While asleep, he looked just like a little kid.
Yukino Yukari propped herself up on her right hand, lying on her side as she gazed at the peacefully sleeping Miyamizu Mitsuha.
A gentle smile graced her lips as thoughts swirled in her mind.
Between them lay Yotsuba, whose sleeping posture was far from graceful.
The little girl had turned into a human windmill, her limbs pointing in all directions. One of her feet was even resting on Miyamizu Mitsuha body.
Seeing his previously serene face twitch slightly in discomfort, Yukari quickly reached out and gently moved Yotsuba's foot away, careful not to wake either of them.
She had ended up lying here because of Yotsuba.
"Yukino-sensei, you're so thin! It must be because you never take naps. Come sleep with us!"
With that, the little girl clung to Yukari's arm and pulled her down beside her.
Faced with Yotsuba's eager expression and Kyousuke's amused smile, making no effort to stop her, Yukari found herself unable to refuse.
She simply let the girl hold onto her and drifted off to sleep.
As she closed her eyes, the events of the morning replayed in her mind.
Sharing food she had prepared with others, sleeping beside such an adorable child these were experiences she hadn't had in years.
No, perhaps she had never had them at all.
Feeling Yotsuba's small hands unconsciously reaching out even in sleep, Yukari chuckled softly and carefully tucked the child's hand back under the blanket.
Then, supporting herself slightly, she turned her gaze to Hojou Kyousuke.
Do gods need afternoon naps too?
The thought flitted through her mind before she answered herself:
Of course. Right now, he was using a mortal body.
Taking a nap was hardly unusual. If anything, it made him seem like a kind and considerate deity.
After all, what else could he be?
If not a god, then how could he have restored her ability to taste?
How else could he read her deepest thoughts so effortlessly?
"For now you can cry. You're not alone anymore."
"Eyes as beautiful as yours shouldn't be used only for crying."
"If you stay trapped in the past, you won't be able to see the present, nor move toward the future."
Those gentle words, ones she had never heard before, still echoed in her ears. And that warm, reassuring embrace—just remembering it made her smile.
The golden sunlight bathed her skin, making everything feel vibrant.
It wasn't just that food had regained its taste; the entire world seemed to have color again.
The door that had always stood in her way, the chains that had held her back for so long, all felt looser now.
For the first time in ages, she saw a future ahead of her a path forward.
She had the strength to move on once more.
Just like Kyousuke had said, "Eyes as beautiful as yours shouldn't be used only for crying." And so, she would use them to look forward, to cherish the present, and to follow his guidance toward the future.
For the first time, Yukari didn't dislike her own appearance.
After all, it had been praised by her god. Maybe, just maybe he had chosen to bless her because he liked the way she looked?
With that silly thought, Yukari cast one last glance at Kyousuke's sleeping face, smiled blissfully, and lay back down, taking Yotsuba's small hand in hers before closing her eyes once more.
In her dream, the rainy day she had long buried deep in her memories resurfaced. A blurry figure became clear—her teacher, Hinako, standing there just as she remembered.
"Yukino, you've finally found someone to rely on."
Hinako-sensei's smile was just like before, warm and nostalgic.
Yukari felt herself returning to that younger version of herself, but something was different. The biting cold of the rain wasn't there. Instead, warmth surrounded her, as if the sun shone just for her.
She wanted to turn around and find the source of that warmth, but seeing her beloved teacher again after so long, she couldn't bring herself to look away.
"Someone to rely on?" Yukari murmured softly. Had she, who had always been alone, truly found such a person?
"See for yourself. The one holding an umbrella over you, keeping you dry."
Hinako-sensei's smile remained as gentle as ever. But for the first time, Yukari felt no envy when looking at her kind, round face.
She followed her teacher's gaze and turned around.
Oh.
There was no sun.
It was Kyousuke, standing behind her, holding a transparent umbrella over her head, shielding her from the rain.
Raindrops hit the umbrella, shattering, sliding down but none touched her.
And the warmth she felt? It came from the tall man standing behind her.
On this rainy day, he was like a furnace, sharing his heat with her without hesitation.
So this…
This is what it feels like to have someone to rely on.
It was so warm, as if with him there, she could go anywhere, overcome any challenge.
How strange. Could one really see their god in a dream?
She gazed at his face handsome, almost divine.
Wait, was this a dream?
