I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

After walking along the trail built along the coastline, we returned to the original parking lot.
The pamphlet said it was a 40-minute course, but since we took our time looking around, it took about 10 minutes longer than expected.

Then, just as Rika had wished, we went to the marine museum next to the observation deck and browsed the exhibits.
"Wow, there’s even something called a nautilus."
"It looks super strange."

Rika and Karen were pressed up against the glass wall of the giant aquarium, staring in awe.
Just like when we went to the aquarium last time, Rika and Karen had this oddly childish side to them.
Unlike Rika, who was unusually well-developed for her age, Karen was so petite she could easily be mistaken for a middle schooler at a glance.

In contrast, Sasha didn’t seem very interested in touring the museum. She was fiddling with her smartphone.
Curious, I asked her,
"What are you doing?"

Sasha looked up with an “Hm?” and waved her hand like it was nothing.
"I was just wondering if Kumamon got back to the zoo safely, so I looked it up."
Ah. Now that she mentioned it, it wouldn’t be surprising if a news article had already gone up on a portal site.

It had only been three days since that Asiatic black bear escaped from the zoo.
"So? How was it?"
"Looks like he made it back safely. That’s a relief."

Sasha said that and gave a small chuckle, then suddenly stared at me.
Wondering what was going on, I looked back, and she pointed at the corner of my eye and asked,
"Have you always had those wrinkles under your eyes?"

"Huh? Oh, uh. Technically, they showed up after I started working out really ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) hard."
Probably because my body fat dropped too fast.
It was one of the main reasons why my face didn’t look like a teenager’s anymore.
"Hold still."

Sasha said that and reached toward me.
With both index fingers, she gently traced the wrinkles under my eyes, then gave a wide grin.
"Yeah, you look better without them."

I was dumbfounded by her sudden blunt compliment.
Then, realizing this was an incredibly embarrassing situation, I instinctively stepped back.
"W-what are you doing all of a sudden?"

Sasha shrugged and replied,
"It’s just… a random whim."
With that, Sasha clasped her hands behind her back and walked off briskly, saying she was going to check out the souvenir shop.

Stunned by the sudden dash, I couldn’t take my eyes off her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight.
***
After we finished touring the marine museum, we headed to the observation deck as we had agreed earlier to meet up with the other D-group members.

"Over here! Guys!"
Satoru was waving his hands wildly, looking like a completely different person from when we’d parted ways earlier.
Judging from his expression, it looked like he’d succeeded in finding the dance partner he’d been longing for.

Well, it wasn’t like he was hopeless to begin with, so I guess it made sense.
As we all walked up to him in a group, Satoru asked in mild surprise,
"What, did you all hang out together without me?"

"Pretty much."
I nodded and joked, and Satoru muttered, "Lucky bastard," while elbowing me in the ribs.
"What about the rest?"

"They’ll be here soon. We’ve still got some time until 1 o’clock."
As I said that and looked around, I spotted Sakamoto and Yaguchi walking toward us from a distance.
"Speak of the devil and he appears."

The two were clinging together like glue, flirting so obviously they might as well have been married.
Considering Sakamoto was originally supposed to be the protagonist of Scramble Love and live a chaotic life, this was a very peaceful turn of events.
"So that just leaves the class rep?"

"Looks like it."
Given Ayase’s usual punctuality, it was quite rare for her to be late.
"…She’s not coming."

We waited at the observation deck well past 1 o’clock, but when she still hadn’t shown up, we decided to look around for her.
***
Ayase Satsuki was currently in quite a difficult situation.

"Hey, hey~ Why are you walking around alone?"
"Wow, I’ve never seen such a model student-looking girl before."
"Kekeke, don’t be so mean. Though she’d probably look okay if she took off those glasses."

"Guess Ichijo Academy’s full of goody-two-shoes, huh?"
She was surrounded by students who appeared to be from another school.
The so-called delinquent type.

The kind she disliked the most.
"Sorry, but I think I should get going."
So Ayase firmly stated, trying to get away from them as quickly as possible.

