My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

Uchida Yuma was extremely delighted to have taught Fukuzawa Fuyumi a lesson, and he believed it was cause for celebration. If Shima Rei hadn’t held him back, he would have wanted to announce it with drums and trumpets.

After the kendo class ended, it was time to go home. Uchida Yuma insisted on treating Kitahara Hideji and Shima Rei to ramen, claiming that Kitahara Hideji had worked hard and deserved a treat.

Kitahara Hideji firmly declined, using the excuse of being tired and wanting to go home to rest. Uchida Yuma even tried to drag him along, but Shima Rei intervened and brought him to visit the baseball club instead. Uchida Yuma was all talk and no action, claiming he wanted to join the baseball club to make it to Koshien, yet he hadn’t done so even until now.

Ignoring his good buddies, Kitahara Hideji carried his school bag and headed to the station to catch the tram back home. The tram gently swayed, and this time, he didn’t spend his time gaining experience in English but rather looked down at his hand, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips. The feeling of victory… felt really good!

Putting in effort, enduring pain, and finally savoring the sweet taste of victory, this was what life was supposed to be like!

He lightly clenched his fist, looking at the thin callus on his palm—the very spot that used to hurt him so much, now he found it strangely comfortable.

No, it was more than just comfortable; it was extremely satisfying because the pain he felt back then made the victory even sweeter now.

As for the loser… Fukuzawa Fuyumi, that little radish head, was no longer a threat. Despite her loud shouts and claims of being an “eternal enemy,” her eyes showed fear, and she was now utterly demoralized. Even if she wanted to provoke others next time, she would think twice before being suspended and beaten again.

There was no need to worry about timid enemies; they were nothing more than losers! If he could beat her once, he could beat her a hundred times!

People, indeed, needed strength. In the future, strength might be represented by money and power, but in the early stages of life, having the ability and courage to fight was essential—conflicts were inevitable everywhere, including school. When a person lived in constant fear of getting into a fight, they wouldn’t have confidence, and lacking confidence would lead to a downward spiral.

People must have a fighting spirit, daring to look anyone in the eye. Had his previous self been living too cautiously?

“Um… handsome guy, what are you smiling about?” a crisp voice interrupted. Only then did Kitahara Hideji realize he had been lost in thought for too long. The tram had arrived near Hachioji Girls’ School, and the carriage was now filling up with girls of all ages and sizes.

Kitahara Hideji glanced at the little girl who had approached him, the same four-person group from Hachioji Girls’ School that he had encountered before. It was the same doll-faced girl initiating the conversation—over the past month and a half, every time he ran into her, she persistently tried to strike up a conversation, which was starting to annoy him.

He slowly raised both hands in a surrender gesture, to avoid being blackmailed later— not because he was wary of this doll-faced girl, but because there were girls who took advantage of such situations to extort money from people claiming they were train molesters. However, he was in a good mood today, so he didn’t put on a cold face as he did on previous occasions. Instead, he smiled and said, “Just remembering some amusing things.”

“What amusing things?”

“Personal privacy, can’t divulge.”

“Wow, still being aloof, huh… But it’s good that you’re finally willing to talk! Um, I’m Sakamoto Sumiko. Can I know your name?”

Kitahara Hideji smiled and said, “I’m Uchida Yuma! Just call me Uchida.”

“Uchida-kun, right? I’m really happy to get to know you! Um, Uchida-kun, can you organize a get-together? Like, everyone going out together, the four of us here, and you can bring three friends…”

“If I don’t agree, do you have to ask every time you see me? Even if I have a poker face?”

Sakamoto Sumiko nodded with a beaming smile, “Life at the girls’ school is super boring, and we never get to see handsome boys like you, Uchida-kun!”

Kitahara Hideji smiled and said, “I understand. Give me your email address, and we can get in touch later?”

“Ah, really?!” Sakamoto Sumiko was thrilled, taking out her phone, but then she saw Kitahara Hideji raising both hands again. So, she opted to write it down with pen and paper, eagerly saying, “We must keep in touch!”

Kitahara Hideji nodded repeatedly—she didn’t make me nauseous, and there’s someone who can handle her, so it’s not a problem.

After finally agreeing, Sakamoto Sumiko was overjoyed and returned to her group of friends. The four girls huddled together, whispering to each other for a while, then suddenly burst into cheers. Two of the girls blushed and stole glances at him. Sakamoto Sumiko kept bragging about her achievement in hushed tones, “I told you, where there’s sincerity, there will be mutual trust, right? Right? Don’t forget our promise for ice cream!”

