Another school day finished.
Something I'll have to change in a few weeks to: another day of high school finished—but everything in its own time.
After stretching lightly in my seat, I stood up. Reading all day can get exhausting.
Guess it's time to head home.
My things were already packed, so I left the classroom as one of the last students.
Unlike some of my classmates, who bolted out the moment the bell rang; they must have something important to do.
On the way to the lockers, I took my time to change shoes.
Alright, now… should I ignore Yumiko's words or play along with her little game?
Those are the two options in front of me, each with its own pros and cons.
But for now, watching first and deciding later seems smarter.
With that in mind, the path naturally led me toward the back courtyard of the school.
Why am I going there?
Let me tell you: some of the things you see in anime or manga are based on real-life habits—like confessions happening in oddly specific places.
Very cliché, I know.
A few steps later, I could already see six people gathered in the distance.
Keeping quiet, I slipped behind a nearby tree.
Right in front of me stood a beautiful blonde girl facing five boys.
Looks like I arrived at the perfect time; I should've brought a snack and a drink…
"So, why did you call me here?" Yumiko sounded bored.
There are only a few things that put her in a good mood at school.
"Come on, come on, in the letter I left in your locker I said what I wanted," he said with forced confidence, though he looked nervous.
"You're telling me I should go behind the school after class because you had something important to tell me?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
If I strain my memory, he's probably the same guy who talked to me last time.
Now everything makes sense…
Still, a confession should really be between two people, not with four of your friends staring from behind.
Oh well, the only confession I ever got ended with two guys waiting to beat me up afterward, so maybe this is what normal confessions are like. Youth is weird.
"Y-yeah… I wanted to ask if you'd go out with me..."
Following the typical behavior of boys his age, he bowed slightly and extended a hand, inviting Yumiko to take it.
Delinquent or not, he's still just a normal kid in some ways.
The other four behind him simply watched, waiting for the result. What a beautiful friendship.
Unfortunately, Yumiko's answer is painfully obvious.
"Huh!?" She stared at him in disbelief. "First of all, who are you?"
…That had to hurt.
"I'm…"
"An idiot who plays at being a thug with his friends, who goes around bothering other students with threats, and a complete moron. Am I wrong?" she said with a gentle smile and a cheerful tone that would make anyone question whether they heard her correctly.
Yumiko never holds back what she thinks, but her words clearly blindsided the five of them; they all stared in shock.
"Oi, who do you think you are talking to me like that?" His tone sharpened instantly, a stark contrast to how he'd acted moments before.
She must have bruised his pride; her words weren't just mocking him—they were a direct rejection of his confession.
"I'm Miura Yumiko, a girl far beyond anything you'll ever have. Even if you go looking for someone like me, you won't find her." With an elegant flick, she swept her hair back, radiating bold confidence and superiority. "It's not a pleasure to meet you."
I really shouldn't have boosted her ego during our previous conversation…
For a moment, our eyes met, and she gave a small smile, fully aware I was close by.
The guy clenched his teeth, his face flushing red with anger.
"You…!" He stepped toward Yumiko, but one of his friends grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Don't do something you'll regret. That bitch isn't worth your time."
Normally, things should've ended there, but the other guy said something I knew Yumiko wouldn't let slide.
"You filthy piece of trash! Who the hell are you calling a bitch? I don't see your mother anywhere around here!" She narrowed her eyes and let out a sharp huff afterward.
Someone really needs better manners when they talk back—but I can't blame her; anyone would be pissed if they were called a bitch.
"What did you just say!?" The guy stepped forward, fists tightening.
"Besides being a brain-dead thug, you're deaf too. Looks like God really does punish some people twice."
While I watched, Yumiko glanced my way for a moment, like she was telling me it was my cue to step in.
In response, I flashed an innocent smile, giving absolutely nothing away.
If my guess is right, Yumiko planned all of this after hearing me talk during lunch. Now that she's riling these guys up, she's expecting me to clean up her mess.
Still, like I thought a few minutes ago, I have two options: go now, or wait for Yumiko's next move while I just observe.
And if anyone knows me, they already know which one I'm choosing.
People should deal with the consequences of their own choices.
"Wait—don't touch her. If anyone's going to do something, it'll be me," said the guy who got rejected.
Yumiko tried to stay composed, but I could see her confidence wavering bit by bit.
"...You? You really think you can do anything to me? Let me tell you something—you're just a pathetic nobody. I won't even bother dealing with you. Now get lost."
She turned her glare toward me, eyes filled with irritation.
Pretty sure she'll scold me once all this is over. Since I refused to step in, she stopped provoking them outright and instead told them to leave—though definitely not in a polite way.
"You think I'm leaving after you humiliated me like that!? Someone needs to teach a whore like you a lesson!"
If Yumiko planned to end this quickly, she definitely changed her mind now.
"Huh? And you're the one who's going to do it?" She pointed at the others. "Or will your boyfriends over there help you out? I'm asking because you're always hanging around them. Maybe you're gay? If that's the case, sorry—I can't date you."
Blow after blow, the guy's pride crumbled to dust, and Yumiko dragged the others into it as well. All of them were now staring at her with pure rage.
How does she make enemies this easily?
