Successfully Forming Bonds

Shinnosuke's lunch that day was a hamburger steak bento his mom had made. It had onions and breadcrumbs mixed in, and juice flowed out with the lightest press of his chopsticks. The outside was crisp and tasty, and it had been covered in a thick sauce.

Shinnosuke eagerly opened his lunchbox and picked up a piece, just about to put it in his mouth. Suddenly, the classroom door was yanked open! A group of people came in, and one of them slapped his lunchbox away!

Sunlight streamed through the window, making the sauce on the desk glisten. Shinnosuke looked at the hamburger steak on the floor and was just reaching down to pick it up when a shoe landed on it with a squish, sending meat juices flying!

Shinnosuke's hand trembled. He stared at the flattened hamburger steak, too miserable even to cry. It was his favorite lunch that week... Misae rarely ever made him hamburger steak...

"Hey! You're Shinnosuke Nohara, right? I finally caught—"

Shinnosuke kicked him flying, knocking over a row of desks. The guy passed out on the spot. Veins bulged on Shinnosuke's forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the pale-faced people in front of him and spoke, enunciating every word.

"You bastards, you're going to be buried with my hamburger steak!!"

Shinnosuke stepped forward, seized one of them by the collar, lifted him up, and flung him away with a backhanded swing. The man's body smashed through the window and flew into the hallway.

Tears in his eyes, Shinnosuke knocked each of the others down with a single punch, leaving them groaning on the floor. One of them fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and waving his hand desperately.

"Wait... wait! I'll pay you back for your bento! We only came to pass on a message from... Big Brother Sugihara!"

Shinnosuke walked over, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Please... stop! Ow, ow, ow... my hair!"

The pale-faced students left in the classroom looked at one another. Takagi trembled all over in the corner.

That was terrifying... Why did someone like him have to sit next to me...

Shinnosuke dragged the guy to the school convenience store. He was still howling and begging for mercy, so Shinnosuke raised a hand and slapped him. He shut up instantly.

The students lined up ahead of them moved aside when they saw this. Shinnosuke dragged the guy up to the register and spoke to the trembling cashier.

"Sorry for the trouble, but I'll have one of these beef bowls, this sandwich, and a bottle of cola... and two of these rice balls."

Still gripping the unlucky guy's hair, Shinnosuke pulled him upright.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..."

Shinnosuke gave him another backhanded slap, and he shut up instantly. Then Shinnosuke pointed at him and said,

"He's paying."

Shinnosuke carried a bag full of lunch up to the rooftop and began to enjoy his meal. Thinking about what those guys had said, he muttered to himself.

"Sugihara again... Oh ho, this sandwich is good... I've wanted to try it for ages, but it was too expensive. Good thing someone treated me today."

Sugihara Kei stared at the people in front of him, his face livid. He pointed at one guy who was sniveling and holding a limp wallet.

"All of you got taken out in an instant? And someone even got extorted???"

Sugihara Kei's forehead was covered in bulging veins, and he ground his teeth in fury. He kicked the sniveling guy over and cursed him.

"A bunch of trash!!! There were so many of you, and you all got beaten to the ground just like that!! What did I send you there for? Huh?? You couldn't even deliver a message properly!!! A bunch of useless good-for-nothings!!!"

The people behind Sugihara Kei hurried to hold him back. Even so, the group still took several kicks. Then the guy with the wallet cried even harder...

After Shinnosuke returned to the classroom, his classmates looked at him in terror. He walked over to his seat, which had been cleaned up spotless, scratched his head, and spoke to them.

"Sorry for the trouble..."

His classmates shook their heads frantically.

"No, no, please don't worry about it. It was no trouble at all..."

Shinnosuke looked gratified. What had he done to deserve spending three years of his youth with such lovely people?

Shinnosuke's nose tingled slightly. He rubbed a finger beneath it and grinned at his classmates.

To his classmates, it looked as though a blue-faced demon with bared fangs was giving them a menacing grin. Two of the more timid girls burst into tears with a wail.

Shinnosuke was startled. Were you that moved too?

His classmates: We wouldn't dare move, wouldn't dare...

Just then, Eikichi Onizuka sauntered in with a cigarette between his lips. He frowned when he saw the scene in the classroom and asked Shinnosuke,

"Nohara, what's going on here? And what happened to the window glass...?"

He suddenly noticed Shinnosuke looking at him with glistening eyes, biting his lower lip. A chill ran through Eikichi Onizuka.

"What's with that disgusting expression...?"

Shinnosuke sniffled and said to Eikichi Onizuka,

"Teacher Onizuka, that's so mean... I've successfully formed bonds with my classmates now. Isn't that right, everyone?"

The classmates behind him nodded frantically, cold sweat streaming down their faces. The two girls cried even harder...

The corner of Eikichi Onizuka's mouth twitched, and he took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Ever since this kid arrived, the active ones in the class have been unbelievably well-behaved. The problem children have gone from many to one. I guess that counts as a good development...