Chapter 103: At Fifteen, I Ignored the Risk Warning and Continued Installation!
.....
"Are you... Seito from Class D?"
Miura Yumiko was the first to cry out in surprise. She had been observing Seito for a while. Not only was he handsome, but he was also incredibly charismatic—the kind of cheerful guy who could strike up a conversation with anyone. To her, he seemed like the ideal boyfriend candidate. At this stage, she wasn't particularly close to Hayato Hayama yet, as the school term had only begun a week ago.
"Guilty as charged," Seito replied with a grin, scanning Class A.
Kanade Tachibana wasn't in the room. She was likely eating on the rooftop or at the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the idol trio he was hoping to see—Honoka and the others—weren't around either.
The classroom was a melting pot of familiar faces: Yumiko, Hayato, Saki Kawasaki, and Hina Ebina from Oregairu; Shinka Nibutani from Chuunibyou; and Keiko Ayano and Rika Shinozaki from Sword Art Online. It was essentially a sanctuary for iconic supporting characters.
His gaze eventually landed on the only person he actually "knew," Hina Ebina. He squinted slightly. He remembered all too well that Ebina was a hardcore fujoshi (BL fan). They had been classmates back in middle school. Thinking back to the way she used to look at him while practically drooling, he felt a sudden chill. He could guess exactly what kind of "scenarios" were running through her head with a single glance.
"Yo, Ebina the Fujoshi! Fancy seeing you in this class," Seito decided to strike first to clear his name.
Sfx: Shhh!
Ebina's head instantly dropped in embarrassment. The rest of the class was stunned; they had no idea such a cute girl had such... "niche" interests. However, the mood quickly shifted.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's a Class D guy like you doing acting so high and mighty in Class A?" Kakeru Tobe stepped forward with an unfriendly glare. He had a crush on Ebina, and seeing his romantic prospects go up in flames before they even started made him incredibly irritated.
"What's it to you?" Seito shot back.
The dismissive tone made Tobe's blood boil. Even Miura Yumiko's impression of Seito soured slightly; exposing a girl's secrets the moment you walk in didn't exactly scream "gentleman." But Seito didn't care. Instead of letting a fujoshi fantasize about him, he'd rather make her face reality and flush those thoughts out of her head!
"Alright, alright. Tobe, don't get worked up," Hayato Hayama stepped in, playing his usual role as the peacemaker.
"Hayama, what are you doing? This guy is out of line! This is Class A!" For some reason, Tobe just couldn't stand the sight of Seito. He clenched his fists, looking ready to throw down.
Classic hot-headed idiot, Seito thought, his mouth twitching. The guy was exactly like his anime counterpart.
"Oh? You want to go a round with me?" Seito tilted his head back arrogantly, looking down his nose at Tobe with a perfectly punchable expression.
"Hayama, let go of me! I'm gonna teach this brat a lesson!"
The other Class A students began looking at Seito with hostility. After all, Tobe was their classmate.
"Wait right there..." Seito said, turning on his heel and leaving the classroom.
Class A was left in total confusion. Why did he just leave?
A few moments later...
Stomp, stomp, stomp—
A heavy cacophony of footsteps echoed down the hall, stopping at the neighboring Class B. Then, Seito's voice rang out:
"Ryuen! Get everyone in your class out here right now!"
"What? Seito, did you bring Class E just to pick a fight with me?"
"Shut it! We're 'Good Students' now, try to be elegant. Just get them out here!"
"Fine, fine. Whatever."
Stomp, stomp, stomp!
BANG! BANG!
Both the front and back doors of Class A were kicked open simultaneously. A massive swarm of students from Class E and Class B poured in, led by none other than Class D's Seito.
Class A trembled. Tobe, who had been shouting just moments ago, scrambled behind Hayama. Their fear was justified—the boys from Class E all wore terrifying, distorted expressions. That manic, predatory grin was the trademark of the diving club "delinquents."
"Um..." Hayama glanced at the sheer numbers against them and said calmly, "Seito-kun, we're all schoolmates here. Let's not hit Tobe."
"Say what?" Seito looked at him in disbelief.
"I'm not a delinquent. Why would I hit him? Move aside!"
Seito shoved Hayama out of the way, reached out, and snatched the shivering Tobe by the collar, dragging him to the front.
"So, you're the one messing with my brother?" Iori Kitahara spoke first, his face contorted into a look so punchable it was almost an art form.
Tobe was shaking so hard he couldn't form words. Iori lost interest immediately. "Fine, how about this? Tell us the worst thing you've ever done in your life, and we'll leave."
Tobe saw this as his lifeline. "I... I stole money from my dad's wallet when I was five. And when I was ten, I pulled a prank on a girl..."
"Stop, stop, STOP!" Hidetoshi Tabata cut him off, staring at Tobe with pure disdain.
"This guy is pathetic. His 'bad deeds' are lukewarm. He's got nothing on me."
"Oh? And what did you do?" Seito asked.
Tabata let out a cold snort, adjusting his glasses.
"At fifteen... I ignored the risk warning and continued the installation!"
Seito: "..."
Iori and the others: "..."
Ryuen and his crew: "..."
Hayato and Class A: "..."
Holy crap. You're actually bragging about that?
The room fell into a profound, heavy silence. Every boy in the room understood the gravity of those words instantly. It was the universal mark of a man on a mission.
But then, an even more discordant voice erupted from the back of the Class E crowd!
"Stop your bragging! When I was fifteen, I took a bath with the sister next door!"
The crowd from Class E exploded into an uproar. One after another, the "confessions" started flying!
.....
Thank you for reading.