I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

A few days later, the weekend of the interview finally arrived.
As usual, I finished my early morning workout, but today, for the first time in a while, I looked in the mirror and styled my hair with wax.
Normally, I would just splash on some skin lotion and be done with it, but since they said they’d be taking pictures for the newspaper today, I put in a bit more effort.

After finishing my morning routine and starting breakfast, my mom handed me a bowl of soup and asked:
“Are you going on a date today?”
“Huh? A date?”

“Well, my son who usually never bothers to dress up suddenly put wax in his hair.”
Ah, so that’s what she meant.
“It’s not like that. I’m just meeting someone from the school newspaper club for an interview.”

“An interview? Did you do something bad?”
“What do you even think of your son….”
“Hoho, I’m just teasing.”
She said that while patting my shoulder, then stared closely at my face.

“Still, you’re quite handsome. Must be because you take after your father.”
“Really?”
It felt good hearing that, especially since people usually said I looked intimidating.

“Why do you think I still stick with your dad, who doesn’t have much else going for him? It’s all because he’s handsome.”
“H-ha, haha….”
I laughed awkwardly and turned my gaze away.

Honestly, from an objective point of view, Dad wasn’t exactly a pretty boy.
Anyway, after finishing breakfast, I took the bus for the first time in a while to meet Ayabe-senpai.
I didn’t take the subway like usual because she lived in the same Setagaya Ward as me.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve taken a bus.’
“Mom, that guy’s huge. Like a gorilla.”
“Shh. Be quiet. He’ll hear you.”

“……”
…Wow. I usually called Yamada-sensei “Gorilla” without thinking, but hearing it said about me kind of stung.
I’d better stop using that nickname starting next week.

I tried my best not to look at the kid until my stop. As soon as we arrived, I pressed the bell and got off.
Brrrrrr!
The bus left, and I looked around the unfamiliar area called Nikotama.
The full name was Futakotamagawa Station, but people shortened it because the name was too long.

The area around Nikotama Station had recently become a bustling commercial district, full of malls and department stores—a good place to meet someone.
And the place where I was meeting Ayabe-senpai was a sushi restaurant near the station.
Ding! Ding!

“Ah! Over here, Kim-kun!”
As I entered, Ayabe-senpai, who had arrived earlier, waved enthusiastically.
I approached the table where she was sitting and asked:

“But why choose a sushi restaurant for the interview?”
“This is one of my regular spots. Honestly, I just wanted to eat. You went out of your way to spare time for this interview, right? So the least I can do is feed you properly.”
She then introduced the two people sitting with her.

“This is our newspaper club’s vice president, Takagi, and this is our first-year member, Hanamiya.”
“I’m Takagi Ayase. Same year as you, second-year.”

“I-I’m Hanami Yuzuko.”

Their faces were familiar, which made sense—I’d met them during my previous visit to the newspaper club.
“So we’ve met before.”
Not knowing the full story, Ayabe-senpai tilted her head.

“Really? That’s good, then. These two will be helping me out with the interview today. Anyway, have a seat first. Let’s order before we talk.”
I sat opposite her.
Since it was a four-person table, Hanami Yuzuko ended up sitting next to me.

She was so tiny she could probably give Karen a run for her money in terms of size.
“Senpai, are you treating us today?”
“Of course. Order whatever you want.”
“Then I’ll have the medium-fatty tuna set….”

“Ah, but you two keep it under 2,000 yen.”
“…I’ll just get the lunch set, then.”
Maybe it was because they were president and vice president, but their teamwork was almost telepathic.

I looked at the menu and asked:
“Should I also keep it under 2,000 yen?”
“Oh, Kim-kun, you don’t have a limit. Order whatever you really want.”

“Then… I’ll have the family set.”
“The four-person family set? We said you could order freely, you know.”
“Yes, I’ll be eating it by myself.”

“…The family set? By yourself?”
The first-year, Hanami, looked at me in awe.
“Men are amazing. To be able to eat that much….”

