"Hey, let go of me!"

"I told you to stop, Takumi! Just leave him alone already!"

"Yeah, Takumi! I told you, you got knocked out with a single flick to the forehead!"

"Shut up! That’s impossible! He must have used some cheap trick! He won’t be able to pull anything off this time!"

Isozaki, being held back by Tsuyahara and Kazuya-san, was still heading toward me. The tennis ball incident had just been resolved peacefully—couldn’t he leave it at that?

"Whoa!"

"Ahh!"

"Isozaki, what do you think you’re doing?!"

"Shut up! Move!"

"Ugh!"

"Eek!"

Isozaki shoved Tsuyahara and Kazuya-san out of the way, even pushing aside the P.E. teacher who tried to intervene. He's completely lost it.

"Why do I have to be scared of some guy like Tachihara? Die!"

"Tachihara-kun, watch out! Run!"

Isozaki, now completely enraged, charged at me with his right fist raised. Kawabata-san and Watanabe were right behind me, so dodging wasn’t an option. Should I use magic to stop his movements? No, that would draw too much attention.

"...I really didn’t want to stand out."

Thanks to my "anticipation" skill, Isozaki’s movements seemed slower to me. I stepped forward, grabbed his raised arm, and threw him backward. It was a judo throw I’d seen before but hadn’t tried myself.

"Gah!"

Isozaki, who was bigger than me, flew through the air and landed hard on his back. I held back, so he shouldn’t be seriously injured.

While pretending to hold him down, I grasped his neck lightly, activating my intimidation skill, and whispered so only he could hear.

"...There won’t be a next time."

"Uh… ah…"

Even Isozaki began trembling. I should have used my intimidation skill when I stopped him on the rooftop last time. Now what? This awkward silence...

Everyone in the class stared at me, mouths agape. Even the P.E. teacher was frozen in shock.

Soon after, other teachers arrived, and the incident turned into a big commotion. I had to explain what happened, but they let me off with self-defense, while Isozaki received a week-long suspension for attacking a teacher.

A suspension felt fair enough; if he’d been expelled, he might have held a grudge. Since I’d intimidated him, he probably wouldn’t bother me again.

"So, what was that all about in P.E.?"

After class ended, Abe and Watanabe came over to my desk. By the way, Tsuyahara and his group had left the room as soon as class ended. They’d tried to stop Isozaki, so I didn’t have any issues with them.

"Well, it was just a judo throw."

"We’re not asking for the name of the move! When did you get so strong?! You threw Isozaki like it was nothing!"

"Yeah! I was watching up close—it was like something out of a comic book! And you caught a tennis ball with one hand—that’s not normal!"

They both kept pushing, but I couldn’t exactly tell them about my experiences in another world.

"Haven’t I mentioned? I practiced judo when I was younger. I couldn’t show my real skill before because of my weight, but I slimmed down recently, so now I can use my full strength."

...A bit of a stretch.

"I see. So you left early after school to practice judo, huh?"

"Yeah, judo athletes are known for their reflexes, so that explains your quick reaction."

It looked like they bought it. In reality, I went home early to play games and read manga... Sorry, guys.

"I actually thought you’d had some kind of modification surgery."

"Yeah, me too! I even wondered if you were taking something weird!"

The modification surgery theory seemed popular. Though, in a way, inherited magic was kind of like doping or a body mod.

"Hey, Tachihara."

"Hmm?"

As I was chatting with Abe and Watanabe, three girls from class approached me.

"Uh, I’ve got to get to my club! See you tomorrow!"

"See ya tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Watanabe, clearly flustered by the presence of girls, made a quick escape. What do they want? I hadn’t really interacted with these three before.

"Tachihara, you were amazing in P.E.!"

"Yeah, throwing Isozaki like that! That guy’s been really aggressive lately, so it was so satisfying to watch!"

"I was watching by chance, and when you caught that tennis ball, it was so cool!"

"Uh, thanks."

The three girls squealed excitedly. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, so I felt a bit overwhelmed.

"And you’ve become so handsome all of a sudden!"

"I didn’t recognize you at first, but you definitely look better now!"

"Hey, are you free after this? Want to go to karaoke with us?"

"Uh, um..."

Their enthusiasm was a lot to handle. I wasn’t great with girls, and I barely knew any karaoke songs. I had to find a way to decline.

"Sorry, I have plans today. But thanks for inviting me; I appreciate it."

"Uh...!"

They looked flustered, but I managed a polite smile. I looked different now, so it shouldn’t come off as creepy... Hopefully.

"Oh, okay! Well, maybe next time! Promise!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, tomorrow!"

With red faces, they hurriedly left the classroom. I could hear them whispering things like, “That was intense!” Hopefully, they weren’t saying I was gross... right?

"So, you passed up a karaoke invitation with those girls to come to the bookstore with me?"

Later, as promised, I met Abe at the bookstore.

"I don’t know what to do around girls. Plus, those three used to bully me. Just because I look different now, they’re suddenly nice? It’s nerve-wracking."

Those three were cute enough, but they’d mocked and harassed me before. You don’t just forget that.

"Guess you didn’t need to smile at the end. They’ll probably keep inviting you. Other girls might start asking, too."

"Why? I turned them down, and it was just a polite smile."

"With your new look, that ‘polite smile’ has some power. As a guy, even I kind of wanted to punch you."

"Scary!"

I’d felt that way about handsome guys when I was heavier too, I guess...

"Face it; you’re pretty good-looking now. And strong—girls are into that. Just don’t abandon me to hang out with Tsuyahara’s group."

"Never. I’ll always remember what they did."

No way would I ever join Tsuyahara and his crew. The thought of making up with them just makes me want to punch something.

"Good. I know what I did wasn’t okay either."

"I told you, Abe, you and Watanabe are forgiven!"

It was a bit tiring to keep explaining. They’d just gone along with Tsuyahara. It’s the people who harassed me on their own that I can't forgive.

After that, Abe and Watanabe recommended some manga, and I bought a few to read at home. Now, time to head to another world for a nice, extended stay!