My New Life

Chapter 78: Winding Down

"How did it feel?" I asked, sitting down across from him.

He smiled.

"Surprisingly, I couldn't help but laugh. For him to so boldly declare it to the whole school, I was impressed. It's unfortunate however, it's too late in the school year for me to crush him."

I closed my eyes.

"I'm annoyed. I can't help but think of Nagumo-senpai as a coward. He chose to make his move after things were already in preparation for you to step down."

"It makes sense doesn't it? He knows he wouldn't be able to defeat me head on if I was at my strongest."

I clenched my fists.

"But that's not fun. He's a fake king. He's not in it for the challenge, or anything like that."

He sighed.

"So? What are you going to do about it then? You said yourself you wouldn't try and take him down unless he made the first move, or unless he made the school easier for you. From the looks of things he's going to make school life more difficult."

"Yeah... that's why I'm hesitant."

Now it was my turn to sigh, annoyed at how true his words were.

"Well, at the end of the day I can't really say I care if he's making it harder for me, because he's kicking you while your down, I hate that."

"...You are a rather protective person."

"No shit, just thinking about what he said is making me want to kill him."

"Kill... I've never heard you say that before."

"Don't get me wrong. I don't mean devour, or defeat. As of the way he's acting right now, I just want to erase him."

He laughed.

"Erase huh? That's an interesting way of putting it. But I must admit, I've never had someone feel protective about me before, I've always been the type to deal with things myself, not needing protection."

"I know that, I understand that. But I find what Nagumo is doing as despicable. What kind of a leader worms their way in like that!?"

I stood up, closing my eyes as I tried to calm down.

"He's a failure as an elite. He didn't do a single thing to bring you down, he just waited for when you had to step down yourself. He took an alternative, and is talking all big. I'll kill him, I'll fucking murder him. I'll make it so that nobody will remember Nagumo."

"Wow, you're really mad."

I clenched my teeth.

"Sorry. It's just, yeah. I already said what I meant. Only failures take the easy path, too scared of what the other path may bring. Nagumo's a failure."

I sat back down.

"In that sense. I've decided, when it's time to go against him, I'm only going to do things that he actually has the ability to stop. Every single move of mine is going to be a coin-flip that he can win simply by playing the game better."

"Don't forget to take him on at his strongest, too."

I grinned.

"I thought that would be implied. What kind of an idiot would I be if I acted as he did on the matter?"

The person sitting across from me, Horikita Manabu, smiled.

"Give him hell."

"On your behalf, of course I will."