I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 355 and 356: The Youth of a Miserable Young Man

Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City, Second Boys' High School, Class 1-D.

"During the Heian period, the Bureau of Yin and Yang was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Central Affairs, which was responsible for the observation and determination of divination, astronomy, timekeeping, and calendar systems..."

The bald male teacher held his lesson plan and casually read from it, while the students in the class were either fast asleep or laughing and joking as if no one was around.

The teacher completely ignored this.

After all, that's the kind of school spirit this boys' public school has; these scumbags have absolutely no chance of getting into university.

In the past, there have been inexperienced, green teachers who tried to discipline their students, only to end up fighting with them and being dismissed by the school.

These Reiwa-era good-for-nothings are just getting a high school diploma now; once they graduate, they'll all be rolling into factories, becoming cogs in the capitalist machine.

Well, I guess you could call it making use of waste.

"Ding ding ding!"

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break, the teacher immediately tucked the lesson plan under her arm and walked out of the classroom without stopping.

"Class is over! Class is over!"

"There was a supernatural disaster response drill this morning. Running up and down, back and forth, I was starving."

"Are you having lunch at the cafeteria?"

"Boys are barely out of school, they'll starve to death!" After just one morning, the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys were already starving. Before the teacher even left the classroom, these students couldn't wait to run off in twos and threes to the cafeteria or to get their own lunchboxes.

After everyone else who had gone to the cafeteria had left, Kurogane Kozo and the others quietly took out their lunchboxes and placed them on the table in the back right seat near the door of the classroom.

Kouzo Kurogane's bento box consists of rice with fried pork cutlet and cabbage. It has both vegetables and meat, and it looks pretty good.

But this was a discounted bento box that he bought at a convenience store last night that was about to expire. It cost less than 300 yen, which was cheap enough, but it tasted bland and even had a faint sour taste.

"If I become a superhuman, I'll definitely be after money and women! No, the first thing I'll do is kill that old hag of my mother's!"

A loud, arrogant voice came from inside the classroom. Several boys were gathered in the seats by the window, eating and talking.

Kurogane Hikaru, with his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose seemingly indifferent, didn't even look at anything and continued to eat his bento.

With the advent of the new era, the supernatural has naturally become a hot topic among students and young people.

You cowards and bullies, how dare you dream of becoming extraordinary?

Kurogane Teruzo thought to himself with disdain.

The students at this trashy boys' high school, including myself, are all good-for-nothings who just want to eat and wait to die. Don't be a toad trying to eat swan's ass.

That being said, Kurogane Kouzo himself would occasionally dream of becoming a superhuman, acting as a chivalrous knight and giving the bastards in his class a good beating.

This kind of daydream occurs only less often than Arisa-sensei's dreams.

But let alone becoming extraordinary, even witnessing extraordinary people firsthand is easier said than done.

Although the television is filled with news about extraordinary beings, that world is far too distant for an ordinary high school student like Kouzo Kurogane.

Apart from the newly added disaster prevention drills for dealing with supernatural disasters and the increasing number of historical and mythological test points in textbooks, it's almost impossible to feel any change.

Even if an extraordinary era arrives, ordinary people will still be ordinary people.

What will my future be like?

Should I take odd jobs at a convenience store, work in a factory, or on a construction site?

Although he was only a first-year high school student, his bleak future seemed to be already destined.

It would be better to let the Akatsuki destroy Japan.

No way, I've never even held a girl's hand.

Kurogane Teruzo swallowed a few mouthfuls of rice without tasting it, then picked up the pork chop he had deliberately saved for last with his chopsticks and took a bite.

I almost threw up; it tasted a bit off.

But it was precious protein, so he had no choice but to swallow it down.

"Hey, wash these lunch boxes, you fat pig."

Kurogane Kouzo felt a jolt of fear, but breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words "fat pig" and glanced over.

The guy who had been yelling earlier was carrying several lunch boxes and walked to the last seat in the row by the window.

With a clatter, he threw the lunchbox onto the desk of a chubby classmate who wore glasses.

"Okay, okay."

The chubby student, ignoring that he hadn't finished his meal, started tidying up the lunchbox on the table.

"Tch, boring."

The guy with the hoarse voice, his nostrils flared and a mocking expression on his face, lost interest when he saw how obedient the fat boy was and went home.

"These scumbags are bullying Gao Xiang again."

