Chapter 76: It's Really Great That You're a Girl
"Sorry… I didn't ask your name yesterday, so I just kinda…"
The girl hurriedly apologized. Only then did Takumi remember they hadn't actually introduced themselves yesterday. He quickly replied,
"I'm Shirahama Keni."
"Oh. I'm Takumi Kouichi."
Takumi answered somewhat coolly. Shirahama Keni froze, puzzled why he suddenly turned so distant. Right then, Fuurinji Miu walked over.
"Kouichi? What's wrong—huh, Keni-chan?"
"Fuurinji-san!"
The girl brightened instantly upon seeing Miu. Takumi could no longer keep up the cold front. Curiosity got the better of him.
"You two know each other?"
"Yeah, we're classmates. On my first day transferring to this rundown high school, I accidentally bumped into Keni-chan and sent all her books flying into the water. I ended up late on my very first day because I had to fish them out."
"Ohhh, I see… Wait—Shirahama Keni? Shirahama Keni??"
Takumi's eyes bulged so hard they nearly popped out. He grabbed the girl's shoulders and stared intently. Keni, flustered by the sudden closeness, blushed furiously and mumbled,
"Kouichi… what's wrong?"
What the hell?! This is impossible! Shirahama Keni is supposed to be a guy! The male protagonist!!
Keni blinked in confusion, having no clue what he was muttering about. The next instant Miu's beautiful leg transformed into a giant axe that slammed Takumi face-first into the ground.
"What are you doing?! That's super rude!!!"
"Ugh… it's fine. I don't have boobs or a butt anyway. I'm basically a washboard. People mistook me for a boy all the time when I was little."
Takumi shakily crawled back up, brain short-circuiting. This world was insane. No—utterly unscientific. The male lead of History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi had turned into a girl. After piecing his thoughts together, a sudden flash of insight hit him.
He remembered what happened in Interact Play VR. Because of his interference, the plot where that pervert assaulted Kitamoto Maya's best friend Akagi Manami only existed as a false memory in Maya's head. Later the demon imprint explained it: the world line had jumped to Branch B. It had deviated from the original anime/game creator's timeline and entered a new one that included his existence.
Right… just like in Steins;Gate. The trap Ruka was originally male, but due to all the timeline meddling with the time machine, in one world line he became a genuine girl—and Okabe Rintarou freaked the hell out.
So that's how it is. I don't have to worry about Keni stealing Miu from me anymore. Unlike those incest-themed adult animations, in hot-blooded fighting series the male protagonist is usually the absolute center of the world. With that protagonist halo shining, I might actually lose in a straight fight.
The realization made Takumi unable to hold back. He grabbed the girl's hand again and said earnestly,
"Shirahama Keni… it's really, really great that you're a girl. Seriously."
"Huh?"
Keni, eyes glistening with unshed tears, stared at him in bewilderment. Her heart pounded wildly. Wait—is this… a confession?! Shirahama Keni, sixteen years old, receiving her very first love confession!!
"What the heck are you doing?!"
Miu kicked Takumi flying once more—this time clearly furious. A strange glint flickered in her eyes as she looked at Keni. Taking a steadying breath, she said,
"I'm so sorry, Keni-chan. The idiot at our place is a hopeless pervert and a walking lewd star. Please don't mind him."
"Our place…? Fuurinji-san, what exactly is your relationship with Kouichi?"
"Uh—nothing, really! Ahaha! I just remembered I have something to do—bye!"
Realizing she had slipped up, Miu's face turned beet red. Not wanting to reveal her martial arts skills in public, she made a swift leap and vanished—naturally grabbing the far-flung Takumi along the way.
Half an hour later, Takumi was dangling upside-down from a large tree at Ryōzanpaku with a note stuck to his forehead.
"I am beyond saving. Please ignore me."
"Young man… what happened to you?"
Shigure Kōsaka appeared out of nowhere, hooking her legs over a branch so she hung upside-down beside him. Their faces were barely ten centimeters apart. If Takumi so much as twitched, he could probably kiss her. Of course, he didn't have the guts right now—and he knew full well that if Shigure wanted to dodge, not even a millimeter would get close.
"Sigh… a woman's jealousy, Shigure-sensei."
"A woman's… what?"
"Uh, how do I explain… Whenever she sees me chatting with another girl, an inexplicable rage surges up and she wants to beat me half to death. I think that's what Miu is feeling right now."
"I see… So that's jealousy?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know why… but I want to try it too."
"Huh?"
Takumi froze. Shigure's expression remained blank as ever.
"Miu just explained what happened. You were harassing her female classmate, so she punished you. Suddenly I felt exactly the sensation you described earlier. So this is jealousy. I understand now."
"Sensei… I'm honestly thrilled to hear that, but—wait, what did you understand?! Whoa, Sensei, why are you drawing your sword?!"
"To cut you."
"WHY?! WHY?!"
"Jealousy."
"Nooooo! Help! Aaaah!!"
Fifteen minutes later, Takumi crawled along covered in cuts and bruises. Then a worried voice rang out.
"Kouichi?! What happened?! Whoa—so many knife wounds! Help! Fuurinji-san, Kouichi he—!"
Takumi looked up. Sure enough, it was Shirahama Keni. How did she get here? Even after becoming a girl, the fated connection to Ryōzanpaku hadn't been severed?
Keni shouted a few times with no answer, then gritted her teeth, grabbed Takumi's hand, and tried to hoist him onto her shoulder. Deeply moved, Takumi murmured,
"Thank you, Shirahama—no, Keni… Girls really are cuter when they don't understand martial arts… when they're not that strong… ughhh."
"Kouichi, stop talking. I'll take you to a doctor."
"Those are some nasty wounds, Takumi. Did Shigure use you as a test dummy for her blade?"
A man exuding philosophical aura appeared out of thin air, clicking his tongue at the cuts. Takumi immediately pleaded,
"Master, it hurts so much… Please put some salve on me."
"No need to worry. You won't die. I don't recall raising any disciple this weak. Besides, Shigure's knife work is very precise—he never goes too far."
Akisame Kōetsuji spoke leisurely, then glanced at Keni.
"Oh? Interesting. Could this be the legendary love triangle?"
"Ah—hello! I'm Shirahama Keni, Fuurinji-san's classmate. I'm not some trespasser, I swear!"
"I know. You were pacing back and forth at the gate for ages, then tried climbing the wall and fell. I'm the one who opened the door for you."
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I knocked but no one answered, then the door suddenly opened by itself, so I came in… Really sorry! Um… are you Fuurinji-san's father?"
"No, I'm her father's good friend. Ah, Miu's here. You two can chat slowly. I'll go treat Takumi's wounds."
Akisame scooped Takumi up like an eagle snatching a chick and walked off. Keni opened her mouth to call after him, but the words never came out.
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