Igniting the Fire of Passion and Resolve

Once the classes were over for that day, I went to the practice hall, but ended up standing frozen in front of the doors. Even though I was the one who called the delinquents here, I was overwhelmed by nervousness. Would they all show up? Would they lend an ear to me, who had joined the Student Council? Most importantly, would they be willing to follow me?

“Ryuu.”

A strong hand grabbed my shoulder.

“...! Ouji-senpai?” I turned at the scowling Senpai, whom I hadn’t seen lately.

“Didn’t Kagura-san say she believes in you?” Ouji spoke, having been told about what happened yesterday by Hiiro. “So you should believe in yourself as well.”

“Senpai…” I teared up a bit from his touching words.

“And even if you fail…” Ouji grinned, twisting his scowling face into a demon king-like face. “We can always beat them up.”

“No, it will be too pitiful for them, so let’s not do that!” I retorted, but my lips were smiling as well. It felt really nostalgic, as if I hadn’t had this kind of conversation for years.

“We’re all counting on you to prevent that.” Ouji nodded before entering the practice hall.

All at once, I felt like the burden that just disappeared come crashing down on my shoulders.

“That’s just adding more pressure to me, Senpai!”

After retorting, I exhaled a long sigh and slapped both of my cheeks.

“I just have to do it!” I said to myself.

I stopped thinking too much about it and entered the practice hall. Every pair of eyes immediately focused on me. There were hostilities and annoyance in their gaze, but most of them were full of curiosity. I gulped nervously while making my way toward the stage in front of them.

Sakuya’s favorite desk was standing on the stage as usual, but it was empty without its master. After all, Sakuya was still resting at home. However, the familiar sight of that desk gave me courage.

“Sakuya-san, I’ll be borrowing your spot for today.” I thought as I climbed on the stage and faced the delinquents.

Judging from their number, it seemed that every delinquent at school was present. I could see even Delinquent A and B. They were guarded closely by Hiiro, to ensure that they wouldn’t run off again.

I cleared my throat and started speaking.

“Everyone, please listen to meh—”

I bit my tongue.

“Ahhh, just kill me already!” I took deep breaths, trying to regain my composure.

“Everyone, thank you for coming today.” I started again, acting as if the previous accident never happened. “I didn’t call you here to have you study, if that’s what you’re asking.”

My words caused a stir among the delinquents. Now they all wore a look of confusion.

“I want to tell you about Sakuya-san instead.” I continued. “Has any of you ever thought why she’s whimsically forcing you to study after school every day? Or why she pushed herself so hard to the point of collapsing?”

A lot of delinquents nodded in agreement. Frankly, no one knew what’s going on inside Sakuya’s head. That’s why each and every action of hers seemed like a whim.

“Let me tell you the answer. It’s because of a bet between her and the new teacher, Shijima Ryouta.” I stepped forward and raised my voice. “Shijima-sensei has a grudge against Sakuya-san. I don’t know what she’s done to him in the past, but he forced Sakuya-san into this bet. If even one of you fail to pass the remedial test, Sakuya-san must leave the school.”

Shocked gasps spread among the delinquents. They never thought that the kind-looking, gentle new teacher would make such a cruel bet.

“Isn’t that for the best?”

All of a sudden, someone among the delinquents shouted.

“With Kagura Sakuya gone from this school, we’ll be free to do anything we want!”

I scanned the crowd to find the speaker. It didn’t take long to recognize Delinquent A as the speaker.

“That’s right, that’s right!” Some of the rebels voiced their agreement.

I nodded, acting like I was sympathizing with them. “Yeah, even I can see that Sakuya-san’s rule is strict on the delinquents. It sure is hard for you.”

From the edge of my eye, I saw Ouji marching toward me with a terrifying look on his face. I hurriedly continued my words before he dragged me off the stage.

“But on the other hand, you’ll all lose her protection.”

For a moment, the whole room fell silent from the shock.

