Story: Fist of the Necoconeco (chapter 8)

Authors: Guu_chan

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Chapter 8

[Author's notes: Disclaimer: Any resemblance between a character of this chapter and a hero from a recent hip and trendy shônen fighting manga -- (cough) Tenjô Tenge (cough) -- is purely coincidental.

Reminder: when you read °something like that° it means that a character is speaking in another language than Japanese (English, Chinese ... ).

]

Chapter 8: Sakaki vs the Super Saiya-Jin Warrior
(Where Sakaki faces a hip and trendy shônen manga hero ... )

"(Sigh ... ) this school is boring ... "

"True, true, Ôyama-san."

Ôyama and his two henchmen were lounging dejectedly behind the gym, smoking cigarettes.

"That Samurai-Girl ... she's too effective a guardian. Nobody dares to misbehave ... we don't get any action here!" complained henchman N°1.

"Please call her Sakaki-sama! Anyway ... you're right. That Kojima weasel came back from hospital a few days ago; I had hoped that he would try to take revenge or something, but he seems to be completely terrified of her."

"True, Ôyama-san. Besides, most of his followers were boys from this school who wanted to try acting like punks ... all these wannabes have disappeared into the ground. There are only a few true Yanki left here," regretted henchman N°2.

"Yeah, and it's not like we can go challenge another school. The only school with punks nearby is the one where our former classmates from Hiirin High School were transferred. It wouldn't feel right to fight them."

"Ah, Sakaki-sama ... isn't there anyone worthy of challenging you?"

"Ôyama-san, please, this is embarrassing. If you're so obsessed with her, why don't you go and ask her out? (Although it's completely hopeless ... )" said henchman N°1, muttering the last part under his breath.

"Well, she probably wouldn't go out with someone weaker than her. After all, she did kick Ôyama-san's ass thoroughly."

"Hmpf, against a girl, of course I held back most of my power. Still, she is so amazing ... and the girl's summer uniform is so nice ..."

"Yeah, right ... listen, if you want to ask her out, just do it! (Although it's completely hopeless ... ) You're a true Yanki, you've got to use your guts and fighting spirit! And please stop doing embarrassing things like yesterday; you're going to tarnish your reputation as N°2 of this school."

"Grrrr, that moralizing Glasses-Girl, she's getting on my nerves! And that Swimming-Girl, acting like she is Sakaki-sama's N°2!"

"Are you even listening, Ôyama-san? Today Glasses-Girl and Crazy-Girl are both absent; Swimming-Girl has gone ... well, swimming. So you have a good opportunity for approaching Sakaki-sama and talking to her, and even asking her out! (Although it's completely hopeless ... )"

"Wait! You mustn't underestimate Pigtailed-Girl, she's quite stubborn when keeping someone from approaching Samurai-Girl ... And don't forget Space-Cadet-Girl! She can get you completely off track with her weird questions! Hmm, I think it's pretty hopeless for Ôyama-san after all ... "

"Shhh, don't say it out loud!" whispered Henchman N°1 to N°2. "If Ôyama-san asks Samurai-Girl out and she rejects him clearly, maybe he'll snap out of it and stop making us, the last true Yanki, look like complete idiots!"

"Ooh, I see!"

"Ah!" suddenly exclaimed Ôyama; "yesterday, I think I saw two punks sneaking around. One of them looked dangerous, with a purple Mohawk!"

"A ... purple Mohawk? Uhhh, Ôyama-san, are you sure you weren't lost ... in your thoughts again?"

"Hmm, was I dreaming? ... anyway, maybe we could find that guy again. He's probably a threat to the safety of this school. We need to inform ... our guardian."

"This is pathetic," sighed henchman N°1, looking sadly at his boss, who was staring into the distance with a blush spreading on his large face.

"Oh that reminds me!" said N°2. "I remember seeing last month a totally crazy guy, probably more dangerous than that imaginary Mohawk guy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know, that guy! The one who was supposed to be in Kimura's class, but was suspended on the very first day because he punched the Vice-principal in the face after the entrance ceremony!"

"What? Hahahaha! Hilarious! I can't believe I missed that! Where did that guy come from? Hiirin High School, like us?"

"I have no idea where he comes from. Never seen a freaky guy like that before. And God knows how many freaks we have been rubbing shoulders with at Hiirin High. Anyway, that guy had a really stupid name ... what was it again?"

"Yamamoto Brad," interrupted Ôyama, snapping out of his trance.

"Say again? What kind of weird name is that? Do you know him, Ôyama-san?"

"He's supposedly half-American. Looks like a frigging psycho. I don't know him really, but I didn't like the attitude he was giving me and really wanted to bash his face in. But he was suspended before I could challenge him."

"Hmmm ... so there is still an interesting guy around. Do you know for how long he's supposed to be suspended?"

"For six weeks, ending today ..." drawled a new voice.

The three punks turned in the direction of the voice. And stared.

"Shit, that's him! He's even freakier that I remember!" said henchman N°2. "Look at that spiked bleached hair! It's bigger than before!"

"And the shaved eyebrows ... and those crazy eyes! Is he on drugs or something?"

The newcomer smirked arrogantly.

"Ya know, it's not very nice to comment on someone's appearance in their presence ..."

"With THAT kind of appearance, you're asking for it!"

"So, Ôyama, °big boy° ... I was just looking for you. I wanted to tell you something. Hmm, what was it again? °Oh, Yeah°! I'm taking that school over from you now, °Mister° guardian!"

"What's with the fake American accent? Stop acting like an idiot, and maybe Ôyama-san will be merciful and not pummel you too hard!"

Oh Yeah°? I thought he already wanted to bash my face in."

"Very well; I accept your challenge, Yamamoto ... Brad," said the tall hoodlum, removing his jacket.

The spiky-haired boy took his own jacket off. It was abnormally long, looking rather like a coat; and the lining displayed a Japanese painting of a dragon flying above the raging ocean. He was wearing a red muscle shirt sporting the kanji for "Fighting Spirit", with an English translation underneath. There was a spelling mistake at "Spirrit".

"God! That guy has bad taste; even I can see that!" remarked henchman N°1.

"Is he really half-American? He sounds like a fake to me!"

Yamamoto Brad adopted a very low fighting stance, and gave his opponent a cocky grin.

Come on°!"

The supposedly half-American boy had a youthful face, contrasting with his constant arrogant sneer. Moreover, he was thin and not very tall, but at the same time incredibly muscular. His brawny arms were ridged with prominent veins. All in all, he looked like an overgrown psychotic child.

"Damn, he really must be on drugs ... do you think he's a heroin addict?"

"Tsk, tsk ... °boys°, my only drug is ... °Spirit°!" Yamamoto said flippantly to the two henchmen, before charging towards his bigger opponent and jump-kicking him.

"DORRRYAAAAA!"

"Damn, that guy is fast! Ouch! Ôyama-san took a hit!"

"What kind of crazy moves are those?"

"I think he's using that Capoeira style. Ooow, shit! That looks painful!"

"Wow, Ôyama-san's tougher than I thought! Go, Ôyama-san! Make that idiot taste your German Suplex!"

