Chapter 7: The Fight That Wasn't!

  Scene 1: The Great Escape Plan (That Fails Immediately)

  I had one job.

  Escape.

  The fight with Takeda was happening today, and if I didn’t leave right now, I was going to be turned into a fine paste behind the school gym.

  The back gate of Fujihama High stood just a few feet away, glinting in the morning sunlight like the golden gates of salvation. I clutched my backpack like it contained the last shreds of my dignity and moved with absolute stealth.

  "Alright. I’ll just slip out, lay low for a few days, and when I come back, everyone will have forgotten this whole mess. Simple. Easy. Foolproof."

  I peeked over my shoulder.

  Coast clear.

  A bead of sweat rolled down my temple as I reached for the gate. Almost there. Just one push and—

  A vice-like grip landed on my shoulder.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Boss?”

  Damn it.

  I slowly turned my head to see Tetsuya Nakamura, looking at me with the calm, patient expression of a man who had seen this coming from a mile away.

  I cleared my throat, pasting on my best innocent smile. “Ah, you see, I, uh… left something at home, and I was just—”

  “Skipping school to avoid the fight?” Tetsuya finished, his voice disturbingly neutral. “That’s low, even for you, Boss.”

  I groaned. “I am not skipping school.”

  He nodded sagely. “Right. You’re strategically retreating.”

  “…Yes.”

  “Like a coward.”

  “NO.”

  Before I could yank myself free and book it, another voice joined in.

  “Trying to run away?”

  I visibly winced as Reina Kisaragi arrived, standing with her arms crossed and her expression set to maximum disappointment.

  “That’s disgraceful behavior for someone who’s supposedly so powerful,” she said.

  I let out a pained groan. “I NEVER SAID I WAS POWERFUL!”

  “Didn’t need to,” she shot back. “Your reputation speaks for itself.”

  “MY REPUTATION IS A LIE.”

  “Tell that to the school.”

  I was on the verge of throwing myself into traffic when I noticed Akari Tachibana leaning casually against the gate, smirking like she had been watching a particularly entertaining drama unfold.

  “This is fun to watch,” she mused. “Please, keep struggling.”

  I shot her a glare. “You could help me.”

  “Oh, I could,” she said, grinning wider. “But this is way funnier.”

  I slumped forward, accepting my fate. “I hate my life.”

  Tetsuya patted my shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Boss. We have everything prepared for your victory.”

  I deadpanned. “What part of I don’t want to fight do people not understand?!”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me back toward the school like a man escorting a high-profile prisoner.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  As I flailed uselessly, I cast one final, desperate look at the gate.

  I was so close.

  Yet so far.

  Scene 2: The School Gears Up for War

  There are two kinds of nightmares in this world.

  The first is the kind where you wake up in a cold sweat, realizing it was just a dream.

  The second is the kind where you wake up and realize it’s your actual life.

  Unfortunately, I was living the second one.

  By the time lunch break rolled around, the school had transformed into a gladiatorial arena.

  Handmade posters featuring me and Shunji Takeda had been slapped onto walls like we were about to headline a championship match. Bets were being placed. Students huddled in groups, trading money, whispering in hushed, reverent tones about The Fight of the Century.

  I walked into the main courtyard—and immediately regretted it.

  A student rushed up to me, notepad in hand.

  “Kenji-san,” he said with genuine enthusiasm, “how confident are you in your victory today?”

  I stared at him.

  Then at his notepad.

  Then back at him.

  “…I’M NOT CONFIDENT AT ALL.”

  The student scribbled furiously. “Kenji-san remains humble despite his overwhelming strength.”

  “THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID!”

  I whirled around, desperate for a lifeline, and locked eyes with Reina Kisaragi.

  Surely, surely, she would see how insane this had become.

  She exhaled sharply, arms crossed. “I can’t believe this school has turned into a battle arena.”

  “THANK YOU!” I practically sobbed with relief. “CAN YOU FIX IT?”

  Reina adjusted her glasses. “No. But I can record your inevitable loss for posterity.”

  I slumped. “I hate this place.”

  Before I could escape, Akari Tachibana strolled up, grinning ear to ear as she counted cash from a wad of betting money.

  “So far,” she said cheerfully, “the bets are 70% in favor of you, Kenji. No pressure.”

  I choked on my own existence. “THERE IS EXCLUSIVELY PRESSURE.”

  She patted my shoulder. “Try not to die.”

  I groaned, dragging my hands down my face, when—

  “You should be proud, Boss.”

  Oh no.

  I turned to find Tetsuya Nakamura watching the scene with a proud, approving expression, like a father witnessing his son take his first steps into greatness.

  “I’m glad the school acknowledges your strength,” he said, voice brimming with admiration.

  I clenched my fists.

  "I NEED A NEW LIFE."

  Scene 3: The Fight That Wasn’t

  This was it.

  The final moment.

  The moment I would either die behind the school gym or somehow, by some divine intervention, avoid becoming a human mop.

  Unfortunately, divine intervention had not shown up in my life once, so I wasn’t exactly holding my breath.

  The crowd was massive.

  Students had gathered like hungry wolves, forming a ring around the makeshift “arena” where my imminent funeral would take place.

  Someone had even set up a snack stand. A freaking snack stand.

  I was so screwed.

  I swallowed hard, every instinct in my body screaming at me to run.

  "If I just scream and run in the opposite direction, maybe I’ll survive."

  But before I could act on my completely rational survival instincts, a shadow loomed over me.

  Shunji Takeda.

  The Beast.

  The guy who could crush me like a soda can.

  He cracked his knuckles, grinning like a predator who had cornered his prey.

  “I respect that you showed up,” he said, his massive arms flexing slightly. “But you know how this ends.”

  "YES, WITH ME IN THE HOSPITAL!"

  I opened my mouth to protest, to beg for mercy, to maybe bribe him with my lunch money—but the crowd erupted in cheers.

  “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”

  I flinched. “Why are they so enthusiastic about this?”

  “They’re idiots,” Reina muttered, arms crossed. “All of them.”

  For once, we agreed on something.

  Takeda rolled his shoulders, stepping forward.

  I took one step back.

  Then—

  It happened.

  Takeda’s foot slipped.

  I barely processed what was happening before his entire body tilted sideways, his balance completely obliterated.

  His arms flailed.

  His foot skidded.

  And then—

  He crashed.

  Hard.

  Face-first.

  Into the concrete.

  The entire crowd gasped.

  A beat of stunned silence.

  Then—

  Someone shouted, “KENJI DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO TOUCH HIM!”

  Another voice, equally hysterical, joined in. “HE DEFEATED TAKEDA WITH HIS AURA!”

  I stood completely frozen, my brain melting into a useless puddle of confusion.

  What.

  Takeda groaned, rolling onto his back, clearly dazed from the impact.

  Tetsuya nodded approvingly. “So that’s the power of the boss…”

  “THAT WAS JUST BAD LUCK!” I screamed.

  But it was too late.

  The crowd had already decided.

  Takeda, still wobbling, finally sat up—and then, to my absolute horror, he bowed his head.

  “You win,” he muttered. “I see now why everyone respects you.”

  "HOW DID I WIN?!"

  The students erupted into deafening cheers, chanting my name like I had just slain a dragon.

  I turned to Reina, desperate for at least ONE PERSON to see how stupid this was.

  She stared at me, her expression one of pure, existential dread.

  I knew what she was thinking.

  "This fool is the most powerful person in school. We are doomed."

  And honestly?

  She was right.