Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will be a dialogue-heavy chapter that's mostly about setup and introduction. It might not be very exciting, but we're getting closer to a turning point, so look forward to that. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

SEIKUKEN Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

[Shirou] Words said in unison.

The Prince Of Drama

—…

It was the evening at Koryuu High School when the current incident was taking place. The sky was orange as the sun set, and many students were heading home, except for those who were part of after-school clubs. One such club was the drama club. But right now, the drama club is facing trouble.

Several of the members of the club were huddled against the wall while three rough-looking Delinquents stood over them and were acting as though they owned the place as one of them kicked over a chair.

"Please, we don't want any trouble." One of the drama club members pleaded.

"Neither do we." One of the Delinquents smugly responded.

"You can relax, pretty boy." The leading Delinquent stepped forward. "We're just here to have a friendly little chat with you and your drama club friends."

"See, you guys are a problem." The third Delinquent spoke out. "You're always in here rehearsing those lame plays of yours, which means this room is never available for us."

To make a point in intimidating them, one of the Delinquents picked up one of the costumes from a clothing rack and ripped it apart with his bare hands.

"Now, you've got a week to move out." The leader pretty much threatened them. "After that, it would look pretty lame if a Martial Arts club let a bunch of actors push them around. Ha, don't ya think?"

With that, the three of them made their way out of the room, fully confident that their demands would be met, while the drama club members looked down with fear and concern as to what they were going to do.

The following day, during their free time between classes, Shirou, Kenichi, and Niijima were walking down the hallway as they were informing him of the events that transpired the other day.

"Hermit ambushed you guys?" Kenichi asked, looking up from his book.

"Uh-huh, and don't ask me why, but he was really interested in Shirou." Niijima informed him. "I figured he just wanted to settle the score from that scuffle they had the night before, but it looked like he had other things on his mind."

"He seemed really interested in knowing where we learned Martial Arts and who trained us." Shirou elaborated on the details. "I have no idea why a Fist of Ragnarok would want to know about that."

"Who knows?" Kenichi kept walking, seemingly not paying attention, and went back to his book.

"Oh, come on, don't you think you're taking this way too casually?" Niijima tried getting his attention. "I mean, for all we know, he could be planning to target both of you."

"Maybe, but I can't spend all of my time worrying about it." Kenichi pointed out, very relaxed.

"Hold on, are you high?" Shirou asked while looking into his eyes.

"No!" Kenichi seemed abhorrent to the idea. "Why would you even ask that?"

"Well, how else would you explain the guy who is the most high-strung person on the planet who throws a hissy fit over pretty much everything being so carefree?" Shirou pointed out.

Kenichi narrowed his eyes irritatedly at him. "Well, for your information, I've decided to make some changes. From now on, I'm going to use my free time to relax. You guys should read more. It's very soothing."

Shirou rolled his head and groaned. "Gah. He is high."

Niijima sighed a bit. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"Would you cut that out!? I'm not high!" Kenichi snapped at them.

"Either way, not all of us can afford to just take it so easy." Shirou changed the subject. "While you've been smelling the roses and enjoying a good book, I've been fighting every gorilla mob that's been popping up all over this school."

"He's right. Ever since Kisara Nanjo stopped coming to school, a lot of new Delinquent gangs have started sprouting up, and now the school is on the verge of an all-out civil war!" Niijima proclaimed before smirking. "Or at least, that would be the case if we weren't around. Thanks to Shirou and the Shinzaki Alliance banner, we've crushed over half a dozen of those gangs this week alone. We're already acknowledged as the Strongest rising Faction on campus, and it won't be long until we're the rulers of the whole school!"

"That's not a good thing at all!" Kenichi cut off his monologue and faced his friend. "Shirou, why would you want to be a part of a stupid scheme like that? Can't you see nothing good will come out of going around and starting trouble with all those gangs?"

"You act like this is something new to me. I've been going around fighting Delinquents for ages. Now, the only difference is that I have a motive." Shirou reminded him. "Besides, what good can you see in doing nothing during all this."

"Don't you get it?" Kenichi held up his hand and made a fist. "Have you forgotten what Master Koetsuji told us? The only time a Martial Artist ever uses his fists is when he has to protect himself or to protect the people he cares about."

"That may be the case for an aspiring Martial Artist like you, but I'm a Delinquent, and a son of a bitch Delinquent like me has a lot more reasons to swing his fists than just protecting someone." Shirou informed him. "Besides, the way I see it, that whole philosophy is flawed."

"How is it flawed?" Shirou objected to that last statement. "What could possibly be wrong with fighting only to protect yourself and your loved ones?"

"Let me ask you, if a person is in trouble and they are not a loved one, is it the correct choice for the Martial Artist to do nothing?" Shirou cross-examined him.