As soon as the thought surfaced, the world around her began to fade.
The raindrops disappeared first, leaving behind a sky of brilliant blue.
Then, her teacher's face blurred, fading away like mist.
"Yukino, live well."
The warmth in her teacher's voice dissolved the last remnants of resentment she had once held.
Yes, I will. I will live well, and I will keep moving forward.
Because, I have someone to rely on now.
She felt herself rising, drifting into the sky, as Kyousuke still beneath the transparent umbrella tilted his head up to watch her.
His handsome face was illuminated by a radiant smile.
Feeling his encouragement, his acceptance, Yukari opened her eyes.
"What a beautiful day, Yukino."
Bathed in sunlight, her face was more breathtaking than ever.
"Yes. It really is."
She gazed into his eyes, which reflected the blue sky and white clouds, and whispered back.
That afternoon, Kyousuke decided not to let Yotsuba help him with work anymore.
She was still just a child, letting her experience farm work was one thing, but he couldn't actually put her to labor like a boy.
Instead, he made a call, summoning Teshigawara and Sayaka to join his workforce.
"Why am I spending such a beautiful weekend doing farm work?" Sayaka grumbled as she diligently pulled out weeds, dressed in sportswear as Kyousuke had instructed.
"This land will be used to grow wheat. Once it's harvested, I'll grind it into flour and make little cakes," Kyousuke replied, working alongside Teshigawara to till the long-abandoned soil.
It needed deep plowing before it could be used again. Fortunately, Teshigawara, being the heir of a construction company, had strength to spare.
"Cakes?!" Sayaka's complaints vanished in an instant as she looked up in excitement.
"Yep. Too bad Japan's climate isn't suited for growing coffee trees, or I'd plant some as well. But don't worry, I'll have Yukino-sensei help buy some coffee beans."
As he spoke, Kyousuke pointed toward the empty plot in front of Yukari's house.
"We can build a pavilion there and turn it into a café, surrounded by fruit trees and flowers. We could even set up a trellis and let grapevines and passionfruit climb all over it."
"Is that really something we can do?" Sayaka, who had been lost in a beautiful daydream following Mitsuha's words, suddenly snapped back to reality.
Such a perfect future felt like a dream.
"Of course we can. In fact, I've had this idea for a while now. I'll bring the necessary wood and tools from home." Teshigawara stopped digging, wiped the sweat off his forehead with the towel hanging around his neck, and declared with absolute certainty.
"So Itomori is really going to have its own café?" Sayaka exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing the determination practically radiating from Sayaka's eyes, Kyousuke nodded.
Even if they couldn't manage it themselves, he could always call in reinforcements from Tokyo.
Surely, there had to be someone from his family's construction company who could help.
After a while, Miyamizu Mitsuha was visibly exhausted. Kyousuke called the group over for a break, and Yukari had already prepared barley tea for them.
"Hojou-kun, are you sure it's okay for me not to help?"
Because of Teshigawara's presence, Yukari had thrown on a dark green jinbei over her usual short-sleeved Tachibana-colored T-shirt.
The jinbei, a traditional Japanese garment with wide sleeves, resembled a haori in appearance.
She knelt on the veranda, sitting on a round cushion. As she spoke, she slightly bowed and gracefully poured tea for Kyousuke.
The amber-colored barley tea flowed smoothly from the teapot, forming a soft, rounded stream into his cup.
Though it was just an ordinary barley tea, Yukari's elegant movements made it feel like a rare delicacy, the kind only found in the finest Tokyo tea houses.
"It's fine. Look at Sayaka, she wouldn't rest even if we told her to."
Kyousuke picked up the chilled tea and downed it in one go.
The exhaustion from labor seemed to be washed away by the refreshing sweetness of the drink.
Sayaka and the others had bought this tea from the supermarket earlier, and Yukino had enhanced it slightly before chilling it.
"I feel a bit guilty, though. Everyone else is working, and I'm just playing around with Yotsuba." Yukari hesitated.
"Yukari, just focus on taking care of yourself. When you're better, we can plant persimmon trees together," Yotsuba chimed in, her mouth full of the snacks she had gifted Yukari that morning.
Just moments ago, she had successfully befriended the beautiful Yukino-sensei to the point where she could now call her by her first name.
"That's right, Yukino-sensei! You're way too frail. You need to eat more!" Sayaka, finally too exhausted to continue, came over to rest.
