Chapter 52
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 52: The Cross-Dressing Boy Dominates
“Then… here we go!! Kisaragi-san!!”
“Yes!!”
Senpai Ginjou and I kicked off the ground and charged straight towards the rough-looking guys.
Seeing us approach, they sneered and jeered.
“Hey, don’t make me laugh. Do you seriously think two high school girls can beat us?”
“Come on, give me a cute little punch, blondie! I’ll even give myself a handicap! Gyahahaha!!”
The guy with a two-block haircut jumped in front of me, pushing his cheek out and grinning nastily.
I stared at him expressionlessly, then crouched down… and delivered a right straight punch to his face.
He must’ve thought that a girl’s punch wouldn’t hurt.
Without even trying to defend himself, he just took my punch head-on.
—He didn’t realize that was a fatal mistake.
“Ghaaah?!?!?”
It was a full-force, all-out blow.
His nose was flattened, his front teeth shattered, and he was sent flying backward with tremendous force… until he slammed into the wall behind him.
The other guys, who had been mocking us just moments before, looked on in stunned disbelief, their expressions changing as they stared at me like they were seeing something unbelievable.
“Huh…? She knocked him back with just one punch…? Just a high school girl…?”
“N-no way… Are we dreaming or something…!?”
“That was just a fluke!! It was a miracle!! Don’t get scared, guys!!”
The guy who shouted this pulled out a baton from his pocket, raised it high… and swung it down towards my head.
I immediately took a karate stance, ready to counter.
But—
“Did you forget about me?”
Senpai Ginjou spun on her pivot foot, leaped, and delivered a powerful middle kick to the guy’s wrist.
The guy dropped the baton, clutching his wrist as he dropped to his knees.
Then, without mercy, Senpai Ginjou grabbed his head and kneed him in the face.
“Guh!?”
With a nosebleed, the guy collapsed to the ground.
After casting a cold glance at him, Senpai Ginjou turned to look at me.
“I’m surprised. I never thought you were this strong. I didn’t expect there to be someone with such a knack for martial arts in the acting department, besides me.”
“I’m surprised too. But――――――”
At that moment―――― A guy tried to catch me off guard, swinging a punch from my blind spot.
I jumped up and delivered a roundhouse kick to his neck.
With a gasp, he rolled his eyes back and quietly collapsed on the spot.
I exhaled lightly and smiled at Senpai Ginjou, who whistled next to me.
“I’m probably stronger than you. I didn’t only learn boxing, you know.”
“Heh. Is that so!”
“Don’t get cocky, you bitches!!”
“They’re coming, Kisaragi-san. I’ll take the guy on the left. You handle the one on the right.”
“Roger that!”
Together, we took down the approaching men one by one.
Maybe they were getting nervous seeing this… The biggest guy in the group, with the most imposing physique, furrowed his brow and shouted angrily at the others.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastards!! They’re just a couple of high school girls!! Surround them and beat them to a pulp!!”
At his command, the men nodded and started to encircle Senpai Ginjou and me.
Senpai Ginjou stood protectively at my back, then flashed a gentle smile and spoke.
“Good grief. Why are villains so stubborn? No matter the story, they always keep fighting until they face inevitable defeat. It’s so inefficient.”
“Senpai Ginjou, I’m sorry to ask, but can I trust you to watch my back?”
“Of course. I’ll trust you with mine too… Heh, it might be inappropriate, but fighting alongside you like this is strangely fun. There’s probably no one else in the world I’d trust with my back like this.”
“…I feel the same. For some reason, fighting alongside you is so enjoyable. It’s like… that―――”
I was about to say it felt like competing with my old man in acting when I was a child actor… but I stopped.
I had told her earlier that I was stronger… but for some reason, looking at Senpai Ginjou, I felt like I absolutely didn’t want to lose to her.
Maybe it was because I unconsciously saw a resemblance to my father when we used to get along.
The only person I absolutely don’t want to lose to in this world is that damn old man.
“? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s fight together, Senpai Ginjou!”
“Yeah! Let’s show them the difference in our ranks, Kisaragi-san!”
“Don’t underestimate them just because they’re girls! Let’s beat them down!”
Senpai Ginjou and I stood back to back, fending off the men attacking us from all directions.
I never intended to lose, but with her by my side, I felt even more unbeatable.
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From Akane Tsukishiro’s Point Of View
After that, Kaede Kisaragi and Ginjou Haruki, unfazed by the men surrounding them, displayed their elegant martial arts and took down each one.
Kaede Kisaragi looked like she was enjoying herself, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ginjou Haruki.
It was as if she was happy to have found someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her at her best… That’s the feeling I got.
Even though Kaede Kisaragi is someone I don’t care about.
And yet, for some reason, looking at that scene… I felt like my chest was being squeezed.
[What is this feeling…? I don’t understand, but… it’s making me so frustrated.]
Kaede Kisaragi never smiled like that when she watched me perform.
She always said she was an inexperienced amateur actor, but ever since we met, her eyes looked at me like I was nothing more than a pebble on the roadside.
Her blue eyes always told me that she saw herself as far superior to me.
That’s why I disliked her from the beginning.
I hated how she looked at me with the same eyes as Fuuma.
Because deep down, I realized she had the potential to become a great actress worthy of standing next to Fuuma.
But… now I’m jealous of Ginjou Haruki, who’s been recognized by Kaede Kisaragi and trusted to guard her back.
Why? She isn’t Fuuma.
She’s not Fuuma, but…
I felt extremely frustrated that it’s not me supporting her back.
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Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I let out a small sigh.
In front of me lay a bunch of male students sprawled on the ground.
There were about 15 of them.
Senpai Ginjou and I somehow managed to take down all the guys from the other school.
If I had been alone, I probably couldn’t have handled that many.
It was a pleasant surprise that Senpai Ginjou was experienced in martial arts.
“——-N-no way…?”
I turned toward the voice and saw the second-year students from Hananomiya Girls’ Academy.
Among them was Okunozaka, the ringleader of the bullying, who I had punched in the stomach earlier.
She was being supported by her friends, looking back and forth between Senpai Ginjou and me in disbelief.
“W-what are you guys…!? Two high school girls took down all 15 guys…?! That’s not normal!! What are you guys, monsters!?!”
“Monsters? Then, you must be devils or something. Ganging up on a single junior and trying to have male students assault her… That’s an extremely wicked and unforgivable act.”
As I walked toward them, the second-year students flinched and took a step back, trying to distance themselves from me.
But all that was behind them was a concrete wall.
The only escape route was the door behind me.
“W-wait! The ones who bullied Tsukishiro first were the first-year girls over there! We just joined in! The real culprits are the first-years!”
“True, the first-year acting students, including Miyauchi, are also guilty. However… in my personal opinion, you are many times more unforgivable. I will make sure you pay the price.”
“W-wait! We’ll apologize! We were wrong! We’re sorry!”
“Y-yeah. We went too far, even if Tsukishiro was a little annoying. We’re sorry, Kisaragi-san and Senpai Ginjou.”
The second-year female students all bowed deeply in unison.
I stopped in front of them and stared at their bowed heads with a blank expression.
Maybe they thought I had forgiven them, because the second-years raised their heads and sighed in relief.
“W-we won’t bully anyone from now on. We’ll change our ways and focus only on our acting career———-”
“Are you guys kidding me? Did you really think I’d forgive you for something like that?”
“Eh…? Kyaaaah?!?!?”
I grabbed the hair of the female student in front of me, yanked her down, and glared at her fear-stricken face from close range.
“The only reason you can commit such heinous acts is that you’ve grown up sheltered in a greenhouse, unaware of the pain. If you understand just how evil what you’re doing is… you’ll naturally realize your own foolishness.”
“N-no… Stop it…! D-don’t hit me in the face…! I’m a rookie stage actress, after all…”
“I don’t care.”
“Augh!?”
After slamming her face into the ground, I stood up and directed a piercing gaze at the trembling second-year students, whose shoulders were shaking violently.
Narrowing my eyes, I spoke quietly.
“If you guys are the epitome of wickedness, then I shall portray a villain even more malevolent. After all, this society is a system where the strong prey on the weak. Survival of the fittest is the principle governing this world. Therefore, if you experience fear, you will naturally come to understand the pain of the weak. Standing in the position of the powerless will make you realize, with sincerity, that such foolish acts of bullying should never be repeated.”
What is needed here is not a hero of justice who rewards good and punishes evil.
What is needed is a greater villain.
I will embody a formidable antagonist, one that chills the hearts of observers.
You insignificant individuals are nothing more than mere dust.
In order to teach them what true evil is, I put on the mask of a villain.