“…protection? What protection are you talking about?” Delinquent B protested. “The one being protected is the normal students, not us!”

“Oh, it seems you’re not aware of this.” I laughed cynically. “Ouji-senpai, please tell us.” I turned toward him. “How many times have you fought with delinquents from other schools before Sakuya-san came here?”

Ouji frowned, but he still answered obediently, “…too many to count. Every time we came across students from other schools, they’d pick a fight without fail. My seniors told me that it was always like that since the beginning.”

“And how many times have you fought them since Sakuya-san became the new Banchou?”

A flash of understanding sparked in Ouji’s eyes as he answered, “…only once or twice, at the beginning of her reign.”

The first and second-years delinquents widened their eyes at this obvious gap. They had never experienced fighting delinquents from other schools, but none of them realized the reason.

It was because the other schools feared Kagura Sakuya.

This was something I heard from Kazu, that the moment Sakuya established herself as Sakurasaki Academy’s Banchou, she went to nearby schools and beat their leaders into complete submission. It was something she did all by herself, in order to protect her people from external threats. In the end, no one dared to pick a fight against Sakurasaki Academy. Even hearing Sakuya’s name was enough to send them cowering in fear.

As a side note, Kazu knew about this because he accidentally witnessed one of Sakuya’s rampage. Sakuya swore him to secrecy, and Kazu had kept it a secret up until now.

“Do you understand now?” I slammed my hand on the desk, refocusing their attention to me. “If Sakuya-san leaves this school, you’ll all be eaten completely by other schools. Takamine Academy is a good example. The moment Sakuya-san showed weakness, they started picking a fight with our school again.”

Everyone seemed more convinced now, having heard about Sakuya’s heroic deed.

“But, why didn’t she say anything to us about this bet?” This time, Takashi was the one who raised a question. “If we had known, we’d have…” His voice trailed off when he realized the answer.

“Right.” I smiled thinly. “If you knew that Sakuya-san will have to quit school if she fails the bet, what would you do? Would you obediently cooperate with her? Or…”

My gaze turned toward Delinquent A and B, who stiffened under everyone’s hostile glares.

“…will you use this chance to kick her out, not knowing what the consequences will be?” I continued mercilessly.

“These idiots!” Takashi leapt to his feet, seeming ready to strangle the two delinquents.

Fortunately, Hiiro quickly intervened and stopped his attempt.

“We can’t change what we’ve done, but we can change what we will do.” I spoke again. “Sakuya-san has forsaken her sleep, her meal, even her own body for your sake. I’m not asking anything grand from all of you. Just, will you help her by giving your best in the exam?” I lowered my head to all of them.

I pricked my ears to gauge their reaction, but while the majority of Sakuya’s loyal followers immediately agreed, some of the delinquents were still hesitating.

“Is this not good enough?” I racked my brain desperately, trying to find something else that could move their hearts. Sakuya’s school life depended on me. I couldn’t—I didn’t want to fail her!

“Okay, I can see that some of you are still hesitating.”

Out of the blue, Hiiro popped up beside me. I was confused, but I stepped back and gave him the spotlight.

“Let me give you more motivation to pass the remedial test.” Hiiro grinned. “You guys, do you remember what this test is for? Right, this is a test to determine who will have to attend supplementary classes all summer long.”

Upon hearing that, everyone sat straight and started listening more earnestly.

“Which means, if you happen to fail the test, you’ll be forced to come to school every single day. That means no beach episode, no going on a pool date, and no summer festival event!” Hiiro continued passionately.

“But we don’t even have girlfriends…” One of the delinquents muttered.

“Shut up, Yuuji! Don’t jinx our summer holiday!” The other delinquents instantly booed him.

“That’s right! If you fail the test, your dream of going to the beach and having a fateful encounter with a beautiful girl will stay a dream forever!” Hiiro shouted. “Do you really want to throw away your dream just like that?!”

“No, sir!!!” Everyone shouted in unison.