She spoke so unabashedly, but Kitahara Hideji pretended not to hear and just smiled faintly. When he reached his station and got off the tram, Sakamoto Sumiko was still waving from the carriage, cheerfully calling out, “Uchida-kun, remember to keep in touch!”

Kitahara Hideji watched the tram depart and took out his phone to send Sakamoto Sumiko’s email address and name to Uchida Yuma with a note: “The girls from Hachioji Girls’ School want to organize a get-together, but I don’t want to go. Can you go in my place? Don’t mention my name; she knows you.”

Uchida Yuma replied instantly with a crying face emoji and added, “Hideji, from now on, you’re my sworn big brother!”

Kitahara Hideji couldn’t help but smile before closing his antique flip phone. He had already rejected her advances several times, but Sakamoto Sumiko seemed relentless, treating him like a fun toy. Perhaps the girls’ school was indeed unbearably dull, but that wasn’t a reason for her to harass him.

He also wanted to mess with Sakamoto Sumiko, and there was no one more suitable for that than Uchida Yuma. They exchanged sweet nothings through emails for a while, addressing each other as “Yuma-kun” and “Sumiko-chan.” He couldn’t wait to see Sakamoto Sumiko’s reaction when they eventually met in person.

It was bound to be quite entertaining!

Considering it just a minor incident in his life, Kitahara Hideji forgot about the email and continued on his way. However, as he walked back to the alley near his apartment, he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind: “Stop!”

Surprised, he turned around and saw three people quickly running towards him, emanating a threatening aura. Instinctively, he reached for his waist, but then realized this was the real world, and he didn’t actually have a sword at his side while walking on the streets.

The three people ran fast and soon arrived in front of him. However, instead of attacking, they stopped about three or four meters away and asked in unison, “Are you Kitahara Hideji?”

Perplexed, Kitahara Hideji answered, “Yes, I’m Hideji Kitahara. Who are you?”

These three individuals were wearing junior high school uniforms and had youthful faces. They exchanged glances, nodded simultaneously, and then one of them stepped forward, striking a pose, and exclaimed, “I am Saruwatari Jiro!”

“I am Ooinuhei Ue!”

“I am Kojirō Tetsuyoshi!”

The three of them stated their names while striking cool poses—Saruwatari Jiro performed the Monkey Catches the Moon, Ooinuhei Ue the Mad Dog Howls at the Sky, and Kojirō Tetsuyoshi the Golden Rooster Stands Alone. Their poses varied in height and style, creating a visually striking image. Finally, they all said together, “We are the Yukari Swordsmanship Team, reporting for duty!”

“……”

Kitahara Hideji was truly at a loss for words. Where did these three eccentric individuals come from? He stood there for a moment, unable to comprehend the situation, and tentatively asked, “And then…?”

The three members of the Yukari Swordsmanship Team, still maintaining their exaggerated animal poses, also seemed perplexed. After a moment, they glanced at each other and whispered, “Where’s Anesan?”

“Ah, wait for me!” A shout came from afar, and a girl with an enormous sword bag on her back ran towards them, kicking up dust. She arrived breathlessly, not bothering to catch her breath, and jumped in front of the Yukari Swordsmanship Team, striking a domineering and imposing pose, shouting, “Ahaha, the Yukari Swordsmanship Team is here!”

Kitahara Hideji still couldn’t find words, but it seemed there was a dispute among the group about their formation:

“Why is Anesan so slow?”

“Yeah, this formation doesn’t look imposing like this!”

“Exactly, we’ve practiced so hard for it!”

The three junior high school boys whispered in complaint, while the girl looked aggrieved and explained in a soft voice, “The wooden sword is too long. It got stuck at the tram’s door when I got off, and I almost got dragged by the tram. You guys just ran ahead without caring for me, you three idiots.”

“What? Didn’t Anesan say to catch up quickly?”

“Anesan is so clumsy. Why didn’t you try going sideways?”

“Exactly, exactly!”

“I tried both ways, but it’s hard to get it out! Fortunately, I’m clever and resourceful. I managed to get it out diagonally; otherwise, it would’ve been a disaster this time! By the way, how did you guys bring this wooden sword into the tram?”

“We carried it in…”

The four of them continued to argue quietly while maintaining their poses. Kitahara Hideji sniffed… What was going on? Were these four here just to be funny?