Chapter 3
Sorry, Hinata-kun. I don’t have time to joke around right now.
Huh~? Boooo, you never have time for me!
…Hinata. C’mere for a sec.
Wawah—Don’t grab me by my collar! What’s going on~? Everyone looks so depressed all of a sudden. Cheer up!
Okay okay, how ‘bout I show you guys a fun trick ☆
Read the damn room… C’mon, I need your help with somethin’. There’s no goin’ back now—This ship’s already set sail.
Ooh, so even you know how to use idioms, Oogami-senpai~? ♪
Ngh~… I’m worried about Tetsu-kun, but it does look like he’s about to have a big important talk with Kiryu-senpai.
Welp, then I guess I’ll just have to take care of Oogami-senpai instead ♪
Sure. So you know that martial arts guy right. Introduce me, I wanna get some training in since violence is okay in the Dragon King Competition.
I’mma come up with some special moves before the day of the live ♪
Are you talking about our sifu? The one who runs the Chinese food place? I mean yeah, that guy’s a master at kung fu and I respect him a bunch, but?
He gets sick a bunch around this time of year, so I don’t wanna overwork him.
He likes taking care of kids though, so he’d probably help you out.
Right. Then let’s get outta here. And I’mma talk to that damn vampire while I’m at it.
Based on what I saw back in the student council room, that shitty glasses doesn’t approve of our Dragon King Competition.
But I’ll get that damn vampire to talk some sense into that goody-two-shoes. I don’t really like workin’ behind the scenes, but I got no choice this time around.
Huh? Sakuma-senpai? Are Sakuma-senpai and the VP—Hasumi-senpai close or something?
They faced off during the S1in the spring, so I thought things were really tense, but~?
Yeah, feels like they were close for no real reason. I don’t remember why though~ But I heard they were buds since before they even started school.
Actually, let’s talk to Anzu about this too and have her change up the proposal again. If we can get it through, we’ll be good to go.
Gotcha~ I wanted to talk to her about the future of 2wink, too…
There’s a bunch I need to ask about, but I bet she’s crazy busy these days.
Then that’s that. I can feel it in my gut that the Dragon King Competition is gonna happen regardless, so how ‘bout you karate club guys stop lookin’ so sad… ‘kay?
Get yourselves fired the hell up~ Or you’re gonna learn how a one-hit K.O. really feels!
Right. Sorry for makin’ ya do all this, Oogami. Just wait, I’mma show you how serious I can get this time.
……
All right then. Sit down, Tetsu. I’ll tell ya all about the Dragon King Competition.
O–ossu. But Taishou~ This might not sound very manly, but that’s not what I was worried about.
I’m just—Why did you do all this without ever telling me anything, Taishou?
Sure, it’s not like I’m your family or even your friend, so I don’t have the right to ask you to tell me everything, but—
You feel so far away, Taishou. Or I guess it’s like, I’m kinda shocked.
Do I really not matter to you at all?
This all makes me feel like I’m just a baby bird, like you have to chew everything up so it’s easier for me to swallow.
You spoil me, you take care of me, you value me… But getting only that from you makes me feel lonely.
It’s frustrating. And I know I’m still a total scrub, I can’t even come close to where you are, Taishou.
But I’ve been working my ass off in the karate club for a whole year now!
And I’ve got a lot of experience from being in Ryuseitai, and I thought I was growing up—So can you not treat me like a kid so much…?!
That’s not it, Tetsu. Quit gettin’ so worked up and shoutin’—That’s what makes you look like a kid.
…Ah, shit. No, you’re right about all that.
I haven’t been takin’ you seriously. I decided you were only half a man and never shared anything with you that might be too heavy or painful.
But it’s not ‘cause I’m lookin’ down on ya.
It’s ‘cause you’re important to me, Tetsu. Always stickin’ around me no matter what, with your eyes shinin’ so bright…
I wanted to make sure I never put a frown on the face of the guy who cleaned up my wounds and saved me.
I was tryna show off. I didn’t wanna disappoint you.
But… you’re right, it does put a lot of distance between us. You’re always right, Tetsu.
If you’re gonna get so upset you start hangin’ your head regardless of whether I talk about it or not… then I might as well tell it to ya straight.
But if I’m bein’ honest, I like to think of you like my only son. My pride and joy, I guess.
So of course I treat ya “like a kid,” why would I wanna show this pathetic side of me to my own son?
But you’re a whole, grown-ass man, aren’tcha. You don’t need me carryin’ you around on my back.
I figured that out too, but you’re just so cute… So I kept puttin’ it off. I’m a damn coward.
I’m no man among men—I’m the least manly guy there is.2
Nuh-uh. You’ve always been my ideal, Taishou—who I’ve been chasing after.
Thanks, Tetsu. …Sorry for makin’ ya worry.
Haha, I was just gonna have you sit and listen, but since we’re in the dojo, let’s go ahead and do some drills. Go get your gi on—I’ll get changed too.
We’re men, right? So we’ll talk mano a mano. And it’ll be a good way to train for the Dragon King Competition.
The pronoun Hinata uses here is アタイ (atai) which is a super feminine, super cutesy pronoun for yourself! He does this kind of girlfriend gag routine thing pretty often.
The word Kuro uses to contrast the “man among men” is 女々しい (memeshii) which means like, unmanly, effeminite, cowardly, etc. It uses the kanji for woman (女) so it’s kinda like a play on words by contrasting “man” and “woman.” Tetora often uses this word as well, and in fact uses it earlier in this chapter when talking about how unmanly he is. It’s significant in how he perceives himself in terms of a dichotomy between man and woman, so I wanted to point it out!