"…What?" Kenichi was thrown off.

Shirou continued. "Kenichi, you just said the only time a Martial Artist should ever use his fists is when he has to protect himself or protect the people he cares about. Doesn't that also mean that if the person isn't someone you care about, you're not going to help them?"

"No, that's not what I meant?" Kenichi denied his evaluation.

"But that is what you're doing." Shirou accused him. "People have been in need of help for a while now, ever since this all started. All these delinquent gangs have been going around all over the school terrorizing people, bursting into their club rooms, and taking them for themselves, all the while not caring who they hurt in the process. The only thing stopping them is me going around and crushing them. You claim you want to protect others, but where were you all those times when they actually needed protection?"

"I…I can't just go around looking for trouble. That wouldn't be right." Kenichi tried to make an argument.

"It also wouldn't be right to just ignore what's happening right in front of you. It wasn't hard to miss, or did you just think that because it was happening to people, you don't know, you don't have to get involved?" Shirou narrowed his eyes because he was finishing. "Kenichi, just because it's not happening to you doesn't mean it's not happening."

Kenichi lowered his gaze, not knowing how to respond to all that. With a saddened expression, he gritted his teeth for a moment. "Maybe you're right. A Martial Artist's duty is to protect others, and I should have at least made an effort to do that instead of just looking for excuses not to get involved."

"Yeah, that's a bad habit of yours." Shirou agreed.

"I can't help it." Kenichi admitted passively. "I've just always believed that it's better not to fight if there's a reason not to. But…" He then looked up with an earnest expression. "I will always fight to protect someone when they're right in front of me."

Shirou opened the door to the classroom they stood outside of, and the three of them walked in. "Well, that much, I believe. It's one of the few qualities you have that "doesn't" make me groan."

Niijima then went over Kenichi's shoulder and grinned. "And let me guess, when you talk about protecting someone, the person you have in mind is your precious Miu~?"

Kenichi immediately became flustered and grabbed Niijima by his collar. "What? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, you little freak?!"

"Speaking of Miu, I don't recognize who she's talking to right now." Shirou got their attention.

Kenichi looked up when he heard that and saw Miu standing by her desk, but she wasn't alone. There was a guy that none of them had ever seen her with before. He was a tall, fair-skinned man with violet eyes, spiky yet wavy chin-length blond hair, a well-defined build, and a respectably muscular frame. While maintaining a kind demeanor, his eyes are big and calm. He could be considered quite handsome by nearly all girls near his age. He was wearing a white-grey shirt with a red cross on it, similar to the design of a crusader, at school and blue pants with brown shoes.

Kenichi became a statue when he saw him. It was normal for Kenichi to become nervous and even threatened when he'd see Miu with any guy, but seeing her with a guy of this caliber was practically a nightmare.

Shirou didn't seem to feel anything other than a slight curiosity. "It's weird; she's not the kind of person who can just make friends on the fly, but I don't remember her hanging out with him before. Who is he?"

Niijima started typing on his PDA. "As I recall, he's from class 1-B—Yep, and here he is—He's a regular winner in my hot guy ranking for the entire school, First Year student Natsu Tanimoto."

"Tell me what I should do?!" Kenichi practically cried with rabbit eyes.

"Ha!" Niijima scoffed at him. "Are you kidding? You're no match for this guy. He's no fighter, but he's good at sports, his grades are perfect, and he's the idol of the drama club. They call him Prince Tanimoto, and every girl is crazy about him."

The more he heard about him, the worse Kenichi felt as he sank to his knees in despair. "Uhhhh…"

"If you wanna beat this guy in popularity, you better drop the book and start working on your image." Niijima taunted him while he was down.

"Explains why we don't know him, but what's he want with Miu? Shirou wondered, pretty much ignoring Kenichi's plight.

His question answered itself as Miu noticed them and addressed her two friends. "Shirou, Kenichi, do you guys have a minute to talk?"

Kenichi stopped and looked at her. When he saw the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder, his despair only worsened as he almost became blinded by how well they looked together. They were practically sparkling.

Kenichi trembled mournfully while gazing at Tanimoto. "His smile lights up the room."

Tanimoto introduced himself to them. "Nice to meet you both; my name's Natsu Tanimoto, so you guys are the famous Shirou Tsukiharu and Kenichi Shirahama. I've heard a lot about you. I was afraid you'd be more intimidating."

"I could be more intimidating if you'd prefer." Shirou offered sarcastically. "But, I save that for when I'm in a fight."

"Ha, I see. That's good to hear. That means I have nothing to be afraid of." Tanimoto joked in response.

