Story: Fist of the Necoconeco (chapter 5)

Chapter 5: Violent High School Gang Leader Sakaki-sama
(Where Sakaki faces the Evil Regent-style Hairdos ... )

"O-hayô, everyone! Yay! It's a beautiful Spring morning, I'm on time today, I did Yukari-chan's homework, and I studied for next period's math test! ... Why aren't you praising me, Yomi?"

"O-hayô, Tomo ... Why should I praise you for doing what is expected of a normal student?"

"O-hayô, Tomo-chaaan ... haaaah ... so tiring ... "

"What's the matter, Osaka ? You're looking exhausted so early in the morning!"

"Aah, being seniors sure is difficult ... Every morning we have to climb three flights of stairs ... "

"You sure don't have much energy to spare."

"Could you inject me with some of your residual energy, Tomo-chan? I think my battery levels are especially low today."

"No problem!" said Tomo cheerfully, gripping her classmate's head between her hands and squeezing. "Hnngggggg! Shaaaaaaa!"

"Itai, itai, itai!" moaned weakly the hapless Osaka. "Aaah, it's no good after all. I don't feel energized at all. I guess today I won't be able to concentrate. I think I even fell asleep walking up the stairs."

"Wow, you mean you can sleepwalk, too? Are you sure you're even awake right now?"

"Well I'm not sure, really. Are we in a dream Tomo-chan?"

"How am I supposed to know if I'm in your dream? I can pinch you, if you want."

"Please, Tomo," sighed Yomi, "don't try to confuse her even more. She's already completely out of it today."

"Oh, wait, I know a way to make sure; here ... " Osaka walked with half-lidded eyes and outstretched arms towards Chiyo's seat. She then took gently into her hands her little classmate's pigtails, lifting them alternatively. Chiyo looked up at her with a puzzled expression. After a few seconds of careful experimenting, Osaka let go of the chestnut tresses; then, one of her beatific smiles slowly brightened her face.

"Aaah, that's good, this is reality. Things are back to normal after all. You know, while I was walking up the stairs I dreamt I was inside a shônen manga, but it seems I woke up when I entered the classroom."

"A shônen manga? What do you mean, Osaka-san?" asked the young prodigy.

"Well I saw a couple of those delinquent-type schoolboys, with the regent hairstyle and everything ... "

"Come on, Osaka!" laughed Tomo; "don't tell me you haven't noticed the new students? We've started school a month ago, and you still haven't seen them at least once?"

"New students?"

"Yes, our school has acquired some bad elements lately," explained Yomi; "remember the last earthquake in Tokyo? Not far from here, a public school called 'Hîrin High School' was completely destroyed. Fortunately, it occurred during the school break, so nobody was hurt. It was all over the news; the Minister of Education even had to resign, because his adversaries attacked him on the 'bad state of public education facilities'. Don't you read the paper or listen to the radio, Osaka?
"Well, anyway; most students were transferred to another school nearby, but some of them came here because our school was the nearest to their home."

"Most of them are first and second years, but there are two or three seniors in Kurosawa-sensei's class, I think," added Kagura. "Anyway, it was one of these 'punk' high schools, so the new students are all Yanki, total delinquents. They're the real thing, with weird hairstyles, dangerous looks, bad attitude ... I heard one of them even brought a wooden sword in class."

"Yeah, there's a rumor saying they've started to bully some of the sophomores and steal their lunch money!" said Tomo.

"Oh, stop it with your rumors," interjected Yomi, "they're just young punks who gather in packs, and try to look meaner than they really are; they're basically harmless. Just ignore them."

"Well anyway, if they start some mischief, Sakaki-chan will keep them in check! Right, Sakaki-chan?"

"Hmm? Aa ... " replied the tall girl absently, watching through the window some rabbit-shaped clouds pass slowly in the sky.

"Ah, and maybe Nyamo-sensei will reform the delinquent students by having them play baseball; and then they'll compete in the Kôshien championship."

Yomi sighed; "Osaka, we told you we're not inside your shônen manga dream!"

"Hey, look at the time! Yukari-chan's late again!"

Kaorin was walking aimlessly through the small tree grove behind the gym, waiting for her idol, Sakaki, to appear.

Every ten o'clock break, the tall, beautiful girl would appear, lean her back against the trunk of a tree, and gaze wistfully into the distance until the recess was over. And each time, Kaorin would watch her from behind her hiding place, trying to work up the resolve to go and speak to her, but failing. She just couldn't think of a good small talk topic.

Since she had been transferred into Kimura-sensei's class, Kaorin had been drowning in an ocean of despair. Not only seemed Sakaki-san further from her reach than ever, but she herself had become the favorite of the bizarre teacher, who was calling her by her nickname in front of the whole class, and pursuing her with his unwanted attentions all day long.

Needless to say, her homemade manga had taken some dark undertones lately, the poor heroine being regularly mistreated for no reason at all.

"Aaah. Sakaki-san. If only you knew how much I'm suffering ... would you rescue me?"

"Hey, Ôyama-san, don't you think that Kurosawa-sensei is totally hot?" suddenly spoke a rough voice.

Kaorin peeked from behind her tree, and quickly went into hiding again, her heart beating wildly. There were three of those horrible delinquents from class 3-2, lounging in front of the gym!

"Tanizaki from class 3-3 is pretty hot too," said a second voice; "but I heard she's a complete nut-job ... Ha! And have you seen that freaky Kimura? Man, he's weird."

