24. Why is this not at all what I expected?

After satiating their hunger, Hojo Kyosuke and his companion arrived at Tonyoku Park. The terrain was much like that of Toyama Park—a patch of grass surrounded by towering trees.

What was once a place for children to romp and play had been transformed into a playground for delinquents. Wearing baggy trousers and white shirts, the troublemakers sat cross-legged on the grass or leaned lazily against the trees.

The atmosphere was at its peak.

Why so intense? Because Hanagaki Takemichi was curled up on the ground, being unilaterally beaten. Those supporting Takemichi were cursing, while those backing the other side cheered him on.

"Who’s the organizer? And what do you want to do?"

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Hojo Kyosuke kept one hand in his pocket while holding a sword bag in the other, observing the chaotic scene.

"Kiyomasa. He’s a member of the Third Division of the Kanto Manji Gang."

"Kanto Manji Gang? What kind of thing is that?" Kyosuke asked casually.

"It’s a middle school judo club here in Shibuya with about a hundred members. The leader is known as the 'Invincible Mikey,' and his signature move is a 'Nuclear Kick'."

Kisaki Tetta was already accustomed to his boss's lack of knowledge regarding delinquent trivia, so he provided a brief introduction. He then looked at Kiyomasa, who sat at the front presiding over the fight, and glanced down at his own arms.

*Ugh*, no matter how he looked at it, he stood no chance against the guy.

When Kyosuke had asked what he wanted to do, Kisaki had initially intended to charge in, just like Takemichi had done to play the hero. But after comparing their strength, he calmed down instantly, remembering the consequence of Takemichi’s heroism: a brutal beating. Lacking Takemichi’s god-tier resilience, he decisively turned to Kyosuke for help.

"Boss, I’m counting on you for everything!"

Despite saying this, Kisaki felt an indescribable excitement. *So what if I’m weak? My boss is the best in the world!*

"OK, OK. I’ll make sure to beat them all clean and quick."

With that, Kyosuke prepared to draw his bamboo sword from the bag.

"Wait a second! Boss, could you wait until I’ve gone up and said a few words before you step in?" Kisaki asked, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, I get it, I get it. You do the posing, I do the work. Done! I’ll definitely back you up today and make you the hero of this story, just like Hanagaki Takemichi!"

"Boss! Thank you!"

Kisaki was genuinely moved. He hadn't chosen his leader in vain! Not only did Kyosuke teach him how to win over girls and steer him away from the wrong path, but he was also giving him such a stage to save face.

"Go on, don't worry. Just give me the signal, and I’ll charge in and knock them all flat in two strikes!"

Kyosuke gave a thumbs up, revealing eight snow-white, perfectly aligned teeth that would make any Japanese citizen envious.

"Right!"

Kisaki nodded heavily, straightened his clothes, and squeezed through the crowd with an imposing air, heading toward the center.

"Stop it, all of you!"

In his black school uniform, Kisaki stood out sharply among the white-shirted delinquents. At his shout, the person beating Takemichi stopped, and Kiyomasa and his lackeys turned to look at him.

"You bastard, what do you think you’re doing?" One of Kiyomasa’s lackeys stood up and roared at Kisaki.

"Hanagaki Takemichi, are you alright?"

Kisaki ignored the delinquent, keeping his goal firmly in mind as he immediately knelt beside Takemichi to show his concern.

"Kisaki Tetta?"

Takemichi looked up. His eyes were already swollen shut, his vision blurred, and it took a moment for him to recognize who it was.

"Yeah. Ever since I heard about what happened to you, I’ve been really worried." Kisaki tried his best to look sincere.

"Hey, you! Didn't you hear me talking to you?"

The delinquent who had shouted earlier was enraged by Kisaki’s dismissive attitude. He rushed over and kicked Kisaki.

Kisaki, still trying to cement his image in Takemichi's mind, hadn't reacted in time and was kicked to the ground instantly.

Feeling his heroic fantasy shattered, Kisaki was incensed. He stood up and roared toward Kiyomasa: "You trash, do you have any idea who I am?!"