"Pile-drive him into the ground Ôyama-san!"

"Yeah! That's it! You're invincible in ground-fighting, Ôyama-san! Wh ... what the hell? How can this guy kick from that position? It looks like he's doing Hip-Hop Breakdancing or something!"

"Oh no! Ôyama-san's getting his ass kicked! Shit! He's bleeding!"

The tall brute fell heavily on the ground with a pained grunt. He had several bruises on his face, and was bleeding from the nose.

"You already finished, °beeyatch°?" mocked the smaller boy.

"Whoa! Ôyama-san is getting up! That guy may be good, but Ôyama-san is finally showing his legendary guts again!"

"All right you two, let's regroup!" ordered Ôyama, grabbing his two henchmen, instead of jumping back into his battle.

"What the Hell?"

"Listen; that guy is a monster, we've got to unite our strengths."

"What? But isn't this a man-to-man fight?"

"I know, but this goes beyond personal matters! That guy wants to take over the school. We've fighting for the sake of our beloved guardian! We've got to protect her from that psychopath!"

"But, but ... attacking him three-to-one! Isn't that cowardly?"

"No, this is called strategy, strategy! And, I ... I mean ... what if he defeats Sakaki-sama and she falls in love with him and they go out and -- "

"Damn, and I was just starting to have faith in you again ... Oh what the Hell, let's do it, Ôyama-san. I have a strong urge to pound that guy in that deranged face of his anyway."

"All right, you two. We'll use the Triangular Delta Formation Attack!"

"The what?"

"He means surrounding him and attacking together from all sides."

"Oh."

Hey°, are you three finished yet?"

Ôyama advanced towards the spiky-haired boy, while his henchmen flanked him on both sides.

Okaaay°! Since you're so eager to learn about pain, I'll show you something neat! Hehehe ... here's a °cool° move; I'll let you worship it! Haaaaaaaaaa ..." his eyes widened crazily, and he tensed all his muscles until they became rock-hard.

"What the hell is he blabbering about?"

"Hey! Is he powering up or something? He looks like a freaking Saiya-Jin!"

"Don't get distracted! Okay you two, on my signal ... GO!"

"BAKUYAKU TÔKI HIZUME-KEN!"

Yamamoto's arm shot towards Ôyama with incredible speed; the air seemed to ripple around it in a spiral motion. The fist buried itself in the tall boy's gut with the strength of a freighter train, and a shockwave spread across his entire body.

Then the crazy boy jumped up, putting his hands on Ôyama's head as a support, and, doing the splits, kicked both henchmen in the face.

Three bodies hit the ground at the same time.

"This, my friends, is what they call °Strength°! ...It was only one punch, but contained within was energy, time, sweat, history, philosophy, and °Spirit°. The art of hand-to-hand combat is truly deep."

"Owww ... damn! He kicked me in the face, but he's still not making ANY sense!"

"Aargh ... if you want to use a cool fighting move, please don't give it a stupid name like 'Explosive Fighting Spirit Horse Hoof Fist'!"

"Ok, you two smart-asses, I'll let you live because you amuse me."

"Actually, we have ... argh, oww ... we have names ... I'm -- "

"Whatever. As for you, guardian, thank you for taking care of this school before it passed under my rule ... "

Yamamoto Brad gripped the fallen boy by the collar and scowled.

"You know, this victory leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, I had wanted to transfer to Hiirin High School to kick some ass, but it was destroyed in an earthquake. Heh. Looks like the Gods keep putting obstacles in my quest for true °Strength° ..." the insane boy looked somewhat wistfully in the distance.
"However," he continued, "I was quite glad to hear that Hiirin's strongest fighter was the guardian here, so I accepted being transferred to this wimpy school ... Couldn't you have given me a better fight?
Shit°. What now? I'm supposed to be the boss of a bunch of nerds? What's the opportunity for good fights in that kind of place?"

"Urk ... ooow ... so ... be glad you aren't really the boss around here then."

"What the Hell? You want me to pummel you some more?"

"Heh. Too bad I'm not the guardian here anymore ... "

"What? You mean someone took the title from you while I was suspended? And he's still around here?"

"Heheheh ... that's a pretty impressive technique you got there. Too bad you couldn't really knock me out with it; even after giving me several kicks to the head. It didn't feel like ... that time."

"Shit, you want to die? Are you saying that guy's punches are more powerful?"

"Well, maybe you'll have to see for yourself ..."

Interesting!°"

"Ôyama-san!" exclaimed one of the henchmen, "I thought you didn't want Sakaki-sama to fight that guy? Ow!"

The spiky-haired boy stepped on the fallen boy's chest and asked, grinning madly:

"Who's that Sakaki person?"


 

Kaorin was in Hell.

Despite it being a rather customary situation for her lately, her hellish sufferings had just been heightened to a whole new level. She was sitting at her desk, rigid like a statue, not daring to breathe or move. Her back was aching with tension, and she was sweating bullets.

In front of her, Kimura-sensei was droning about the classical tale of Heike Monogatari in his eerie monochord voice. Because of his perpetually fogged-up glasses, it was difficult to guess where he was looking; but Kaorin had been developing a sixth sense, telling her exactly when she was under the creepy scrutiny of her homeroom teacher.

However, the main source of her apprehension was not Kimura-sensei, but the student right behind her, leaning back against his chair in a sloppy attitude, looking bored, and throwing dirty glances around him every now and then. It was that psychotic-looking boy with blond spiked hair; the one who had been suspended at the beginning of the year. Even without looking at him, she could feel his petrifying aura of aggressiveness. It seemed as if he would explode at any moment; and Kaorin didn't dare to move or make a noise.

Why did he have to be in her class? Why did he have to be seated just behind her? Why did SHE have to be in that class in the first place?

Normally she would have been very interested in this lesson, as it was about a passage of the Heike Monogatari recounting the epic adventures of the famous feudal-age heroine Tomoe-gozen, tamer of wild horses, slayer of the strongest of samurai warriors, and most certainly role-model of Kaorin's idol, Sakaki.

But today the shy girl didn't seem to be able to summon forth images of a O-yoroi armor-wearing, naginata-wielding Sakaki to fortify her soul. Even more than the immediate threat of the juvenile psychopath behind her, she was worried about the rumours about him circulating in school since his return three days ago.

Apparently, he had easily defeated the self-appointed "guardian" Ôyama and his two followers, and now intended to "take over the school". Kaorin greatly disliked that tall brute who had tried to fight Sakaki-san and now pestered her regularly, but the idea of a monster like Yamamoto Brad attacking her beautiful angel chilled her to the core.

Although she had absolute confidence in the powerful girl's fighting skills, she was also aware that crazy people sometimes possessed unnatural strength. Even though Sakaki-san would be without doubts victorious in a fight against Yamamoto, what if she was injured in the process? The idea of her beloved's pure, flawless ivory skin being marred with bruises brought a sick feeling to Kaorin's stomach.