Teshigawara, who had followed behind her, didn't say a word he simply nodded at their literature teacher and silently drank his tea.
As soon as Sayaka arrived, Yotsuba instantly abandoned her new friend Yukari and dashed over to her side.
Yukari didn't feel the slightest bit left out. After all, Hojou-kun was still sitting right next to her.
The afternoon sunlight was blocked by the eaves, casting cool shadows over the wide veranda.
Barefoot, Yotsuba cheerfully ran back and forth between Yukari and Sayaka, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Sayaka held a bag of chips that Yotsuba had shared with her, gazing out at the empty courtyard, envisioning the café they had yet to build.
Teshigawara leaned against a wooden pillar, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting patterns over his mud-streaked shoes.
Kyousuke sat on the edge of the veranda, swinging his legs idly as the cool breeze from the raised foundation below swept through.
Yukari knelt on her cushion, a wooden tray before her, holding a glass pitcher filled with amber-colored barley tea.
The gentle wind drifting through the house ruffled the strands of hair framing her forehead, but she never shifted her gaze. She simply watched him, quietly, serenely.
The weather was perfect.
———————————————————————
— The Next Day
Tokyo, Sendagi, a Single Apartment
Kyousuke opened his eyes.
The three-layered curtains on the balcony were drawn properly, leaving the room in near darkness.
Only the thin slivers of light sneaking through the gaps signaled that morning had already passed.
Mitsuha actually remembered to close the curtains?
Feeling oddly comforted by this small progress, Kyousuke, who was never one to laze around in bed, surprisingly didn't get up right away.
Instead, he reached for his phone, a bit nervous.
He needed to check what had happened yesterday.
First, the notes app:
———————————————————————
"Went boating at Chidorigafuchi with Sakura, Shouko, and Naoka. So beautiful, so much fun."
"Had a picnic at Chidorigafuchi Park with Sakura, Shouko, and Naoka. So beautiful, so delicious."
"Went shopping at Meguro River with Sakura, Shouko, and Naoka. So beautiful, so delicious."
———————————————————————
That was it? That was all?
Kyousuke returned to the main notes menu, hoping to find more detailed food reviews.
Given Miyamizu Mitsuha's usual habits, even if she didn't write down everything that happened, she would at least document every single thing she ate its appearance, taste, texture, and her impressions.
But there was nothing. Just three simple, time-stamped lines.
He checked the photo album next. There were plenty of pictures—group shots of the girls, selfies with them, full group photos.
Wait, group photos? Who took these?
Panicking slightly, he checked LINE. Oh, it was Onizuka who had taken the pictures.
Then, he noticed a conversation with his mother in the chat list.
She had sent a few photos from yesterday, along with an enthusiastic stream of compliments.
The replies, clearly in Sakura's tone, reassured him.
Ah, so Sakura must have taught her how to send those.
Kyousuke had been wondering how Mitsuha even knew to send pictures to his mom.
After scrolling through his messages with the girls, he found their last few texts were all along the lines of, "Today was amazing! Let's go to the cherry blossom festival again next year!"
How did she manage to avoid getting caught?
Impossible. Sakura, at the very least, should have noticed something was off.
Even Naoka should have picked up on it.
Staring at the normal, unremarkable messages, Kyousuke was in disbelief.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Today was a school day, and he had to get moving.
After his usual morning routine, shower, grabbing milk from the fridge, and pulling out some bread, he settled onto the sofa for breakfast.
That's when he noticed a handwritten note on the table in Mitsuha's handwriting:
———————————————————————
"I ran into Okudera Miki at Meguro River last night, but I didn't recognize her."
"She seemed kind of mad. Sorry.
"Please go and apologize properly."
———————————————————————
Now that made sense!
Reading the note, Kyousuke let out a relieved sigh.
If nothing strange had happened, that would've been even weirder.
Though the note said "sorry," he didn't blame Mitsuha at all.
She had done an incredible job.
If he had to spend an entire day with Sakura and the others at the cherry blossom festival…
Just the thought sent a chill down his spine.
He made a mental note about Okudera-senpai, finished his breakfast quickly, grabbed his phone and keys, and headed out.
Before school, he had something important to take care of.
The manga was finished.
Now it was time to submit it.
He had no idea how to go about it himself, but that was fine.
Kisaki Tetta would take care of it.