Kenichi was at a complete loss for words and was left babbling. "He's totally dreamy! Like a pop star. Oh man, I haven't got a prayer against this guy."

"Tanimoto was just telling me that the drama club was shorthanded for their next play, so he asked if I'd like to play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet." Miu explained what they were talking about before.

"I'm playing the part of Romeo." Tanimoto added.

Kenichi then went on to have a full-on meltdown. "Aahhh! It's true! The two of them would be perfect together!"

"Huh, he's acting normal again. I guess he wasn't high after all. Then again, I'm heartbroken to report that this type of behavior is normal for him." Shirou then went back to Miu and Tanimoto. "I'm assuming you already said yes, but do you even know the lines in Romeo and Juliet?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. The play won't be for another five days. There'll be enough time for her to go over the script." Tanimoto assured him.

"Uh-Huh, but Miu, have you ever actually been in a play or done anything drama-related before?" Shirou wasn't reassured.

"Well, this'll be my first…." Miu nervously confessed. "But don't worry, I'll give it my best, and I'm sure it'll work out." She then closed her eyes. "I'm not all that comfortable being in the spotlight, so I wasn't sure if I should, but the drama really needs my help, so how could I refuse?"

"Yeah… How?" Shirou resisted the urge to groan. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

That night, after returning to the dojo, Kenichi tearfully confronted Akisame with his plight. The Judo Master closed the book he was reading and responded.

"What? Miu's going to be in a play?" Akisame asked.

Kenichi kept pulling at his sleeves with tears in his eyes. "It looks like girls are more impressed with actors than Martial Arts! What if Miu does end up falling in love with Tanimoto because of this?! All the pain and suffering I've endured training her would have been for nothing!"

Akisame just stared at him. "I thought you were doing this because it was a matter of principle?"

"Yeah, what happened to all that talk this morning about protecting?" Shirou reminded him, getting fed up with this usual scenario. "Wasn't that the overall goal behind your training?"

"He's right. In any event, calm down." Akisame advised him.

Kenichi just kept sniffling before he broke down and started dashing all around the room while crying out. "CALM?! How can I be calm at a time like this?!"

Sakaki walked and saw Kenichi's usual behavior. "What is it this time?"

"Let's just say it's easy being a teenager." Akisame answered.

"It's even harder being the one who hangs out with said teenager." Shirou rested against the wall. "He is a grade A weeb."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Miu was cooking dinner with Shigure's assistance. Right now, she was standing over the stove while informing Shigure about the play.

"So… You're in a play… As a… Tree?" Shigure asked while holding a kitchen knife.

"Well, I'm playing the lead." Miu softly corrected her. "They really didn't have any else. I'm just helping them out."

"Hmm… You seem so… Pleased though…" Shigure pointed out. "That's… Nice."

"There are only five days left until the performance. I don't know if I can memorize the lines in time." Miu confessed her concerns.

"You're very smart… You'll be fine…." Shigure reassured her.

"Maaannn…!" Kenichi moaned, still teary-eyed, as he heard Miu's conversation from the other room. "Does she have to be so excited? It's gotta be because Tanimoto is playing the lead." He complained.

"Are you ever going to stop whining like a bitch?" Shirou was almost considering leaving at this point. "At least Tanimoto doesn't cry at the drop of a hat."

"I'm allowed to be upset!" Kenichi defended himself.

"Yeah, and babies are allowed to cry all day. That doesn't mean it's not annoying." Shirou shot back.

"Hey!" Kensei chimed in and got their attention. "Try and stay focused. Until the dinner bell rings, this is still a training session." He then pulled out a pie chart with all the Masters' names, and his name had a lower amount compared to the rest. "You haven't been putting as much time in on Chinese Martial Arts, and we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Okay, okay, the chart isn't necessary." Kenichi placated him.

"All right, let's get started." Kensei entered a stance where one arm was extended and the other reached back. "This is the Takasousho stance of the baguazhang. Now, Kenichi hit me."

"All right!" Kenichi rushed in and threw a straight punch. "Take this, Tanimoto!"

Kensei used his front arm to block Kenichi's fist. "From this position, you can quickly reverse your stance, and then—" Kensei demonstrated by stepping and placing a chop only an inch away from Kenichi's neck. "Attack and defend, all at the same time."

"Yeah, got it." Kenichi breathed out.

"Once you've got your opponent like this, you can easily break his arm." Kensei demonstrated again by putting pressure on his arm.

"Ow!" Kenichi groaned.

