It had been one week since Kenji transferred to Sakura High, but nothing had changed. Every day followed the same routine: come to school, study, and go back home. Kenji's life was nothing more than average. Except for being at the top of his grade, Kenji did nothing else: no clubs, no friends, no crush, nothing. It was just an average life, and Kenji himself appeared average to almost everyone.
Today was just another class break when Kenji saw her.
She stood at a corner against the wall, her tie loose, the upper buttons of her shirt undone, and her skirt shorter than school regulations probably allowed. In that moment, Kenji knew exactly what this feeling was.
'Love...' Kenji realized, just as two other people - a boy who looked like a typical delinquent and a seemingly short girl - approached her. Within seconds, she left with them.
It didn't take Kenji long to discover who she was, thanks to all the murmurs around school. Saki Tanaka, the famous delinquent of the second years, along with her two friends: Daiki Kimura, the group's vice leader, and Yume Yamada.
'I don't mind if she's a delinquent, though I suppose it would be better if she wasn't,' thought Kenji as he observed Saki and her friends from a distance. He was so lost in thoughts about her that he didn't notice someone watching him.
'Though I wonder why they'd need a vice president in a group of three...'
"Hmm... So it's a crush..." Kenji heard as he turned around to find a girl, probably a senior, looking at him with knowing eyes.
"N-No! What?" Kenji stammered, trying to deny the accusation.
"Why bother hiding it? Don't you need a way to get closer to her anyway?" the girl said.
"No?" Kenji replied, rapidly calming himself down. The girl didn't seem like the type to spread gossip.
"No use hiding it. Listen, you have two options. First, join her gang - though I doubt they'd accept a top student like you - and become like her... or you can join us!" The girl smiled enthusiastically at the end.
"Us?"
"Student Disciplinary Committee. I'm President Ayaka Hayashi, by the way. Third year."
"Well, even if I did have a crush on her, which I don't, how would this help me?"
"Well, at least you could interact with her on a regular basis."
'This seems like a bad idea. If anything, it would make her hate me... But joining her gang seems a good idea...' thought Kenji. "I'll think about it," he said, turning to walk away.
"Well, see you around, I guess..." Ayaka called after him.
It didn't take Kenji long to locate Saki and her gang. He was about to approach them when he saw something that terrified him to his core. He quickly hid to confirm what he'd witnessed, and unfortunately, he was right.
'S-She's smoking!' Kenji's mind raced with unwanted scenarios. 'Smoking equals health damage equals early death', it was an instant conclusion in his mind.
'But if I join her gang... could I stop her from smoking?' The thought plagued him. He remembered that smoking was normal for delinquents, so he couldn't just approach Saki and tell her to stop if she was part of that world.
Kenji thought for several moments, then quietly moved away. A few minutes later, he found himself in front of the Student Disciplinary Committee office. He knocked and entered as the door opened. A boy with glasses - 'another senior, probably' - opened the door, while Ayaka sat in the main chair looking up at him.
"I'm here to join. Can I?" Kenji said.
"Oh? Yes, of course." Ayaka stood from her seat, seeming slightly surprised. "Fill out this form and give it to Yamada-senpai. There'll be a short interview afterward." She pulled a form from a shelf and handed it to Kenji while pointing toward the boy with glasses.
"Yes, thank you." Kenji began filling out the form.
"Here, Yamada-senpai." Kenji handed the completed form to the boy.
"Yes, one moment." Hiroto Yamada took the form and began reading. "Um... why did you write 'Black Belt in Several Martial Arts' under 'What can you offer us?'...?" He looked confused.
"I wrote the truth, senpai. Here's proof." Kenji quickly pulled out his phone and showed pictures of himself holding various trophies.
"...That's impressive, but I hope you don't plan to beat students for breaking rules *regularly*?" Hiroto said worriedly.
"Yes, Nakayama-kun, this is an application for the student disciplinary committee, not a fighting club," Ayaka laughed at the situation.
"Ah, sorry, senpai. I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't know what else to write." Kenji's face showed a glimpse of embarrassment.
