Chapter 1

“Bow to the gods! Bow to each other!”

“Now look each other in the eye~! Get ready, get set… ☆”

“All right! The Dragon King Competition is on! Everyone else might be getting ready for Valentine’s Day, but this right here is a brawl between macho men—There’s not a trace of sexiness to be found~!”

“Honestly, I doubt anyone wants to watch a bunch of guys hit each other!”

“The only person in the audience is Anzu-san, and even she’s got a grimace on her face. You know you don’t have to watch if you can’t handle what’s coming!”

“It’s a pretty lame event where the only ones getting their blood pumping are the idols standing on the stage!”

“You’re not a real man if you turn tail and run, so c’mon! Shape up and beat the heck outta each other—please~ ☆”

You’re right, it’s almost unnatural how there’s no audience. The show’s gonna be a massive failure. We’re gonna lose big on the cost of setup.

Well, that don’t mean we’re gonna cut any corners here. It’s worth it to keep goin’.

Let’s settle the score, Oogami. I don’t wanna leave any unfinished business, so say everything on your mind while I’m still right here in front of you.

You too, Tetsu… That’s what this Dragon King Competition is for.

Then I got somethin’ to say to you… Kiryu-senpai.

I think you better know why there’s no audience here.

Huh? Based on how you’re talkin’, I’m guessin’ you know a thing or two?

‘S just a guess, but. If I’d had work with UNDEAD today, I wouldn’ta been able to be in the Dragon King Competition…

So I checked our schedule and stuff.

And that’s how I found out that today just about everyone at Yumenosaki, including that damn vampire…

Are participatin’ in some other Dream Fes in a different spot right this second.

Looks like the student council pulled together an official budget for some giant event or somethin’.

It’s one where you enter as individuals, and it’s mostly for the third years who’re gettin’ ready to graduate and their fans.

So that’s where the general public and all the students are at. No one at the school as far as the eye can see.

You get what this means, dont’cha?

…Means Hasumi’s lookin’ out for us. On the surface, he’s in a position where he can’t just turn a blind eye to an unauthorized Dragon King Competition.

But if he’s busy with an event somewhere else and didn’t notice this as a result…

He can use that as an excuse and let it slide.

Haha, ‘course, he’s gonna gimme a full-on lecture later later, like “How dare you go participating in an unofficial match!”

He’s not so much a pushover—More like a pain in the ass.

It’s not just the shitty glasses, yanno.

That damn vampire got himself wrapped up in it too—mosta the first years at school, actually… And all the first and second years are in on it too. They all worked together to get their stories straight.

Wanna know why? It’s all for you, Kiryu-senpai.

They’re tryna stay outta your way so you can do whatcha need to do.

‘Cause everyone feels like they owe ya. They all love ya.

You’re always goin’ full-force when ya make costumes for us… And on top of that, we all owe you for somethin’ or other, whether it’s big or small.

Everyone wants to give back to ya.

You were prolly thinkin’ of losing to me at this Dragon King Competition…

‘Cause you want me to feel good about my win and get all excited so I could move on with my life.

But I can’t just sit back and let you keep doin’ shit for me, got it?

…’S that right? Haha, that’s somethin’ to be grateful for.

Actually I’m surprised, Oogami. I didn’t know you liked me that much.

I don’t like you, ya bastard. You’re my enemy!

And I’m tellin’ ya, if you go easy on me I’mma kill you! You better take this shit seriously so you don’t leave behind any regrets!

We’re not a buncha weak babies who’d die from a little nudge.

It’s about time we showed you guys how much you’ve taught us.

Just trust it. You don’t gotta believe me, but… at the very least, believe in that guy you’ve been training for a year straight.

Every last one of ya need to figure out that love isn’t just about takin’ care of people and protectin’ ‘em.

You sure don’t know when to shut up, do ya. Seriously, how many times has Sakuma got onto you about that? …But we’re on stage, so we should cut the small talk and do our jobs.

Hell yeah! There’s not gonna be a single piece of you left when I’m done! I’m takin’ you down! Gyahahaha ☆

(Guess he’s right… If I’d heard that when I first came to Yumenosaki, I’d’ve been shocked.)

(I was a guy who’d just walked out on the delinquent life—Violence was all I had goin’ for me. I couldn’t fit in at this school for idols, so I pretended like I was some lone wolf.)

(I kept wondering why I’d come to a place like this. I was livin’ life in this haze of confusion, regrettin’ everything.)

(I wasn’t enjoyin’ myself, I didn’t have any goals, nothin’ like that.)

(Then before I realized it, things had changed.)

(Once I met Hasumi and did what he told me to do… I actually became part of Yumenosaki Academy. I actually enjoyed my life here.)

(I actually… had dreams, just like those other sparkling and glittering guys.)

(With hands that only knew how to throw a punch, I sewed costumes everyone wanted, and joined my hands with theirs… And I was allowed to do that—It made ‘em happy, it made ‘em feel grateful to me.)

(Right, I see. That’s how it was.)

(Hey, Ma. Is this really okay? You don’t have to forgive me for not bein’ next to you when you died, but do you think I could forget about that for just a moment?)

(You think I could at least try to enjoy myself and feel like I’m happy?)

(And spend my days messin’ around and laughin’ with all the people I love…)

(Is it really okay? If I don’t feel guilty lettin’ myself do all this stuff—stuff you’ll never get to do again?)

……

(…Yeah, I know. I’ve still got some unfinished business.)

(You always got mad at me when I didn’t put away my dishes or sewin’ stuff or anything else I used.)

(So I’ll make sure I clean up every last bit of my regrets before I move on.)