison, standing at attention, bowing 90 degrees, and shouting loudly.
"Let's go." Satisfied with their response, Tsuzuki Ryou led the group out.
"Phew, we're saved," Hanagaki Takemichi exhaled, his body slumping in relief as soon as the older students left.
"Is this the real Takemichi gang? I thought I was about to die," Yamagishi Kazushi muttered.
"Yeah, when that upperclassman stared at , I couldn't even speak," Hanagaki Takemichi wiped away the cold sweat, still shaken.
"You saw those upperclassn coming, didn't you?"
Atsushi Sendo glanced at Kisaki Tetta, who had been practically invisible the whole ti.
"Yeah, didn't you say you were going to turn Higashi into your turf?"
"Well, the strongest kendo club in Higashi just walked right in. Shouldn't you be happy?" Kisaki Tetta smiled, his expression still as unsettling as ever.
"Forget it, let's go, Atsushi. I need to use the restroom."
Hanagaki Takemichi looked at Kisaki Tetta's smile and felt like he was being targeted by a venomous snake.
Once the Higashi Five had left, Kisaki Tetta turned to speak to Kyousuke.
"Hojou, you didn't seem scared at all when those upperclassn ca in. Why is that?"
"You weren't scared either, were you?"
Now that he was in middle school, Kyousuke didn't plan to be as friendless as he was in elentary school.
Shouko and Naoka went to Ochanomizu Girls' School, and Sakura went to a fancy school for young ladies.
And, he planned to join two clubs: first, the kendo club, so he could carry a shinai legally.
Therefore, he was actually quite happy when a second-year student like Kisaki Tetta spoke to him.
"I wasn't scared because I knew the upperclassn wouldn't cause any trouble, but Hojou, you're not like that, right?"
"What do you an? Maybe I was just pretending to be calm, but inside, I was shaking like a leaf?"
Kyousuke asked curiously, wondering what Kisaki was getting at.
"You brought your shinai to school on the second day, did you join the kendo club yet?"
"Or maybe you've been training in kendo before."
"And when you faced those intimidating upperclassn, you weren't scared because you trust your kendo skills can handle them, right?"
Kisaki Tetta finished his line of reasoning in one breath.
'Is this what all the smart people are like?'
Kyousuke widened his eyes.
He still didn't quite feel like a "good student."
Before, he relied on the benefits of his past life, and after receiving rewards, he was just hanging by the sidelines.
"I'm just good at observing. So, what do you think about Hanagaki Takemichi's suggestion?" Kisaki Tetta asked.
"What suggestion? Joining their five-man group?"
"No, I an dominating Higashi!"
Kisaki Tetta finally revealed his true intentions, excited to have found such a promising candidate, soone with both brains and brawn.
Back in elentary school, he had been in a tutoring class with a girl nad Tachibana Hinata.
He liked her, but she had ended up liking Hanagaki Takemichi, who aspired to beco the top delinquent in Japan.
Determined to win her back, Kisaki had resolved to beco the most powerful student.
He didn't have the physical strength to be a delinquent, but he was great at finding strong leaders.
Now, he had found a perfect candidate for that role.
He believed that with his intelligence, he could help Kyousuke rise to the top of the school, while he worked in the shadows as the true mastermind.
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