“Do you really want to stay at school and let go of the opportunity to experience some heart-pounding summer romance?!”

“No, sir!!!”

“Do you really want to miss the chance to see Sakuya-chan all dressed up in kimono during summer festival and watch fireworks together with her?!”

“No, sir!”

This time, it was just Ouji who answered Hiiro, while the rest of them fell silent or averted their eyes. Incidentally, I was among the ones who averted my eyes.

Hiiro coughed once to clear the awkward air. “The point is, you’re going to waste your precious high school summer if you fail this test. So don’t you dare fail it!”

“YES!!!”

I stared in awe at Hiiro, who managed to unite nearly everyone’s hearts in such a short time. To be honest, it was a method that I never thought of…and a method that I didn’t want to use if I could. I felt like my dignity would plummet beyond salvation if I used it.

“Hm?” Then I noticed a small fraction of delinquents who still wore a dissatisfied face. They were the ones who didn’t have loyalty toward Sakuya and no girlfriend to spend the summer holiday together. “For that group…what kind of bait should we use?” I wondered to myself.

“Since Ryuu and Hiiro already said so much, I’ll add a small bet of my own.” Ouji appeared at my other side and drew everyone’s attention. “Whoever manages to best my score in the remedial test will inherit my ‘second strongest delinquent’ title.”

Another stir swept the delinquents at Ouji’s shocking announcement. Even Hiiro and I stared at him wide-eyed. Ouji was tremendously proud of his title as the second strongest delinquent in school. For him to offer his title…

“Kagura-san has put her pride on the line.” Ouji said in a low voice, low enough that only we heard it. “Isn’t it only fair that I also put my pride on the line?”

“Ouji-senpai…” Once again, I felt awe toward him. I didn’t think I’d have the courage to do so.

“So, whoever wants to claim the title of second strongest delinquent in this school, come at me!” Ouji grinned fiercely. “I’ll bow my head and give up my title to the person who bested my exam score!”

With a loud cheering, our efforts at uniting the delinquents finally bore fruit.

*****

“Th-This is…” Sakuya, who had finally come back to school the next day, was completely stunned by the sight in front of her.

The practice hall was fully packed with delinquents, who were studying passionately even before Sakuya arrived. Some of them even had the initiative to start a small study group between them. Not a single delinquent was missing from among them.

“What do you think, Sakuya-san? Aren’t we amazing?” I grinned proudly.

“Please praise me, Sakuya-chan!” Hiiro begged her with sparkling eyes.

“I’d rather you scold me harshly, Kagura-san.” Ouji spoke seriously.

Sakuya let out a weary sigh, but she couldn’t hide her blooming smile. “…you guys are really, really amazing. Thank you, Ryuu, Tarou, Pochi.”

She bowed her head to all of us, which sent us into a fluster instead.

After finally getting Sakuya to stop bowing at us, I heaved a deep sigh.

“Now, if they keep this up until the exam next week, I’m sure they’ll be okay. We won’t lose the bet.” I said.

“Mm…” Sakuya nodded, but she didn’t seem convinced. “I hope so.”

Sakuya seemed uneasy, as if she was afraid that something would go wrong when we least expected it.

Unfortunately, her premonition was right on the mark.

*****

BAM!!!

“What did you say?!” Kikuchi slammed the desk loudly. His furious expression was terrifying, as if he would beat the person in front of him to death.

“A-As I said…” His collaborator repeated in a shaky, fearful voice. “…somehow the delinquents are now even more united than before. I-I believe that Shiba Ryuuji played a big role in this. I’ve tried persuading my contacts to instigate another rebellion, but they firmly refused, saying some nonsense about not wanting to miss seeing Kagura Sakuya in a kimono at the summer festival…?”

The collaborator’s last sentence trailed off, as they themselves weren’t really sure what that was supposed to mean.