As long as he printed it out and handed it over, Kisaki would surely put his sharp mind to work and ensure the manga reached the right people.
Kyousuke had full confidence in the strategist he had chosen.
He printed five copies, and stacked together, they looked as imposing as the piles of exam papers teachers handed out before summer break.
By the time he arrived at school, checking his phone and printing had delayed him enough that it was nearly time for morning reading.
The school gate was empty except for two discipline officers standing guard.
"Good morning, Boss."
If it had been anyone else strolling into school at this hour, those two would have smacked them with their bamboo swords without hesitation.
But the person before them was their esteemed leader.
After confirming no other students were around, the two immediately bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle in greeting.
Kyousuke smiled and nodded, mentally noting their dedication.
He decided to reward these two diligent students with some extra training during club activities later, hardworking kids shouldn't slack off on their studies.
"Good morning, Hojou."
"Morning, Hojou-kun."
———————————————————————
As Kisaki greeted him, the rest of the class, initially engrossed in their studies, followed suit, warmly acknowledging his arrival.
At the beginning of the semester, many had been intimidated by Hojou Kyousuke, after all, he had single-handedly taken down the ruling delinquent gang at Higashi High upon enrollment.
But as time passed, they realized that the so-called "Handless Demon," feared throughout Tokyo's high school scene, was surprisingly approachable.
Naturally, their relationships grew more familiar.
Kyousuke returned each greeting with a smile.
"You're late again today. What's up?" Kisaki asked.
"This," Hojou Kyousuke said, pulling a thick stack of A4-printed manga pages from his bag.
"Manga?"
Kisaki instinctively reached out with one hand to take them.
But as soon as he made contact, he almost sprained his wrist from the weight, hastily using both hands to steady the load.
"This much?!"
"Nah, just five copies."
Kisaki Tetta didn't immediately flip through the pages.
He knew his boss must have something more to say.
"I need you to find some manga magazines for submissions."
"Why the sudden interest in drawing manga?"
Carefully setting the stack on the desk, Kisaki glanced at Kyousuke, awaiting an explanation.
"I need money," Kyousuke replied matter-of-factly.
"Didn't you just get paid three million yen for coaching two school kendo teams? You already spent it all?" Kisaki asked in disbelief.
He knew his boss had a big appetite, but this was absurd.
"Not all of it. But I have a lot of expenses."
Kyousuke sighed.
Though he had told Mitsuha to use his money freely, he noticed she had barely touched it.
"Three million yen isn't enough? What exactly are you planning?" Kisaki's excitement grew.
Was his boss about to pull off something big?
"Well, a lot of things. For starters, Makki-san gave me a motorcycle, and I haven't even gotten him a proper return gift. That money isn't enough to cover it."
"Then there's my apartment, I plan to buy it outright. Plus, I want to purchase a traditional Japanese house in Tokyo."
Hearing this, Kisaki's brows raised. "Something like a Western-style mansion in Shoto, Shibuya?"
Shoto was one of the top five most expensive residential areas in Tokyo.
Unlike other luxury districts, it was filled with Western-style mansions rather than modern high-rises. It was home to some of Japan's most elite residents.
"Not a mansion, I want a traditional-style Japanese house."
"Like a dojo?"
"Something like that."
"You know those old houses are expensive and uncomfortable, right? You'd be better off getting a luxury apartment in Minato."
Kisaki was serious.
He had no doubts that his boss would eventually make enough to afford such extravagant purchases.
In his eyes, if someone as exceptional as Kyousuke couldn't afford a nice home, then Japan as a country was truly doomed.
"But don't you think it'd be nice? Sitting on the engawa, gazing at a rock garden, listening to the sound of a shishi-odoshi?"
Kyousuke leaned in, a smirk on his face.
"Imagine it: cherry blossoms in spring, a sky full of stars in summer, a full moon in autumn, and fresh snowfall in winter. And at each of those moments… a cup of sake in hand."
"…Buy it. But you better invite me over for drinks!"
All thoughts of inconvenience, like maintenance, extreme temperatures, and birds pooping everywhere vanished from Kisaki's mind.
Instead, he turned his attention back to the manga in front of him.
Kyousuke chuckled to himself.
He knew it, Japanese people had an innate weakness for romanticized tradition.
Unlike himself, a foreign soul who saw it all as exotic, Kisaki was the kind of guy who would sneak onto a rooftop at night to gaze at the stars and dream about the future.