She was already well past the promised meetup time with her group.
But the delinquent-looking boys blocked her path and wouldn’t let her pass.
"Hey now, we’ve got business here. Don’t be like that."

"Ugh…! Let go of me!"
One of them suddenly grabbed her wrist, and she couldn’t resist, ending up pulled back to her original spot.
A blonde boy with a piercing—who seemed to be the leader—grinned wickedly and said,

"It’s nothing big. I just heard there’s some Zainichi punk named Kim Yu-seong at your school? Word is he messed with my friend."
"…I don’t know anyone like that! I’m telling the truth!"
"Really? You’re acting like you do, though. You hesitated just now before answering."

As he said that, he leaned in and sniffed the braid in her hair.
"……!"
Disgusted, Ayase instinctively slapped him across the face.

Smack!
The boy’s head snapped to the side. He licked his lips with his tongue and muttered as he looked at her,
"Strangely enough, I like feisty bitches."

Then he yanked her hair roughly with one hand.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
It was at that moment.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing to our class rep?!"
A sharp voice rang out as someone stepped between them.
"Huh? What the hell is this?"

Startled, the boy let go of Ayase’s hair and turned to see a blonde girl standing there, eyes wide open.
Large chest, finely featured face, brightly painted nails.
A textbook gyaru.

Judging by their matching uniforms, she was likely a classmate.
‘Thought Ichijo Academy was all boring bitches.’
While the boy smirked to himself at this unexpected jackpot, Rika stared him down with glaring eyes and scolded him.

"You! Are you a gangster?! Why are you messing with innocent girls from our school?!"
Like a hissing cat, she bared her fangs—and the girls standing behind the delinquent boy giggled mockingly.
"So not scary~"

"Wow, we got a superhero over here~"
Their tone dripped with blatant malice.
But Rika didn’t back down and stood protectively in front of the class rep.

Sasha and Karen, who had arrived a moment later, saw what was happening and froze with their expressions hardening.
"Сука блять."
"Those motherfuckers."

Without hesitation, both of them charged straight at the delinquents.
***
"Hey! Hey! Yu-seong! There they are! The class rep and the girls! Something looks bad!"

It was a little past 1:20 when we finally found the class rep while circling around Chiba Marine Eco Park.
Satoru and I rushed toward the spot where the girls had gathered.
And what unfolded before our eyes was an epic scene—Sasha and Karen in the middle of an all-out brawl against a group of delinquents from another school.

"Raaaaah!"
Wearing sneakers, Sasha delivered a sharp kick to the stomach of one of the boys, sending him flying backward.
"Ugh!"

Karen, gripping brass knuckles instead of a shinai, landed a devastating straight punch to the jaw of a buzz-cut boy, knocking him out cold.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, the two girls darted through the crowd like wolves among sheep.
Contrary to their pretty appearances, their overwhelming strength stunned the crowd. The blond leader of the delinquents shouted in panic,

"What the hell?! You’re letting just two girls humiliate you?! Everyone, get them!"
Even as Sasha kicked down three guys and Karen punched out two more, the two stood back to back and spoke.
"You okay, monkey?"

"Of course. You okay, ape?"
"Who you calling an ape?!"
"You get worked up too easily. It’s similar."

Exchanging lighthearted insults as they caught their breath, Sasha clicked her tongue at the many delinquents still standing and asked Karen,
"How many can you take on?"
Karen calmly scanned the area and said,

"Two or three more, maybe?"
Sasha nodded and opened her handbag.
"That’s enough."

What she pulled out was a black pistol.
Seeing the smooth, metallic body of the gun, the delinquent leader’s face twisted nervously. But then he shouted confidently,
"Don’t chicken out! It’s just a toy!"

Bang!
But as the rubber bullet zipped past his hair with a sharp crack and thudded on the ground, he could no longer laugh.
"It is a toy, sure. It just hurts a little when you get hit."

Watching that, Satoru muttered in horror,
"She was gonna shoot that at me?!"
"Shh."

I warned the oblivious Satoru to keep quiet.
With a sulky look, he shut his mouth.