"The Baguazhang focuses on combination attacks that flow from one technique to the other." Kensei explained. "Let's look at some easy ones—Chop to the throat, the groin, the neck, elbow to the ribs, and finally—" He kicked the back of Kenichi's knee and made him fall. "You hit the back of the leg, knock him to the ground and finish him off. But because this is a combination attack with flowing movements, each individual blow is weak, so even though you're striking what are normally considered vital spots, this isn't really a kicking motion." Kensei helped him back on his feet. "Now, I'm going to show you my secret technique for getting out of a grip, so pay close attention."

Kensei arranged Kenichi's arms so that they were around his neck while he was right in front of him. Kensei then placed his open palm under Kenichi's chin.

"But, that's just an uppercut?" Kenichi noted.

"An opponent with a strong neck would be able to withstand that blow. It's impossible to put much force into the hit when you're so close to your enemy." Kensei explained before he smiled. "Which is just what your opponent will be thinking, so he won't expect what happens next."

Kensei swiftly used his other hand to strike at his elbow. The force of this second blow made the hand that was on Kenichi's chin shoot up like an upside-down hammer and sent Kenichi flying off his feet and onto the floor.

Kenichi fell on his back before he picked himself back up. "Ah, man, how did you manage to muster up so much force, Master?"

"This form is the source of your power." Kensei showed him slowly. "Once your hand is placed under his chin, use your other hand to strike your elbow. The strength of two hands is now behind the one in contact with the chin, and since you're already in contact with your opponent, he won't be able to dodge the blow."

"That's a powerful technique, alright." Kenichi stood up and rubbed his chin. "Geez, I thought my neck snapped."

"It's very dangerous; don't teach it to anyone, and don't use it against anyone who's weak." Kensei warned him before turning away. "Now, Shirou, I believe it's your turn."

Kenichi moved back as Shirou stepped forward. "What have you got for me?"

"Now that you know the Fa Jin, what I'm going to show you is the next step." Kensei informed him. "But take heed, this technique is even more dangerous than the one I just showed Kenichi, so the same warning applies."

"I know. Now show it to me." Shirou always showed this enthusiasm when a new technique was involved.

"All right, now, like before, try and hit me." Kensei began.

Shirou stepped in and threw a punch, but Kensei ducked under it and stepped forward before he was right in his face and threw a straight right punch into Shirou's stomach.

"Ugh!" Shirou gasped out as the punch felt so heavy that he fell to his knees and gagged. He almost felt like he was going to regurgitate all of his stomach contents.

"Shirou!" Kenichi shouted with concern. "I don't believe it. He took him down with just one punch?!"

"What you just felt was the Chinese Martial Arts Hakkyokuken." Kensei explained.

"Hakkyokuken…?" Shirou repeated while fixing his breathing.

"It's a super-close-range Chinese Martial Art form. It uses a special foot-planting technique called Keiryoku in order to push each punch to its utmost limit of punch." Kensei continued. "You could say, if the Fa Jin is all about piercing through your opponent's defense, the Hakkyokuken is about crushing that defense with destructive power."

"They're similar, both the stance and the execution." Shirou realized as he thought of the new possibilities with this technique. "If I learn this along with the Fa Jin…."

Kensei then clapped his hands together. "Well, that should cover it for today. Now, Kenichi, you're free to go back to thinking of some way to get Miu's attention back on you."

"Yes, sir." Kenichi nodded.

"I really wish you wouldn't encourage him." Shirou frowned.

Before he left, Kenichi took out a few drama books, but before he opened them, Kensei turned back to address him.

"Oh, let me tell you one more thing—If history has proven anything, it's that the man who has a goal and works hard gets the girl." Those words filled Kenichi with hope and made him smile. "And although Miu can be a little slow, she's not stupid. I'm sure someday she'll understand how you feel about her." He then confiscated the books from Kenichi. "In any case, I don't think joining the drama club will help. I'll take these before you get any crazy ideas."

Kenichi reached out and tried to stop him. "Oooh! Please don't take them!"

"Tch… It wouldn't matter regardless." Shirou stretched his arms out. "If you ask me, that whole "working hard and getting the girl" shtick, that doesn't apply to you."

"Huh? Why not?" Kenichi protested. "I work just as hard as the next guy."

"Not when it counts." Shirou argued. "All those guys in history only got the girl because they told her how they felt. All you do is sit on your hands and wait for happiness to come to you. And even if she isn't stupid, Miu can't read minds. How is she ever going to know how you feel if you never actually tell her?"

Kenichi stopped and fell on the spot. Kensei shrugged at that statement. "Harsh but true."

Kenichi didn't know how to respond to his statement as he always got tongue-tied when confronted with serious conversations like this. But, before he could respond—

"Oh! Romeo!"

They heard the sound of Miu's voice from a different room.

Curious about how loud she was being, Kenichi went to see for himself. While peeking through a slightly opened door, Kenichi saw Miu standing in the middle of her room, practicing her lines for the play with Akisame aiding her. Apachai was there, too.

