My Childhood Friend, the Brahman Moneybag Who Can't Take a Punch

[Click the author's page for other completed novels. Upcoming: The Bad Seeds Take Center Stage, a lighthearted plot-driven story with a female lead.] [The novel is complete. Thank you for supporting the official release! Unlimited paragraph comments are now open.] Blurb: My name is Xiachuan Youming, and I'm an ordinary office worker. Raised from childhood to be the model Japanese housewife, I'm not quite a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, thanks to a "blemish" from my middle school days. I had a romance with my childhood friend that went nowhere, but he was the stubborn sort who'd follow one path to the end. Strictly speaking, neither of us ever clearly broke up. We simply lost touch. I thought time would make me forget everything, so I chose not to pursue it. That was until one day in my twenties, when I saw a news story: [Major upheaval within the Bonten organization; a certain executive confirmed dead.] The article helpfully included the executive's real name and a cool candid shot, rather than a photo from his ID. In that instant, my memories went back more than ten years, to a boy with fox-like eyes... (Deep breath) ...That bastard played with my feelings! He dated me, used me as a substitute, graduated, then disappeared without a trace! He never even officially broke up with me!!! How dare he go and die on his own terms?! An out-of-control truck crashed onto the road, and I died that same day. And so I transmigrated back to the past. * This time, so I wouldn't have any regrets, I started changing and taking action, entering the world of those boys. One day, a boy nicknamed Take-michi rushed up to me, bowed deeply, and shouted, "Please, whatever you do, don't fall into depravity, Xiachuan-san!" Me: ? Him: "Don't turn black into white, don't wipe out the police department... Don't team up with that Kisaki guy! And above all, don't become a key member of the biggest criminal organization of the future!" Me: ...??? Him: "There has to be another way!" It was nonsense, but it made me suddenly understand why I had transmigrated. Right, I came here to demand an explanation from my first love (and save him). So who was that evil villain Take-michi mentioned? Wait... Hang on. If I can achieve my goal... maybe that wouldn't be so bad? * Just kidding. Anyway, once everything was over, at a grand retirement-and-reform party sponsored by the TK&KO Group, I stood at the podium and raised the microphone. "We've all worked hard to get here." "Thank you all so much for your generosity and friendly competition, across so many timelines, when it came to my family's wallet." "After all, he's frail and can't fight, and he really can't take a punch... but he's the most precious person in my life." Notes for readers: 1. All characters survive, happy ending, romantic comedy. Koko and Akane are friends only. The story is mainly told in first person, and the pairing is Kokonoi (Koko). Don't trust the heroine's account: he didn't use her as a substitute. Read the story for the details, no spoilers. 2. There's so little fanfiction for Koko, so I'm making my own. The other series featured in this crossover won't affect your ability to follow the story. 3. One-on-one pairing, happy ending, novella. To express my love for the author next door, @Jizi Bing, whose new Tokyo Revengers fanfic is out, go read it!!! 4. Part of the cover art was made using a character creator, and permission has been obtained. Theme: Study hard and choose the right path to turn your fate around.