"Bah, it's only been one month, and we own that school already. The teachers are all cowards; including the vice-principal, Gotô-sensei, who acts all high and mighty. But he's a wimp, just like the others; I stared him down just this morning in the hall. And don't get me started on the students, they're even worse."

"You're right, Ôyama-san, Kojima from class 2-1 and his group already controls all the first and second years. I can't believe how fast they gained new followers ... Anyway, since they all acknowledged you as the school guardian, it looks like there isn't any opposition left."

To small and dainty Kaorin, the boy called Ôyama looked like a huge hulking brute. He was very tall, even more so than Sakaki, with large shoulders, wide neck and big arms. His hair was slicked back with gel into a regent hairstyle, and he had thick eyebrows. His jaw was strong and square, and he sported a thin mustache over a wide, disdainful mouth.

He was wearing a modified uniform of his previous school, an unusually long black gakuran jacket with a very high collar, and wide pants.

As for his two companions, they were much smaller, but still looked mean enough to send shivers to Kaorin's spine. One was thin, also with a regent hairstyle, and the other stockier, with short bleached hair.

"I can't let them see me, or who knows what they might do to me if they think I have been spying on their conversation ... " thought poor Kaorin, cowering behind her tree.

"By the way, Ôyama-san, I heard that Kojima is stirring up some trouble among the sophomores; apparently he has started to extort money from them regularly. The wimpy teachers aren't doing anything about it; but still, I think he and his group are making too much of a rumpus. Since you're the school guardian, you should give him a little lesson to make him stop, or at least be more discreet about it."

"Hmm, I don't know ... Kojima would be easy enough to handle on his own, but he has a crowd of followers around him. The important thing right now is that they acknowledge us as their superiors, and show us proper respect."

"But if we don't do anything, it will put a stain on your reputation as a school guardian!"

"For the moment, we can't afford to raise conflict against the second years. Besides, they're still afraid of us, so it's better to keep it that way and not take unneeded risks."

"But, Ôyama-san, isn't that way of thinking somewhat ... cowardly?"

"Shut up, fool!" shouted the tall brute, smacking his follower on the head. "It's called strategy! Strategy! Don't you know anything? We wait until we have recruited enough followers among the third years, and then we can threaten Kojima and his goons without risking to have them turn the tables on us because of their numbers!"

"If you say so, Ôyama-san ... "

"Hey Ôyama-san, look, behind that tree!"

Kaorin's body froze in fear.

"There's a cat!"

"Feh, I hate those stupid beasts ... " growled Ôyama, picking up a stone and throwing it at the cat. "Shit, missed."

"Ha! Look at it run away! You were right; this school is full of wimps, hahaha!"

"Hmpf ... instead of watching stupid cats, you two had better look at that girl behind that other tree, there."

Kaorin, who had been slowly relaxing since her first shock, broke once again into a cold sweat.

"See, that's what I call a totally hot girl! Much better than your Kurosawa-sensei!"

"Wow, yeah! Look at those boobs, and that long hair!"

"But, damn, she's huge!"

"Yeah, too bad she's so tall ... "

"Heh, she would be perfect for ME. Just my type!"

"Well if you only consider the height factor, she does suit Ôyama-san," whispered one of the tall boy's followers to the other, "but I think she looks much too refined for a brute like him ... "

"True, true."

"I heard that!" shouted their boss, smacking them both on their heads.

Kaorin, having suddenly recovered from her second panic fit, was now boiling in anger.

"How dare those beasts look upon perfect Sakaki-san with their dirty and depraved eyes! Thank God she hasn't noticed them yet; but they'd better not think about approaching her, or I ...I ... "

"Hey you! Go ask her name and tell her I'm asking her out!" ordered Ôyama to one of his henchmen.

"What? Why me? Shouldn't you ask her yourself?"

"Don't you know anything? Sophisticated girls like her prefer strong men with a gentle side. If she asks why I'm not coming to talk to her myself, tell her that I'm shy."

"Like she's going to believe that when she sees him ... "

"Stop muttering, and go!"

"I won't allow it, I won't allow it, I won't allow it! I feel sick just thinking that one of these brutes is about to ... to speak to her and ... to look at her like that, and ... and ... argh! Unforgivable!"

"Ow! Who the Hell did that? Where are you hiding! I'll kill you, you stupid bastard!"

"What are you doing, you idiot? Didn't I tell you to go talk to her?"

"But Ôyama-san, some bastard threw a stone at my head! Where did he go? When I find him, I'll mess him up until he ... "

"Stop wasting time already, and do what you're told! Argh, damn! She's walking away! It's already the end of recess. Shit! Let's go back."

While Sakaki was walking to her class, she glanced back sadly to the little grove of trees, and sighed.

"The orange-white cat didn't appear today. Maybe it was frightened by those loud boys."

As for Kaorin, she was hiding behind the gym, clutching her wildly beating chest, waiting for the delinquent boys to walk back to their class.

"I ... I can't believe I did something like that. Hehehehehe! ... Haaah ... (sigh ... ) I must be going slowly insane ... "

Feeling depressed, she started following the three Yanki from a distance, until they arrived in the hall outside the classrooms. Before stepping into the hell of her own homeroom, she glanced back at them angrily.

One of Ôyama's henchmen was sliding the door open for his boss, while the other was shouting at the students:

"Make way for Ôyama-san you punks! And you'd better watch out, he's in a foul mood right now!"

"Oy, Chiyo-suke, where are you going? We still haven't finished cleaning the classroom!"

"Chiyo-chan volunteered to go water the flower garden, Tomo. And I don't see you clean anything."