But Ayabe-senpai quickly waved her hand.
“No, no, Kim-kun is just weird. Normal people can’t eat that much.”
Even while saying that, she ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) called the waiter and placed the order without hesitation.

“Three lunch sets and one family set, please.”
“Yes, understood.”
After the waiter left, Ayabe-senpai took a sip of water and looked at me.

“You can really finish it, right? I won’t forgive you if you leave anything.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll finish it all.”
I patted my stomach as I said that.

She still looked doubtful but sighed and let it go.
“Anyway, today we’ll be going through twenty of the questions I sent you before. You prepared your answers, right?”
“Of course.”

“I’ll also be recording to make sure everything’s accurate. Is that okay?”
“Yes. As long as I can keep a copy too.”
“That’s fine. Okay, that’s all I needed to check beforehand.”

She glanced at her phone, as if checking a pre-made schedule, then put it away.
“Oh, and I was personally curious about one thing. Can I ask?”
“What is it?”

“Where do you work out? I’ve been stuck at my desk studying lately, and I think I’ve gained some weight.”
“A gym near my house. If you want, I can give you the business card.”
I took out Nakayama-san’s card from my wallet.

“C-Can I have it too?”

“M-Me too!”
The two who had been quietly sipping water suddenly perked up—guess dieting was a universal concern.

“Call this number, and the director will take care of you. Even the kendo club’s Fuma-senpai goes there.”
“Fuma?!”
At that name, all three newspaper club members shouted at once.

“If that uptight club president goes there, it must be legit.”
“We’re definitely going!”
I could already imagine the director and the male gym members cheering at the influx of new female clients.

As we chatted, our food arrived.
“Wow! It looks delicious!”
The lunch sets had twelve pieces of sushi each, while my family set had fifty.

Honestly, I could’ve eaten more, but since I was being treated, ordering more would’ve felt shameless.
“Then, let’s eat.”
Like they say, even Mt. Geumgang comes after a meal. The interview could wait until after eating.

***
Thirty Minutes Later
After a satisfying meal, we moved to a nearby coffee shop.

The girls ordered coffee and cakes using terms I barely understood, while I stuck with a plain Americano.
“You’re sure you don’t want anything else?”
“Yes, this is enough for me.”

Apparently, the saying about girls having a separate “dessert stomach” was true; despite claiming to be full earlier, each of them had a large slice of cake.
I decided to bring up the main topic.
“So, when does the interview start?”

“Ah, sorry. Just let me finish this.”
After popping the last bite of lemon cheesecake into her mouth, Ayabe-senpai wiped the cream from her lips and smiled.
“You don’t need to be nervous. Even if you slip up, I’ll adjust it for the article. Just answer honestly.”

“Got it.”
“Then let’s begin.”
She took a small recorder and a notebook from her handbag.

“First, can you introduce yourself briefly?”
I cleared my throat and looked directly at Hanami, who was holding the camera.
“Uh… I’m Kim Yu-seong, a second-year student at Ichijo Academy. Please take care of me for today’s interview.”

“Woooooow!”
Ayabe-senpai clapped dramatically.
“Ahem, then for the first question. Are you aware of the rumors about you circulating at Ichijo Academy?”

“Not all of them, but I’ve heard some. People talk, and friends tell me things.”
“I see, I see.”
She tapped her chin with her pen.

“Then for the second question, which is related—there’s a rumor that you’re an elite yakuza. Apparently, someone saw you visiting a mansion owned by martial families outside the city. Is that true?”
“Uh… that…”
I froze for a moment.

The first part was total nonsense, but the second… someone really might have seen me.
After all, Karen’s house was practically a yakuza den.
Seeing my hesitation, Ayabe-senpai’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s true?!”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just… someone I know has a foot in that world. I was just visiting, nothing more.”
I had to protect Karen’s privacy.

Unlike my already terrible reputation, the fact that she was a yakuza’s daughter seemed to be a secret at school.
And so, Ayabe-senpai’s sharp questions continued one after another…