Chapter 10: The Parent-Teacher Meeting (Again?!)

  Scene 1: Kenji Learns About the Meeting (And Immediately Panics)

  For the first time in weeks, I strolled into class without a sense of imminent doom looming over my head.

  No fights. No ridiculous misunderstandings. No terrifying crime bosses mistaking me for their legendary son.

  Just a normal day.

  I took a deep breath.

  "Maybe… just maybe… things are finally calming down."

  Then Mr. Tanaka stumbled into the room looking like he had just survived a war zone.

  Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.

  He was pale, his forehead glistening with sweat, and his hands shaking like a man who had just been told his taxes were being audited by the Yakuza.

  He locked eyes with me, and I froze mid-step.

  “F-Fujimura-kun,” he stammered. “I need a word.”

  I gulped. “Uh… that sounds bad.”

  Silently, he held out a piece of paper, his fingers trembling.

  I took it hesitantly and read the words printed at the top.

  PARENT-TEACHER MEETING NOTICE

  DATE: TONIGHT.

  My entire soul left my body.

  "AGAIN?!"

  The class immediately erupted into whispers.

  “This happened last time, right?” someone muttered. “Didn’t it almost turn into a hostage situation?”

  “I heard Fujimura’s dad is a Yakuza boss and the teachers are all terrified of him.”

  “No, no, no,” another student whispered. “That’s nothing. I heard the principal offered him the entire school just to avoid offending him.”

  I wanted to crawl into my own grave.

  Then, like a shark smelling blood, Reina Kisaragi leaned forward, smirking.

  “This time,” she said smoothly, tapping her desk, “I’ll get the proof I need to bring you down.”

  I whipped around, my voice cracking in panic.

  “CAN YOU STOP SAYING IT LIKE THAT?!”

  She narrowed her eyes, adjusting her glasses. “No.”

  Before I could begin formulating an escape plan, a firm hand landed on my shoulder.

  Tetsuya nodded approvingly, as if this was all part of some genius scheme.

  “Boss,” he said with the utmost seriousness, “I assume you planned for this?”

  I turned to him in horror. “I ASSUMED NOTHING!”

  Akari, lounging against her desk, grinned.

  “Oh,” she said, voice practically dripping with amusement, “this is going to be fun.”

  I slumped onto my desk, burying my face in my arms.

  "I am so unbelievably doomed."

  Scene 2: The Parents Gather (And Kenji Sees His Life Flash Before His Eyes)

  There’s a very specific kind of fear that comes with walking into a room and immediately realizing you should have faked your own death instead.

  This was that fear.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I stepped into the conference room, fully prepared for an awkward but manageable night of misunderstandings.

  Then I saw him.

  Genzo Sakamoto.

  Sitting at the head of the table, arms crossed, exuding the kind of intimidating authority that could silence an entire battlefield.

  A man who could buy this school, burn it down, and have it rebuilt before breakfast.

  A man who thought I was his son.

  My entire life flashed before my eyes.

  "Oh no. Oh no no no no—"

  Across from him, Principal Hoshino was sweating bullets, bowing so deeply I was concerned he might never straighten up again.

  “S-Sakamoto-san,” the principal stammered, voice trembling. “We are honored by your presence!”

  I barely stopped myself from screaming.

  "They’re treating him like royalty. Fantastic."

  I tried to blend into the background, praying this would somehow resolve itself without incident.

  Then Reina’s sharp gaze locked onto me.

  “Where are your real parents, Kenji?” she asked, her tone razor-sharp.

  I let out the most unconvincing laugh of my life.

  “Oh, uh, they’re… busy?”

  Reina narrowed her eyes.

  Before she could press the issue, whispers started spreading across the room.

  “That’s… the Yakuza boss, right?” one parent whispered, stealing nervous glances at Genzo.

  “Doesn’t that mean Kenji has total control over the school?”

  A different parent nodded slowly, as if putting all the puzzle pieces together.

