Afterward, the Kiryu siblings headed off to school at their usual time.
But this time, Kazuma personally walked Chiyoko all the way to Etsukawa Girls' before leaving.
Until the threat from the yakuza was fully resolved, Kazuma planned to escort Chiyoko to and from school every day.
It was a bit of a hassle, sure—but far better than letting her get kidnapped again.
As for Fujii Mikako, after what had happened to her, her mother was apparently going to drive her to and from school starting today.
Most adult Japanese women of this era were full-time housewives. Aside from housework, they typically participated in neighborhood association activities and such—they had relatively free schedules.
Which was why daytime television was packed with those steamy housewife melodramas.
That said, it was still pretty rare for a housewife in this era to drive.
Kazuma was actually quite curious about what kind of person Fujii Mikako's mother might be... when suddenly, he spotted a group of delinquents swaggering down the street with that "don't-know-my-own-folks" kind of walk.
They didn't seem to be coming for Kazuma. The boys were arguing loudly about something among themselves and didn't even glance his way.
Kazuma wasn't interested in provoking trouble by brushing shoulders with them and getting into a "What are you lookin' at?" loop. He promptly decided to step aside.
The delinquents passed by, loudly gossiping about girls from their class.
Kazuma glanced at the school emblem on their uniforms—nope, didn't recognize it. He'd only been here for less than a month and hadn't had time to memorize the emblems of all the local high schools.
Just as Kazuma was about to move on, one of the delinquents suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.
Kazuma noticed that the boy's gaze had landed on the bamboo sword strapped to his back.
Then Kazuma remembered—his name was written on the bamboo sword's bag. It was to prevent mix-ups after practice.
The delinquent's mouth formed a round "O."
Kazuma stood calmly where he was, watching the boy. Running now would only make them think he was scared.
These delinquents were likely bottom-feeders—probably even beneath the lowest ranks of the yakuza. Maybe they'd overheard something from some "big brother." This was a good chance to gauge how much they actually knew.
Just then, the boy who'd noticed the name tugged on his companion's sleeve and pointed at Kazuma.
The group of delinquents all turned to stare at him.
Silently, Kazuma loosened the strap on his bamboo sword bag, preparing to draw the sword if needed.
To his surprise, the motion spooked the boys. They exchanged panicked glances, then bolted in perfect unison—faster than a sprinter at the Olympics.
Kazuma was left standing alone.
...Huh?
"Hey! I've got questions for you guys!" he called after them. But none of them so much as looked back.
Damn it, Kazuma clicked his tongue. Total misread. I got caught up in some dumb "novel cliché" and instinctively prepped for a fight…
Then again, it was obvious those kids didn't have any actual fighting skills. Probably just the type who bullied the quiet kids at school. No surprise they were scared.
Still, Kazuma hadn't expected them to bolt before he'd even drawn his sword.
Guess beating Nishiyama Heita boosted my street rep more than I thought...
But in this pre-internet, pre-cellphone era... how had these kids caught wind of it so fast? And why were they hanging around near Etsukawa Girls'?
Something wasn't right. It felt like someone had intentionally leaked word to these delinquents.
Beating Nishiyama hadn't solved everything.
Kazuma recalled Nishiyama's parting words—he'd mentioned that a man named Tsuda Masaaki might take over matters regarding the dojo.
That had to be the boss of the Tsuda-gumi.
Could these delinquents be working for the Tsuda-gumi, gathering intel?
Step by step, the theory made sense.
Judging by their reaction, beating Nishiyama had at least shaken the Tsuda-gumi a bit—or at the very least, scared their lackeys.
It seemed raw fighting ability was quite effective in intimidating the yakuza. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work on Sumitomo Construction.
After all, as Detective Shiratori had said—when it came to yakuza, as long as you didn't kill anyone, the police generally turned a blind eye.
But if Kazuma injured someone from Sumitomo, he'd be the one getting locked up.
In this country, which seemed modern on the surface but was feudal at heart, you had to play it clean.
Whether as a lawyer, a businessman, or a high-ranking police official—those were the paths to real power here. The yakuza, even at the top, were still just vassals doing the dirty work.
Resolving himself once more, Kazuma hurried toward his own school.
It was getting late. He figured Daimon Gorō would have him running laps again.
**
As always, Daimon Gorō was stationed at the school gate. When he spotted Kazuma, he bellowed from afar, "Kiryu!!"
Kazuma called back cheerfully, "Running laps, got it!"
"No, you're off the hook today." Daimon Gorō shook his head. "How's your health?"
That's when Kazuma remembered—he'd told the school he was sick and recovering at home yesterday.
"Feeling great! See, I'm in top shape. I could totally run a couple laps if you'd like, Sensei."
Daimon Gorō eyed him up and down. "Hmm. You do look energetic. Alright, go run. You were late for morning practice again."
In that instant, Kazuma regretted being cheeky.
As he was about to head to the clubroom to change, he suddenly thought of Fujii Mikako and turned back. "By the way... where's Fujii-san?"
Daimon Gorō gave him a knowing look. "She went through something frightening yesterday. From now on, she won't be attending morning practice. Her mother will be driving her to and from school."
Hearing that, Kazuma sighed in relief.
Good. That's for the best—won't give the yakuza a chance to snatch her.
Of course, Daimon Gorō completely misunderstood the reason for his reaction. He patted Kazuma's shoulder. "Young love is a beautiful thing, but like the cherry blossoms, it's fleeting. Best to treasure the memory."
Kazuma glanced at the teacher's massive arm—powerful enough to throw a buffalo over his shoulder—and said dryly, "Sensei... coming from you, that just gives me goosebumps."
"Stop rambling! Go run!"
"Yes, sir!"
**
After that, the morning proceeded as usual.
One thing was now clear to Kazuma: those unfamiliar delinquents from earlier hadn't learned about him by chance.
It was 1980. No internet. No cellphones. News didn't spread that fast.
At school, aside from Fujii Mikako, no one seemed to know that Kiryu Kazuma had pummeled Nishiyama Heita.
In fact, most of the teachers and students didn't even know who Nishiyama Heita was.
Too bad Kitakatsushi High was an academic-focused school with a high deviation score. Delinquents couldn't get in here. Otherwise, Kazuma would've sought out a few to gather intel.
As he was mulling all this over, someone gently tapped on his desk.
(End of Chapter)