"Oh, Romeo! Where for art thou!? Romeo!" Miu rehearsed loudly.

Kenichi could only cringe at her performance. "Wow, she really stinks."

Akisame spoke the lines of Romeo in response and said the lines perfectly, and unlike Miu, he didn't even have the script.

"On the other hand, Master Koetsuji is pretty good." Kenichi noticed. "He's even saying his lines from memory. I hope Miu will be all right. I'm starting to get a little worried."

"Oh! Romeo!"

The next morning, Shirou was walking through the hallway at school and thinking out loud.

"Let's see. I'm pretty sure Niijima's info said that one of the gangs from school hung out somewhere on this floor." Shirou then noticed something in front of them. "Hmm?"

Further down the hallway, he saw Kenichi crouching down by a door while trying to peek inside. Above the door was a sign that said: Drama Club.

Seeing that made Shirou know this was about to become a whole thing, so he approached him. "It's not nice to spy, you know?"

"Gah!" Kenichi shrieked after being caught red-handed.

"As a Disciple of a Martial Arts Dojo, you should have more integrity than that." Shirou sarcastically reprimanded his behavior.

"It's not like that!" Kenichi waved his arms in defense before he got up and explained. "I just came here because a thought occurred to me—What kind of drama club makes a girl with no acting experience the lead in a Shakespeare play?" He reasoned. "Isn't that kinda suspicious?"

Shirou raised a brow. "Okay, then why not just go in there and ask?" He logically suggested. "It's not like a drama club has any reason to keep secrets."

"I can't just ask something like that out of the blue. Then Tanimoto would know I'm suspicious of him." Kenichi argued before he tried to peek through the door again. "I'll just take a little peek at their rehearsal."

Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right, that makes so much more sense."

From inside the room, Kenichi heard two different voices, one belonging to Tanimoto and the other he didn't recognize.

"Hold on a minute, Imai."

"I'm sorry, Tanimoto. I can't take it anymore."

"You're the vice president. You can't let them intimidate you."

At that moment, the door opened wide, and Kenichi moved back as a student with black hair and glasses stormed out of the club room and ran past him. Tanimoto came out and watched him leave.

"Imai, wait!" Tanimoto called out to no avail as he sadly watched him go. He then noticed the other two by the door. "Oh, Shirou and Kenichi too. I'm sorry I didn't see you guys there. If you're looking for Miu, you're early. She's still at gymnastics practice."

"Ah, right, so what was that all about?" Kenichi composed himself enough to ask.

Tanimoto lowered his head. "It's tough."

Soon enough, Tanimoto invited the two of them inside the club room, and they sat down on the small wooden stage by the chalkboard. The room also had a rack of costumes, a cardboard castle prop, and some broken material littered across the floor.

"The Martial Arts researcher club?" Kenichi asked, wondering if he had heard that wrong.

Tanimoto nodded as he was explaining the woes that the drama club had been facing lately. "Believe me. The name is just as phony as it sounds. They're nothing but cheap punks."

"That shouldn't surprise you." Shirou spoke out. "This whole school is crawling with cheap punks. Guys like the ones you just described have been showing up everywhere. They call themselves a club, find a room they like, and force out anyone who already owns the place with threats. It's happened to a couple of other clubs already."

"Well, I guess the drama club is next on that list." Tanimoto wistfully looked around the empty room. "They wanna take over this room for their headquarters. Most of the drama club members have quit because of their threats."

Kenichi now had his answer as to why they asked Miu to be in the play. They were desperate and hurting for members.

Tanimoto then looked at the two of them. "Listen, I need to ask you guys a favor." He then held onto Kenichi's hand. "You've gotta protect us, protect the remaining members of the drama club from these thugs."

"But, Tanimoto…" Kenichi sounded unsure.

Shirou didn't say anything. While he wasn't in the business of fighting to protect others, he never really found himself in a situation where someone outright asked for protection from him directly. But before he responded, he noticed someone was outside the door. "Someone's here."

Just as he said those words, the door slid wide open, and they had company. The three Delinquent who had harassed the drama club the other day had returned, and they looked just as ready to cause trouble as before.

"Don't tell me you guys are still here?" The leader walked in first. "I guess I didn't make myself clear enough last time." He joked as the two cronies laughed and cracked their knuckles. "Maybe a little pain will make you understand?"

Tanimoto had a frightened expression when he saw them arrive and started to sweat a little.

"I'm telling you to pack it up and get out right now." The leading Delinquent demanded threateningly. "You wouldn't want us to mess up that pretty face of yours, would you?"

"Tanimoto…" Kenichi whispered to him. "Are these the guys you meant?"