Watching the chubby classmate walk out of the classroom looking disheveled and carrying his lunchbox, Kurogane Kouzo withdrew his gaze, glanced discreetly at the trio who were laughing and joking, and then lowered his head.

Kouzo Kurogane's fist, which wasn't holding chopsticks, clenched tightly unconsciously, filled with anger and a sense of relief.

If Gao Xiang hadn't been the scapegoat, I would have been the one being bullied.

Kurogane Kouzo is small and thin, with a gloomy and unsociable personality. He comes from a poor family and has decent grades (among a bunch of slackers). In this trashy class, he is the perfect target for bullying.

However, he was able to escape unscathed because Gao Xiang, who was of even lower status than Hei Tie Hui San in the class, was in the same class.

The three-person gang that bullied Gao Xiang were all members of the school's judo club, each tall and strong.

For these bullies, the more you resist, the more it will trigger their sadistic tendencies, like a cat playing with a mouse.

Unless you can smash their dog heads in.

Even if I stand up for them, it will be of no use; instead, I will only get burned and become their new target of bullying.

Sometimes, Kouzo Kurogane felt ashamed of his dark thoughts.

It has become a routine for Gao Xiang to wash their lunch boxes every day at noon.

Kurogane Teruzo was powerless to do anything. Even if he wanted to avoid seeing it and leave the classroom to eat his lunch in the toilet or stairwell, those places were often occupied by students who could find a way to squeeze in, using them as places to smoke and joke around.

"If I want to become extraordinary, the first thing I'll do is beat the shit and piss out of you."

Kouzo Kurogane swallowed the last bite of his bento with difficulty, thinking to himself.

The two afternoon classes passed quickly, and after school, the students filed out of the classroom.

Kouzo Kurogane packed up his textbooks, intending to go straight home as a member of the "Homecoming Club".

As the chubby student Gao Xiang hurried past him, something light and flimsy fell to the ground.

"Hey, Gao Xiang..."

Hei Tie Hui San casually picked it up, and just as he looked up to call out to Gao Xiang, Gao Xiang had already disappeared.

"It's a photograph."

Shaking his head, Kurogane Teruzo didn't take it seriously. He flipped the photo over, and his pupils immediately contracted.

"It's Arisa-sensei!"

English teacher Arisa-sensei is one of the few women you can interact with in this all-boys high school full of animals.

Ms. Arisaki, who was newly married but whose husband passed away unexpectedly, was the most beautiful and unique sight among a group of cafeteria ladies and faculty members at Kobe No. 2 Boys' High School.

Arisaki-sensei is also Kouzo Kurogane's goddess. With her presence, his bleak youth finally had light.

Because of the young and beautiful Ms. Arisaki, the days at school were no longer so unbearable; in fact, she could be said to be the biggest motivation for Kouzo Kurogane to come to school.

"How did Gao Xiang get photos of Ms. Arisa? They weren't taken secretly, were they...? What if other people find out..."

In this all-boys high school, Ms. Arisa is the dream girl of many people. If others find out about this, the consequences will be unimaginable, and the bullying of Gao Xiang will definitely escalate to a terrifying level.

"Let's put it back in Gao Xiang's desk."

Even so, looking at the charming and beautiful face in the photo, Kurogane Hiroshi blushed instantly and, as if possessed, stuffed the photo into his pocket.

"I'm on duty tomorrow morning, so I can come early and put the photos in Gao Xiang's drawer in time."

Feeling guilty, Kurogane Teruzo looked around nervously and tiptoed out of the school.

But after walking only a few steps, Kurogane Kouzo's stomach started rumbling.

"A bento box really doesn't fill me up, but I don't even have money for ramen. There are still about five days until payday, so I can't afford to spend money recklessly."

Kurogane Kozo pulled a crumpled 1,000 yen note from his pocket, then rummaged around on his person and found a few coins.

Kurogane Hiroshi was somewhat perplexed.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: the nearby convenience store would offer discounts after 5 p.m.

"Okay, let's buy the cheapest bean sprouts, some discounted cabbage, and a dozen eggs. That way, we'll have a good source of protein."

After thinking for a while, Kurogane Kouzo decided to spend the next few days like this.

After idly killing a few hours outside, Black Iron Kōzō finally made it to the store's discount period.

He spent all the money he had, bought a bunch of discounted items, and walked out carrying a large bag.

