Chapter Forty-Two: The Calm Before the Storm

Although he had boasted a bit to Kitaro Ishihara, leaving those around them utterly astonished and shifting the atmosphere into one of heavy anticipation, as if a major battle were about to break out, Aoki Tsukasa remained perfectly composed. He attended his classes, read his books, showing not the slightest trace of anxiety. After all, what was done was done—there was no point in worrying about it now. Once Aoki made up his mind, he never looked back. Besides, having experienced death once, he found that, as long as he was mentally prepared, even a fight could become an invigorating prospect. In fact, a subtle thrill coursed through him—after all, last time he’d fought using that trial card, it had felt more like acting in a film, a blur from start to finish. Strictly speaking, this would be his first true, head-on confrontation, and the more he thought about it, the more exciting it seemed.

Panic was out of the question. He still had his “roly-poly sticker” lying dormant in his inventory; as long as he survived the active period, all his injuries would heal within twelve hours. No matter how wild a bunch of high schoolers got in a brawl, at most they’d show up with baseball bats—no one was likely to get killed.

Maeda Tora, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. For the entire morning, Aoki watched him jitter his leg incessantly on his seat, his face flushed red, looking as if he might pass out from sheer excitement at any moment.

The bell rang for lunch break. Aoki lazily patted Maeda’s shoulder, seeing how worked up he was over whatever he was imagining. “Hey, calm down. If those guys come looking for me, just let them. I’ll take care of it myself.”

Maeda sprang to his feet, eyes gleaming with fervor. “Boss, you don’t need to worry about me. Sure, there’s still a gap between us, but as far as regular folks go, I can take them down with a single punch each. I won’t embarrass you.”

His confidence in Aoki was unwavering, partly because of Aoki’s image in his mind, and partly because he’d once been beaten up by Aoki himself. That experience had shown him just how vast the gap between people could be. He still remembered, clear as day, how he’d looked like a preschooler being thrashed by an adult.

“I know—you’re tough,” Aoki said, patting his shoulder again. Suddenly, he realized he wasn’t much shorter than Maeda anymore; measuring up, he found he was nearly 1.8 meters tall now. Delighted, he still advised, “But those guys, I can handle alone. If there’s ever trouble I can’t handle, of course I’ll need you. But this time, leave it to me—don’t fight me for it.”

Aoki’s self-assured manner was infectious, and Maeda’s eyes filled with even more respect. Yet he remained steadfast: “I still want to go with you. If you’ve got it under control, I won’t step in. But if they try anything sneaky, I’ll risk my life and won’t let them get away with it.”

“Alright then,” Aoki smiled. Not far behind Maeda, he spotted Kokoro Oohashi, hesitantly making her way toward him. His expression changed slightly. With a quick turn of his head, he said, “Oh, I’ve got sword practice with Senpai Busujima during lunch, so I’ll be going now. Bye.”

Before Maeda or Kokoro could react, Aoki slipped out of the classroom in a flash. Kokoro didn’t even manage to call his name; all she saw was his back disappearing around the corner.

“Huh? Kokoro-chan, what are you doing here?” Maeda finally noticed her standing behind him.

Kokoro’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but she beamed a sunny smile. “Ah, I was just worried Aoki might be in trouble. I wanted to offer him a bento and ask about his plan.”

“So you know about it too...” Maeda scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “Don’t worry about Aoki, he’ll wipe the floor with those guys.”

“Hmm... Do you know where he went?” Kokoro pursed her lips. She certainly thought Aoki was strong, but there had to be limits—even the strongest freshman was no match for a senior, in her mind. Many of those seniors were practically adults already.

Seeing the worry in Kokoro’s expression, Maeda felt a pang of disappointment. But then he thought, a man like Aoki was like a jewel beetle in the fields, a firefly in the night—so sharp, dashing, powerful...

“Boss said he was going to practice swordsmanship with Senpai Busujima,” Maeda replied, his expression darkening with a hint of heartbreak.

Seeing Maeda’s dejected look, Kokoro realized she might have come across as overly concerned. An alarm sounded in her mind, and she fell into a fierce internal debate: As a born super-beauty, if she got a boyfriend, her allure would surely suffer. What to do...

Wait, why am I even thinking about a boyfriend? Her face flushed, her eyes darting anxiously. Could it be—am I actually falling for this bald guy?

Nonsense! My future boyfriend should have the looks of a prince from an anime, a loving father, family wealth as deep as a mountain, with diamonds in the mine, a gentle and refined nature, impeccable manners, devoted and loving, able to drive a Ferrari one-handed, cook, play music, dance... Only such a man would be worthy of someone as perfect as me! Yes, I’m just concerned about him, nothing more. Only a prince-like man could be a match for a perfect woman like me!

Aoki Tsukasa—he’s just pitiable, and I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him! Of course, a perfect beauty must have a kind heart. I’m only cultivating my inner self!

Kokoro tried hard to convince herself. When she snapped out of it, she saw Maeda Tora staring at her in a daze. Only then did she realize her cheeks were burning—she must be blushing furiously. Maeda, meanwhile, was making strange hiccup-like noises, as if he couldn’t help himself.

“Don’t worry—oh-ho—I won’t, oh-ho, tell anyone about this,” Maeda pressed a hand to his chest, his eyes nearly turning pink as he struggled to get the words out between hiccups.

Kokoro quickly composed herself. “Maeda, don’t misunderstand. I’m just showing a normal concern for a classmate.”

“Oh-ho...” Maeda nodded numbly as if hypnotized. “I... oh-ho... understand…”

Sensing that if she lingered any longer Maeda might oh-ho himself into a real problem, Kokoro smiled faintly and said, “Well, I’ll go have lunch now. You should eat well too, Maeda.”

“Oh-ho...” Maeda nodded woodenly, and it wasn’t until Kokoro had been gone for quite some time that he shivered, waking as if from a dream, and rubbed his eyes in bewilderment.