  “That would explain why the teachers are so scared of him…”

  I stared at the ceiling, silently pleading for the universe to smite me on the spot.

  Then Genzo’s deep, unshakably calm voice cut through the room.

  “This school has treated my son well, I assume?”

  His gaze slowly swept across the faculty like a judge preparing a verdict.

  Principal Hoshino, still visibly shaking, bowed so hard his glasses nearly flew off.

  “Y-Yes! Absolutely! Kenji is our finest student!”

  I almost passed out.

  Across the table, Reina shot up from her seat, horrified.

  “EXCUSE ME?!”

  And just like that, the entire room descended into chaos.

  Scene 3: The "Disciplinary Hearing" Goes Off the Rails

  If someone had told me this meeting would end with the entire faculty betraying reality itself, I would have laughed.

  Now?

  Now, I was watching grown adults rewrite history in real time to avoid offending a literal Yakuza boss.

  Principal Hoshino, still drenched in nervous sweat, tried to compose himself as he shuffled through his notes. His hands were shaking so badly that the papers made a sound like leaves in a hurricane.

  “Ahem,” he cleared his throat, his voice barely steady. “Uh… we wanted to discuss Kenji’s… uh… leadership skills?”

  I blinked.

  "Leadership?"

  Reina, who had been glaring at me all night, slammed both hands on the table.

  "Leadership?!" she barked. "He’s a delinquent who took over the school!"

  The room went silent.

  Every teacher visibly tensed, eyes slowly shifting toward Genzo Sakamoto, who had been sitting quietly up until now.

  He tilted his head slightly and regarded Reina with an expression so unreadable, I could already hear the funeral bells ringing.

  “…Is that so?”

  I heard several gasps.

  Somewhere in the back, I think Mr. Tanaka nearly fainted.

  "SHE’S GOING TO DIE."

  Before Reina could say another word, the teachers IMMEDIATELY started backtracking.

  "Uh—what she means is—!" Mr. Tanaka gasped, his face pale.

  The principal, who had clearly decided his survival was more important than logic, gave a strained, desperate smile.

  “Yes! Yes! Kenji is a strong influence on his peers!”

  I stared in pure disbelief.

  Mr. Tanaka nodded aggressively, his glasses slipping down his nose. “A very positive influence!”

  Another teacher, voice high-pitched with terror, added, “He has… charisma!”

  Reina looked around, horrified.

  "What. Is. Wrong. With. You. People?!" she demanded, completely losing her mind.

  I, meanwhile, sat completely still, letting the absolute madness unfold around me.

  "I don’t know how, but I just gained more power."

  Scene 4: Kenji "Escapes" (But It’s Too Late)

  Somehow, against all logic, I had survived.

  The meeting ended with the entire faculty bending over backward to paint me as the greatest student in Fujihama High history, while Genzo Sakamoto nodded approvingly like a king surveying his loyal subjects.

  I walked out of the school building, my soul barely hanging on by a thread.

  I was exhausted. Mentally fried. Physically drained.

  And yet, despite everything, I was alive.

  "I survived. Somehow."

  Just as I was about to take my first deep breath of relief, a familiar voice growled beside me.

  “I hate this school.”

  I turned to see Reina Kisaragi storm past me, her entire worldview shattered.

  Her hands were clenched into fists, her eye twitching, and I could practically see the mental breakdown happening in real time.

  Before I could even attempt to comfort her, another voice chimed in.

  “Well, that was entertaining.”

  I sighed as Akari Tachibana strolled up beside me, hands in her pockets, her grin absolutely unapologetic.

  She tilted her head, watching me with obvious amusement. “You’re basically royalty now, Kenji.”

  I let out a long, suffering groan, rubbing my face.

  "I want to go home."

  But deep down, I knew the truth.

  I could never just go home again.

  Because now?

  I wasn’t just a delinquent with an accidental reputation.

  I was the most powerful student in school.

  …And I had absolutely no idea what to do next.