While passing by the coast under the Kobe Bridge, Kurogane Kozo unexpectedly encountered a figure who haunted his dreams.

Arisa-sensei changed into a tracksuit and was running towards Kouzo Kurogane.

"Was it for an evening run? To meet her here is truly fate."

Completely unprepared for this chance encounter, Kouzo Kurogane's mind went blank for a moment, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

If Ms. Saki greets him, how should he greet her politely and appropriately?

"Ms. Arisa, I want to learn a foreign language!"

No, no, this won't work.

Arisa-sensei walked past Kozo Kurogane as if she didn't recognize the student at all.

Like a bucket of cold water being poured over him, Kurogane Hiroshi felt a chill run through his body, and then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

That's true. With so many people in the school, how could Ms. Arisa possibly remember someone like me who always huddled in the back row, an insignificant figure in the shadows?

As she walked away, her figure kept overlapping with the image of Kurogane Kouzo from his dream last night.

Kurogane Kozo sniffed the air again, as if he could still smell the lingering fragrance.

"Hey, beautiful. Working out? What's the point? Wouldn't it be more fun to go to a bar with us?"

Two young men in floral shirts suddenly emerged from the shadows, as if they had been expecting this, and blocked Ms. Arisa's path.

"Please move aside, or I'll call the police."

A thug whistled and grinned, saying:

"So what if you came? We didn't do anything, we just struck up a conversation, don't make a big deal out of it."

"Yeah, we promise we won't do anything. We'll get you home before dawn, hahaha!"

Another burly man deliberately rolled up his sleeves, revealing the colorful tattoos on his arms, and laughed wildly.

Ms. Arisa's face turned deathly pale, and her body trembled with fear.

"Hey kid, what are you looking at? Get lost!"

The thug in the floral shirt noticed Kurogane Kouzo standing to the side and cursed him angrily.

Ms. Arisa looked over as well, the light in her beautiful eyes dimmed instantly, and she kept gesturing for him to leave.

When Kurogane Kouzo saw Arisaki-sensei's frightened and uneasy face, his heart clenched.

Should we swallow our anger and keep quiet?

Or should I be a man?

Kurogane Kouzo knew that if he backed down at this moment, his dignity as a man would be shattered.

Do not!

The pale-faced youth roared like a wild beast in his heart.

"Let her go."

Kurogane Teruzo put the shopping bag in his hand on the ground, looked at them coldly, and said.

"Kid, looks like you really want to meddle in other people's business. Well, you'll regret it when you get to the hospital."

The burly man chuckled and walked toward Kurogane Kouji with an unfriendly expression.

Kurogane Kouzo was only 1.6 meters tall, and compared to the burly man who was over 1.9 meters tall, he looked like a child.

The burly man stretched out his palm, as big as a palm leaf fan, and reached for Kurogane Teruzo's shoulder.

Unexpectedly, Kurogane Hirozo's figure flickered, nimbly dodging the attack.

The burly man, who had missed his target, was slightly taken aback. Taking advantage of this moment, Kurogane Teruzo suddenly kicked him in the shin.

"Waaah."

The big man groaned in pain, lost his balance, and a fist landed on his face.

"Big brother!"

The thug couldn't help but shout out.

A hopeful look also appeared in Arisa-sensei's eyes.

Having landed a successful blow, Kurogane Kozo's expression changed. Just as he was about to pull his fist back, the big man grabbed his wrist.

"So that's why I dared to stand up for myself, I guess I have some martial arts skills."

The difference in size and strength was too great, and Kurogane Kouzo had no way to break free.

The burly man gripped Kurogane Kouzo's arm, preventing him from dodging, and grinned maliciously before delivering a powerful punch to Kurogane Kouzo's abdomen.

"Ugh!" Kurogane Kouzo gagged, feeling as if his internal organs were being crushed.

But that wasn't the end of it. The big man grabbed Kurogane Teruzo by the waist and slammed him hard to the ground.

"Bang!"

The burly man wiped the blood from his nostrils, spat, and stomped on Kurogane Kouzo's head.

"With such mediocre skills, what are you pretending to be a professional for? Do you think you're Bruce Lee? Bah!"

Black Iron Radiance, whose fate was unknown, was pressed face down on the ground.

His right hand, stained with blood, gripped the soil tightly, a faint red light flickering on the back of his hand.

A peculiar pattern is faintly visible.

(End of this chapter)