Chapter 7: ...big brother?

Mana placed her body in between Masaru and Shiori.

She didn't have time to think, so she instinctively moved to protect her best friend.

However, even though she was higher ranked than the lion, she knew she couldn't win with brute strength.

Not to mention her ankle was injured.

She didn't have the luxury of time. And so, she was going to pay the price.

Thus, without even being able to cry out, Mana shut her eyes tight, bracing herself for the Lion's punch.

…

……

………

*Thud*

?

In that single moment, anxiety and confusion filled Mana's heart.

With her own ears, she clearly heard the sound of Masaru's fist colliding against flesh.

And yet---her body felt no pain.

Not even the slightest prick had struck her unblemished skin.

Surely, this was strange.

After all, she had clearly heard the sound of a punch resounding through the subdued atmosphere.

And so, as she opened her in an attempt to confirm the strange phenomena, Mana found-

*Yawn*

-a dark-haired boy, unleashing a familiar yawn as he lazily clasped the lion's fist with one hand.

「A-!?」

(Aniki(1)!?)

Mana tried to voice out, her voice failing her as both of her legs gave way. Having been saved from harm, the adrenaline that pumped through her body suddenly dissipated, causing her frame to tremble as it collapsed onto the dirt.

Upon seeing the jet-black beauty kissing the ground, one could see that, at some point, Shiori had also fallen to the ground.

However, Mana didn’t pay attention to any of that at all.

Her wide eyes were focused solely on her saviour---the 〚Last Ranker〛 who should have been a weakling, her big brother.

But it wasn't just she who was startled by this boy’s sudden appearance.

「W-what the-」

「Look, I know you have a bad temper, but try to keep it to yourself, huh knucklehead?」

The dark-haired boy lazily ruffled his hair, his emerald eyes sweeping over the furious teen whose hand he held in his palm.

「F-fuck you!」

The lion used his other fist to attack Junichi.

(Watch out!)

Although a muted Mana tried to cry out thusly, the shock of the entire situation had rendered her speechless.

However, there was no need for it.

The dark-haired boy effortlessly pushed the fist he was holding backwards, knocking the lion off balance.

-Like he was merely brushing off dirt.

The dark-haired boy then jumped forward, performing a 360 spin in the air, as he moved his leg forward.

Performing a heel kick aimed at the lion's stomach.

The lion's body, unable to brace itself properly on the ground, was sent flying across the courtyard, into the school building.

And with it, the lion’s path of flight could be seen as it made tracks in the dirt, creating a dense cloud of smoke.

「W-wha-!?」

Mana's jaw dropped.

Murmurs could be heard in the crowd.

「What the Fuck!」

「Hah!」

Two people, however, were not awestruck like the rest of the crowd.

A midget wielding a knife charged straight at Junichi's stomach, lunging forward with his knife.

The other, a greasy-haired youth swung his baseball bat, aiming for Junichi's skull.

「-tch」

Junichi glanced behind his shoulder, clicking his tongue.

(This just got annoying.)

Most people would cower when they see a knife held in front of them.

Especially this knife in particular, as its menacing curve made it appear longer than it actually was.

But alas, Junichi took this with a grain of salt.

Instead of retreating, he rushed forward.

3 steps forward to be precise, distancing him from the currently incapacitated girls.

Naturally, due to his physical stature and larger gait, the greasy-haired boy reached Junichi first.

(So it's him first.)

Junichi shifted his weight backwards as the baseball bat started closing in on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Junichi spotted the midget just 2 steps behind the baseball player.

(Alright, let's do it that way.)

Junichi smirked inside.

Junichi arched his body back, performing a limbo action that let the baseball bat fly just above him.

Then with a fluid motion, he continued bending his body backwards, holding his arms above his head.

By this time, the midget was close enough to stab Junichi. However, the boy with emerald eyes kicked the dagger upwards, using the momentum to perform a backwards somersault.

Landing on his feet, Junichi then rushed forward once again.

The baseball player, just finishing full-swing, was off-balanced, allowing the dark-haired boy to kick his abdomen, sending him flying in the same direction as the almighty lion.

As his body added more density to the dust cloud, the baseball bat fell out of his hand.

Junichi instinctively grabbed the bat, poised himself like a baseball player and swung at the air.

-Or at least was air. By the time the bat reached mid-swing, a silver piece of metal fell from the sky.

The knife's blade lodged itself into the baseball bat, which Junichi then used to point at the midget.

「You still wanna go?」

He taunted, staring at Sadao with intimidating green eyes.

「-t-the hell?」

-was the only reply uttered from his mouth.

「Guess not.」

Having ascertained a lack of fighting intent, the 〚Last Ranker〛 nonchalantly turned his back on his assailant, crouching down as he slung the baseball bat over his shoulder.

And then, with his usual aloof attitude, the dark-haired teenager spoke.

「You alright, Mana?」

Junichi asked, his green eyes filled with concern as they stared directly at the girl of jet-black.

Despite his usually stoic nature, it would seem that the boy truly did care for his sister’s wellbeing.

A feeling that was transmitted to the little sister so strongly that she flinched in the face of Junichi’s unfaltering gaze.

「I-I'm alright.」

Mana struggled to say, weakly lifting herself up as she dusted the dirt off her skirt.

And, while she was a little shaky, the older brother determined that she was well enough to handle herself.

「Sorry, but can you take Shiori to the infirmary?」

「I-I would, even if you didn't ask me!」

Suddenly growing flustered, Mana blushed furiously as she watched her brother stand as well.

However, having already moved on from checking his sister’s condition, Junichi stared at the cloud of smoke that had yet to dissipate before the following words passed his lips.

「I've got something to take care of with knucklehead over there.」

---seeing her brother’s unwavering gaze, Mana's eyes were filled with anxiety, the source of which was unknown to her at the current time.

Nevertheless, understanding that she had a duty to fulfil, the jet-black bishoujo(2) silently supported Shiori whilst making her way to the closest entrance to the school building.

---it was at this time that Junichi decided to call out to the two.

「Mana, Shiori.」

Junichi called out to them before they left.

「What?」

「…sorry.」

Mana's eyes widened with surprise at the apologetic Junichi.

A small noise could also be heard from Shiori, although Mana doubted that Junichi could hear it.

That said, seeing how there was nothing that the two injured girls could do, they walked away in silence, leaving the 〚Last Ranker〛, Saito Junichi trapped all alone in the Lion's Den.