I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Chapter 231: Old Ties

It was quite difficult to escape the swarm of reporters rushing in like moths to a flame, all eager to get an interview, and make my way inside the school.

“Ugh! Kim Yu-seong! Leave this to me and go!”

If my homeroom teacher, Yamada, who was also the head teacher for the second year, hadn’t thrown himself in front of the reporters to block them, I’d probably still be stuck wrestling with them at the school gate.

“Whew, it’s hectic.”

“Tell me about it.”

Clatter!

Ryuji, Yaguchi, and I shared these thoughts as we entered the classroom through the back door, immediately drawing the attention of our classmates.

But the emotions behind their stares were a little different from usual.

Normally, it would be something close to fear, but today it seemed more like… admiration?

“Kim, is it true that you’re Fuma Kotaro’s disciple? The whole internet is buzzing with stories about you.”

I suddenly realized just how powerful the name Fuma Kotaro was.

In the underworld, Fuma Kotaro was famous by the nickname ‘Black Yaksha’, but in public, he went by a different name.

That name was none other than,

‘National Hero.’

He earned the nickname by winning the GOF, an unlimited weight martial arts tournament that gathered the best fighters from around the world, promoting Japan’s martial arts prowess on the global stage.

As expected in a world with a manga-like atmosphere, it was quite an over-the-top, embarrassing thought.

Although the popularity of the GOF had waned with the retirement of its golden generation, the prestige of the event remained high. Fans of the sport would still religiously watch the tournament, which was held every three years.

Despite its short history, the tournament’s global recognition rivaled that of the World Cup, which was why my male classmates seemed so enthusiastic about it.

But it had nothing to do with me.

After all, it had only been a week since I first met Fuma Kotaro, Senior Fuma’s father.

So my answer was simple.

“Uh, it’s just viral marketing.”

Something like black propaganda.

“For that, there’s even an interview included.”

“What?”

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I stared intently at the smartphone screen he showed me.

‘Exclusive scoop! Fuma Kotaro actually has a successor?!’

At first glance, the headline seemed like typical clickbait, but the accompanying photo of Fuma Kotaro made it clear that it wasn’t just a tabloid article.

Q. What is your relationship with the high schooler (?) in the video?

A. Kim Yu-seong is my spiritual successor, having inherited all of my techniques.

They even confirmed my real name, making it impossible for me to deny anything.

“So, what’s the truth?”

In the end, I had no choice but to acknowledge the suspicions of my classmates and admit one more thing.

“…Yeah, I’m his disciple.”

I had fallen right into that sly old man’s psychological game.

Today was just a whirlwind of chaos.

The people who usually ignored me suddenly started sucking up to me.

At lunchtime, I had to escape to the rooftop to avoid the overwhelming attention and eat my lunch in peace.

“…That concludes today’s meeting.”

After the Student Council meeting wrapped up, I was one of the last to leave the meeting room, and I felt the intense gaze of the President on me, so I casually turned my head.

“Why have you been staring at me like that for a while now?”

The President chuckled and rested her chin on the desk, smiling.

“I just realized again how handsome your side profile is, Yu-seong.”

“Even if you keep complimenting me, you’re not going to get anything from it.”

“Oh my, I’m just telling the truth.”

The President said that with a mischievous grin, then quickly moved on to the main point.

“I saw how much trouble you had with the reporters this morning on your way to school. If you want, I can have all the articles about you taken down. What do you want me to do?”

I paused for a moment, considering the President’s offer.

With the power of the Saionji family behind her, erasing all the rumors surrounding me wouldn’t be impossible.

But the problem was that too many people already had access to my personal information.

It was probably easier to identify me because I was wearing my school uniform in the video.

“It’s fine. It’s not like I have anything to hide anyway.”

If it were entirely fabricated, it would be different. But the fact that I’d learned the Fuma family’s secret martial art couldn’t be erased now.

Thinking about it, calling me a spiritual successor wasn’t really wrong, so Fuma Kotaro didn’t lie in his interview.

“Well, if that’s your decision, I won’t intervene. But you’ll be dealing with it for a while. Once a topic catches fire, it won’t die down unless something bigger overshadows it.”

“It’s not like I’m debuting as a celebrity, so I’ll manage somehow. But let’s stop talking about these heavy topics and discuss the upcoming festival instead.”

“Haha, the festival, huh?”

“Yes. It’s your last festival at this school, so we should make it worthwhile, don’t you think?”

Next year, the President would graduate and leave this school.

Of course, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t see her at all, but once she dived into the competition to become the family’s heir, there was no doubt we’d have far less time to meet.

When I mentioned that, suggesting we make as many memories as possible while we still had time, the President looked at me with a touched expression.

“Yu-seong…”

At that moment…

“Ahem! Miss, romance is fine, but could you save it for a more appropriate time and place?”

