“Have you forgotten? Hina Mizuno is my girlfriend.”

The moment Ayumu Kurogo stepped in, every eye in the classroom locked onto him—no, “glared” was more accurate. Except for Hina Mizuno. Even Yui Asou’s gaze from behind sent an involuntary chill down his spine. Ayumu was deeply puzzled. Since yesterday’s lunch, Yui’s hostility had been utterly unmasked—painfully obvious.

*Maybe it’s just because I used to be a delinquent!*

After turning it over in his head, that was the only reason he could find. Clearly, Yui still didn’t believe he’d truly left the label “delinquent” behind.

“Kurogo, didn’t we agree to leave each other alone? What’s this about now?”

With more urgent matters at hand, Ayumu snapped back to focus and replied with forced ease, “Seriously? Forgotten already? Hina Mizuno is *my* girlfriend. Got so full of yourselves you’d dare bully her?”

Truth was, Ayumu wasn’t sure how to handle Yohei Takagi and Tatsuya Inoue—two delinquents. Polite reasoning? Useless. And it didn’t fit his image as a former delinquent boss. So the only reliable move he could think of: fight fire with fire. Unleash the aura of a former boss with overwhelming strength, see if they’d back down. For now, he had to start with the “courtesy” in “courtesy before force.” He couldn’t just kick them in front of the whole class. Besides breaking his current principles, getting expelled for fighting on campus would be a massive loss.

“Kurogo, wake up—you’ve always been just a pawn to us. Did you really think we’d fear you? Hahahaha…”

After spitting that out, Takagi looked nearly euphoric—a long-suppressed secret finally unleashed, relief flooding his face. Ayumu suspected he’d been waiting *exactly* for this moment. Childish. Absolutely childish.

So many absurd points, Ayumu didn’t even know where to start ranting. He’d guessed he might’ve been used, but hearing it still stung—not because of the betrayal (the old Ayumu deserved it), but how *dramatic* it sounded. Like something ripped straight from a light novel. Still… after transmigrating here himself, even the most theatrical twists felt oddly acceptable. Maybe he’d adjust. Eventually.

“Truth is, we’ve had our eyes on Hina Mizuno for a while,” Inoue jumped in, not to be outdone. “Didn’t you become her boyfriend *on purpose*—just to squeeze money from her? Treat her as your meal ticket?”

Ayumu instantly pieced it together. They’d discovered Hina was living in an internet café—likely after running away—and snapped secret photos. Leverage. Paired with her gentle nature, isolation, and steady part-time income? Perfect extortion target. In Ayumu’s eyes, these scumbags wouldn’t stop at one payout. They’d milk her dry as a “long-term meal ticket.”

“Kurogo-kun… is what they’re saying… true?”

Hina, who’d been trembling silently, now turned to Ayumu—shaken by the villains’ provocation. *Seriously? Now’s the time for this?* Ayumu almost ignored the question. It was the old him’s mess. But when he glanced back…

Hina had gently pushed her bangs aside, her eyes wide and sincere, gazing straight at him—as if this answer mattered more than the crisis unfolding around them.

“I already said it was a joke. We’re friends now. Let’s leave the past behind.”

“Mm.”

Hina actually smiled after hearing that. Ayumu had no time to appreciate it—the situation was worsening. He hadn’t expected Takagi and Inoue to show zero fear. Maybe they had backing.

*Courtesy failed. Trouble ahead.*

Ayumu steeled his voice, tone sharp and cold: “Listen carefully. Stay away from Hina Mizuno and Yui Asou. Cross that line, and if you run into me off-campus… I guarantee you won’t show up to school tomorrow.”

He wasn’t a saint. Couldn’t protect everyone. But his friends? Off-limits. And Yui Asou, as class rep, had done her duty—she deserved no backlash.

“K-Kurogo… d-don’t think this scares me! We’ve got… we’ve got—” Inoue stammered, blustering but trembling, trying to blurt out their “backing” to intimidate him.

Takagi cut him off sharply: “Don’t get cocky, Kurogo. This isn’t over.” He yanked Inoue away from Hina’s desk, shooting Ayumu a final glare as they left.

Ayumu nearly smirked. *Barking dogs seldom bite.* He guessed Inoue’s unfinished words pointed to the yakuza—the mafia glamorized in films. But Takagi’s reaction suggested shallow ties. Maybe Takagi *was* a yakuza heir, silencing Inoue to stay low-key. Either way, Ayumu knew: this was the first real storm since his transmigration. Leaving his delinquent past behind? A long road ahead.

“Thank you, Kurogo-kun.”

Hina pulled gently from Yui’s embrace, walked to Ayumu, and bowed deeply. Before he could react, Yui steadied her.

“Thank you, Class Rep Asou!”

Yui stopped Hina before she could bow again.

Ayumu thought: *She should thank Yui far more than me.* Hina’s bullying tangled with his past sins, but Yui had been her sole protector in class.

Hina murmured, “If not for you this morning, the teacher would’ve seen the blackboard…”

At those words, Yui’s shoulders slumped. She lowered her head, expression shadowed, lost in silence.

“I… don’t deserve your thanks… because…” Her voice cracked, pained.

What haunted her was this morning’s blackboard. She’d seen the cruel words the moment she entered class—but didn’t wipe them. A memory flashed: yesterday noon, secretly watching Ayumu and Hina share a bento on the rooftop. An indescribable ache twisted her thoughts. *Possessed*, she’d wanted to punish Hina—the girl threatening to take something precious. So she pretended not to see, returned to her seat… yet guilt gnawed at her. Minutes before class, she finally erased it. Too late.

Ayumu could never imagine it: Yui Asou, the diligent, principled class rep, letting selfishness cloud her judgment—just for a moment—ignoring Hina’s plight because of *him*. No wonder Yui felt unworthy of thanks. She owed Hina an apology.