Wait… Maybe that wasn't so "hidden" after all.
"One Punch Man?"
Kisaki muttered the title under his breath.
Morning reading had already started, but he was too captivated to bother opening his textbook.
"A hero for fun."
Just like every other reader, he was instantly hooked by those words.
"A hero."
Watching Saitama, an ordinary man, fight to the death against a monstrous crab just to protect a brat he didn't even like, Kisaki thought of Kyousuke.
He thought of himself.
He thought of Hanagaki Takemichi.
"So this… this is what it means to be a hero. To fight, even when you don't agree with the cause, simply because of your ideals."
Kisaki's heart burned as he flipped through the pages.
"With overwhelming strength… my heart remains empty."
At the end of the second chapter, he saw the glimmering bald head, the lonely silhouette of Saitama.
"The solitude of invincibility… what a profound concept. Is this why Boss never led the Angels of Chaos to conquer all of Tokyo's delinquent gangs?"
Believing that a creator's work reflects their inner world, Kisaki felt he had just gained a deeper understanding of his boss through this manga.
There was no need to read further. A manga like this deserved to be published.
No—if it wasn't published, it would be a crime against humanity!
"Boss, leave it to me! I'll stake my life on getting this manga published!"
Amidst the morning reading session, Kisaki Tetta stood up with unwavering determination.
Thus, his journey to evangelize "One Punch Man" had begun.
The classroom, which had been filled with the quiet murmur of students reading, suddenly fell silent.
Everyone exchanged glances, a brief moment of awkward silence settling in before the room erupted into lively chatter.
Finally, Hanagaki, who was relatively close to Kyousuke, stepped forward as the group's representative and asked:
"Hojou, did you draw a manga?"
"Ah… yeah, something like that."
Damn it, Kisaki. You're dead after school.
One hundred sparring rounds.
Do you even realize how weak you've gotten?
Kyousuke kept a composed smile on the surface, but deep down, he was mentally collapsing from embarrassment.
"What's the title?"
"Which magazine will it be published in?"
"When can we buy it?"
———————————————————————
Once his classmates got confirmation, their excitement grew, and they bombarded him with questions.
Seeing this, Kyousuke felt a slight sense of relief despite the embarrassment.
Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about sales.
He reached over and took one of the printed copies from Kisaki Tetta, handing it to Hanagaki Takemichi.
"I don't know when it'll be published yet. I just asked Kisaki to submit it to some magazines. But you guys can take a look first."
"For real? You're letting us read it before it even gets published?"
Holding the A4 pages with the title One Punch Man on them, Hanagaki's hands trembled with excitement.
"Only within this class. You guys won't leak it, right?"
Even as he asked, Kyousuke wasn't worried in the slightest.
The Tokyo delinquent world's most feared gang, the Rampaging Angels, didn't earn their reputation for nothing.
To these students, his authority far outweighed that of any teacher or even the principal.
"Of course not! We would never betray your trust, Hojou! If anyone even tries, I, Hanagaki Takemichi, will personally make sure they regret it!"
Hanagaki clenched the A4 pages tightly, his face flushed with determination.
He wasn't much of a fighter, but if it came down to it, he'd bite someone if he had to.
Kisaki had originally wanted to stop his boss from handing out the manga so casually, he had zero faith in human nature.
But before he could say anything, Kyousuke had already given it to Takemichi.
There was no choice now but to keep a close watch on the copies and ensure they never left the classroom.
For the rest of the morning, every teacher who entered their classroom noticed something unusual.
Every student had an A4 page in their hands, reading with deep focus.
After finishing a page, they passed it backward without pause, taking the next one from the front.
Fortunately, the teachers in this class had long reached an unspoken agreement, whenever something unusual happened, they would first investigate whether Kyousuke was involved.
And once they asked around, the entire faculty quickly learned the truth:
The most feared and academically brilliant delinquent in school history, Kyousuke, had drawn a manga titled One Punch Man.
Word spread fast.
Soon, the entire grade knew. Then, the entire Higashi High knew.
By break time, students from other classes and even upperclassmen were loitering outside Kyousuke's classroom, trying to get more information.
But those who had already read the manga remained tight-lipped, obediently following Hojou Kyousuke's orders.
Eventually, Kisaki had to step outside and give a stern scolding to disperse the crowd.
