Chapter 36: After a Fight, with the Sunset Behind Us

After a Fight, with the Sunset Behind Us

"Ouch..."

Thanks to the efforts of Onizuka, who boasts cheat-level strength, and Ijuin, who is a cheat who embodies both academic and athletic excellence, all of the delinquents who were there were left face down on the ground.

I'm not particularly used to fighting, nor am I particularly good at fighting, so I ended up hitting back when I was punched and kicking back when I was kicked, which was a pathetic situation, but somehow I managed to avoid any fatal injuries.

My body hurts all over though.

Scratches, bruises.

They said they wouldn't show any mercy even to women, but perhaps because I'm a beautiful girl, I feel like there were relatively few attacks on my face.

I'm grateful. I don't want to cause my mother any unnecessary worry.

"Hey, let's go home."

Onizuka called out from the exit of the abandoned warehouse, with Ijuin next to him.

Somehow, it felt like the atmosphere between the two of them had softened.

"I'm coming now... Ouch!"

"...What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Ijuin asked me curiously as I frowned and stopped moving.

I tried to jog towards them, but I couldn't.

I felt a sharp pain in my ankle.

Did something get twisted or was it damaged?

Either way, the adrenaline was pumping during the fight so I probably didn't notice until now.

The throbbing pain gradually increases.

I crouched down and held my right ankle.

"Just wait a moment, you two, I'll be right there."

It's not broken.

I stood up again and started to hop forward, dragging my right leg.

"Good grief, you idiot, I told you so."

"That's true."

Ijuin and Onizuka sighed and came towards me.

I can't count how many times I've been called an idiot today, but this time I have no words to say in response.

Even though I have no fighting skills, I was the one who stuck my neck out in a fight between two men, ignoring orders to run away.

To top it off, if I get injured and have difficulty walking, it's nothing but my own doing.

"Come on, get on."

"Eh?"

"Don't 'eh?', just get on."

Onizuka turned his back to me and crouched down.

Do you want to carry me on your back?

"No, this is nothing..."

"Hurry up."

"Yes."

Threatened by his low voice, I timidly leaned my weight onto Onizuka's back.

When Onizuka stood up, he was as tall as expected.

My gaze rose considerably.

"You're a girl, so don't be reckless."

Ijuin looked annoyed as he took a bandage out of his pocket and stuck it on my cheek.

Oh, my face was cut too.

The two of them led us out of the abandoned warehouse with wide strides.

It seemed that both Ijuin and Onizuka were planning to get me home with them on their backs.

The shadows of three people stretched out along the bank, illuminated by the dazzling sunset, no, two shadows stretched out: Ijuin and Onizuka, carrying me on his back.

"...This embankment brings back memories."

Onizuka, walking next to him, muttered.

Ijuin nodded in response.

"...That's right, I used to sneak out of the house and hang out here a lot."

"Bring a sled on a snowy day."

"We got too excited and ended up catching colds the next day."

"Yeah, yeah."

……oh?

Ijuin and Onizuka are excitedly talking about their childhoods.

When did they make up?

Is this a trope from a good old delinquent manga, where two people become friends after fighting with the sunset behind them?　

No, this is the world of shoujo manga, right?

In the first place, this is a shoujo manga, so isn't the content a bit too heavy that the main character is attacked by a group of real delinquents, rather than just being picked up by a guy?

Is that how it is?

What if Ijuin hadn't come to help in that situation?

It's scary just to think about it.

I could easily imagine Onizuka, with me taken as a hostage in front of him, being trampled on without offering any resistance.

Unlike when we were approached by other school delinquents, if we had been careless, we could have been killed by the skinheads who were armed with weapons.

...I thought shoujo manga was more like, sparkly and glamorous...

If it had been a normal girl instead of me, she would have been unable to fight back and would have ended up being a burden while being protected by the two of them.

Good then.

I'm not strong, but I can be a valuable asset.

"...Thank you both."

Still in an awkward position on Onizuka's back, I thanked them.