However, a small part of her was looking forward to watching such a fight. She regretted dearly not having been able to witness the incident between Sakaki-san and the Yanki hooligans two weeks ago. From what she had been able to gather from Yomi and an eyewitness from first year, it had been truly amazing. After punishing a second-year who had touched her chest, she had toyed disdainfully with Ôyama for a few minutes; then, having had enough of him, she had sent the heavy boy flying, unconscious, with a simple push on the chest.

For so long, Kaorin's dreams had been populated by various incarnations of Sakaki, displaying incredible powers and an enticingly domineering attitude ... and now that it had happened for real, she wasn't even present to witness it!

Life was so unfair! Was she being punished by the Gods? Maybe she deserved everything that happened to her, precisely because she harbored selfish thoughts like wanting to watch Sakaki-san fight!
She was also guilty of having tried to steal glances at the tall girl's body in the changing room, when they were still in the same class.
Kaorin still remembered having a glimpse of her panties once, partially hidden behind the dark curtain of long silky hair ... although she wasn't sure she had seen right, because the kitten pattern seemed so incredibly cute ... Sakaki-san couldn't have been wearing such childish undergarments, could she?

Anyway, Kaorin thought, Love was supposed to be pure and selfless, and Sakaki-san wasn't born in this world to fulfil her own selfish little fantasies!

Yes, Kaorin would do her best to support the tall beauty in everything; even if she chose someone other than her to love! And she would also protect her from harm, even if it meant fighting that Yamamoto monster herself! Yes, she would give her life for the sake of her beloved!

Suddenly Kaorin heard Yamamoto shift in his seat, yawn loudly, and stretch his legs, bumping her chair with his foot. She jumped in fright.

Well, maybe she could try to throw stones at him from a distance ... She sighed, slumping on top of her desk.

Even more worrying, the insane boy seemed to have gained many followers in a very short time. A rumor said that he had beaten several boys in second year and that they now recognized him as their leader. Also, that horrible Kojima punk and his goons had suddenly come out of hiding and had been spotted in the company of the new "boss". He was probably waiting for the opportunity to take revenge against Sakaki-san for spraining his wrists.

Kaorin's blood boiled at the thought that this ... beast had dared to defile her angel ... touching her perfect breasts! In her opinion, Sakaki-san had been much too merciful; he deserved to have both arms ripped off!

" ... Now, who would like to read the next part -- Kaorin?" spoke Kimura-sensei, without even pausing between his question and the name of his favorite student.

Kaorin, still furious, stood up, mumbling "why me?" and started to read out the excerpt of the Heike Monogatari which was relating in flowery language the exploits of Tomoe-gozen. By chance, it was Kaorin's favorite passage. It conjured up the image of her beloved Sakaki-san and all her enticing qualities. Every time she read it, she felt exhilarated, and it gave her shivers and goose bumps ...

" ... Tomoe was exceptionally beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and exquisite features. She was an extraordinary archer; and with the sword she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to face a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled untamed horses with magnificent skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, her Lord sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armour, a great sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valour than any of his other warriors ... "

Kaorin caught her breath, and glanced at Kimura-sensei to see if he wanted her to stop or carry on. She was taken aback when she saw tears streaking down his face.

"Oh, Kaorin, you read it with such fervour ... That was ( ... sniff ... ) so moving! You really love classical literature, don't you Kaorin? Classical literature is so beautiful, isn't it, Kaorin ... "

"Wow, Kimura-sensei finally seems to show love for something else than peeping on girls," though Kaorin. "Maybe he didn't become a teacher just because he likes high school girls, after all. He really loves to teach literature! Maybe he also appreciates the story of Tomoe-gozen ... "

"CLASSICAL LITERATURE READ BY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS IS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD!" suddenly screamed Kimura in his shrill voice. " ... But ... what if it was read during gym class? Wouldn't it be even better? ... maybe reading while running laps! ... Yes, with bouncy ... bouncy ... AAAHAAAHAAA! What to do? Should I switch classes with Nyamo-sensei?
" ... But wait, isn't it the season for swimming lessons? YES, AT THE POOL, LITERARY PERFECTION WOULD BE TRANSCENDED!
" ... But ... wouldn't the water damage the books? Does it mean that reading is impossible? Oh no! Achieving perfection is chimerical after all ... The dampness, the wetness! ( ... sniff ... ) WETNESS IS THE ENEMY OF LITERATURE! Nooooooooo ... Tohohohoho ... "

Kimura-sensei slumped over his desk, buried his face in his arms and started to sob.

Kaorin, who had been petrified during her teacher's creepy tirade, nearly jumped two meters high when she heard Yamamoto Brad's fist suddenly smash on his desk.

"Heheheheh ... a samurai woman ... interesting!" the insane boy grinned. "I've been fighting strong guys for so long, it's becoming boring. I want to fight a strong woman someday ... "


 

Kagura switched off her cell phone and put it back into her schoolbag.

"Yomi says her she's still not feeling well and won't come to school today either. And apparently, Tomo still hasn't recovered from the flu."

"Maybe we should go and visit them tonight," suggested Chiyo. "What did Yomi-san say she had?"

"Hmm, I think she said something like tachy ... errr ... tachycardia ... "

"Tachycardia? Isn't that a country somewhere in Europe? Did Yomi-chan go on a trip?" asked Osaka.

"No, no, Osaka-san. I think it actually means palpitations," explained Chiyo.

"Hmm, but I remember watching an animated film about the evil king of Tachycardia, who lived in an gigantic castle. He had a young shepherdess abducted because he wanted to marry her, but in the end he was defeated by a giant robot piloted by a talking bird, and -- "

"Err, that's not it Osaka-san!"

"Did you say palpitations, Chiyo-chan?" asked Kagura, alarmed. "Isn't it a problem with the heart? Is it dangerous? Is Yomi going to die?"

"Umm, no, I don't think it's that dangerous. I heard it can be a temporary reaction provoked by stress ... Anyway, I think we should go and visit her tonight, ne?"

"Yeah, I'm skipping swimming practice today anyway ... my leg still hurts a little ... "

"Ah! You're still hurt, Kagura-san! I'm sorry ... it was my fault! I mean ... I can't believe I still haven't thanked you for saving me! I'm so sorry! Is your leg all right?"

"Yeah, don't worry ... that kind of wound, as long as the bone isn't damaged, it's nothing."

"Well, thank you so much, Kagura-san! You were great; so courageous and strong!"

"Well, don't mention it ... anyway I didn't help much; I'm not strong, I got defeated ... " said the short-haired girl, lowering her head sadly.

"N ...no! You were strong! I swear!" cried out Chiyo, waving her arms frantically. "I mean ... you were great! He cheated! You would have won if he hadn't cheated!"

"You ... you think so?"

"Yes! You would have won! I bet my life on it! I admire you very much, Kagura-san!"

"Oh ... thank you. But I'm no match for Sakaki," the young athlete sighed. "Where is Sakaki anyway? She hasn't come back yet? It's nearly the end of recess."

"I don't know. She usually goes to the tree grove behind the gym and ... um, meditates, I think."

"I hope that Ôyama good-for-nothing doesn't disturb her again."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr ... "

"Um, Chiyo-chan? Calm down."