However, everyone left with a firm resolve, the moment this manga gets published, I'm buying it.
———————————————————————
Lunchtime – Rooftop
"Boss~~!"
Eikichi Onizuka's voice rang out, a mix of flattery and mischief.
Kyousuke's temple twitched.
His patience was wearing thin.
Without opening his eyes, he lazily waved a hand, signaling Kisaki to just hand the idiot a copy of the manga.
"Thanks, Boss!"
Onizuka eagerly grabbed the pages and, along with Danma Ryuji, dragged over some chairs to read.
Within moments, a string of excited "SUGOI~!" could be heard from their direction.
Meanwhile, Makki had also come to check out the fuss.
Picking up a copy, he flipped through it casually.
Though he wasn't a manga reader, the impressive artwork and dynamic paneling made it obvious, this was good.
"Not bad, Hojou."
"Haha, I didn't expect Makki-senpai to understand manga."
Unlike with others, Kyousuke didn't feel stressed around Makki Hojou.
After all, one of his biggest reasons for wanting to make money was to repay the guy's kindness.
"What kind of person do you take me for? I'm still a high schooler too, you know." Makki grinned.
A high schooler, huh?
Kyousuke glanced at the towering figure of Makki, whose head practically grazed the rooftop's sunshade.
"…Right."
"Need my help getting this serialized? My family has connections in the publishing industry."
"I'll let Kisaki handle it for now. If it doesn't work out, I'll let you know."
Kyousuke wasn't the type to reject a shortcut if it was available.
The only reason he turned down Eriri's help before was because he still had options.
If he hadn't, he would have accepted in a heartbeat.
"Sounds good. Just don't hold back when the time comes."
Makki sat down next to them, leisurely munching on fruit while reading.
Meanwhile, Kyousuke leaned back and closed his eyes for a nap.
He had planned to continue reading Love Metronome, but after seeing how Mitsuha had soaked the pages with her tears, he figured he'd just buy a new copy later.
No rush.
Not far away, Kisaki was scrolling through his contacts.
As the strategist of their organization, he had access to every member's phone number and basic family background.
Kyousuke might not mind taking shortcuts, but Kisaki? He lived for them.
If his life goal was to follow his boss, then mobilizing their forces for his sake was the most natural thing in the world.
After a quick search, he found a member whose father was the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shounen High—though unfortunately, that guy was based in Roppongi.
A few calls later, an after-school meeting in Roppongi was arranged.
With that settled, Kisaki finally relaxed and started reviewing his notes for class.
———————————————————————
Just Before Lunch Break Ended
Onizuka returned to return the manga, showering Kyousuke with praise.
He vowed to bring all his friends to buy it once it was officially published.
Kyousuke smiled and thanked him, before promptly telling him to get lost.
"Oh, right! Boss, one more thing."
Onizuka was halfway through the door, one foot already in the stairwell.
"What now?"
Kyousuke, still lounging on his chair, didn't even look up.
"The author of Love Metronome wants to thank you."
"…What?"
Kyousuke frowned.
His instincts screamed that Onizuka had somehow dragged him into another mess.
"Yeah, uh… they just wanna talk to you! That's all!"
And with that, Onizuka bolted, trying to escape down the stairs.
BAM!
"Onizuka, why don't you stay here and properly explain things to the boss?"
Danma Ryuji's amused voice echoed from behind the door.
Onizuka rammed into it twice, realizing too late that Ryuji was blocking his escape.
"You bastard, Ryuji! I'm not giving you any of those cute girls' numbers from yesterday!"
"Haha, too late. I already saved them to my phone."
"YOU SON OF A—!"
Furious, Onizuka turned back, only to see Kyousuke slowly rising from his seat, dark energy practically radiating off him.
"…Come here and sit down."
With one hand, Kyousuke effortlessly lifted Onizuka off the ground like a ragdoll.
The fact that his clothes didn't tear while hoisting a muscular guy over 1.8 meters tall was a testament to their quality.
"Why does the author of Love Metronome want to meet me?"
"She just wants to express her admiration for you, Boss," Onizuka muttered, sitting on a tiny 20cm-high stool.
He turned his head to stare at the sky, avoiding eye contact with his leader.
Even an idiot like him could tell, Kyousuke clearly had no clue who this famous beauty of an author was.
He was doomed.
All the trouble he stirred up before was definitely going to come back and bite him now.
