Rescuing, Rescuing!

Thanks for asking. I just got off the plane.

I came back to Tokyo and saw my childhood friends...

They'd started a delinquent gang called the Tokyo Manji Gang, and said they were going to take over all of Japan.

?

...That's wild.

But how did this happen!??

Mikey, with his pale-yellow bowl cut, who looks sweet and delicate but is actually an absurdly childish brat, became the gang's leader?! Why? Because he can fight pretty well?! ...Okay, fair.

Draken, the big guy with blond hair and a pretty cool dragon tattoo on his head, who's basically everyone's mom, is the gang's vice-leader?! Why? Because he's everyone's mom?! ...Works for me.

And why is my silver-haired bestie, Takashi Mitsuya, the perfect guy who smiles warmly, has looked after his two younger sisters since childhood, and is obviously going to grow up to be a total hottie, a captain in the gang too?! Why?! Because he's handsome and can fight?!! ...Well, I guess that's not impossible...

There were a few more of them, I think...

Where's Kazutora, the idiot who got so tired of girls hitting on him that he went and got a flattop? What about Haruchiyo, who's been following Mikey around since they were little? And...

"So you finally decided to come back."

Ah...

Here he is.

The handsome guy behind me, the only one in this whole crowd with neat black hair almost as long as mine, is wearing a chilling smile and baring gleaming, razor-sharp tiger teeth that look ready to eat someone...

My real childhood friend, who I've known since before kindergarten, grabs my hand tightly...

No!!!

Why is he wearing the same gang uniform as everyone else?!

"Nooo! Paji, you idiot! You can't run with a bunch of delinquents!"

Check out my upcoming novel!

In Progress: So You're the Guy They Call Mikey?

My name is Xia Yue, and I'm obsessed with my big brother.

He isn't my biological brother, but I still love him to bits. And it's not just because he's strong.

Though he really is incredibly strong. He's the current leader of Suzuran High, known as the strongest man at the top of Suzuran's history. He doesn't need a gang or any backup. His own strength alone is enough to keep the country's infamous delinquents in line. He's Misaki Mario, aka Lao.

We're family from the same orphanage. It doesn't matter that we're not related by blood. My brother raised us all well, so I want to do something for him too, like helping him become the top delinquent in all of Japan.

...Then I heard that things were heating up in Tokyo.

You've got to be kidding meeeee!

If anyone can lead his crew to the top of Japan, it's my amazing big bro! He should be the one to achieve what the older generation couldn't. My monster of a brother from the same orphanage is the only right choice, damn it! Hosen High, Oya High, it doesn't matter. They'd all have to bow before Suzuran! And don't even get me started on that Tokyo Manji Gang, which has barely made a splash lately. You've got to be kidding me! Delinquents from Tokyo? They sound weak as hell!

Though their momentum does seem to be building a little too fast lately.

That guy Monji Tokuyama from the neighboring Hosen went to Tokyo, and since then he's mentioned this delinquent gang way too many times. He says the pale-yellow-haired boy everyone's calling invincible is the Tokyo Manji Gang's leader, and that he's pretty interesting. He might even be able to beat my bro Lao.

...You've got to be kidding me. I don't believe it.

Mitsuhashi Hina transferred to Tokyo a while ago, too. She messaged me recently and said she's doing pretty well there, made lots of friends, and even joined the Tokyo Manji Gang. She added that the leader is really strong, and can knock out a six-foot-six guy with a single roundhouse kick. Apparently, he's not much weaker than Lao.

That's gotta be a lie. I don't believe... Wait, wasn't Mitsuhashi Hina going to start fresh and become a proper young lady?

And then there's my pen pal of ten years, Isana, a friend I met at another orphanage. He seems to know the Tokyo Manji Gang too. Every time it comes up, his face goes dark, and he says he'll kill their leader one day. This guy called Mikey.

...How does he know him, too?

Now I'm really curious.

So I secretly went to Tokyo to check things out. If this guy really is strong...

Well... I'll figure out what to do then.

When I arrived in Tokyo, I planned to sneak over to Mitsuhashi Hina's new school and see her. It's definitely, definitely not because I miss her! I just want to make sure she's still alive, that's all! She's my fated rival, not my friend!

But before I even reached her school, I saw seven or eight delinquents cornering a boy on the street.

The boy looked kind of dazed and was even eating a dorayaki. He wasn't very tall, and looked a little skinny. He didn't seem to realize how dangerous his situation was. Wouldn't a kid with a build like that burst into tears if they beat him up?

So, in a burst of kindness, I kicked the leader hard in the head and whisked the boy away while the others stared in shock.

"...How long are you going to keep dragging me along?" The boy behind me, whose hand I was holding, asked in a daze, probably touched by what I'd done.

"No idea. I think I'm lost." After running for what felt like more than ten blocks, I leaned on my knees and panted. "I just got to Tokyo. I'm here to find someone."

The pale-yellow-haired boy looked even more dazed. "Who are you looking for?"

"The leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang, Mikey."

"...Huh?"

Theme: Treasure your youth and live well.