Onizuka carried me back on his back.

"What are you talking about? To be honest, it was my old friends who caused this, so I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry for dragging Saotome and Ijuin into this."

"That's not right."

Ijuin flicked Onizuka in the forehead as he apologized.

"It's not 'sorry', it's 'thank you'."

Ijuin smiles softly.

"...Ah, that's right. Thank you both."

Onizuka smiled, drawn in by the laughter.

...Is this mission accomplished?

Now that Ijuin and Onizuka have become good friends, the heroine's role as a lubricant and soothing force between them, which was a point of contention in the original work, is no longer needed.

Does that mean the possibility of them having feelings for me is gone?

"Yatta!"

"...?"

The two of them looked at me with suspicious expressions as I made a victory pose.

And maybe I can say it at this timing.

I might be able to say it, or maybe I won't get in trouble.

I made up my mind and spoke to Onizuka, who was carrying me.

"Um, Onizuka. There's something I need to apologize to you for..."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I lost the necklace... I think it was when I went to Ayanokoji's matchmaking session..."

"Ahh..."

Onizuka looked down, a little disappointed.

The sunset illuminates his long eyelashes.

"Well, don't worry about it. It was old to begin with."

"I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine, I just forced it on you, so there's no need for you to feel bad about it."

Ijuin simply listened quietly to the conversation that only Onizuka and I could understand, without questioning it.

This cleared up all concerns.

All that's left was to push the two of them onto Ayanokoji and shift the heroine from me to her.

"Hey, hey, what do you two think about Ayanokoji...? Personally, I think either of you would be a good match..."

"Huh? You want to be dropped?"

"What are you talking about at this stage?"

Hii!!

I was just trying to casually recommend Ayanokoji, but the response was greater than I expected.

In a bad way.

"Wh-why are you angry!? You two and Ayanokoji are childhood friends, right!? You know, love triangles and stuff like that happen all the time, right...?"

"I'll seriously drop her."

"Do it, I want to smack her too."

Even though I tried to cover it up, the hostile aura between them only intensified.

Onizuka deliberately and forcefully shook me up and Ijuin flicked me in the forehead.

Why are you both angry at me?

"Besides, I'm sure Ayanokoji likes you. Think about how Ayanokoji feels when the person she likes tells her that she's better suited to another man."

Ahh!

Admittedly, I hadn't thought that far.

It's not a problem that Ayanokoji isn't here and hasn't heard this story directly.

Although I said nice things like I didn't want to betray Ayanokoji, I ended up doing the thing that would hurt her the most.

"……Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to us, so don't do it again."

"Yes……"

I felt disheartened after Ijuin gave me a lecture.

The plan to force the two onto Ayanokoji became impossible to carry out.

...But wait, what if I make friends with another girl and turn her into the heroine?　

For example, the girls in Onizuka's fan club. Yep, it sounds like something you'd find in a shoujo manga.

"I was just a fan, but suddenly my idol took notice of me...?!" That sort of thing.

I need to have another strategy meeting with Nagumo.

The setting sun shone on the three of us, and a short silence ensued.

"...Besides, I already have someone I like."

Ijuin said.

"Huh?! Who?! Tell me! I helped you!"

Suddenly, I smiled and slapped Ijuin on the back.

Ever since my previous life, I've loved teasing my male friends about their love lives.

Besides, it's possible that he was secretly in love with a third party girl, someone I didn't know, and not me or Ayanokoji.

All I have to do is make that girl the heroine!

"... She don't even understand this?"

"……Eh?"

Ijuin's blue eyes fixed straight on me.

"...I have someone I like too, so don't say things like, "Onizuka is a good match for other women" or anything like that."

Even Onizuka joined in the conversation.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"...Would you two tell me who the person you like is..."

"No way."

"Hell no."

"Huh!?"

I was rejected all together.

Ijuin and Onizuka looked at each other and laughed at my confused cry.

It seemed like I still had a long way to go before I could graduate from being a heroine.