“You imbecile! Didn’t I tell you to separate that boy from her?!” Kikuchi threw the report in his hand back to the collaborator in a fit of rage. “Why the hell did he suddenly quit the Student Council and come back to her?! Why didn’t you hold him back from quitting?!”

“M-My deepest apologies, Sir…” The collaborator bowed deeply. “By the time I was aware of him quitting, the Student Council President had already given his approval. There’s nothing I can do.”

Kikuchi clicked his tongue. “You’re so useless! At this rate, they’ll pass the exam without any problem!”

He took out his phone and searched for a particular number.

“This might be a bit forceful, but there’s no other choice. I’ll make her lose, no matter what method I need to use.” Kikuchi muttered darkly as he sent a text message.

The collaborator peeked at Kikuchi anxiously. “Sir, you can’t possibly mean to use them…?”

“Shut up and get out!” Kikuchi glared at them. “If you weren’t so incompetent, I wouldn’t be forced to call them! I’ll tell the head about this failure of yours, so feel free to cower in fear while waiting for your punishment!”

The collaborator simply lowered their head and left the room without further words.

*****

I sighed softly as I closed the Science Preparation room’s door behind me. My mind was so chaotic that I failed to notice someone approaching from the other side of the hallway.

“Oh? Is that you, Marika?”

I jumped at the familiar voice calling my name.

“P-President.” I turned around and found myself facing Yuuki. I forced my stiff lips to make my usual smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Manabu-sensei asked me to fetch something from his lab.” Yuuki gestured at the Science Laboratory room, next to the room I just exited. “Anyway, were you being called by Shijima-sensei to help out again?”

My shoulders twitched at the mention of that terrible person.

“He always asks you to run errands for him, even though you’re busy enough with your Student Council duties.” Yuuki clicked his tongue. “Should I ask him to have someone else help him?”

“N-No, that won’t be necessary!” I quickly shook my head.

I didn’t want to know what that person would do if Yuuki started meddling. I’ve struggled so hard to protect my normal, peaceful school life with my friends. If that person was displeased, he had all the power to shatter my fragile illusion to pieces.

“Hmm…” Yuuki pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. “Nevertheless, if it’s too hard on you, you should tell me, Marika. I’ll talk to Shijima-sensei for you.”

“…yes, thank you, President.” I smiled weakly at him. “If it’s to protect you, I don’t mind bearing all kinds of suffering. So please, don’t get involved any further. I’m begging you.”

*****

Takamine Academy was a private school, much like Sakurasaki Academy. It was located a few blocks away from the latter, making it the second nearest school—after Sakurazaki Private Academy next door. Compared to the two, Takamine Academy had an even worse reputation.

School for outcasts. Law-of-jungle school. Delinquent Academy.

Those were just few of Takamine Academy’s derogatory nicknames. Being overshadowed by Sakurazaki and Sakurasaki Academy, the school only received leftover students from the two schools—which resulted in more than half of the student population being delinquents.

Inside one of its worn-out, unkempt classrooms, a group of high school boys were lounging around as if they owned the place. When the last bell rang, one of the boys’ phone vibrated.

He took out his phone and started reading the message carelessly. However, his bored expression abruptly changed the moment he read a particular sentence.

“Hm? Banchou, what’s wrong? Did something good happen?” One of his lackeys asked as he noticed the leader’s change of expression.

“It’s time.” The Banchou announced as he closed his flip phone. “It’s time for me to put all of Takamine’s delinquents under my control.”

His words instantly spread excitement among his lackeys. The Banchou looked towards them with his snake-like eyes.

“Go out there and subjugate those disobedient trashes. I don’t care how you do it. Once you’re done, we’re taking down Kagura Sakuya and her dogs.”

“Yes, Banchou!” His lackeys immediately leapt to their feet and ran off to start uniting the rest of Takamine delinquents.

The Banchou, who was left on his own, stared at the direction of Sakurasaki Academy and grinned maliciously.

“This is going to be so much fun.”