Tanimoto just nodded as one of the Delinquents kicked the castle for the play. "What are you gonna do? We're waiting!"

To Kenichi's surprise, Tanimoto stood tall and glared at them. "Your cheap threats don't frighten me! It'll take more than you've got to drive us out! This room has belonged to the drama club since this school was built!"

"He's braver than I thought." Kenichi thought.

"He's got nerve, but that'll just rile them up." Shirou thought, not as impressed as Kenichi.

"Oh?" The leader then decided to approach the cardboard castle. "Look at this cool set. You guys are doing Romeo and Juliet next, aren't you?"

"Keep your hands off of that!" Tanimoto yelled to no avail.

The leader just laughed and turned away. "Okay…" He then kicked the set and broke off a chunk of the castle. "No hands!"

Tanimoto gasped before he finally acted and moved in as he tackled the leading Delinquent. He tried to push him forward but wasn't able to actually move him. That didn't stop him from trying, though.

The leader decided to retaliate and easily lifted Tanimoto up before shifting his body so that his head was parallel to the floor. He then prepared to slam Tanimoto down headfirst. "Pile Driver Time!"

However, before Tanimoto touched the floor, he stopped as the leading Delinquent felt his body halt followed by strong pain in the top of his head. The reason was that Kenichi had instantly gotten behind him and had a firm grip on his hair while pulling it.

"That's enough." Kenichi warned him.

"Ow! Ow! You're pulling out my hair!" The leader cried out painfully.

"Hey, who is this guy?" One of the other two Delinquents asked.

"You… Looking for a fight?" The other asked nervously.

"Actually…" Now Shirou stepped in and grabbed Kenichi's wrist to make him let go of the Delinquent's hair. He then glared warningly at the other two. "I am. And I can do much worse than hair pulling."

Now that he was free, the leader ran back to stand beside his cronies as he questioned them. "Who the Hell are you guys?!"

"I'm Shirou Tsukiharu." Shirou smirked as he named himself. "Nice ta meet 'cha."

"And I'm Kenichi Shirahama." Kenichi narrowed his eyes at them. "And I'm a big fan of Shakespeare, especially Romeo and Juliet—Got a problem with that?!"

Hearing their names made all three of them gasp in horror. "K-Kenichi Shirahama?!"

"And Shirou Tsukiharu?! You mean you're the Executive member and the Assault Commander of the Shinzaki Alliance?!" They then start talking amongst themselves. "Now what? I heard they took down Kisara's crew from Ragnarok all by themselves."

"I heard they can both take down a bear if the conditions are right." One of them added.

"And I heard that Tsukiharu can do one-handed if the bear is 800 pounds or less." The other one added.

"What has Niijima been saying?" Kenichi grimaced at how over the top those rumors were.

"Hey!" Shirou yelled, getting their attention and intimidating them. "You know, I can't stand guys like you. You probably think that all it takes to be a gang is just push-around scrubs who don't know how to fight. But, if you want to be a real Delinquent, you have to be able to fight yourself. Otherwise, you're just a couple of posers." He then cracked his knuckles. "So, what's it going to be? You gonna fight me or run away?"

Just the way he was looking at them was enough to make them fear for their lives. That, plus his feats of strength that came from Niijima's sense of hyperbole, snuffed out any notion they had of fighting, and so all three of them turned tall and ran out the door screaming.

Shirou just lowered his fists and sighed. "Boring."

"Oh wow." Tanimoto gasped in amazement as he approached Kenichi. "You guys did it! You're just like the rumors say!"

"Ah, yeah, what kind of rumors have you been hearing, exactly?" Kenichi felt the need to ask.

Tanimoto reached out and felt one of Kenichi's biceps. "Man, you must have a grip like a steel vice. I mean, you stopped that guy's pile driver using only one hand."

"No, it's just that a person can't move when you've got him by the hair." Kenichi modesty clarified.

"Suit yourself." Tanimoto stepped back. "Anyway, you seem to know a lot about fighting. I bet you've had a lot of really heavy-duty Martial Arts training, right?"

"Ah, yeah, sure?" Kenichi seemed a bit thrown off.

Tanimoto then sighed and looked away. "Must be nice to have a talent for Martial Arts like that."

That specific word triggered Kenichi immediately. "Hold on! What did you just say?! This isn't about talent! What do you think I was just born like this?!" He ranted while pointing at him. "I worked my butt off—Ouch!"

Shirou flicked him on the forehead to shut him up. "Would it kill you for once not to make a mountain out of a molehill?"

"You wouldn't understand my position! You actually are talented?!" Kenichi accused him while massaging his forehead.