Minami, who had been sorting the meeting papers nearby, scolded us with a pointed remark.

To a perpetual single like her, it must have been a bit of an eyesore.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Minami. I didn’t even realize.”

The President apologized gracefully and then stood up to head back to the Student Council room.

“Oh, by the way, Yu-seong, I have some good news.”

“What’s that?”

“Shinji will be able to return to school next week.”

“Really? The Vice President?!”

I was genuinely shocked.

It was because, though he was officially on leave, the Vice President had been dismissed from his family after the incident at the engagement ceremony.

I assumed he wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon, but he was coming back.

The President seemed pleased by my reaction and playfully hid her smile behind her fan, looking smug.

“They said he might have to repeat a year if his absence continued, so I pulled some strings. I may look like this, but I’m quite capable, you know?”

“President! You’re amazing!”

“Ohohoho! Praise me some more!”

When I looked at her with admiration, she let out a villainous lady laugh, something I hadn’t heard in a while.

As expected, she was as weak to compliments as ever.

Watching our exchange, Minami let out a deep sigh and remarked,

“Honestly, what a sickeningly perfect couple.”

After finishing everything I had to do in the Student Council room, I said goodbye to the President and Minami and left first.

Unless I had club activities, I usually finished school around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

In my case, I was a member of both the Student Council and the Board Game Club, but the latter was more of a formality, as I rarely participated.

Honestly, life was just too busy for me to visit the clubroom often.

Afraid that the morning’s chaos would repeat itself if I left through the front gate, I decided to use the back gate for the first time in a while. As I made my way toward the subway station, I spotted a familiar face leaning against the wall, waiting for someone.

“Nao?”

It was Minato Nao, a junior who had confessed to me at the summer festival several months ago.

I had heard that she rarely came to school since the second semester because of her busy schedule as a famous actress, but it seemed like she had attended today.

Just as I spotted her, she noticed me, too. She waved her right hand energetically while still leaning against the wall.

“Oh! Senior! It’s been a while!”

Her face was bright and carefree, as if nothing had happened on that day.

I approached her, hiding the slight awkwardness I felt.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Nao patted me on the shoulder and said,

“Of course I haven’t been well! My once-in-a-lifetime confession got rejected so cleanly!”

“Ugh!”

Nao’s words, laced with some lingering bitterness, made my smile freeze.

“Hahaha, I’m just joking! Just joking! I’m totally fine now!”

Nao said that while putting her hands behind her back.

“Right after you rejected me, I went home and cried my eyes out. But as time passed, I realized I was okay. I guess you were right, Senior. It seems I liked your muscles more than I liked you.”

She said something that would’ve shocked anyone else, then winked and asked,

“But more importantly, didn’t you miss me? After all, you did like having a pretty junior like me around, didn’t you?”

“Well, I guess I did feel a little lonely.”

Nao used to fill my phone notifications with dozens of messages every day, but after that day, she stopped contacting me, and we didn’t speak again.

When something’s always there and then suddenly gone, its absence feels much bigger.

“Honestly, I thought you’d blocked me.”

“Really? That’s too bad. I was hoping you’d be the one to reach out first.”

“I’m not that inconsiderate, you know.”

After I had already rejected her so clearly, reaching out first would’ve felt pretty pathetic.

“Anyway, I was worried about you, but you look healthy, so that’s good. What brings you to school today?”

“Oh my? Is it weird for a student to come to school? The drama I was filming is over, and if I skip any more, I’ll be short on attendance days, so I’ve been coming regularly lately.”

“Really? That’s good, then. You’ll be able to enjoy the upcoming school festival.”

“Haha, I’ve been looking forward to the Fujiwara Festival. It’s the first school event I’ll be able to participate in since I enrolled here.”

“The Student Council has put a lot of effort into it, so enjoy it to the fullest.”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

After saying that and shrugging her shoulders, Nao suddenly let out an “Ah” and raised her voice.

“Senior, could you spare some time during the festival next week?”

“What?”

I was taken aback by her sudden request, and Nao smiled sheepishly before explaining.

“I hate to say this, but since I rarely come to school, I don’t have any close friends in my class. So I thought it would be nice to have someone to enjoy the festival with.”

“If that’s the reason, then sure.”

As long as I had enough time to go on a date with the President, I was fine with spending the rest of the time with Nao.

Plus, I still felt a little guilty about rejecting her confession before.

“Wow! Thank you!”

As soon as I agreed, Nao grabbed both of my hands tightly.

Flustered by her sudden touch, I quickly pulled my hands away, but Nao poked my side with her finger and teased.

“Senior, are you seriously getting shy with that big frame of yours?”

This girl, even though it had been a while since we last met, was still as playful as ever.

Maybe it was the confidence that came from working as an actress for so long?

We continued chatting until her manager’s car arrived at the back gate to pick her up, and then I headed home.