"It's all right. Let's ignore that question and move on. This is mostly a formality anyway. You're in." Ayaka said.
"President! That's supposed to be confidential!" Hiroto protested.
"It's fine. He's one of us now. Our secrets are his secrets too." Ayaka replied.
"..."
'Did I just join a cult?'
"Anyway, take this form to the staff room, Hiroto-kun. I'll explain the important details to Nakayama-kun."
"...Okay. Well, see you, Nakayama-kun. Looking forward to working with you." Hiroto nodded to Kenji and left the room.
Silence fell between Ayaka and Kenji. Ayaka looked at him like a teacher who'd caught a student using their phone during class, except with a clear smile.
"So, Nakayama-kun, what changed your mind?" Ayaka asked.
"Uh... I'm not sure what you mean, senpai?"
"I think you know exactly what I mean."
"...She was smoking..."
"And?"
"That's it. It's bad for her health..." Kenji said, clearly embarrassed about the whole situation.
Ayaka couldn't believe his words. It took her a moment to process before she let out a laugh. "...Right, Nakayama-kun. Best of luck to you, both with this new job and with her. I ship you two."
"Uh... I don't understand what you mean by 'her'... and what do you mean by 'ship'?"
"Nothing important. Think about it later and listen to your duties."
That whole day went in Kenji understanding what he needed to do. Thanks to Ayaka, he also got a role to go around and stop any rule breaking students around time. Though, she didn't tell him what she meant by a ship, did she like pirates and think of Saki as one?
The next day, Kenji arrived at school earlier than usual to prepare for his duties. Although Ayaka had set him up to encounter and chat with Saki, he still had to fulfill all his other responsibilities and monitor other students as well. After getting everything ready, he went to the gate and began checking students.
Most students followed school guidelines, and for those who didn't, a warning from Kenji was sufficient. After what felt like an eternity, Saki and her friends walked in.
Saki, as usual, had her blazer slung over one shoulder, her tie nowhere to be seen, and her shirt's top three buttons undone. Her skirt was obviously shortened, rolled at the waistband. Behind her was Daiki, his blazer completely missing, shirt unbuttoned and untucked, showing his muscular frame. His blonde hair was gelled up defiantly, and a small earring caught the morning light. There was also Yume, who had the most subtle rule-breaking appearance: her oversized blazer hung loose on her small frame. While her uniform looked almost proper, her complete lack of tie and the lollipop casually held between her fingers marked her as part of the group. Despite her unassuming appearance and bobbed hair, Kenji knew from reports that she was also a skilled fighter, using underhanded methods that Daiki's prideful fighting style would never stoop to.
'She's as beautiful as always...' thought Kenji as he stopped them. "Tanaka Saki, Kimura Daiki, and Yamada Yuki, are you aware that your current appearance violates school rules?"
(A/N: It's Japanese Name Order, Surname before name)
"Get out of our way, fucking nerd," Saki immediately replied, with Daiki making a "tch" sound behind her and Yume looking plainly bored.
'Nerd? I don't even wear glasses ;-;' Kenji thought, but his face remained calm and indifferent. "Fix your appearances. This is a warning."
"Are you new or something? Don't you know how this place works?" Daiki replied with a visible smirk.
'Why is he responding? I'd prefer to talk to Saki - No too early for first names - Tanaka-san ...' thought Kenji. "In fact, I do know how this place works. As a member of student disciplinary committee, I'm telling you: Fix. Your. Appearances."
Many students had gathered around to watch.
"What an idiotic bastard. I don't have time to deal with you. Let's go." Saki said with a smirk, dismissing Kenji and gesturing for her gang to follow.
Before Kenji could continue, several students warned him that he shouldn't mess with Saki and her gang. However, he ignored them and walked quickly toward the trio. They were about to talk among themselves when Kenji appeared in front of them.
"This is your last warning. Fix your appearance," Kenji said, his cold and indifferent expression focused directly on Saki.
"Shut up, dude," Yume replied.
"What can you do if we don't?" Saki challenged.