"Oh, what, do you want me to apologize for being talented?" Shirou asked sarcastically. "What, do you also want Wilt Chamberlin to apologize for being tall or Usain Bolt to apologize for being fast?"

"Hey!" They heard Miu's voice as she soon ran in through the door. "Sorry, I'm late. Gymnastics practice ran a little long today." She then noticed her friends were there. "Oh, hi, you guys. What are you doing here?"

"Ah, well, I, uh…." Kenichi suddenly got defensive and stuttered. "I was just checking out the rehearsal—Yeah, that's it!" He then quickly fled from the scene. "Good luck! See you later!"

"Where are you going?!" Tanimoto called out. "Wait!"

"Oh wow, he's acting weird?" Miu commented.

"What are you talking about? That was perfectly in character for him." Shirou rolled his eyes and walked toward the door himself.

"You're going too?" Tanimoto asked.

Shirou stopped at the door. "Honestly, I only came here on a passing whim, but now, I have business I need to attend to."

With that, he walked out, leaving Miu and Tanimoto alone in the previously lively drama club room.

That evening, as the sun set over the west, a certain person sat alone in an empty warehouse. He sat alone for a while until another man walked in and approached him. The man in question was the Fourth Fist of Ragnarok—Loki.

"This is getting tiresome. I don't know what this Shinzaki Alliance is exactly, but a guy like you shouldn't have any trouble getting rid of them, right?" Loki reasoned as he leaned down and questioned him. "So what's taking you so long, Hermit?"

The man was speaking to was, indeed, in fact, the Sixth Fist of Ragnarok—Hermit. The same man that squared off against Shirou that night, Kisara and her gang ambushed Takeda.

"Just leave me alone." Hermit told him with contempt. "I'm having fun with this one."

"Yeah, I can see you can barely contain yourself." Loki sarcastically replied. "I must say, you're not very convincing, my friend."

"I could easily beat this Shinzaki Alliance as a whole, including Shirahama, right now if I wished, but I believe that Tsukiharu—The one I'm paying attention to—On his own could be a worthy opponent for me." Hermit explained as he stood up. "His limits are unknown because he's never truly fought against someone who has required him to go all out, as far as I've seen. But his knowledge of Martial Arts is already vast and growing by the day. I want to see just how strong he truly is and if he can give me the worthy challenge."

"I see, so you're like a hunter searching for a beast in the wild and checking to see if he can warrant your attention, is that it?" Loki summarized as Hermit walked past him. "Just make sure you don't wait too long before he gets too big and sinks his teeth into your jugular. There's a major war coming, and it won't wait for anyone." Loki warned him as Hermit exited the warehouse. "Go ahead and play your little games, but when things get serious, you could end up with a knife in your back."

Hermit didn't acknowledge that last warning disguised as a threat as Loki malevolently laughed to himself.

That night, back in Ryozanpaku, Miu was still practicing her lines for the play while Akisame kept coaching her.

"Thou art thyself though not a Montague!"

"No."

"What's Montague? It is nor hand nor foot nor arm nor face!"

"No."

Kenichi hid outside the room behind the door again and listened in. Miu kept saying the lines robotically, and Akisame kept telling her she was doing it wrong.

"She's working her tail off, but she hasn't gotten any better." Kenichi noticed.

"Not like that. You have to say it slower, whisper it out loud as if you were talking to a cow from a distance. Make sure you honor the pentameter without hammering at it." Akisame advised with detailed instructions.

"Oh, okay." Miu readied herself to try again.

"Wow, his coaching is pretty sophisticated." Kenichi noted, somewhat impressed. "I'll bet Master Koetsuji could be a professional acting teacher on top of everything else."

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

All of a sudden, Kenichi heard a loud scream coming from outside and ran out to see.

Kenichi dashed out the door and into the courtyard, where he heard the scream come from.

"What?! What is it?!" Kenichi stopped when he saw what it was.

"Oh, hey Kenichi, you heard it too, huh?" Shirou was already there. "False alarm. There's nothing to worry about."

As he said, there was no real cause for concern. The one responsible for the scream was Niijima, and the reason for it was that Shigure had pinned him to the wall with throwing stars and held a sickle and chain toward him.

"I captured… A suspicious person… See?" Shigure explained.

Kenichi walked up to her. "Well, yeah. I agree, he is suspicious, but he's also sort of a friend of mine, don't you remember?"

"Oh?" Shigure tapped her cheek.

"Get inside already." Shirou tilted his head. "If you're here, I'm assuming you've got new information."

Niijima grinned now that he was no longer in danger. "Believe me, I do."

Once that was over, the three students of Koryuu High went inside the dojo and sat on the floor while Niijima started typing on his PDA.