"Yes, Chiyo-chan, please calm down, or you might get sent to Tachycardia too," added Osaka.


 

Yamamoto Brad was striding down the hall in his arrogant gait, flanked by three mean-looking second year students; one of whom was Kojima, who had still one of his wrists in a cast.

"You're so cool, Buladdo-san!"

"You pronounce it 'Brad', moron."

"Err, yeah ... Yamamoto-san. Anyway, you're so strong! You really are the boss around here! We just have to get the third years under control, and this school will fall under your rule!" flattered the slimy boy with the cast.

"Feh ..."

"Look at the uniform jacket I made for Yamamoto-san's gang!" said another one of the punks, producing a modified gakuran jacket with "The Bomb Fighting SpirritZ" written in red letters on the back. "That's totally cool, right? Soon there'll be many tough guys wearing this uniform and Bula ... err, Yamamoto-san's gang will rule over all the surrounding schools!"

Suddenly, the three sycophants stopped their rant, spotting Sakaki walking down the hall towards them. Yamamoto noticed them shifting uneasily and slowing down behind him.

"Hmm, so that's the girl Ôyama was talking about," thought the spiky-haired boy. "Shit, she's one head taller than me! That pisses me off! And what's the deal with those three morons? In my presence they're still afraid of her? What the Hell? "

The tall girl seemed to be lost in her thoughts and wasn't paying attention to the four boys.

"Is that girl really strong? I don't sense any kind of tension coming from her. She's supposed to have beaten Ôyama in one blow? She doesn't seem to be aware of her surroundings, like a real fighter. Let's see how she reacts ... "

As Sakaki, still gazing in the distance, was about to pass Yamamoto, his fist shot towards her face in a lighting-fast motion. At the same time, Sakaki closed her eyes and sighed softly, pulling back a strand of long dark hair behind her ear in a very feminine gesture. Her arm deflected Yamamoto's fist slightly to the side and he overextended, nearly losing his balance.

She continued walking without even seeming to have noticed him. Suddenly, she stopped, and turned towards him. She blinked a few times, taking in his unusual appearance. Then she took a small bow and spoke in a quiet voice:

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you here. Please forgive me for bumping into you."

She then noticed Kojima and his followers, and frowned, lowering her head, with what looked like an angry expression. The three boys took a step back. She turned around and walked quickly towards her class in long strides.

"What the Hell was that? She 'didn't notice' me? And she shrugged off that surprise attack like it was nothing important? Shit! She was looking down on me!"

"That girl ... she's a monster," whispered Kojima, touching reflexively his still injured wrist.

Suddenly, Yamamoto grabbed him by the throat and smashed him against the wall, staring at him with wild, bloodshot eyes.

"Tell me, °punk°, who's the strongest? Me, or that broad over there?"

"It ... it's you, Ya ... Yamamoto-san," stammered the hapless boy, terrified.

"Y ... yeah, Yamamoto-san," added another follower, "there's only that bitch who still dares to stand in your way. Once you have kicked her ass, our gang will rule over all the schools in the neighborhood! You ... you'll defeat her, right, Yamamoto-san?"

"Keh ... you guys are boring. I quit."

"Wh ... what?"

"I'm not playing around with you sissies anymore. It's boring. I'm taking matters in my own hands. Do what you want."

"But, but ... Yamamoto-san, the 'Bomb Fighting SpirritZ' gang -- "

"Is dissolved. Piss off now."

"But we've already challenged the guys from that other School!"

"So what? Clean your own messes. °Seeya°," called Yamamoto flippantly, heading in the same direction Sakaki went.

"Those stupid punks, pretending to be my followers," though the spiky-haired boy bitterly. "They act like they respect me, but in fact I know they really look down on me, because I'm not 'pure blood' Japanese. Feh, they're just afraid of my strength, like all of those other punks. They're all the same. That's right ... strength is the only important thing in this world."

Yamamoto stopped in front of class 3-3 and roughly opened the sliding door. The students were sitting at their desks, chatting among themselves. The teacher was absent, although recess had already ended a few minutes ago. He spotted the tall girl, sitting at a desk next to the window. She seemed to be gazing at something in the sky.

The ambient chatter died down, replaced by an uneasy silence, as the students noticed the looming presence at the door.

"That's right, I'll let them feel my killer aura ... that girl tried to break my spirit earlier, but now I'll turn the tables on her. I'll make her feel my menacing presence, and she will be uneasy during the whole day, until I challenge her to a fight in the evening. Hehe, good strategy; Miyamoto Musashi always broke his opponent's spirit before a fight, and that's how he was victorious every time."

"Um, excuse me?" spoke a gentle, cheerful voice. A fragile-looking girl with medium-length brown hair and soft features was looking up at him, smiling happily.

"Huh? I didn't sense her approach me!"

"What's your Power Level?"

What the Hell are you spouting, retard? You wanna die?°" Yamamoto growled in English, staring at her aggressively.

"Nande Yanen?" asked the girl in a typical Osakan dialect, her smile never faltering.

"Grrrrrrr ... "

Yamamoto glanced on his right and spotted a little girl with pigtails looking up at him defiantly.

"Wh ... what? There's a ... an elementary school girl growling at me! What kind of weird class is 3-3?"

He bent towards the little girl and gave her his best terrifying glare. She wavered a little, but kept growling at him.

"Grrrrrr ... k ... keep away from Sakaki-san!"

"Yeah," spoke a third voice, coming from a girl with short chestnut hair framing a cute face. "You'd better not challenge Sakaki. It's dangerous. I mean she's usually nice, but you don't want her to loose her patience. Trust me. I'm not giving you an attitude; I'm just saying that for your sake."

"Yes, it's dangerous!" "Please don't do it!" "You'll get killed," sounded a few other voices throughout the class.

"Wh ... what? What is this? What the hell is going on with that crazy class? They're not afraid of me? The guy who punched the Vice-principal? Who defeated all the bad-asses of the school? They're more afraid of that woman? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Yamamoto's mind was in turmoil, as if he had lost his grip on reality. Even more distressing, the tall girl still seemed to ignore him completely, gazing through the window at something only she could see.

"I ... I'll kill them! I'll kill them all, right now!"

"Anô, excuse me, I'd like to give my class now," spoke a voice.

A young female teacher clad in a green dress was standing behind him, smiling cheerfully.

"Please let me by, Mr Spiky Hair Student, I'm already late enough as it is," she added in a sing-song voice, her friendly smile widening.

Yamamoto was trembling in anger. He scowled at the teacher and growled in English:

Piss off, or I'll as¿-rape you, bitch!°"

In all his life, Yamamoto Brad had never seen someone's face change expressions so quickly.

WHAT THE Fù¿K? YOU DARE TO Fù¿K WITH ME, A¿SWIPE? ARE YOU SO EAGER TO DIE, YOU Fù¿KING PRICK? GET THE Fù¿K OUTTA MY WAY OR I'LL BITCHSLAP YOU INTO NEXT CHRISTMAS, YOU STUPID Fù¿KTARD!°" the demonic teacher with crazy, bloodshot eyes roared into his face in the same language.