"Sit up straight. Start from the beginning."
Kyousuke's brows furrowed, his voice turning cold.
He knew from experience that if he wasn't stern with Onizuka, the guy would keep rambling until dismissal without ever getting to the point.
"Y-yes, Boss!"
The moment he met Kyousuke's sharp, menacing gaze, Eikichi Onizuka straightened up like a soldier.
"Last time, Danma Ryuji and I asked for your advice on dating, and you told us to read Love Metronome... Then, a few days ago, I happened to be in Akihabara and—"
He hesitated.
"And then I ran into the super gorgeous author, and she asked me to send you an invitation."
Kyousuke pressed his fingers against his temple, feeling a headache coming on.
These idiots couldn't be left unsupervised for even a moment. He should've just set them straight back then.
But aside from Onizuka, the others wouldn't have pulled something like this… right?
Surely, one person like him was enough in their group?
Still, since this whole mess started because of him, he decided not to blame Onizuka.
"Just decline the invitation."
Kyousuke was about to wave him off when he suddenly paused.
He glanced at his hand, making sure he wasn't holding any books, then resumed the dismissive wave.
"But what reason should I give?"
Despite being a delinquent, Onizuka had always been particular about etiquette.
He asked the question carefully.
"Figure it out yourself."
As Onizuka frowned and left the rooftop, Kisaki Tetta, who had been silent until now, narrowed his eyes.
He quickly analyzed the key points from Onizuka's rambling:
The book Kyousuke casually recommended suddenly became a bestseller, selling over 100,000 copies.
That fact alone held tremendous value.
If one word from Kyousuke could make an obscure book explode in popularity, then his manga had to succeed too.
This was an opportunity he couldn't let slip.
After Onizuka left, Kisaki found an excuse to follow him.
'Kisaki wouldn't make things difficult for me… right?'
Kyousuke thought to himself as he absentmindedly tapped the empty fruit bowl beside him.
He could tell that Kisaki was scheming something, but since his strategist had always been reliable, he decided to trust him—at least for now.
That afternoon, Kisaki Tetta didn't give Kyousuke any chance to train him.
Instead, he straight-up announced he was leaving early.
Onizuka also left, but that wasn't surprising—he was barely in school half the time anyway.
With the national middle school kendo tournament coming up in late July, Kyousuke had no plans to slack off.
Even though Makki had assured him that he'd win easily, Kyousuke, who always felt a lack of security, decided to push his limits even further.
The last thing he wanted was to get blindsided by some dark horse competitor.
Meanwhile, Kisaki was already speeding toward Roppongi on his motorcycle.
He met up at a café with one of their subordinates, Masao Shimomura, whose father was the chief editor of Weekly Shonen High.
Also present were Haitani Ran and Haitani Rindou, two high-ranking members from another division.
Since morning, the Bousou Tenshi gang's group chat had been blowing up with news—Kyousuke had drawn a manga.
Everyone from Kyousuke's class who was in the gang had been bragging non-stop about it, hyping it up to an extreme degree.
But frustratingly, they had refused to reveal any details, making the rest of the gang desperate to know more.
So the moment the Haitani brothers heard that Kisaki wanted to discuss something related to the manga, they tagged along just to see it for themselves.
As soon as they sat down, Kisaki didn't waste time.
He placed three copies of the manga on the table.
From the beginning, he had no intention of submitting it through standard channels. He knew how the world worked, connections were meant to be used.
After being assigned this task, Kisaki had done his research.
Weekly Shonen High was one of the top three manga magazines in Japan, under the massive publishing giant Eijusha.
If they had an inside connection, there was no reason to consider any other publishers.
"Shimomura, your dad's the chief editor of Weekly Shonen High, right?"
Although he had already confirmed this on LINE, Kisaki found it necessary to double-check in person.
"Yeah, he just got promoted this year," Shimomura answered, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the manga pages.
"Next time he has some free time, I want to arrange a meeting between him, our boss, and myself to discuss the serialization. Can you set it up?"
"Of course!" Shimomura answered without hesitation. As a delinquent and the only son in his family, he had the full authority to make such decisions on behalf of his father.
"Good. I'll thank you on behalf of the boss."
With that, the meeting wrapped up smoothly.
Meanwhile, Onizuka, who had also left early was already riding his motorcycle toward Wakou City, following Kisaki's instructions.