Arc 2: The Toughest Guy in School Wants a Fight
Chapter 6: The Challenge is Issued
Scene 1: The King Must Defend His Throne (But He Doesn’t Want It)
I had one simple wish.
Just one.
"Please, just one day where nothing ridiculous happens."
Of course, I should have known better.
The moment I stepped onto Fujihama High’s front walkway, a low murmur spread through the crowd like wildfire. Whispers, hushed voices, and stolen glances followed me like a curse.
"Did you hear?" a student murmured. "Takeda isn’t happy about Kenji’s rule."
Another voice, barely above a whisper: "Shunji Takeda… The Beast? The guy who knocked out five seniors at the same time?!"
My stomach plummeted.
"I DO NOT RULE ANYONE."
But apparently, reality disagreed.
Tetsuya Nakamura, my ever-loyal (and ever-delusional) best friend, nodded solemnly beside me.
"It was inevitable," he said, as if narrating a tragic samurai epic. "If you sit on the throne, challengers will come."
I shot him a look. "THERE IS NO THRONE!"
But he was already lost in his own fantasy.
I groaned, running a hand down my face, but before I could process the full scope of my impending doom, another voice cut through the noise.
"You have exactly one week before your first student council duty," Reina Kisaragi announced, marching toward me with the unshakable determination of a woman on a mission.
I blinked. "First what?"
She narrowed her eyes. "I am not letting you rule this school unopposed."
Oh, for the love of—
"I DON’T RULE THE SCHOOL!"
"Denial won’t change the facts," she shot back.
"Yes, it will," I muttered. "Because they aren’t facts."
Before Reina could launch into another speech about justice or reformation or whatever she’d convinced herself was happening, a deep, gravelly voice echoed across the school grounds.
"So, you’re the guy I’m supposed to bow to?"
A chill ran down my spine.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Standing at the entrance, broad-shouldered and radiating pure menace, was Shunji Takeda—the second-toughest delinquent in school.
…Or rather, the toughest, since everyone seemed to think I had claimed the throne.
Takeda cracked his knuckles, staring me down like a predator sizing up its next meal.
"You don’t look like much," he said, voice filled with undisguised challenge.
The entire school held its breath.
Silence.
Tension.
The kind of moment that defined history.
Then, somewhere in the crowd—
"It’s happening. The real fight for the school."
"OH, COME ON!"
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Scene 2: The Challenge (That Kenji Tries to Decline, But Fails Miserably)
Shunji Takeda stepped forward, his heavy footsteps echoing across the courtyard like distant war drums. The crowd parted instinctively, clearing a path between us.
I stayed perfectly still, because I knew how this worked.
Predators react to movement.
Takeda cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and deliberate. “I don’t recognize you as the top dog. If you wanna be king, you gotta prove it.”
I blinked. “I don’t wanna be king.”
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“I don’t wanna be king,” I repeated, slower this time, just in case his brain needed an extra second to process it.
Takeda stared at me, like I had just spoken in an ancient, forbidden language.
Silence.
Then, from the sidelines, Tetsuya Nakamura stepped forward like a war general preparing for battle.
“Boss, let me handle this one.”
I whipped around. “THERE IS NO ‘ONE’ TO HANDLE! WE ARE NOT AT WAR!”
Tetsuya ignored me, his gaze locked onto Takeda. “So, you seek a challenge? A test of strength? An honorable duel for the right to lead?”
Takeda crossed his arms. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Then you must understand,” Tetsuya continued, voice deadly serious, “the boss does not fight those who are beneath him.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
I choked. “WHAT?!”
Takeda’s jaw tensed, a vein twitching at his temple. “You saying I’m beneath him?”
“NO, HE IS NOT SAYING THAT,” I yelled, glaring at Tetsuya, who—bless his heart—was still nodding sagely.
“The boss moves only when necessary,” Tetsuya said. “You should be honored he even acknowledges your presence.”
