23. Tetta Kisaki Wants to Be a Superhero

The matter of Tetta Kisaki was not complex, and Kyosuke Hojo understood it almost immediately after hearing the story.

In short, Kisaki was a man obsessed. He could not reconcile the fact that the girl he loved, Hinata Tachibana, had fallen for someone else because of a "heroic rescue," while he himself lacked the courage to be that hero. Unable to accept that he had lost her due to his own cowardice, he forced a connection, turning an unrelated event into the sole reason for her affection toward Takemichi Hanagaki.

He then used the grind of being an overachiever to numb himself, finding a sense of hollow gratification in useless efforts.

"Kisaki, is that why you approached me? Because you wanted to become the top delinquent?"

Kisaki did not respond. With his facade stripped away, he was drowning in negative emotions, spiraling into a frenzy of self-loathing.

*Is that it? Yes, that must be it.*
*So, am I going to lose Hinata Tachibana forever? Yes.*
*She loves someone who can step up to protect her when danger strikes, not a coward like me.*
*I am weak. I am pathetic.*
*...*

"Regardless, you are my subordinate now. So, let your leader teach you why a girl falls for someone."

Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Kisaki’s heart. He looked up at his leader—the man with his hair slightly tousled by the breeze, wearing a confident smile and looking impossibly cool.

*If I could be that cool, would Hinata Tachibana have fallen for someone else?* The flame that had just ignited seemed ready to extinguish.

"Hey, hey, Kisaki, what are you obsessing over now?"

Kyosuke Hojo spoke up quickly. Seeing the dull, lifeless gaze in Kisaki's eyes regain a hint of color, he felt a surge of pride, thinking he might have a knack for being an emotional mentor—only to see the light fade again.

"Leader, you only pick up girls because of that face of yours, don't you?" Kisaki glared at that smiling face. He used to think it was a face that exuded reliability, a face destined to become the number one delinquent in Japan, but now, it looked nothing but detestable.

"How could that be? Listen and learn."

Kyosuke sat down and draped an arm over Kisaki’s shoulder. "Kisaki, since you know Hinata Tachibana likes Takemichi Hanagaki because of a heroic rescue, why don't you just learn from that?"

Kisaki’s eyes widened instantly. A shiver ran through him, an electric current surging from his spine straight to his brain.

*That’s it! If she fell for Hanagaki because of a rescue, why don't I just perform a rescue too? If once isn't enough, I'll do it ten times. Sooner or later, she’ll come back to me.*

*Why, why was I even bothering with being some top delinquent?*

"Leader, are you saying I should hire a few people to play the villain and scare Hinata Tachibana, and then I can step in as the hero?" Kisaki looked at Kyosuke, his eyes now burning with fervor.

Kyosuke smacked his forehead. This guy, Tetta Kisaki, was a natural-born villain; only the path of a delinquent could truly unleash his potential.

"Are you an idiot? Use that second-in-the-grade brain of yours to actually think."

"But isn't that what you meant, Leader?"

"Let me ask you: who does Hinata Tachibana like right now?"

"Takemichi Hanagaki."

"Is Takemichi Hanagaki currently being bullied by other delinquents?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Have you been obsessed for so long that your brain has rusted? Hanagaki is walking straight into danger—your chance for a heroic rescue is here!"

"Huh? What kind of 'damsel' is Takemichi Hanagaki? It’s Hinata Tachibana I like."

"Hinata Tachibana’s hero is Takemichi Hanagaki. If *you* become the hero who saves Takemichi Hanagaki, what does that make you to Hinata?"

"The hero's hero?"

"Exactly! And what do you call a hero's hero?"

"What...?"

"A superhero!"

"A superhero?" Kisaki asked, confused.

"Exactly! A level above a regular hero—a superhero! If Hinata Tachibana finds out that her hero was saved by you, the 'superhero,' don't you think she’ll look at you with newfound admiration?"

"She definitely would!"

"And if you take Takemichi Hanagaki in as your subordinate, wouldn't she admire you even more?"

Kisaki recalled his time at the cram school, remembering the look of awe on Hinata’s face when she said: "Kisaki-kun, you’re top of the national mock exams again! That’s amazing!"

He then hallucinated Hinata’s reaction to him saving Hanagaki: "Kisaki-kun, I had no idea you were so amazing even as a delinquent!"

"Heh heh, heh heh..."

Kisaki Tetta drifted off into a beautiful fantasy with a goofy smile on his face.

"Kisaki, wake up. It’s not time for daydreams yet."

*Excellent, the plan is in motion!* Kyosuke felt energized, seeing that his complete nonsense had actually managed to fool Kisaki so thoroughly.

"Leader, let's go! Let me, the superhero, go and rescue Takemichi Hanagaki from those low-life thugs!" All the decadence was swept from Kisaki’s face as he leaped to his feet, shouting with excitement.

"Are you an idiot? It’s lunch break right now. Didn't you say they only get beaten up after school?"

"Oh, right. So, what do we do now? Should we gather some subordinates to go with us after school?" Kisaki scratched his head. The uncomfortable, unsettling smile he usually wore was gone, replaced by something that actually looked almost sunny.

"Do you know what a hero is? With too many people, you're just an army. It’s only a few small-time thugs; I’ll just go with you." Kyosuke said offhandedly, walking toward his personal lounge chair.

Being an emotional mentor is exhausting. I’d better take a nap while I still have time.

Having witnessed his leader's strength, Kisaki had a mountain of questions about relationships he wanted to ask. But seeing Kyosuke close his eyes, he knew better—his leader was notoriously grumpy when woken up—so he could only sit by his side and contemplate things on his own.

The afternoon passed quickly. As expected, Takemichi Hanagaki and his group skipped their club activities, leaving the school with grim, hurried expressions.

"Leader, let's follow them. They’re active in a park in Shibuya," Kisaki said, unable to contain his impatience.

"What’s the rush? We don't know how long this will take. Let’s eat first! I don't want to go home hungry in the middle of the night again."

"But..."

"Don't you remember what Maki said? Girls don't like men who are too impatient. Besides, the hero always arrives last."

Kyosuke said this casually as he hopped onto his motorcycle. "Kisaki, any restaurant recommendations?"

"Yes, there’s an Italian place nearby run by one of my subordinates' families." Kisaki hopped on his bike as well.

"An Italian restaurant? Sounds expensive. I don't have any money."

"My treat. I still have plenty of my school scholarship money left. Consider it a consultation fee for you, Leader."

"Kisaki, you really are a good guy!"