Too stunned to move or emit a sound, Yamamoto Brad let himself be shoved out of the way. The sliding door was violently shut in front of his face.

Behind the door, Yukari-sensei marched towards her desk and slammed her papers on the wooden surface, rattling everybody's pencils on their desks. She was growling angrily under her breath:

"Grrrr, lousy day ... I wake up extra early to go buy that new Dekken 5 game, then I have to wait in the queue for one hour, then I realize I have forgotten my wallet, then I go back to fetch it, then I go back to the store, then I wait for another half-hour, then they tell me that they've run out of copies, then my bike breaks again on the way to school, then some stupid Dragonball Z reject insults me and brags because he went to America and learned a few words of slang ... Hah! I've never been to America, how dare he rub it into my face ... "

Yukari-sensei was interrupted her dark musings when she noticed the sound of furious scribbling. She glanced up and saw all of her students taking notes frantically. As for Osaka, she was still standing near the door, frozen, both hands over Chiyo-chan's ears; her happy smile was adorning her face, but her eyes were shut tight.

"What the Hell are you all doing?" screamed Yukari-sensei.

Kagura raised suddenly, looking at her teacher with round and wild eyes, and bowed deeply, shouting:

"Tanizaki-sensei! I deeply respect you! Thank you for always exposing us to new educational material! I will study English more seriously from now on!"

"TAKE OUT A SHEET OF PAPER! WE'RE HAVING A SURPRISE TEST!"


 

Kaorin was walking towards the cafeteria building to buy some lunch, although she didn't feel very hungry. Because of her many worries, there was a heavy weight inside her stomach.

Nearing the entrance, she noticed a beautiful woman standing there, looking troubled.

"Oh! It's Kimura's wife!"

"Oh my oh my oh my oh my ... "

"Good afternoon, Kimura-sama. Are you lost? Are you looking for the teacher's room?"

"Oh! Hello there! It's Kaori-chan, right?"

"Eh? You know my name, Kimura-sama?"

"Why yes! My husband is always talking about you! He told me you're such a good student, really cute and talented! And that you appreciate classical literature so much!"

"E ... Ehh? Is ... is that so? Umm, are you looking for your husband?"

"Yes, he forgot to take his lunch with him this morning. Hee hee, he is so absent-minded."

"Oh my God! It's the °Love-Wife° Bentô!" thought Kaorin.

"But I already went to the teacher's room and he wasn't there ... oh my, what should I do?"

"Oh, maybe he is watering the flower garden, or he's peep ... err, I mean he's helping to clean the locker rooms; the ... umm, janitor is ill today, heheheh ... "

"Oh, he's so considerate ... But it will take me some time finding him ... and I'm already late to pick up our daughter from school; she finishes early today. Oh my, oh my!"

"Umm, maybe I could bring his lunch to him, Kimura-sama?"

"Oh, you would do that for me? You're so nice and kind, just like my husband said ... So I'll be leaving this in your hands," said the beautiful lady, presenting Kaorin with the Love-Wife Bentô.

"Whoa, she's beaming at me so much I'm nearly blinded! What an incredibly sweet angel! Yes, this is what they call True Love, even though it's for someone like Kimura-sensei," thought the shy girl.

"Lea ... leave it to me, Kimura-sama! I'll bring this lunch to your husband, even if it costs me my life!"

"Why, thank you so very much, Kaori-chan," said the angelic lady, bowing.

"Have a nice day, Kimura-sama!" replied Kaorin, returning the bow.

"Aah, after witnessing that kind of selfless love, I feel like I'm nothing. If such a sweet person can love someone like Kimura-sensei so much, then I should be ashamed of myself for harboring selfish fantasies about Sakaki-san!" mused Kaorin, holding the Love-Wife Bentô to her chest. "I must find inside my heart the way to strengthen my feelings for Sakaki-san, and the will to support her in everything she does, even if it doesn't include me."

Kaorin decided to look for her homeroom teacher in the flower gardens and headed for that direction. As she was about to turn around the corner of the storage building, she stopped abruptly, hearing rough voices.

"What are we gonna do, Kojima-san? That samurai-girl, she saw us with Yamamoto! She'll probably want to punish us. We're gonna get slaughtered!"

"Oh my God, it's that horrible Kojima person, who dared to touch Sakaki-san's chest!" thought Kaorin angrily, peering from behind the corner of the building.

The wiry boy with sunglasses was holding a bokken in his uninjured hand. He was flanked by two other dangerous-looking punks."

"All we can do now is pray that Yamamoto manages to defeat her ... Damn, if only we had something to use against her!"

"Hey, who the Hell are you? Are you spying on us?" shouted one of the goons, spotting Kaorin.

"Piss off, bitch, or we kill you!"

"Wait! I recognize her! She's one of samurai-girl's friends! Maybe we could take her hostage!"

"Hey, good idea! We can use her against samurai-girl when she fights Yamamoto, so that she lets herself be beaten!"

"Get her! She's running away!"

Kaorin was fleeing in terror, the three punks right on her heels.

"No! No! No! I can't let them catch me! Because of me, Sakaki-san will get hurt! Noooooo!"

Suddenly, the poor girl stumbled and fell, dropping the bentô she was carrying. She scraped her knees and forearms on the gravel of the aisle. As she was trying frantically to get up and resume her panicked flight, she froze.

"Wait! The °Love-Wife° Bentô! I can't leave it like that! If I can't protect this symbol of True Love then I'm not worthy of loving Sakaki-san"

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

Screaming like a banshee, Kaorin picked up two handfuls of gravel, and flung them with all her might at her pursuers who were about to reach her.

"Aaaaaargh! My eyes!"

"Oooow! That hurts! You bitch, I'll kill you!"

Kaorin took advantage of the momentary surprise of the three punks and dove for the Love-Wife Bentô.

"Shit! Grab that bitch!"

"Ow! My shin!"

"Yeoow! She bit me!"

"After her! She's getting away!"

Kaorin, running for her life and clutching the bentô to her chest, finally reached the flower gardens, as her lungs were about to explode.
As Kaorin had suspected, Kimura-sensei was there, carefully watering "Kaorin and Kimurin's flower garden".

The bespectacled teacher rose, and positioned himself in front of the exhausted girl.

"I'LL PROTECT YOU, KAORIN!" he screamed, taking up a weird-looking fighting stance.

The three punks stopped abruptly and looked warily at the creepy man, whose body was twisted in an unnatural position, joints creaking loudly. His glasses were glinting eerily in the sunlight.

"Damn, what's that? Some kind of drunken-style Kung fu?"

"Shit, we can't attack him anyway, he's a teacher."

"What, you'd rather face samurai-girl than a teacher?"

"Damn, you're right! Let's get him!" ordered Kojima, readying his wooden sword in his good hand.

Suddenly, they heard the voice of two other punks shouting from a distance:

"What are you doing Kojima-san? Yamamoto-san has already challenged the guardian-girl!"

"They're fighting right now behind the gym! And it doesn't look good for him! You've got to come! Hurry!"

"Shit! It's too late for taking a hostage! We'll retreat for now. We'll remember this, bitch!" growled Kojima, turning on his heels and running to catch up with his other goons.

Kimura-sensei turned towards Kaorin and took in her appearance. Her hair was tousled, she had scrapes and bruises on her knees and arms, and her uniform was ripped in a few places. She was desperately trying to regain her breath.

"(Huff, huff, huff ... ) sensei ... (huff ... ) here ... " she presented him with a bentô enveloped in a pink napkin.

As she was starting to breathe normally again, she glanced up at her homeroom teacher. He was trembling and had tears streaking down on his face.

"Oh, Kaorin ... (sniff ...) you did all that for me ... (sniff ...) braving all these dangers ... Kaorin, you ... YOU DO CARE FOR ME AFTER ALL, KAORIN!"

"AAAAARRRGHHH! I DID NOT DO IT FOR YOU! I DID IT FOR YOUR WIFE! YOU DON'T DESERVE SOMEONE LIKE HER ANYWAY!" the exasperated girl screamed into his face.

Suddenly remembering the battle between her beloved Sakaki-san and that crazy Yamamoto boy, she started to run towards the gym, pausing once to shout back to the crying teacher:

"And it's called °LOVING Wife° Bentô!"


 

"Wow, it's so sunny today!" cheered Kagura. "Let's go eat lunch under the shade of a tree, behind the gym! It's better to have lunch outside than in the classroom or the cafeteria."

"I like the roof." said Osaka

"I think under the shade would be better today," replied Chiyo. "Lately the sun has been shining a little too brightly. Summer is approaching."

"Too bad Yomi-chan and Tomo-chan aren't here to enjoy the sunny day with us," remarked Osaka.

"Hmm, maybe we should bring Yomi-san a gift when we visit her tonight," suggested Chiyo. "What should we buy her? ... Ah! And tomorrow, we'll visit Tomo-chan! I'd like to see how her parents are like!"

"Yes, I'm curious about Tomo's family, too," chuckled Kagura. "What do you think, Sakaki?"

"A box of chocolates."

"Eh?"

"We should buy Yomi-san a box of chocolates. She said she wasn't on a diet right now, so she might be happy if we bring her chocolates."

"That's a good idea, Sakaki-san," chirped Chiyo-chan. "What kind of chocolate do you think Yomi-san likes? I would guess she prefers black and bitter chocolate."

"Milk chocolate."

"Really? I thought she didn't like things that taste too sweet. Doesn't she drink her coffee black?"

"Yomi-san loves sweet things. But she is often on a diet so she holds herself back."

"Hmm, Sakaki-san sure is observant," thought the little prodigy with a soft smile on her lips; "she cares for her friends so much, and she's so kind and beautiful ... (sigh ... ) I wish I was more mature, and maybe ... "

"Hey, I like chocolate with rum inside, or a cherry," said Kagura. "How about we buy some for Yomi?"

"Hmm, we should rather bring those to Tomo-chan tomorrow. She likes them too."

"You think so, Sakaki? So what shall we buy for Yomi?"

"Necoconeco."

"Eh?"

"Necoconeco."

"You mean there is a Necoconeco brand of chocolates, Sakaki-san?" asked Chiyo.

"Aa. It just went on sale."

"Are the chocolates Necoconeco-shaped?"

Sakaki nodded, blushing slightly.

"Waaai! Kawaî!" gushed the little pigtailed girl.

"Oh, who cares about what they look like," said Kagura, "the important thing is that they taste good!"

"No, shape is very important in chocolates," stated Sakaki with deep conviction. "Beauty for the eyes and a sweet taste for the palate can blend together to bring a wonderful feeling to one's heart."

"Eeeeh? You sure seem to be an expert on chocolates, Sakaki. I wouldn't have guessed that about you ... I also remember you knowing a lot about flowers. Hehehe, you're like one of those samurai warriors of old, who loved to do tea ceremonies, and other zen stuff ... like writing Haiku after a battle with their own blood!"

"B ... blood?"

"I like sea slug-shaped chocolates," said Osaka dreamily.

"I CHALLENGE YOU!" screamed a loud, angry voice.

The three girls looked up and spotted Yamamoto Brad, standing further down the path bordering the gym building and leading to the tree grove. His scowling, eyebrow-less face was looking crazier than ever, and his spiked bleached hair seemed to stand up even more wildly than before.

"Heh, you thought you could ignore me like that, °bitch°? Hmpf ... everybody's always babbling that you've got some crazy strength. Usually, women, they are weak, right? So I thought to myself 'I want to see a strong woman. I want to fight her.' So, how about you show me your strength right now, woman? And don't think I'll hold back against you because you're a girl, like that Ôyama moron. The only thing I respect in this world is strength!"

"A fight! It's a fight!"

A few students who had been spying on Yamamoto from behind the trees came out of their hiding spots and gathered near the scene.

"Wow, Sakaki-sama's going to fight that crazy Amerikajin!"

"Waaa, I'm so excited!"

"But isn't it dangerous?"

"Yes, we should go get a teacher!"

"Don't worry; that kind of guy, she's going to beat him easily!"

Yamamoto Brad fumed, and threw his jacket to the side, revealing his abnormally muscular body. He took a very low fighting stance, changing alternatively the leading foot, as if he was dancing. Everybody looked at Sakaki expectantly.

"Umm ... who are you again?"

The spiky-haired boy nearly lost his footing.

"I AM YAMAMOTO BRAD FROM CLASS 3-4! I'M CHALLENGING YOU TO A DUEL! ARE YOU COMPLETELY STUPID, YOU HUGE BROAD?"

Sakaki closed her eyes and took a series of slow, deep breaths. She opened her eyes again and stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Then recognition seemed to dawn on her face.

"Oh. You are that student from this morning. Are you angry because I bumped you in the hallway? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was careless and didn't look where I was going. Please forgive me."

"Wow, Sensei's Chi Kung techniques seem to be working," thought the tall girl. "I don't feel afraid of him that much, although he looks very intimidating. My voice isn't caught in my throat like last time ... That's right, if I talk to him, and apologize properly, maybe he won't hurt me."

"What the Hell? You dare to apologize with that look on your face? You ... you're mocking me, you bitch! You think you can brush me off like this? Take that! TORRRYA!"

Yamamoto Brad charged her, and with an impressive leap, tried to drop-kick her; but she diverted his trajectory slightly by brushing his leg with her forearm, while stepping quickly to the side. Noticing that he might hurt himself falling, she tried to catch him by the arm, but all she managed to do was to alter his momentum even more; the muscular boy crashed noisily on the ground.

"Oww, shit!"

"P ... please stop! You'll hurt yourself!"

"Aaaaaargh! I'll kill you!"

Enraged, Yamamoto attacked her with a series of impressive and fast acrobatic kicks. They were all deflected or dodged; the stronger and faster he kicked, the more easily she seemed to make him lose his balance.
Fortunately for him, Yamamoto was an expert in an acrobatic fighting style, which allowed him to follow up incredibly quickly after missing his target or taking a fall.

The spectators oohed and aahed, seeing him move from one kick to another like a blur, being thrown backwards, catching himself with his hands on the ground and hurling both legs towards Sakaki like helicopter blades.
However, the tall girl quickly stepped forward between the two legs, following their rotating motion; with each arm, she diverted one leg upwards and the other downwards. Yamamoto's body seemed to twist quickly in the air as he lost the support of his hands on the ground; he crashed once again on the ground, this time on his face.

"I ... I'm begging you! Stop it! I don't want this! I don't want anybody to be hurt!" Sakaki spoke in a hoarse voice, trying desperately to get her body back under control.

With an even more enraged yell, the blond boy jumped back to his feet, and attacked her with a lightning-fast combination of kicks and punches, both straight and circular.

"What the Hell is this? It seems like I'm attacking water!"

His opponent wasn't even trying to take a defensive stance. Every time one of his attacks neared her, she seemed to flinch, and one of her arms shot up to protect her; however she also moved her body in such a way that his fist or foot seemed to glide over her arm and be sucked into some sort of void. It took all of his concentration not to lose his balance each time he missed.

What was even more maddening was the fact that when he managed to circumvent her arms with a feint, the part of her body he was attacking seemed to draw back and stay out of his reach, as she twisted her body like a flexible reed, without losing her own balance.

"What is her body made of? Does she even have a spine? Shit! It looks like one of those so-called 'soft styles' like Aikido. Ok ... usually those kinds of guys have a weakness: they aren't able to protect their legs as well, since it's their support on the ground.
"All right ... I've tried many styles, and even though Capoeira is my forte, my Muay Thai low kicks are pretty devastating. I should have used them from the very beginning. OK, no more showing off now!"

Yamamoto threw a few feints towards her face and suddenly, his foot shot towards the side of her knee. However, at the last moment, her leg twisted around his own like a snake and guided his foot on its intended trajectory, accelerating it towards the side.

"She ... she can do it also with her legs? How is that even possible?" thought the spiky-haired boy, as he was badly loosing his balance.

Sakaki, noting that her opponent was falling backwards and might hurt his head on the ground, tried to grab him by his t-shirt.
Yamamoto saw a hand shoot towards his solar plexus and tried frantically to dodge it, giving a sharp push with his foot still on the ground. He seemed to fly backwards for a short distance and fell painfully on his back.

Sakaki suddenly heard amazed cheers coming from the spectators. More of them seemed to have been drawn to the fight. Among them, she noticed that tall Ôyama boy who, for some reason, had been trying to get her into some kind of gang. He was shouting and cheering louder than everyone. She blushed and tried to grasp what was going on.

"Did you see that? She pushed him back without even touching him!"

"Did she use a chi attack?"

"Yay! Go, Sakaki-sama! Protect our school from crazy delinquents!"

"Hurray, hurray!"

Kojima and a few of his goons had also appeared, just as their new "boss" was being thrown back by what looked like a psychic attack. They cowered on the side of the gym building.

"Oh my God, Yamamoto-san is getting his ass kicked by that crazy samurai girl! What should we do?"

"Shit, and she saw us this morning with him! She's gonna take revenge, and kill us!"

"And we weren't able to take that friend of hers hostage earlier! Maybe we should try to grab one of her other friends right now? The little one perhaps?"

"Right in front of her? Are you insane?"

Meanwhile, the muscular boy had got back to his feet again and was scowling furiously.

"I see. I've fought a lot of strong guys, and some of them used some kind of soft style. Heh. Even though I haven't seen a style like yours before, I've learned one thing: when someone absorbs your punches ... all you have to do is to punch harder and faster until they can't absorb it anymore ... so, °bitch°, let's see you absorb THIS ... HAAAAAAAAA!"

"Look at that, he's changing into his Super Saiya-Jin form!"

"Oh my God, look at the air spiraling around his arm! Is he going to use a Kamehameha?"

"Look out, Sakaki-sama!"

Sakaki saw the wild boy charge her with insane speed, his fist cocked back, the air rippling around it.

"I've got to stop him somehow, or I'll be killed! He doesn't seem to listen to reason. I know! I'll try to push him back like last time with Ôyama-san. But I'll try to do it less violently."

"BAKUYAKU TÔKI HIZUME-KEN! ... Ack!"

Yamamoto's fist flied towards the side of Sakaki's head but at the very last moment it changed its trajectory and passed a few centimeters in front of her face, the strong air wave blowing her long hair back.

"H ... how? She didn't touch my arm at all!"

Suddenly Yamamoto realized that he was losing his balance, and that it was the very reason of his near miss. As he had been charging towards her, the tall girl had stepped right inside his guard and bumped his leading leg to the side with her own knee.
As a result, his main support was suddenly taken out from under him and he collapsed like a house of cards, hitting his jaw on her knee.

With a pained grunt, he desperately tried to raise, but felt two hands giving him a very sharp push on his chest, cutting off his breath and throwing him on the ground.

"Whoa! She countered his crazy attack!"

"Amazing! Hurray!"

"Yay! The bad guy is defeated!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Yamamoto, suddenly raising from the ground like a demonic undead creature.

"Wow, that guy is incredibly tough!"

"Oh my God! Sakaki-sama, he's got a knife!" suddenly screamed a girl's voice.

"He ... he's pulled a knife on her! He's gone off to deep end!"

"Noooo! Sakaki-sama! Look out!"

I'll carve you up, bitch! Die!°" screamed the psychotic boy incoherently, slashing at her with his short blade.

Reflexively, Sakaki's hand deflected his knife-wielding arm downwards, as her lower body twisted away from the blade's trajectory; then her elbow shot forward and hit his hand sharply, flinging the knife away. It embedded itself point first in the wall of the gym building, a few centimeters next to Kojima's face.

Yamamoto, startled, tried to move back, but he saw her hand reaching towards his throat. His upper body bent back reflexively.
Sakaki, who once again had tried to catch him by the shirt to prevent him from falling, tried to grip his belt instead, but he moved his pelvis back in alarm. As a result, he lost his balance completely and found himself lying on his back once again.

Snapping out of his crazed trance, he saw the tall girl's hand reach towards him. He tried to bat it away, but he found that he just couldn't move. His attention was completely focused on the slender hand hovering above his face. He instinctively felt that he had no way to prevent it from stabbing towards his throat or eyes; he felt paralyzed and could barely breathe.

"Is ... is that what they call ... True Strength? What I've been looking for all this time?"

Finally, his brain decided to take a little break, and he went limp, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"Whoa! She used that chi attack again, and knocked him down without touching him! That's so cool!"

"Thank God you're safe, Sakaki-sama!"

"That guy actually fainted! That's crazy, she really must have psychic powers!"

Pale like a ghost, Kojima glanced at the knife a few centimeters next to his cheek, and scrambled away, screaming in terror, followed by his goons. He passed Kaorin, who was running in the opposite direction.

As the shy girl arrived on the scene she saw her beloved Sakaki standing over the still form of Yamamoto Brad, sprawled on his back. She was looking a little disconcerted. About a dozen students who had witnessed the fight were cheering loudly from the sides.

Kaorin fell limply to her knees, eyes wide.

"I ... I'm too late again! Noooooooo!"


 

"Anyway, Sakaki, that was awesome!" commented Kagura, as the four girls were packing their stuff, after having cleaned up the classroom.

"Yes it was! But still, because of that strange boy, we had to eat lunch in a hurry in the classroom," pouted Chiyo-chan.

"I hope he's all right ... " sighed a depressed-looking Sakaki.

"Well, he was dragged to the infirmary ... don't worry about that idiot," said Kagura. "Anyway, how did you do that trick with your hand? Was that a chi attack?"

"Chi? Uh, I ... I don't know. I think he tripped."

"Oh, come on Sakaki, tell us! ... Or is it a secret? Oh, that's right! It must be a secret technique from your Ninjutsu arts! If you told us you'd have to kill us!"

"K ... kill?"

"Hahaha, that's so cool!" Kagura laughed, slapping the taller girl on her back. "And that knife-disarming technique was totally cool too!"

"There ... there was a knife?" wondered Sakaki in a low tone of voice.

"Eh?"

"But why did he want to fight so much? Why didn't he listen? ... "

"Well, you know Sakaki, when you're strong, it tends to attract other strong people who want to fight you ... "

The tall girl looked at her classmate, horrified.

" ... At least, that's how it happens in manga, hahaha!"

"Are we going to buy some Necoconeco chocolates for Yomi-chan, now?" asked Osaka cheerfully.

"Yeah, let's go!"

As the four girls neared the school gates, they found Yamamoto Brad blocking their path once again. His hair was still looking completely wild, but the expression on his face seemed somewhat subdued.

"Damn it! You again? Didn't you learn your lesson today?" shouted Kagura. "Get out of our way! Shoo, shoo!"

The blonde boy ignored her and approached Sakaki. Suddenly he bowed.

"Aneki! I pledge my life to you!"

"Aneki?" exclaimed Kagura in disbelief.

"Aneki! I have realised I am still a long way from reaching true °Strength°; but after fighting you, I understood that you're one of the few people in this world who possess it. So after watching you fight, Aneki, I thought to myself, 'I could give my life for such a person'! And also, I felt true °Spirit° when you ... "

As the supposedly half-American boy was ranting about "power" and "spirit" in front of a crestfallen-looking Sakaki, Osaka nodded sagely to herself.

"That's right, Sakaki-chan holds a lot of pawaa ... "

"Um, you pronounce it °power°, Osaka-san" said Chiyo.

"Anyway, it seems like Sakaki-chan has acquired another sidekick!"

"Sakaki doesn't need another weird follower. Go away, baka!" Kagura ordered the blond boy, who paid her no heed, carrying on with his rant.

" ... And stop calling her 'Aneki', she's not some Yakuza gang leader!"

"Sakaki-sama! There's an emergency!" interrupted a new voice.

One of Kojima's underlings approached their small group, looking panicked.

"The ... the guys from the other school we challenged in Yamamoto-san's name are here! They're about fifteen or twenty, and they look pissed! They're blocking the gates and are preventing the students from leaving! They're about to attack us! P ... please help us, Sakaki-sama!"

As the group glanced towards the gates, they spotted a large group of mean-looking punks waiting in front of the school; some of them were holding sticks and wooden swords. Inside the school, a few students were watching from the sides, not daring to approach the horde of juvenile delinquents.

Their leader, a tall brute with a very ugly regent-style hairdo, was screaming:

"We're the Mad Dogs Group from Hiirin High! Come out, Yamamoto! You dared to send us that disrespectful challenge letter! We're gonna kill everyone in here if you and your puny gang of sissies don't come out this instant!"

Yamamoto smirked.

"Heh, don't worry, Aneki. Those kinds of small fry ... I can handle them myself. No need to waste your °Spirit° on them. Just watch your °little brother° fight for you, Aneki!"

He gave the puzzled Sakaki a thumbs-up, and charged, alone, into the group of punks, screaming a loud war-cry. As he reached the leader, he jumped-kicked him in the face.

"TOOORRRRYYYYYAAAA!"

Kojima and his goons, who had been watching from a distance, were considering their options.

"Should we attack them too?"

"But their numbers are too high!"

"But what if samurai-girl gets angry at us for not assisting her? She has already given Kojima-san a warning today!"

"Urk! ... All right you guys, let's go! Attack!"

Kojima and his group charged into the mêlée, where Yamamoto Brad was already displaying his awesome Capoeira skills, swirling around like a mad dervish, hitting punks left and right with feet and fists.

Ôyama and his two henchmen were also watching from the sides, among the cowering students.

"Grrrr, we can't let those morons hog all the glory for themselves! Let's join the battle!"

"But, Ôyama-san, these are our former classmates from Hiirin High School! After the earthquake, they were transferred to that other school nearby, and that idiot Yamamoto challenged them! We can't go and fight them!"

"It's for Sakaki-sama's sake! Besides, aren't you two itching for a good mass fist-fight, like old times?"

"Hmm, maybe you're right, Ôyama-san. After that unpleasant incident with that Yamamoto freak, I feel like punching a few faces!"

"And maybe we could get a few hits on him 'accidentally', if you see what I mean, heheheh ... "

"Sakaki-sama! Watch this Soldier of Love fight for your glory!" shouted Ôyama.

" 'Soldier of Love'? Please, Ôyama-san, this is embarrassing!"

"Alright, you two, Triangular Delta Formation Attack! CHARGE!"

As an all-out chaotic brawl was taking place in front of the gates, Sakaki and Kagura stood there, frozen, watching in disbelief. Osaka still hadn't lost her happy smile, but she had put her hands in front of Chiyo's eyes.


 

"(Sigh ... ) this is boring ... "

"True, true, Ôyama-san."

Once again, Ôyama and his two henchmen were smoking cigarettes and lounging dejectedly, this time next to a convenience store; they were clad in their street clothes.

"Feh ... in the end we were all expelled for fighting on school grounds."

"Are we actually stupid?"

"Will I ever see you again, Sakaki-sama?"

"And Ôyama-san still hasn't snapped out of it ... "

"Where did they say we will be transferred, again?"

"Uh, Cromartie High School ... damn, it's quite far from here."

"I'm bored."

"You know," said Henchman N°1 with a thoughtful expression, "maybe we should follow the advice that Glasses-Girl gave us once ... "

"What?"

"You know ... maybe we could study, and prepare the college entrance exams, and stuff ... "

His two companions looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Wh ... what did I say?"


 

 

Author's notes:

Miscellaneous

-- Osaka mentioning the king of Tachycardia, a talking bird, and a giant robot: there is actually an animated film like that ...

-- Nande Yanen: means "Why?" in Osakan dialect. See the Author's notes of chapter 7 about Manzai comedy.

-- Gakuran: a typical dark blue uniform for boys in Japanese schools. Tomo, Kagura and Sakaki wear them during the third athletic festival. --

Amerikajin: means "American"

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