"Chiyo-suke, don't be too long! Kagura doesn't have any training this evening, so we're all going to a karaoke bar, remember?"

"Haiiii!" Chiyo called back cheerfully, skipping out of the classroom, humming a happy tune.

"Wow, she looks especially joyful today."

"Well, she's been like that since Yukari-sensei announced the date of the school trip to Okinawa."

"Yay! Okinawa! Okinawa!" cheered Tomo, waving her broom about, spreading dust all around the classroom.

"Argh! Stop that!"

Meanwhile, behind the school gym, a hapless sophomore was finding himself in an unpleasant situation. The pale, thin, bespectacled boy was surrounded by eight juvenile delinquents who were about to extort money from him for the third time this month.

His tormentor-in-chief was Kojima, a tall, wiry boy with an especially big and unaesthetic regent-style hairdo. He was wearing a pair of black shades, along with a cruel sneer on his bony face.

"You know, it's not like I'm trying to snatch yer money. But you could show some sympathy, right? You know, I owe 5000 yen to Ôyama-san, and I can't pay him back at the moment, 'cause my parents are so poor ... you know Ôyama-san, right? Big, scary guy in third year. Was captain of the wrestling team back when Hîrin High School was still standing. That's a guy you don't want to anger, right? So, you're not helping me out?"

"Yeah, Kojima-san's in a pinch, and you don't want to help him?" drawled one of the goons.

"And he's always looking out for all of you first years ... "

"But ... but, I ... I mean, I've already spent my lunch money today ... "

"Aww, don't worry about it, it's okay. I can wait until tomorrow. Don't forget: 10000 yen, right?"

"But ... you said 5000!"

"Well, you know, Ôyama-san is quite an impatient guy, he charges extra for each day I'm late ... "

"Abisemashô, Abisemashô ... "

"Huh?" Kojima looked around for a second, distracted from his lucrative activities by a high-pitched voice. In his peripheral vision, he spotted a small form appearing from behind the corner of the building. A form with ... bouncing pigtails?

"Who the Hell is that brat?" he wondered in a loud voice.

Chiyo, rudely interrupted in the middle of her "let's water the plants" tune, turned towards the voice and exclaimed indignantly:

"Brat? It's Mihama-sempai to you!"

... And looked up into the sneering faces of eight Yanki. Her watering can clattered on the ground.

"Chiyo-chan sure is taking her time watering the plants! Let's go get her so we can go sing karaoke! Karaoke! Karaoke!" Tomo shouted, dragging Yomi and Kagura outside.

"Go get Sakaki and wait for us in front of the gates, Osaka!" called Yomi.

"Yes, Yomi-chaaaan!"

On their way to the flower garden, the three girls made a turn behind the gym building and came across a rather upsetting sight.

"We're sorry we have offended you, Mihama-SEMPAI."

"Yeah, we made the error of judging someone by appearances, Mihama-SEMPAI. You'll forgive us, right, Mihama-SEMPAI?"

"From now on, we'll show you the respect you deserve, Mihama-SEMPAI."

Poor, trembling, teary-eyed Chiyo was being surrounded by six mean-looking boys, each sporting the attitude and getup of the typical Japanese juvenile delinquent, to the extent that it was painfully cliché.
The seemingly etched-on scowl on their faces made them look much older than they really were. Most had cigarettes hanging limply from their mouths; some were loosely squatting on the ground like monkeys and looking up at the terrified little girl with crooked eyebrows and idiotic smiles.

They were mocking their small victim in rough speech, exaggeratedly rolling the r's in all their sentences.

Two other boys, both carrying a bokken on their shoulder, were keeping an eye on a frail-looking sophomore boy standing against the wall of the building.

"Aww, what's the matter, you're gonna cry, Mihama-SEMPAI?"

"Quite unseemly for a SEMPAI, right?"

"Damn, I can't believe someone would be so low as to bully Chiyo-chan," whispered Yomi; "we've got to rescue her quickly!"

"I'll go get Sakaki!" announced Tomo, running back toward the gates.

"What, are you stupid? Stop! Damn! Does she ever think before acting?"

"Say, Mihama-SEMPAI, that sure is a cute hairstyle," leered Kojima, grabbing one of Chiyo's pigtails. "I bet your daddy likes it very much."

"I heard her dad has a lot of money, and they live in a big house, and -- "

"LEAVE CHIYO-CHAN ALONE, YOU STUPID PUNKS!" shouted Kagura.

"I can't believe it! That girl's even worse than Tomo!" muttered Yomi.

"What? Who's the bitch?"

"Some other chick from the third years. Ya know, the one with big boobs from the swimming team."

"Wh ... What? Shut up, pervert! And hand over Chiyo-chan!" Kagura marched right in the middle of the circle of Yanki and took the trembling little girl's hand. But her way back was blocked by a smug looking Kojima, holding his schoolbag over his shoulder.

"What? Get outta my way!"

"Now, now, sempai, there seems to be a misunderstanding. It appears we had offended Mihama-sempai by accident and so we gave her our apologies. Now, all we wish for is her to forgive us, but we'd like to hear it from her own mouth before we can leave with a clear conscience. You DO forgive us, don't you, Mihama-SEMPAI?" he said in a drawling voice, bending his head towards Chiyo. But he was sharply pushed back by an angry Kagura.

"Don't touch her you freak, or I'll kick your ass!"

"Whoa, sempai! You shouldn't threaten your underclassmen like that ... you know, that's called bullying!"