"I've been doing more research on Tanimoto's background and guess what I found out?" Niijima grinned widely. "I've made an amazing discovery."

"What? Have you discovered his weakness or something?" Kenichi asked curiously.

Niijima immediately became serious and gazed at him. "No, the thing is… The guy is perfect."

.

.

.

As Kenichi looked baffled, Niijima continued. "He's only a Freshman, but he's already the head of the drama club and a born leader. He gets good grades, and naturally, the teachers are wild about him, but he never brags about it, and what's more, he tutors other students in his spare time."

Kenichi sighed and dropped his head. "In other words, he's as perfect on the inside as he is on the outside."

"I think he's a little too perfect. He just can't be real." Niijima proclaimed confidently. "It's like Persian carpets. No matter how squeaky clean they seem to be, if you pound them hard enough, they're bound to so some dust."

"Do you think so?" Kenichi asked.

"Hey, bro, when it comes to dirt, I'm an expert." Niijima bragged. "My sensor is tingling like crazy, and it's never wrong. So you need to put the screws on him and make him talk."

"What?" Kenichi became upset. "Give me a break. You're crazy!"

"I agree." Shirou chimed in.

"Yeah…" Kenichi added before pausing. "Wait, you agree with him or me?"

Shirou elaborated. "The more I hear about Tanimoto, the less I believe it. It'd be one thing if he just did some of the stuff, but all of it? It's so unnaturally good that it just ends up looking fake. Rather than actually being perfect, it looks more like someone trying to manufacture themselves as a person who comes off as perfect to a superficial environment—And there's no better place for that than school."

"Ha, I knew you'd see it too." Niijima sounded pleased.

"You think Tanimoto is faking it?" Kenichi sounded surprised. "But you saw him today. He seemed like such a good guy."

"That's the point. People like that always seem like such good guys. Throughout history, there have been a number of villains who fooled everyone around them by acting like that. They used their charm and charisma to make everyone like them so much that they never even considered what they were hiding on the inside. They never wanted to imagine that villains like that were walking among them the whole time, and they never knew." Shirou explained with a cynical expression. "Never forget—A gifted actor is also a gifted liar."

Kenichi felt a bit unnerved by all of this and didn't know what he could say in response, so the conversation stopped there, and Niijima departed after passing along the information.

[See you later!]

The next day began as Kenichi and Miu stepped out of Ryozanpaku and walked to school together. They planned on meeting Shirou after they arrived.

"How are things going with your practice?" Kenichi decided to ask. "Do you think you're ready for the play?"

"I think I'm getting better, but I'm still not sure I'm ready yet." Miu confessed modesty. "I hope Tanimoto can help me out some more after school."

"Tanimoto…" Kenichi muttered before smiling. "Okay, I'll admit, at first, I was jealous of Tanimoto being so perfect, but when I saw him stand up to those bullies yesterday, it reminded me of when I rushed out without thinking and challenged those thugs a while back." He remembered nostalgically. "Well, whatever the reason, I can't dislike the guy. So, I've decided to do whatever I can to protect the drama club and the play from that gang of Delinquents, and that way, you can concentrate on Juliet."

"Great." Miu smiled back. "But I have to tell you, there's been one other thing that's been worrying me." She admitted. "Tanimoto is such a good actor, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it. In fact, he seems really unhappy whenever we're rehearsing. When I look deep into his eyes, I can see a sort of sadness shimmering there like a faint light off in the darkness."

"Ah, you can? Really?" Kenichi was a little surprised by her words before becoming upset. "Oh man, are they connecting on that "deep" level now? How close have they become?! Aaahhh!"

(Never forget—A gifted actor is also a gifted liar.)

His thoughts were interrupted when Miu's words caused him to think back to the words Shirou had told him last night. Kenichi felt a heavy feeling in his stomach but tried to ignore it.

"No, I mean, there's no way, right?" Kenichi thought nervously.

Later that day, Kenichi and Miu were in class, but they still hadn't run into Shirou all day. After class had let out and Kenichi and Miu got up from their seats, someone who wasn't from their class approached them.

"Kenichi, you got a minute." It was the same guy from yesterday who ran out of the drama club. "I'm vice-president of the drama club—Imai. I wanted to say thank you for what you did the other day."

"Uh, well, you're welcome, but it's really not necessary." Kenichi uncomfortably accepted his gratitude. "It's just that Tanimoto was—"

"Because you stood up to the Martial Arts Research club, we've been able to go ahead with our production of Romeo and Juliet in complete safety." Imai interrupted him as he continued before his expression changed. "However… You're friend, Shirou… Don't you think he should learn to control himself a little more? One of those guys has three fractured ribs."

The moment he heard that, Kenichi knew that something was wrong.

"No way?" