10 The girls cannot do without me

Kyosuke Masaki did not intervene this time, for he was no longer the leader of the Rushing Angels.

"Let me see it then," he thought. "Let me see how you pull off this feat of one against fifty."

He hoped Hojo would go easy on them; after all, they would be his subordinates soon enough.

Standing on the sidelines with him was Tetta Kisaki, who was absolutely ecstatic to see Hojo Kyosuke continue to crush the fully-realized Masaki in such dominant fashion.

Seeing this, Masaki resolved to keep a close eye on this unsettling individual. He knew perfectly well that Hojo had never intended to become a delinquent or inherit his position. The situation had reached this point entirely because of the man standing beside him—though Masaki had certainly played along, it never would have succeeded had Kisaki not instigated it.

It was true: Masaki had wanted to step down. Since entering his second year of high school, his academic workload had increased, and his attention to the gang had waned. Recently, he had noticed the Rushing Angels beginning to "rot."

The organization, originally founded simply for friends to ride together, had grown rapidly due to the talent of its members. It had gradually shifted from a "biker club" into a vicious, militant gang. He figured that Onizuka not showing up for the gathering today, choosing to go for a ride instead, was a form of protest.

So, the moment Hojo had struck the bamboo sword from his hand and Masaki realized that Hojo possessed strength far beyond his own, a thought had immediately taken root:

If it were him, with that level of power, he could surely lead the Rushing Angels back to the path they had started on.

Even knowing that Kisaki was manipulating Hojo, he had gone along with it. When he saw that Hojo had absolutely no interest in being a delinquent, he had even poured out his own heartfelt aspirations, hoping to sway him.

Fortunately, it had worked.

Watching his subordinates sprawled across the floor, Masaki smiled in satisfaction.

Suddenly, the door to the clubroom was kicked open with great force.

"Leader, it’s bad! The Onibaku Duo are being swarmed by members of Eve!" shouted Yoshio Tsuzuki, whom Masaki had just sent to contact Eikichi Onizuka, his voice laced with panic.

"What! Is Eve looking for a death wish?" Masaki roared in fury.

At the same time, the men lying on the floor struggled to rise, shouting about rushing to provide backup, but they collapsed again as soon as they tried to push themselves up.

"Good grief, do I have to start fulfilling my duties on my first day?"

Hojo complained, yet he neatly sheathed his bamboo sword into its bag. "Masaki-senpai, can your hand still handle a bike? Take me there."

"Hojo, the handover ceremony isn't fully complete yet, you..." Masaki was worried that if Hojo had to start fighting immediately upon taking office, he would be scared off from being a delinquent.

"Don't nag. Doesn't that guy named Onizuka have the Rushing Angels' flag? I'm waiting to hold the ceremony, so he can't afford to get into trouble." Hojo slung his sword bag over his shoulder. He thought to himself that bringing a bamboo sword to school today had been the right choice.

"Leader, let me take Hojo-kun. Your right hand is..." Tsuzuki looked at Hojo with gratitude before turning a worried gaze toward Masaki’s right hand.

"Damn it, I'm not so fragile that I need you to worry about me! Get my special attack uniform!"

Hojo realized that Tsuzuki was nothing more than a gofer. Based on the aura he had projected when he first walked into class, Hojo had actually mistaken him for someone formidable.

"That kid is named Yoshio Tsuzuki," Masaki said, noticing Hojo’s interest. "He’s not really cut out for being a delinquent—he’s physically weak and can’t fight, but he’s excellent at his studies."

"Then why is he here?"

"Haha, the first day he met me, he knelt in front of me, crying and begging me to take him in, saying he didn't want to be bullied anymore. I had no choice, so I let him join."

"I see."

Hojo gained a bit more insight into Masaki. He really was different from the bullies Hojo had encountered before. Perhaps, just as he said, he had founded the Rushing Angels simply to ride with his friends.

"There are many like him. After being bullied, they become bad students themselves so they won't be bullied anymore. The current Rushing Angels have attracted a few bad apples."

"Hey, hey, that’s not what you said before. This is fraud. I didn't sign up to be that kind of kendo club captain." Hojo felt something was wrong. He imagined himself leading a group of odd-looking subordinates, walking with an arrogant swagger to the gates of an elementary school to extort money, and he shuddered.

"Of course, there are only signs of decay for now. The Rushing Angels are still the pure organization where friends enjoy riding together. Everyone avoids doing that disgusting stuff; we still uphold our code of honor. But if you don't want the Rushing Angels to turn into that version you despise, you must conduct a purge once you officially take over. That is the reason I chose you."

With that, Masaki fixed his sharp, piercing gaze on Hojo.

"This is definitely a scam. You’re just looking for free labor!"

Hojo couldn't accept this. His fantasy of speeding through the neon lights of Tokyo streets with a beautiful girl on the back of his bike was shattered. He had thought he was getting a group of useful subordinates, but it turned out to be a pack of troublemakers.

*Oh god, what about my lovely Shoko? What about Nishimiya? What about Naoka?*

A montage of fantasies flashed through his mind:

"Kyosuke, let's go to that new dessert shop in Shibuya!" Shoko said, wearing a cute sailor uniform, clinging to his arm and nuzzling against him.

"I can't, I haven't finished dealing with the gang's business." The soft sensation on his arm vanished, and Shoko dissolved into mist.

"Kyosuke-kun, do you want to go to the zoo today? I've been wanting to see the pandas for a long time," Nishimiya said, her hair tied in a ponytail, looking at him with longing.

"I can't, some guys in the gang are acting up again." Nishimiya’s expression dimmed, and she disappeared.

"Kyosuke, want to go to the beach? I bought a very sexy swimsuit," Naoka whispered into his ear, the warm breath making his heart race.

"Let’s go!" Hojo stood up, but the next moment, his legs were grabbed by several blurry-looking delinquents. "Leader! Where do you think you’re going? You haven't finished the work; the parents of that elementary student from yesterday are at the door!"

The montage ended.

*No. I absolutely will not live like this, not even if I die! I don't care about being captain; I'd rather do homework, it’s much happier.*

Hojo shook his head violently and looked at Masaki. "Senpai, I just remembered I haven't finished my homework, and I didn't close the windows at home. The forecast said it might rain tonight, so I’ll be taking my leave. As for the Rushing Angels Kendo Club, you should keep it for yourself."

With that, Hojo walked toward the door.

"Stop right there, you brat." Masaki was caught between laughter and tears.

"By the way, why are you so intent on retiring? Can't you just stay with the Rushing Angels?"

Hojo stopped, suddenly realizing a blind spot. If Masaki stayed, Hojo could just be a hands-off boss, dumping all the troublesome tasks on him while enjoying the benefits of having subordinates. Wasn't that his original intention anyway?

"Who ever heard of a boss staying on after being beaten?" Masaki chuckled at the suggestion.

"It’s decided then. I’ll be the leader, and you’ll be the vice-leader. We'll manage the Rushing Angels exactly as we did before." With his future happiness at stake, Hojo dropped the "senpai" honorific.

"If that’s the case, why on earth should I hand the position to you?"

As they spoke, they reached Masaki’s motorcycle.

"Because you can't beat me, and because I just flattened the entire Rushing Angels," Hojo shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact.

If none of this had happened, he never would have sought out such trouble; after all, he was incredibly lazy. But now that it had come to this, he wouldn't be polite anymore. With a force like this at his disposal—even if the trouble was foreseeable—he believed that with the help of so many underlings, his life could surely become even more comfortable.