All the time he had been speaking to Kagura, Kojima had never looked at her face even once, but had been leering directly at her chest.

The impulsive girl's anger reached her boiling point.

"You stupid pervert!" she screamed, giving him a hard slap on the face that made him stagger backwards. She took the opportunity to pull Chiyo out of the circle and move towards Yomi, but the group of boys started following her threateningly.

"Shit, you hit me in the face, you bitch!" growled Kojima, picking up his schoolbag and sunglasses. "You can't do that ... bad thinks happen when you act carelessly ... "

"Damn, this is starting to look ugly, I've got to get a teacher, and quick!" thought Yomi.

"Where are you going nee-san?" One of the bokken-wielding goons who had been watching over the sophomore asked from behind her. "It'd be better if we could solve this peacefully among ourselves, right?"

"Get behind me, Chiyo-chan," said Kagura, looking resolutely at the advancing group.

" ... Now, that kind of rash action demands some compensation and -- " Kojima suddenly darted forward and tried to grab the smaller girl. However, Kagura dodged deftly and sent him to the ground with a leg-sweep.

"Ow! Shit!"

Instead of waiting for the next move of her opponents, Kagura immediately went for the offensive, and nailed the nearest boy in the solar plexus with a strong straight punch. He doubled over and started coughing and wheezing pitifully on the ground.

"ORRRAAA!"

Taking advantage of their momentary surprise, she kicked another goon right in the face. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Although her Karate sensei had warned her against using high kicks in a self-defense situation, because stress tended to weaken the knees, Kagura had been able to execute the manoeuvre perfectly. Rather than being afraid, she felt strangely elated.

"Yomi was right! Those guys are all show! I can't believe that! Whohoo! I can do this!"

She quickly jumped back and took up a defensive stance, waiting for the next opportunity to strike. The remaining delinquents were having a moment of hesitation.

"Who the Hell is that violent broad?"

"She took out Satô! He's out cold!"

The short haired Karate-girl suddenly sensed movement behind her.

"Trying to take me by surprise, will you?" she shouted, whirling around and throwing a lightning fast punch to Kojima's jaw. The sneaky boy frantically brought up his schoolbag in front of his face.

A loud Bang echoed as Kagura's fist hit the bag. She clutched her hand in pain.

"Aaaargh! What the Hell was that?"

"Heheheh ... a metal plate in a schoolbag. That's a pretty basic trick. Don't you know about that?"

One of the bokken-wielding delinquents took the opportunity to rush her, and struck her shin. She dropped to the ground with a pained cry.

"Heh, you martial artist types amuse me; they're usually easy to take down with a rather simple trick," laughed Kojima.

The fallen girl tried to get up, but made the mistake of using her injured hand as a support. Feeling a sharp jolt of pain, she fell back onto the ground. Her eyes filled with tears and she gritted her teeth. She was lying helpless on the ground while her sneering opponents were surrounding her.

"Damn ... damn! I failed! That's not fair! He cheated! Someone ... someone help me!"

"Now, now, look at the mess you made with you inconsiderate actions. You attacked me, injured two of my men and even hurt yourself in the process. You are our sempai and we tried to show you respect, but you have obviously overstepped your position. Now, I might be able to forgive you if offer your apologies on your hands and knees; however my injured men might want some further compensation for the prejudice caused."

Yomi tried to dart away by surprise to get some help, but the punk who had been watching her caught her by the arm.

"Please wait sempai. Kojima-san offered a way to solve this amicably, so everything's gonna be fine ... "

"NOT SO FAST, YOU VILLAINS!"

As she was running toward the flower gardens, Sakaki wondered about what she was going to say. Tomo had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her by the hand and dragged her away, telling her by way of explanation that some juniors were picking on Chiyo-chan. Of course, she would do her best to convince them to stop, but she doubted she was going to be much help; she wasn't very good at scolding people. Tomo should have gotten the help of a teacher in such matters.

As they reached the spot Tomo had left a few minutes ago, the energetic girl immediately made their arrival known in her usual loud manner. However, her voice died in her throat and her eyes widened, when she took in the situation.

Kagura was lying helplessly on the ground, clutching her shin, obviously trying hard not to cry, while half-a-dozen boys were gathered around her, looking down at their victim with triumphant and leering faces. One of them, holding his bruised jaw, had a murderous expression. Yomi was struggling against the grip of a strong looking punk, and Chiyo was standing near to Kagura, her face hidden in her hands, and her little body shaken with sobs. As for the sophomore boy, he was nowhere in sight, having managed to slip away somehow.

"Who the Hell is that loudmouth?"

"Feh, it's that famous idiot girl from class 3-3."

"And what's with the beanpole girl?"

"You'd better look out, you punks," shouted Tomo, having recovered from her shock. "Or this person here is going to give you the worse ass-kicking of your entire pitiful existences! This here is Sakaki, the guardian of this school!"

"Tomo, go get a teacher you idiot, hurry!" screamed Yomi.

"Now you stupid sempai are starting to get on my nerves," growled Kojima, approaching the two girls in his sloppy gait. "What kind of nut-job class is 3-3? A girl, the guardian? Everybody knows that the real guardian is Ôyama-san from class 3-2!"

"Baka! Sakaki was this school's guardian well before you bunch of carnival Yanki arrived here. She can smack around that Ôyama fake anytime she wants. So you'd better beat it, and quick!"

Kojima considered the tall girl in front of him. "What kind of lame bluff is that? ... Damn, that girl is huge ... taller than me; almost as tall as that Ôyama freak! And what's with that look? Is she trying to stare me down?"

"What's the matter with you, you huge woman? You gonna beat me up?" Kojima asked, suddenly jumping into Sakaki's personal space ... and bringing his face right into her outstretched palm.

"Ow! Damn! You ... you hit me in the face! It's the second time today a bitch hits me! What's with all of you psycho broads?" he roared, holding up his broken sunglasses.

Touching his nose, he noticed some blood on his fingertips.

"You ... you made me bleed! You dared ... you ... Shit! I'm bleeding! What the Hell are you gonna do about it, huh? ... HUH?"

Very suddenly, Sakaki bowed at the waist, making Kojima jump back in alarm, and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"I'm terribly sorry."

Her upper body whipped back in a lightning quick motion; and she stared at him, head held back a little, eyes wide, and the corners of her mouth turned downwards.

"What's with that tone and look? Shit, she's mocking me; she's looking down at me, that bitch!"

"You think that's enough? If apologies solved everything, there wouldn't be the need for police!"

"Ha! Now that's a lame line!" mocked Tomo from behind her tall classmate. "Who the Hell still uses that line nowadays? And what's with the corny hairstyle? Didn't it go out of date after the 1950's? No wonder you Yanki punks are becoming an extinct species! Baka, Baaaakaaaa!"

"I'll deal with you next, retard. Now, as for you, beanpole girl, I think you owe me some kind of retribution ... I don't like half-assed apologies, and -- "

Kojima suddenly darted forward and grabbed her chest. He looked at her in the eyes and grinned, feeling the soft, ample mounds inside his palms. Suddenly, they seemed to vanish completely from his grasp; his hands, feeling empty, relaxed slightly, and reached forward ...

An audible crack was heard, and the Yanki boy froze.

"Huh? ... Ahh ... My ... GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! You ... you broke my wrists! Aaaaaargghh ... oh God, shiiiiit!" Kojima was writhing with pain, holding his limp hands in front of him.

"Wh ... what are you saying Kojima-san? She didn't move at all, how could she break your wrists?" exclaimed one of his goons.

"I'm telling you, hgnnnhh ... MY FRIGGING WRISTS ARE BROKEN!" the hapless delinquent screamed, hobbling towards his followers, trying to ease his pain by pressing his arms against his body, but failing miserably.

Everybody was completely stunned in the face of Sakaki's merciless response to Kojima's aggression. Even Tomo was struck speechless, gaping at her friend like she was looking at her for the first time.

As for Sakaki herself, her mind had been drowning in an ocean of fear and horror since the very beginning. At first glance, she had instinctively understood that the situation was more dangerous than Kagura's friendly challenge at the Hanami picnic.

At the sight of poor Chiyo-chan, crying helplessly, and the injured Kagura lying on the ground, her body had been seized by a cold sweat, and her breath caught in her throat. She had wanted to do of say something to save her friends, but she just couldn't move or emit a sound.

When she had been approached by that horrible person with the shades and the scowl full of hate, she had reflexively held her hand in front of her to keep him away and had hit him by accident.

At that moment, she had started to feel sick in her stomach and it had taken all of her willpower not to start crying.

And when he had suddenly touched her in such an intimate way, she had felt terribly violated; her body had moved all by herself, as she was overcome by a great shudder coming from her feet and travelling up to her chest.

Now her conscious mind was slowly fading away. She could see everything around her very sharply, but at the same time she was starting to have trouble recognising faces or understanding what was said. All she knew was that she and her friends were being surrounded by several hostile presences.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?" suddenly bellowed a deep, loud voice. Ôyama and his two henchmen appeared; behind them was standing the trembling sophomore who had managed to slip away when Kojima's group had been busy with Kagura. Instead of notifying a teacher, he had brought the self-appointed school guardian.

"O..Ôyama-san! That ... that girl, she injured me for no reason! She broke my hands! Aaaargh! She's a frigging psycho!"

"What the Hell, Kojima! You're getting beaten up by girls now? How pitiful are you? And you're calling yourself the boss of the second years?"

"She ... she took me by surprise! And she's totally crazy! She did that for no reason! Give her a lesson, Ôyama-san! Mess her up! Ooooow!"

"Hey, it's the girl Ôyama-san fancies!" whispered the first henchman to the second. "I wonder what's he's gonna do."

"Hmpf. Why should I be the one to solve your conflicts with your sempai, Kojima? Besides, you've been doing too much of a rumpus lately, you should watch yourself." said the School Guardian in a condescending tone.

"Heh! Just as I thought. Now that Kojima is weakened, he chooses to give him his warning. Typical Ôyama-san." whispered the second henchman.

The tall boy glanced back and sent him a murderous glare.

"But ... but this crazy broad claimed she was the real guardian!" shouted one of Kojima's goons.

"What?"

"She said you were a fake, and that she would kick your ass, Ôyama-san!"

"What she did to Kojima-san was totally uncalled for! She broke his hands for God's sake!"

"Uh, you do have to do something about it, Ôyama-san," said one of his two henchmen.

Ôyama approached the tall girl and looked at her beautiful face. "She's completely different than when I was watching her this morning. Hehe! She does look a little scary."

The brutish boy closed his eyes for a second and took a somewhat pontificating expression.

"Ahem. Ojô-san. You shouldn't hit your underclassmen and treat them harshly. Also, if you make false claims, you might offend some dangerous people, and I wouldn't want a delicate person like you to be hurt. Now, I'm willing to forgive and forget what, uh ... happened today, if you offer your sincere apologies -- "

"But what about my frigging hands?" a voice screamed.

" ... And uh, maybe if you joined me for tea after school ... " Ôyama added in a lower tone of voice, putting his big hand on her shoulder.

"What the Hell is Ôyama-san saying?" wondered his first henchman.

Ôyama found that his hand just couldn't make contact with the shoulder of the tall girl. Even though she seemed nearly immobile in front of him, her shoulder was still somehow eluding his palm. Reflexively, his hand tried to follow its goal, and he leaned forward; she turned slightly, and he continued leaning forward, being somewhat distracted by her wide, glassed-over eyes staring at him. He noticed too late that he was loosing his balance, and stumbled to the floor.

"Wh ... what the Hell, she took him down without touching him?" he heard a voice utter.

Ôyama jumped back to his feet, feeling embarrassed.

"Wait a minute, you ... " he tried to grab both her shoulders, but like the previous time, they seemed to disappear from his grasp; and suddenly she stuck them forward very quickly, hitting his hands and flinging them away.

"What the?" This time, he grabbed one of her thin arms into his hand but a sharp shudder seamed to pass through her limb as she ripped it out of his grasp in a twisting motion, bending back his thumb painfully.

"Oww! Now listen here, Ojô-san; I'm not going to let it slide this time!"

He took both her wrists in an iron grip and she tensed up. Suddenly, she went completely limp, and he felt as if a support had been taken from under his arms; as a result, he was drawn forward slightly ... she then pulled downwards sharply on his left hand, and he smashed his nose onto her lowered forehead.
He leaned back with a pained shout, and she pulled him into the other direction with her right arm. He released her and fell on his bottom, holding his bruised nose.

"Ooow! Why you!"

He jumped to his feet once again, and overcome with anger, tried to give her a slap with his enormous palm. In the same way she had dealt with Kagura's kick one month prior, Sakaki leaned back slightly, and with her right hand guided his arm on its intended path, deviating it just above her head; then she flung it away from her with a quick whipping motion. Ôyama, already carried along by his own momentum was completely turned around, and tripped spectacularly on her raised foot.

He fell flat on his face, skidding on the gravel for a few meters.

Everyone was gaping; Chiyo had stopped crying and was looking at Sakaki with wide, hopeful eyes while clutching her hands against her chest.

"What the Hell are you doing, Ôyama-san?" shouted his first henchman.

"You can't let her embarrass you like that! Do something!" added the second.

"Hmmpf." growled Ôyama, getting up and spitting out a mouthful of gravel. "That's how it is. It appears that I have underestimated you. You are truly a strong woman. Yes, such creatures sometimes appear on the path young men undertake toward true manliness ... "

He took off his black gakuran jacket and flung it to the side, revealing his wide, bare chest. Like a true Yanki, he was only wearing cloth wrappings around his mid-riff under his uniform.

"What is Ôyama-san doing? And what the Hell is he blathering about?" wondered the first henchman.

"He's embarrassing himself again ... " sighed the second.

" ... However, you shouldn't look down on the true power of a man. Prepare yourself. Since you aren't giving me another choice, I shall fight you sincerely and seriously."

Sakaki had attained a state where she couldn't understand nor utter coherent speech. She was breathing in short, ragged breaths, and her body was plagued with hot waves of shivers and nausea. She was completely incapable of moving, except when something entered her personal space, and then her body reacted on its own.

Now, all of her attention was focused on a huge, hulking half-naked brute, with a deep rumbling voice, slowly approaching her, intent on getting his big hands on her person. She saw him adopt a slightly crouched position, ready to leap forward. Time seemed to slow down in her mind, and her pupils shrunk.

"Damn, she looks like a psycho killer right now," thought Ôyama. "How the Hell did she move like that anyway? Is that some kind of weird martial art? But I didn't see her take any kind of stance ... Hmpf, anyway, maybe she's big for a girl, but she has no chance against me when it comes down to strength and weight. All I have to do is get close; and now that I'm serious, she won't make me loose my balance again ... in the wrestling team I was called the 'unmovable mountain'. I'll be able to bring her down to the ground easily and pin her. I'll use one of my best submission techniques, hehehe ... "

Ôyama started to circle his opponent slowly, and realizing that she wouldn't react, quickly leaped forward into range. But instead of rushing to grab her immediately, he adjusted his balance on the ground first, then feinted as if he intended to encircle her waist in a bear hug, but went for her shoulders at the last moment. As he was bringing his hands up, he saw her raising her own arms held together, and then shudder violently, making a lighting fast downward circle with both hands.

The edges of Sakaki's hands raked sharply against his inner wrists, and he instantly felt ill, as if all of his energy had been sapped from his body at once. He went a little green in the face, and his knees buckled.

She then made a small step and brought her palms forward; he distinctively saw an even more violent wave traveling up her body from her feet all the way into her arms; it reached the palms just as they touched his torso, just below his pectoral muscles.

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The large boy was instantly airborne. He was thrown back for several meters and landed heavily on his back.

Sakaki had merely tried to scream "no!" and push her assailant back, however to the spectators it looked as if she had sent him flying with a small, sharp gesture and a piercing war-cry, her long hair suddenly fluttering about her beautiful but menacing face.

"Holy shit! She took him out in one move!"

"Ôyama-san! Pull yourself together!" shouted his henchmen, running at his side.

The tall brute was lying on his back, eyes wide, desperately gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth. A steady stream of blood was flowing from his nose. He was trying to utter something.

"Urgh ... grrgll ... so ... urk ... so nice ... "

His eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp.

"What the Hell did he say? And what's with the nosebleed?"

"Shit! He's out cold!"

"Oh my God! He's bleeding from the ears too! She ... she did some internal damage to him!"

"Who the Hell is that girl? She's a monster!"

At the sound of all the loud voices, Sakaki looked around her wildly, trying to locate other threats. With a painful effort, she managed to fill her lungs with air and screamed, in her loudest voice:

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Of course, what was in fact a desperate shriek sounded like an enraged roar.

The group of juvenile delinquents glanced from the fallen body of the school guardian to the tall girl's crazy, glazed-over eyes with pinpoint-sized pupils. And scattered.

Kaorin had finally been able to free herself from the evil clutches of Kimura-sensei who had been trying to convince her to accompany him tend to "Kaorin and Kimurin's flower garden". She was nearing the school gates with a relieved sigh when she noticed Osaka's frail form standing there idly. She was softly humming "Karaoke, karaoke, karaoke ... " with a happy smile on her face.

"Ah, Hello, Osaka; are you waiting for something?"

The sometimes narcoleptic girl slowly turned towards her ex-classmate.

"Karaoke!"

"Are you waiting for the others to go to a karaoke bar?"

"Karaokeee!" Osaka's happy smile turned beatific.

"Um, is ... Sakaki-san coming too?"

"Ehehehe ... would you like to come with us, Kaorin-chan?"

"Umm ... I wouldn't want to intrude!"

"But you are still our dear, precious friend Kaorin-chan, even though they put you into another class, and you are always busy with your astronomy club and can never come to Chiyo-chan's summer house with us and -- "

"Urk."

" ... Besides, don't you want to listen to Sakaki-chan's beautiful voice?"

"I ... I'll come with you. Definitely. I'll come."

"Ehehehe ... karaoke!"

"But where are all the others? Isn't it getting late?"

"Ummm? Ah! Sô ya! Kagura-chan, Tomo-chan, and Yomi-chan all went to get Chiyo-chan who was watering the flowers. Then Sakaki-chan arrived here and waited for them with me. But then Tomo-chan came back in a hurry and took Sakaki-chan with her. I've been waiting for them ever since ... "

"Eh? Where did they go? Maybe we'd better go and look for them!"

"Hmm I think it was this way ... they probably went to the flower gardens."

The two girls were nearing the gym building when they were nearly run over by a group of juvenile delinquents frantically running away from something with panicked expressions. One of them looked like he was in serious pain with injured hands, and another had a big bruise on the side of his face.

"Eeeeeeek!" Kaorin managed to jump out of the way, but Osaka wasn't so lucky and was bumped from one boy to another, and finally fell flat on her back with swirly eyes.

"Itai! Itai! Itai! ... Itai! Itai! Itai! ... Itai, itai ... Itai, itai, itai ... "

"Uh ... they're gone now, Osaka. Are you alright?"

"Ooooooh ... I think so," the hapless girl replied weakly.

"Wh ... what on Earth happened?"

"Oh, those were the Yanki. It seems like they were in a fight. Uh? Wait a minute ... " she pinched herself in the arm. " Itai ... "

"A ... a fight? Oh my God, Sakaki-san!" Kaorin started running in the direction where the fleeing boys had been coming from, pausing one second to pick up a stone.

"Ah ... ah ... wait for meeee!" Osaka called to Kaorin, who was rapidly growing more distant.

"Hyeeeeeeee!" Kaorin jumped in fright as she came across Ôyama's panicked henchmen dragging their boss' heavy carcass with them.

"Wh, wh, what happened here? Sakaki-saaaan!" Kaorin ran even faster, paying no attention to a thin, bespectacled sophomore boy walking by with a stunned expression.

As she reached the back of the gym building, Kaorin finally got sight of her beloved Sakaki-san. The beautiful girl had an unreadable look on her face and she seemed to gaze into the distance. Chiyo was clutching her friend's waist like a life preserver, her teary face pressed against the tall body just below the chest. One of Sakaki's hands was resting comfortingly on her back.

Kagura was leaning on one of her taller friend's shoulders; there was a big bruise and some dried blood on one of her legs. She was looking at Sakaki with flushed cheeks and stars in her eyes.

Tomo was jumping around, screaming something about "total victory," and throwing imprecations at the fleeing boys, although they were already out of ear's reach.

As for Yomi, she was looking somewhat haggard, holding her head in her hands, muttering under her breath.

" ... No, no, no. That just didn't happen. Sakaki didn't do any of this ... she's just a normal girl, not some psychotic Kung-fu master. This is not reality ... "

"Yomi? Wh ... what happened here? "

" ... I'm inside Osaka's dreams, right? ... Or maybe Kaorin's?"

"Eh? Yomi! Tell me what happened! Please tell me!"

Kaorin started to shake her friend frantically.

"Please, what did I miss? ... WHAT DID I MISS?"

The next morning, Sakaki found herself walking to school in a zombie-like state. She had a vacant look and dark rings under her eyes.

All she could remember from the previous day was that Chiyo had been bullied by bad students, and that somehow, she herself had hurt two of them badly. She also remembered excusing herself from her friends right after the incident and going straight home where she collapsed onto her bed and slept the sleep of the dead.

How could she have done such a thing? Was it because of her training? But sensei never spoke about fighting. Then again, she did say something about her body being somehow uncontrollable ... Maybe there really was some kind of wild beast inside her! Other people seemed to sense it from time to time, but she herself had always been ignorant about it. Was she some kind of dangerous, uncontrollable monster, who could hurt someone at any moment?