As he said this, Kisaki’s eyes drifted to the edge of the crowd, where he saw Kyosuke watching him with the bamboo sword in hand. Feeling reassured, he continued to posture. "I am—"

Before Kisaki could finish, Kiyomasa surged up from the ground, leaping into the air to deliver a powerful, heavy kick to Kisaki's face.

*My nasal bone... it’s broken, right?*

That was the only thought in Kisaki’s mind as he flew backward and landed magnificently on the ground.

*Oh no...*

Seeing Kisaki’s miserable state, Kyosuke cursed silently. The hero act had backfired into a disaster. He reached out, grabbed a nearby tree branch, pulled himself up, and used the heads of the delinquents—pompadours and buzz cuts alike—as stepping stones to sprint toward the center of the fray.

It sounded surreal, but it was something Kyosuke had only recently discovered; with his continuously rising physical fitness, he was now capable of some truly superhuman feats.

"Hey, Kisaki, you alright?"

Kyosuke poked Kisaki’s arm with his foot. It wasn't that he didn't want to use his hands, but Kisaki’s face was covered in a bloody mess, and Kyosuke couldn't bring himself to touch it.

"B-boss!"

Kisaki couldn't even speak clearly; one lens of his glasses was shattered. He raised a hand to touch his mouth and spat out a front tooth.

"Well, it happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to react," Kyosuke said with a sheepish grin.

"Hey, you two bastards, what are you muttering about? Do you not respect the Kanto Manji Gang?"

Before Kyosuke could shift the blame, Kiyomasa, unaware that his end was near, continued to scream.

"Kisaki, I’ll avenge you!"

After saying that, Kyosuke charged at Kiyomasa with his bamboo sword. This time, he decided to strike a little harder to express his guilt.

Truth be told, with his current physical prowess, he could easily handle a small-timer like Kiyomasa with his bare hands. But as the saying went: why go empty-handed when you have a weapon? Besides, getting a scratch or two would be painful, and medical care in Japan wasn't cheap.

Kiyomasa had been facing away from the crowd, so he hadn't seen Kyosuke running across the tops of people's heads. But one of his subordinates had, and he shouted a warning: "Watch out, Kiyomasa! That guy is no ordinary thug!"

Unfortunately, the warning came too late. Kiyomasa was still dancing from side to side in a defensive stance when Kyosuke delivered a light-speed downward strike right to his forehead.

Kiyomasa’s eyes rolled back, his arms went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

*Flashy and useless,* Kyosuke thought with disdain. Ever since learning of his nickname, "The Handless Demon," he had been practicing other sword techniques, hoping to avoid cutting hands in the future so people would forget that title.

"Kiyomasa!" his cohorts shouted.

"Is Kiyomasa dead?"

"What kind of monster is that guy with the bamboo sword? He took down the Kanto Manji Gang’s Kiyomasa in one hit!"

"Run! We’ll get hit too!"

The delinquents who had been invited to watch the fight broke into a chaotic retreat.

"Red, call the captains for backup!"

The delinquent who had kicked Kisaki shouted to a guy with a buzz cut wearing a red T-shirt, but before he could finish, he took a strike to the forehead.

"You guys, how dare you get distracted in front of me?" Kyosuke flicked his sword and curled his lip.

"Monster! Only Mikey-san can handle him! Call for backup, quickly!" Another delinquent screamed, only to be struck down by Kyosuke with a casual swing.

Within a minute, aside from Kyosuke and Takemichi’s four friends, only the guy called "Red" was left standing.

Red held his phone, his legs shaking uncontrollably.

"They told you to make the call, didn't they? Do it already. I have homework to finish when I get home."

"O-okay..." Red answered in a trembling voice, his fear so great that the phone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

"Honestly, can you people just make things easy for me?"

Kyosuke walked over and picked up the phone for Red. "Who are you calling? I’ll help you."

"Oh, thanks... just call the one labeled 'Captain'," Red replied mechanically.

"No problem. Tell them to hurry up."

Kyosuke flipped through the contacts, tapped on the one with a profile picture of a fat guy, and handed the phone back to Red.