Takeda’s fists tightened.
The crowd went feral.
“Oh my god, he just implied Takeda isn’t even worth fighting!”
“He’s on another level!”
“Kenji’s a legend.”
I clutched my head.
HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!
Before I could salvage this disaster, Reina groaned loudly from behind me.
“This school is descending into barbarism,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “This is exactly why I need to fix you.”
“I DID NOT CAUSE THIS!”
Takeda exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. “So, you’re saying you’re too strong for me? That’s why you won’t fight?”
I held up both hands. “Nope. Not saying that. Not at all.”
“Then fight me.”
“No.”
Silence.
The students gasped audibly.
“He… rejected the challenge?”
“That’s… a declaration of war.”
I could actually hear Reina’s patience snapping like a rusty wire.
Takeda’s smirk was dangerous. “Alright, I’ll make this fun for you.”
Oh no.
“Three days from now,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Behind the gym. Don’t run, Sakamoto.”
I swallowed hard. “I AM GOING TO RUN.”
Reina sighed, crossing her arms. “You are a walking disaster.”
“THANK YOU FOR NOTICING.”
Scene 3: The Escape Plan (And Why It Immediately Fails)
I slammed my hands onto the rooftop railing, staring out at the horizon like a tragic war hero contemplating his inevitable downfall.
"Okay. I just need a plan. A way out."
Three days. I had three days before Takeda turned me into a human punching bag.
And in those three days, I needed to disappear, fake an injury, transfer schools, or—preferably—fall into a portal to another dimension where people didn’t resolve their problems with fists.
Footsteps behind me.
I turned my head just enough to see Tetsuya Nakamura, standing there like a spirit of loyalty and misplaced confidence.
"Boss," he said, his voice heavy with unshakable faith, "you aren’t thinking of running, are you?"
I stared at him.
He stared back.
We both knew the answer.
“…No?”
Tetsuya nodded approvingly, stepping beside me to gaze at the city skyline like we were two old war veterans reflecting on past battles.
“Good,” he murmured. “I’ve already started spreading the word.”
My stomach dropped.
“…Word about what?”
He turned to me, eyes burning with fierce admiration.
“Your battle against Takeda. It’s already legendary.”
Oh.
Oh, I see.
I wasn’t just fighting Takeda now.
This had officially become a spectacle.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Tetsuya, buddy. You absolute menace to my existence. What do you mean ‘legendary’?”
“The bets are off the charts,” he continued, ignoring my spiraling mental breakdown. “Even students from other schools are coming to watch.”
The world tilted dangerously.
I took a slow, deep breath. “Tetsuya.”
“Yes, boss?”
“…How much money is riding on this?”
He grinned. “Millions.”
I immediately grabbed him by the collar. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN MILLIONS?!”
Before I could shake him for every yen he was worth, another voice cut through my rising panic.
“I’d help you escape,” Akari Tachibana mused from the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, “but this is too fun to watch.”
I turned to her, eyes pleading. “Akari. Please. I’m begging you.”
She smirked. “Nah.”
I sagged against the railing.
This was hell.
Then, the worst thing happened.
Reina Kisaragi stepped onto the rooftop.
I groaned. "Let me guess. You’re here to lecture me about ‘responsibility’ and ‘integrity’ and why I should ‘stop making this school look like a war zone’?"
Reina frowned. “For once, I actually agree with you.”
My head snapped up.
“…Really?”
She nodded. “You should run.”
Hope ignited in my chest.
Finally! Someone who understood! Someone with logic! Someone who—
“But it’s too late,” she added.
I froze.
Tetsuya nodded solemnly. "The people demand their champion."
Akari grinned. “No escape, Kenji.”
I turned to Reina. “You literally just said I should run!”
“Yes,” she said, completely unfazed. “But I also want to see you get punched in the face.”
The universe hated me.
I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
This was it. There was no way out.
I was going to fight Takeda.
And I was going to die.