She felt even worse when she thought about how she had abandoned her friends without even trying to comfort them after that ordeal. She was indeed a selfish person, thinking of her own problems before her dear friends, who were in much worse pain than herself. Kagura had been injured! And what about poor, emotive Chiyo-chan? Who knew what kind of mental trauma she was suffering from ...

Sakaki suddenly found herself joined by her little friend who gave her one of her big bright smiles and started walking alongside her, just like everyday. The tall girl was stunned. "She smiled at me ... does it mean she forgives me?"

Chiyo started chatting cheerfully about the school trip to Okinawa and how much fun they were going to have.

"She isn't mentioning anything about yesterday's events! How ... how nice of her! She's so sweet! How can I deserve such a wonderful friend?"

Sakaki tried to show her gratefulness to her small classmate, but all she could manage was a weak smile. Chiyo beamed at her with an utterly trusting expression. The tall girl suddenly noticed that her friend had been walking much closer to her than usual.

As they arrived before the school gates, Sakaki's heart sunk at the sight of the group that was awaiting her there. Ôyama, flanked by his two henchmen, was blocking her path. He was looking a little pale. Behind him, several other delinquents from first and second year were lined up. "They are more numerous that yesterday," noticed Sakaki.

Strangely, instead of cowering behind her taller friend, Chiyo was throwing them defiant looks and even growling cutely.

"Have they gathered for revenge? (Sigh ... ) this is the end. Chiyo-chan, please, run and get to safety."

Ôyama filled his powerful lungs with air, opened his large mouth and announced loudly:

"Sakaki-sama! We hereby acknowledge you as the rightful guardian of this school! This school is now officially under your rule and supervision. We're under your protection Sakaki-sama!"

He bowed formally, and all of the other hoodlums mimicked him. They all chorused, "We're under your protection Sakaki-sama!"

Ôyama marched stiffly to the astounded girl and snatched her schoolbag out of her hand.

"Let me carry your bag, Sakaki-sama. We shall escort you to your classroom ... "

"Umm, it's not ness-- "

"Please, allow me to say that I am deliriously happy of having the opportunity to assist you in running this school as your Number Two ... "

"But ... I ... "

"Ôyama-san is losing himself in his dream-world again ... " muttered one of his henchmen.

" ... And I shall personally make sure that Kojima-kun gives you his respects as soon as he comes back from the hospital. Also -- "

The tall boy was suddenly presented with a second schoolbag. He stopped his ramblings abruptly.

"Um ... Chiyo-chan's bag ... " announced Sakaki in a quiet, resigned voice, handing him the object.

"Ah! Of course! Ahem. Good morning to you, Sakaki-sama's friend!"

"Grrrrr ... it's Mihama-san to you."

"Of course ... Mihama-san. Now let us proceed to class."

Sakaki and Chiyo started walking towards class in the unwanted company of the three hooligans, who were throwing dirty looks to everyone who crossed their path.

Sakaki noticed the awed looks some of the first and second year students were giving her. A few girls greeted her with "Gokigen yo, Sakaki-sama." Some even bowed deeply before her. Of course, she bowed back awkwardly and returned the greetings.

She had been used to admiring looks from younger girls; although it saddened her sometimes, feeling that they looked up at her because of qualities she did not really possess. But this ... this depressed her to a whole new level.

As henchman N°1 slid the door to class 3-3 open for her, Sakaki glanced at her classmates, lounging about the classroom and waiting for Yukari-sensei's arrival. Some of them noticed her, and gave her a friendly greeting gesture or a smile. She noticed Osaka in the background waving at her happily and Tomo flashing her a big grin.

"That's right! Maybe nothing will change in my class! After all, my classmates have known me for more than two years ... Yes, they know me better, and hopefully they won't treat me any different than usual."

As she was about to enter her classroom, Ôyama stepped forward suddenly and bellowed:

"Make way for Sakaki-sama you punks! And you'd better watch out, she's in a foul mood right now!"

-- Yanki: according to the fascinating history of Japanese delinquents, hooligans, and other bad eggs, Yanki appeared in the years following WWII. At the time, Hoodlums and gangsters adopted American clothes and hairstyles, thus the nickname. Even nowadays, some Yanki still use American hairstyles from the 5O's.

Yanki have a wild fashion sense; apart from their appalling hairstyles, they often wear wide pants tied with string, cloth wrappings around bare torsos, and long open coats with inspirational or nationalistic inscriptions ("Live beautifully, die young", "Power back to the Emperor", etc.). Bosozoku go even further in their fashion statements, which can include surgical masks, painted helmets, paramilitary uniforms, Kamikaze pilot jumpsuits, tacky Hawaiian shirts, etc. When in school, Yanki try to modify their uniforms to their liking, without breaking the dress code too much.

-- Kôshien: the National High School Baseball Championship. It's a shônen manga cliché when the story follows the struggles of a high school team as they make it to Kôshien.

-- Abisemashô: means "let's water (the plants)". Chiyo sings this to her signature tune, the "tsukurimasho" ("let's make something").

-- Bokken (or Bokuto): a wooden sword, a training tool used in Kendo and other martial arts. It's a popular weapon among Japanese juvenile delinquents.

-- Gokigen yo: a polite way of saying "good day". "Gokigen yo, xxxx-sama" is typical line in some shôjo-ai manga ... you know, the ones portraying young maidens doing maidenly things inside maidenly rose gardens within maidenly catholic schools for girls ... in other words, Maria-sama ga Miteru and its many rip-offs.