Maybe it's her natural talent.
I thought she'd glance my way again by now, or at least take a step back, but she stayed put.
Like a heroine refusing to run from her problems…
…Or just an idiot.
Well, that's enough. She somehow turned a perfectly normal situation into the worst one possible. She's quite a handful.
And the only one to blame for this is me.
I stepped out from behind the tree and walked toward her. When I reached her side, she looked at me with a cheerful, fired-up expression, but before she could say anything, I flicked her forehead.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"For dragging me into this without even considering my opinion."
The smartest choice would've been not to come here at all… but since I'm already at the party, I might as well dance. Besides, I doubt these five idiots would've let her walk away anyway.
I wanted to keep scolding her, but I could feel five pairs of eyes on me—and none of them friendly.
"She's a nuisance, so as a girlfriend she'd be even more trouble. Let's just end this here and pretend it never happened."
Yumiko pouted and looked away when I called her troublesome.
In this situation, the best move is to avoid stirring up conflict, but Yumiko already made that impossible.
"Don't make me laugh! That bitch isn't getting away that easily!"
"Bitch your grandmother!"
Yumiko snapped back without hesitation, her tone sharp and aggressive—full of conviction and courage… even though she was saying it while standing behind me.
"Don't make this any more complicated."
"But he just insulted me."
"Just let it go. The guy probably hasn't had any contact with women, so he doesn't know how to talk to a girl."
"Ohhh, that makes sense—he's just a pathetic guy who can't talk to girls!" she said, nodding in agreement.
We kept chatting, completely ignoring our surroundings.
"Enough! I'm gonna beat the crap out of you for insulting me!"
Without warning, he lunged at us with his fist raised.
"Wow, you've got no patience."
I lifted my forearm and blocked his punch.
"Raiden, beat him up! Break a few bones if you have to!"
"That's not something you should say while smiling."
"Why not?"
Before I could come up with anything remotely reasonable, the idiot in front of me rushed in again.
"Stop ignoring me!"
Before his fist reached me, I moved my arm, struck his wrist, and knocked it aside.
"I'll answer you later—for now, step back." A quick glance toward her was all I gave as I handed over my briefcase; both hands would be necessary for what came next.
Honestly, avoiding pointless fights would be ideal…
"I didn't know you could be this manly and dependable."
"Actually, it's annoying having you here."
With her around, she'll just keep provoking them.
"I take it back…"
Yumiko sighed, shook her head, and backed away to a safer distance.
"Alright, as I was saying earlier..." I tilted my head to dodge a punch aimed at my face. "...let's avoid pointless trouble..." I stepped back to evade a kick to my side. "...it'll only cause problems for both of us..."
I started moving in sync with his attacks: leaning my head back when he tried to hit my jaw, shifting left or right when he threw more punches, stepping back whenever he tried to kick. With some decent footwork, it really wasn't that hard.
Just like when Yumiko tries to smack my arm and I tense up beforehand—my reflexes are good enough to naturally dodge a beginner's attacks.
"You should listen to me before you try to hit me; violence isn't exactly the best way to reach a solution."
I mean… I'm probably not the best person to say that, but there's a time for everything.
"Shut up and stop dodging like a coward."
But if conflict can't be avoided… then you just go with the flow.
I tilted my head to the side, then struck him in the chest, followed by an uppercut to the jaw, finishing with a spinning back kick to the stomach that sent him flying to the ground.
As a result, the guy started writhing in pain.
What did they expect? That I'd keep trying to reason with him while he was trying to punch me?
Say something like: I used to be just like you, so let's calm down and avoid fighting…
Please. You couldn't get more pathetic or lacking in self-respect.
Besides, I was kind enough to aim somewhere he could recover from.
I could've gone for his head and let him take a nice, long nap on the pavement.
I'm a great guy; they should give me a Nobel Peace Prize for my consideration.
What do you mean that's not enough to win a Nobel Peace Prize? I want to speak to my lawyer.
"Raiden! Raiden! Raiden!"
My gaze snapped toward her.
Yumiko started cheering like a full-on cheerleader, raising her arms and hopping, though my attention was fixed on a certain part of her body bouncing up and down, defying every known law of gravity.
And, as a certain manga character I read recently would say: I'm all fired up!
"You're not getting away with this, bastard!"
Seeing their friend rolling on the ground in pain, the other four guys hesitated zero seconds before charging at me.
Not exactly the best time to suggest they come at me one by one, huh?
Nothing in life is easy. I sighed internally.
And now, in this crucial moment, there's only one thing left to do…
It's time for everyone's favorite show.
Teach us, Raiden-sensei.
Today, I'll teach you how to take down four people trying to beat you up while you're just an average guy.
And the answer is: you can't—just run.
Let's be honest: if you've got no prior training and zero knowledge of how to fight, taking on multiple opponents at once is impossible. You'll just get overwhelmed by numbers.
If you have something you can use as a weapon, there's a chance—but in the worst-case scenario, you don't.
But it wouldn't make sense for me to end it there and say it's impossible, so from here on, I'll explain the basics of fighting, along with exercises and routines, and maybe in a few months, you'll be able to do more than just survive.
Alright, take notes. The history of martial arts dates back to the year…