'Personally, I don't know exactly how the system works, but making something up should be fine since you're not smart enough to recognize it anyway. I still like you, though...' thought Kenji. "It would result in a direct complaint to the school staff. With my testimony and your reputation, it would probably mean suspension," he replied, his cold demeanor showing no hint of his actual thoughts.
"Looks like this dog needs to learn some fucking manners! Daiki, go teach him some." Saki commanded.
Before Kenji could respond, Daiki smirked and charged at him with a fist.
Kenji easily sidestepped and kicked Daiki's feet, throwing him off balance before punching him in the solar plexus. "This is self-defense. Need I continue?"
"Bastard!" Yume shouted before charging at him. She was faster than Daiki. Kenji sidestepped her as well, but unlike Daiki, she pivoted and aimed a kick straight at Kenji's nuts. Kenji caught her leg, pulled her toward himself with one hand, and struck her with what seemed like a brachial stun - but very weak, just enough to cause some pain. She fell to her knees with her hands on her neck.
With Daiki and Yume down in what seemed like a flash, Saki stared at Kenji in disbelief.
"What the hell is your deal!" she screamed, gritting her teeth. Not only had Kenji easily defeated her best friends, but he was also publicly humiliating her in front of many spectating students.
"Fix your appearance," Kenji replied.
"Go to hell!" she shouted before charging at him. She was as fast as Yume, but her fists seemed as strong as Daiki's. She aimed for Kenji's face, but he simply caught her fist with one hand. She had barely begun to react when Kenji caught her other hand as well.
'Wait... maybe I shouldn't be touching her!' Kenji screamed internally before abruptly releasing Saki's hands. However, to Saki and her gang, this seemed like silent mockery, as if he was saying, "I could defeat you in seconds if I wanted to."
"This was all self-defense. Now fix your appearance before I have to recommend suspension," Kenji said, further angering Saki. She wanted to continue fighting, to take revenge for her humiliation. However, she couldn't risk suspension.
'Just who is this bastard!' thought Saki, staring at Kenji's cold and indifferent face. But soon, she heard a voice.
"Let it go, Saki. It's not the best idea right now," Yume said, fully aware of what was going through Saki's mind.
"Yeah, we'll deal with this bastard later," Daiki added, now struggling to stand up.
"I'd prefer you not threaten me," Kenji said before continuing. "Now, fix your appearance. You know what to do."
"Fuck you!" Saki spat, but she began buttoning her shirt while staring at Kenji with eyes boiling with rage. Both Daiki and Yume also started fixing their appearance.
"Your skirt is too short, Tanaka-san," Kenji said. He wasn't even looking at Saki, but rather at Daiki, which clearly angered all three of them even more. Unbeknownst to them, Kenji was simply trying to be a gentleman and avoid looking at the legs of the girl he had a crush on.
"This is as long as it gets," Saki replied in an angry tone.
"Get a proper one later. I'll let it slide for now." Kenji responded, causing Saki to glare at him with pure fury.
A moment later, everyone had fixed their appearance as much as possible.
"Fine now?" Daiki asked.
"Yes. Since this is the first incident, I won't write a report about the physical violence either. Don't repeat this behavior. Now everyone - including the students who came here to watch the 'fun match' - get to class before I have to file more complaints."
As soon as Kenji said this, all the students scattered to their classes. Saki's gang also took one last look at him before turning and heading to their classroom.
'Oh wait, I didn't even introduce myself!' thought Kenji before calling out, "I'm Kenji Nakayama. You'll be seeing me a lot, Tanaka-san."
As soon as Kenji said this, he felt slightly embarrassed. However, upon hearing that, Saki turned around with her eyes practically on fire. To her, this was a clear threat. Before she could say anything, though, Yume and Daiki stopped her. Saki gave Kenji a quick middle finger before leaving with her gang.
'Did I do something wrong?' thought Kenji. He knew he had angered her because of the fight, but he couldn't understand why Saki seemed so angry about him telling her his name.
Then, Kenji went to finish his duties before heading to his own class.