Once again, Akihiko left Yamato Aihara speechless with his 'verbal barrage.'
Not only him, but the delinquent gang behind him also began to waver, weighing the pros and cons.
Forget them—even Ryouka Yotsumoto was stunned.
She first glanced back at the rigid Ayumu Matsubara, then fixed her gaze on the composed and leisurely Akihiko. Placing a hand over her chest, she took a resolute step forward.
Akihiko quickly grabbed her wrist.
What was this silly girl thinking?
Ryouka turned back in surprise... Wasn't the only way out now for her to sacrifice herself to save the situation?
Akihiko's eyes widened in disbelief.
This was just a stalling tactic—did she really think he was counting on her selling herself to solve this!?
"Silly girl..."
And to think she was actually willing...
Ryouka felt a mix of disappointment and unease.
But after listening to Akihiko's explanation, she couldn't think of a better solution... Sacrificing herself would save Ayumu and... especially Akihiko. His words had been downright cruel to her, the person involved.
Yet, Ryouka didn't blame him. After all, he was just an outsider dragged into this mess because of her own kindness.
Still, she wondered if his earlier words—"With all the money I took from Ryouka, I could go anywhere"—would still hold true afterward. Even if she became tainted... would he still take her to China?
"Enough talk—let's beat this brat up first!!" Yamato roared.
Overthinking would only weaken their resolve. As the saying goes, "The first blow is half the battle." They were already wavering—if they hesitated any longer, they'd lose again.
"Tch!"
Akihiko clicked his tongue. It seemed they were heading toward an inevitable outnumbered fight.
He had been searching for a weapon since earlier—preferably a sword, but even a "holy weapon of physics" like a crowbar would do.
But the place was spotless—no crowbars, wooden sticks, or even broken mop handles in sight...
Without a weapon, Akihiko was, at best, only slightly stronger than Ayumu.
If Ayumu was a weakling, then Akihiko was just a slightly bigger weakling... Weaklings could be pretty, but rarely strong.
If caught, he'd undoubtedly become a hostage to threaten Ryouka.
In the blink of an eye, Yamato gave the order, and the blonde delinquents charged at Akihiko with renewed fervor.
Ryouka swiftly grabbed the back of Ryouka's collar and yanked him behind her.
Her skirt flared as she raised her leg high, revealing black safety shorts beneath. A knee strike sent the first delinquent crumpling like a wilted shrimp.
Based on past experience, Ryouka could handle three at most. The rest would inevitably rush Akihiko and Ayumu.
And the one Akihiko would face... was the strongest and burliest of them all—Yamato Aihara.
The man's eyes gleamed coldly behind his glasses as he cracked his knuckles, advancing with a mocking grin.
"What's going on here?"
A voice called out from behind Akihiko.
But even if reinforcements arrived now, it might be too late to turn the tide... Adding another Ryouka wouldn't be enough to overcome the sheer numbers.
Moreover, the voice wasn't from some tough guy, but rather a girl who sounded quite gentle.
Akihiko turned his head to look. The newcomer was wearing the same school uniform as them.
Her dark purple hair was tied into a side ponytail with a red ribbon, with a few strands falling from her bangs and clinging to her ample chest.
Her gaze was somewhat cold, but even she couldn't hide her shock at the scene before her.
Her figure was delicate, even more curvaceous than Ryouka, with a face that leaned toward maturity.
"――Shit!" Akihiko couldn't help but curse aloud.
Th-th-th-th-this person… he knew her!
Not in the 'reality' of this world, but from his past life.
That's right.
From a doujinshi.
And not just any doujinshi—a NTR cuckold one.
The female lead of "Saimin Seishidou".
Name: Sakura Miyajima.
The memories of Akihiko also told him that the person before him was indeed Sakura Miyajima, one of the unattainable flowers of Shiraoka High School.
At the same time, Akihiko recalled something.
"Miyajima-senpai!! The sword! The sword!!"
He waved at the bewildered Sakura as if pleading for something.
Sakura was in Class 3-D and also the captain of Shiraoka High's kendo club.
Sakura didn't understand what was happening in this chaotic brawl, but upon hearing someone call her senpai for help, she instinctively threw over the bokuto (in Japan, swords and blades aren't distinguished by name) she carried with her, still wrapped in its cloth.
The moment she threw it, she regretted it.
No, she had never seen this boy in the kendo club.
He wasn't a member, and a bokuto in his hands wouldn't be of much use. She should have stepped in herself to block the bespectacled guy's attack.
To be honest, even Akihiko himself didn't know how powerful the skill Swordsmanship Mastery EX was or whether it could overcome Yamato Aihara's brute strength.
But the moment he gripped the bokuto's hilt, all those doubts vanished.
It was like Nobita getting his hands on Denkoumaru—his first thought was…
I can win! Absolutely!
"Hmph."
Yamato sneered. Trash was trash, even if they picked up a weapon. And this was just a bokuto. If it had been a real sword, he might have hesitated, but a bokuto? Please…
"Break!!" Yamato threw a punch.
The fist cut through the air with force.
Aimed straight at Akihiko's cheek.
"Kobayashi!" Ryouka kicked away a delinquent and immediately tried to rush to his side.
But it was too far.
However, Akihiko was fast.
He crouched low.
The fist grazed past his hair.
Meanwhile, Akihiko had already unwrapped the cloth from the bokuto and held it at his waist.
He took a deep breath.
"Scatter!!"
The blade shot forward!!
With unstoppable force, as if tearing through the air itself.
Yamato had no time to react before the tip struck his chest.
Of course, a bokuto wasn't sharp, but even so, the sheer impact sent Yamato flying.
He soared a full five or six meters before crashing into the wall!!
"Cough… cough…"
Yamato coughed violently, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. He was pretty sure he had broken a few ribs…
Akihiko spun the hilt around his wrist once, his cold gaze sweeping over the delinquents, now frozen in shock at his sudden outburst.
"The heavens would be barren without Akihiko Kobayashi, the path of the sword forever shrouded in night."
He spoke calmly, then beckoned to Ryouka, "Ryouka, come here. Stand behind me. Let's see if any of them can break through my sword's defense."
Akihiko had long wanted to try saying such pretentious lines.
This time, it felt damn good.