I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

After shoving the rest of the rice balls into my mouth, I remembered the original reason I came to the student council room and asked the vice president,
“Vice President, when exactly are you planning to return the manga I lent you?”

The vice president, who had just been nagging me moments ago, suddenly made an “Ah!” face as if he had only just remembered.
“C-couldn’t you give me just a little more time? Things have been busy with student council work, and I haven’t finished reading it yet.”
“It’s already been a month. If you’re not planning to read it, just give it back.”

“…Fine. I’ll finish it this week and return it.”
Having secured a firm promise from the vice president, I bowed to the president and Minami and got up to return to class.
Then Fuma-senpai got up and followed right after me.

Seeing that, the president asked,
“Fuma-san, just how long do you plan to keep following Kim Yu-seong around?”
Fuma-senpai shamelessly answered,

“Until he accepts my proposal.”
“…Isn’t that a bit much? He seems to dislike it.”
Fuma-senpai looked at me.

“Do you hate it?”
“Yes. It’s a little annoying.”
No matter how pretty the person is, having someone stalk you to the point it messes with your daily life is just exhausting.

Fuma-senpai let out a thoughtful hum, then suddenly lit up as if she had a brilliant idea.
“Then how about this?”
“What are you talking about?”

“Come to my house after school. I’ll explain to you directly why I keep clinging to you.”
“And if I listen, will you stop following me?”
“Ah, I promise.”
Well, in that case, I guess I don’t have a choice.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”
Then the president, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly shouted, her face bright red.
“W-Wh-Wh-What?! Saying something so indecent like that right in front of the student council president! I didn’t raise Kim Yu-seong to be like this!”

“Calm down, young lady. No one’s said anything indecent yet.”
“No, there’s definitely potential.”
The vice president chimed in, cutting off Minami’s words.

“A boy and a girl in their prime, together in the same room? That’s already game over.”
“I think the thing that’s over is your brain, Onii-san…”
It was utter nonsense, but apparently it sounded convincing enough to the president.

“Fuma-san! Is it only Kim Yu-seong who’s allowed to visit after school?”
“…Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going with him too.”

For once, Fuma-senpai actually frowned.
“That might be a bit of a problem.”
“Of course, I’m not going empty-handed. I’ll offer proper compensation.”

As the president said that and clapped her hands, the vice president pulled out a check from his wallet.
“Will this suffice?”
Without even glancing twice, Fuma-senpai snatched the check and said,

“Come as often as you like. In fact, I’d prefer it if you came every day.”
With not a shred of pride left in her voice, the president hid her mouth behind her fan and laughed.
“Ohohoho~! That was easy!”

Money doesn’t solve everything, but it solves most things.
***
After school.

I met up with Fuma-senpai waiting by the school gate.
Rika gave me a sulky look when she saw it, but when I explained it was to finally shake off Fuma-senpai, she reluctantly agreed and let me go.
After sending Rika on her way and waiting a bit longer, a long black limousine slowly pulled up to the school gate.

The president’s familiar ride.
Click!
The door of the black vehicle opened, and the president greeted us from inside.

“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just came out.”
I responded naturally and got into the limo. But Fuma-senpai, standing behind me, hesitated to step in.

When I asked why, she gulped and said,
“I’ve never ridden in a car like this before. Honestly, it feels a bit overwhelming.”
The president covered her mouth with her fan and laughed:

“Ohohoho~! I’m sure a commoner like Fuma-san has never had the chance to ride in a limousine. But since I’m giving you the experience this time, you’d better appreciate it.”
Gulping again, Fuma-senpai stepped into the car with a tense face.
Then she sat down in the seat beside me, across from the president.

Seeing that, the president’s ladylike smile faltered.
“Fuma-san, why did you just casually sit there?”
“That side’s too uncomfortable.”

Fuma-senpai replied and rested her bag on her lap.
A constant back-and-forth.
Even I, the oblivious one, could tell the silent war between the two was tense.

This must be why they say, when a woman holds a grudge, frost falls in summer…
***
After about ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) twenty minutes in the president’s limo, we arrived at Fuma-senpai’s apartment—though “apartment” was putting it generously. It was more of an old shared house.

Even the president looked stunned, muttering in disbelief.
“I didn’t think buildings like this still existed in Tokyo.”
Fuma-senpai, clearly used to this kind of reaction, calmly responded while climbing the stairs:

“Sorry for living in a place like this.”
Realizing she’d said something rude, the president let out a flurry of awkward sounds—“Ah! Hmph! Hek!”—but still followed Fuma-senpai up the stairs, just like me.
The third unit down the second-floor hallway.

Room 203 was where Fuma-senpai lived alone.
Instead of a digital lock, the door had a regular old key. Inside was a tiny six-mat tatami room—stark and modest, almost too bleak to imagine a modern high school girl living there.
A classic one-room.

The actual floor space looked to be about 10 pyeong (approx. 33 square meters).
“P-Pardon the intrusion.”
The president, clearly never having been in such a place before, looked flustered as she stepped out of her shoes.

Following Fuma-senpai inside, we saw her hang her school uniform on a rack and set her bag down on the desk.
“I’ve got green tea and instant coffee. Which do you prefer?”
The president straightened up like a meerkat and replied rigidly.

“C-Coffee, please.”
“How many sugars?”
“Two spoonfuls.”

“Got it. What about you, Kim Yu-seong?”
“I’ll have the same as the president, please.”
Fuma-senpai calmly filled the kettle at the sink with practiced ease.

While the water boiled, she brought over some cushions that had been stacked in the corner.
As we sat on the floor, a strange silence fell over the room.
I had no idea how to even start this conversation.

Even the president, who had basically bribed her way here, sat stiffly, trying to read Fuma-senpai’s expression.
Eventually, sitting properly with her hands placed on the tatami, Fuma-senpai spoke.
“Well, Kim Yu-seong, I explained this part to you last time, so I’ll skip it.”

“Ah, okay.”
“And Saionji-san, since your family employs ninja clans, I’m sure you know the basics of the underground world.”
The president, sensing this wasn’t a casual topic, nodded nervously.

“I know a bit, yes.”
“Then this’ll be faster.”
With that, Fuma-senpai lifted the tatami mat beside her.

Underneath was an old book.
“What’s that?”
“This is the reason I invited you here today. It’s the Fuma Secret Techniques Scroll, passed down through the generations.”

Fuma-senpai flipped through the book until she stopped on a particular page.
“And this—this is one of the two martial arts that only direct Fuma bloodlines can learn: Hayate (Swift Gale).”
She turned the book toward me and showed me the page.

On it were vividly painted brush illustrations, almost alive with motion, depicting dynamic movements.
Reading the short annotations beside each pose, I could tell this was beyond the reach of normal people.
Using your hands like blades? There was no way the average person could even attempt this.

“As you can see, this technique is based on the assumption that the user is superhuman. And now that my father, the 17th Fuma Kotaro, has left the village, there’s no one left who can pass it on. If I don’t master this, our family’s legacy will die out in my generation. As acting head, I can’t allow that.”
The president, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up with a confused face.
“W-Wait a moment. Fuma Kotaro? You’ve been saying things I don’t understand. Are you saying you’re a descendant of that Fuma Kotaro from the history books?”

“That’s right, President.”
“I had no idea!”
“Of course not. I’ve kept it hidden all this time. Even if your retainers are ninja, their experiences don’t compare to mine.”

Nodding like it was only natural, Fuma-senpai’s tone made the president clench her teeth.
Apparently, what really got to her was the implication that the vice president and Minami were inferior.