I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Hunters in a rom-com world are both everywhere and nowhere.
They’re the kind of convenient troublemakers who only show up in cliché developments, but maybe Ayabe-senpai’s earlier comment about being “easy prey for hunters” had been a flag—because sure enough, they showed up right on schedule today.

I approached the two delinquents harassing the girls.
Unlike the shaved-head punk I had barked at earlier, the blond ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) one looked better-groomed and was trying to coax them with a fake nice-guy routine.
"Sorry, sorry, my buddy’s just a bit rough around the edges. There are three of you and three of us—it’s perfect, right? Come on, let’s hang out. We won’t do anything bad."

"Excuse me."
"Huh?"
The shaved-head punk, who had been glaring to pressure the Newspaper Club trio, turned around and growled at me.

"They’re with me."
But his response wasn’t what I expected at all.
"You think we’ll back off just ‘cause you’re big? If you don’t wanna get humiliated in public, get lost!"
What the hell was with this baseless confidence?

I stared at the punk, incredulous, then looked at the blond one.
He smirked proudly.
"We’re the legendary Seikei Demons! Even crying kids shut up when they hear our name!"

Sei… what?
I blinked at them, confused, but they were already lost in their own delusional world, bragging nonstop about their supposed reputations.
I decided to ignore them for now and addressed the three behind me instead.

"Senpai, are you alright?"
Ayabe-senpai looked a bit startled but nodded.
"Uh? Y-yeah."

"Just in case, please step back. I’ll handle this quickly."
Turning back to the self-proclaimed “Demon Duo,” I cracked my neck.
"Did you just ignore us, asshole?!"

"Looks like someone’s feeling real brave today."
I wondered briefly how to “deal with them” in a way that wouldn’t cause unnecessary rumors… when suddenly, a third voice cut in.
"HEY! You crazy bastards!"

Charging toward us was the punk I’d seen earlier—one of Kaz’s old underlings.
He smacked both delinquents on the back of their heads and immediately bowed deeply to me.
"I’m sorry, sir! They didn’t know any better!"

"What the hell?!"
"Shut up, idiot! I’m saving your lives right now!"
The Newspaper Club trio gaped at the sudden reversal of roles.
And I realized, with a sinking feeling, exactly what was about to happen.

One of the delinquents finally snapped.
"Why the hell are you acting like this?!"
The underling shot me a glance before forcing their heads down.

"Remember that incident where the biggest biker gang in Tokyo, the Devil Riders, got wiped out?"

"What does that have to do with—wait, no way!"
"Yeah! The legend who singlehandedly took down fifty Devil Riders is standing right here!"

"Tokyo’s strongest!"
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake.’
My head was already pounding.

It wasn’t enough that I had a ridiculous “strongest in school” reputation—now they were adding “Tokyo’s strongest” to my list of unwanted titles.
Worse, the Newspaper Club trio was standing right behind me.
‘I literally just denied all of this in the interview… how the hell do I explain this now?’

Feeling the weight of countless eyes on me, I kept my voice calm.
"Let’s move this somewhere else first."
***

"I’m sorry, boss! We’re truly sorry!"
In the alley behind the arcade, the two delinquents knelt with their foreheads pressed to the ground, groveling.
I let out a long sigh, then gave them a very educational lecture about choosing their targets more wisely next time before sending them away.
If there hadn’t been any witnesses, I might’ve “corrected” their bad habits more directly, but with the Newspaper Club watching, I had to keep things clean.

As the punks scurried off, I turned to the three trembling girls.
"Hey."
"Y-yes?!"

Ayabe-senpai practically jumped at my quiet tone.
"I’m sorry for lying during the interview. But I do have a right to some privacy."
"Y-yeah, of course."

She nodded frantically, suddenly switching to polite speech.
"Please keep what happened today a secret. You can do that much, right?"
"…Yes!"

She shouted it almost like a soldier answering an officer.
‘Well, that’s just great.’
I’d set this whole meeting up to clear up misunderstandings, but now it felt like the rumors would only get worse.

I reminded Ayabe-senpai again to keep it quiet, then told her she could relax and speak normally again.
She shuffled her feet awkwardly before murmuring, "…Okay."
Off to the side, Takagi and Hanami were trembling like leaves, letting out tiny squeaks when I glanced their way.

I raised a finger to my lips, signaling for silence, and left the alley with a heavy heart.
***
"What do we do, President?"

At Takagi’s question, Ayabe folded her arms, her expression serious.
"We keep the secret."
If it came out that the guy in that 1-on-50 fight video before summer vacation had been Kim Yu-seong, it would blow up during the cultural festival.

"‘Scholarship student ranked first in his year by day, delinquent hero who takes down biker gangs by night?!’—that headline would sell like crazy."
But that kind of fame would inevitably come back to bite him.
"President’s orders: we bury it."

Takagi smirked knowingly.
"Knew you’d say that, senpai."
"And you?"

"Same. He only exposed himself to help us, so we owe him."
"Guess you’re not as shameless as I thought, Takagi."
"What do you take me for?!"

"Relax, I’m joking."
The two then turned to Hanami Yuzuko.
"What about you, Hanami?"

Hanami nodded firmly.
"I’ll keep it secret too. I want to prove we can succeed without sensationalist articles."
"Then it’s unanimous."

Ayabe summarized the situation one last time.
"So, it stays between us that Kim-kun is secretly connected to the yakuza, called Tokyo’s strongest in the underworld, took down fifty Devil Riders alone, and dissolved their gang."
"That explains why so many girls hang around him."

"Well, they say heroes are always popular with women."
Hanami blushed, realizing maybe the feeling she had back there hadn’t been fear at all.
Ayabe nodded in agreement.

"He’s got a charisma that draws women in. It’s instinct to be attracted to a dangerous man."
And just like that, in a place Kim Yu-seong knew nothing about, the rumors and misunderstandings surrounding him only grew deeper.
***

At that same time—
Somewhere in Kyoto.
Drip, tap.

"Chairman, we’ve received word from the Fujiwara family."
"Already? That’s quick."
"Well, it is a major reconciliation between two families that have been rivals for so long."

"Who are they sending for the formal meeting?"
"They’re sending the current head’s second son, Fujiwara Sai."
"Fujiwara Sai… I remember that prodigy kid. Twenty this year, right?"

"Yes. Their positive response shows they’re taking this seriously."
"Then we need to send someone of equal standing."
"Do you have anyone in mind, sir?"

"Hmm… what about Kumiko?"
"Lady Kumiko?"
"She’ll be eighteen next year. This will be good experience for her."

"Won’t she object to such a sudden decision?"
"Kumiko understands the duties of those in high positions better than anyone. That’s why she’s my favorite grandchild."
"…Understood. I’ll inform her personally."

"Good. I’ll leave it to you, as always."
"Yes, sir."
The kunoichi Kōga Izumo disappeared into the shadows at the command of Saionji Harunobu, head of the Saionji Group—ranked third in Japan’s business world and the 27th head of the Saionji family.

Harunobu chuckled, biting down on his kiseru pipe.
"Autumn already… the perfect season for young people to fall in love."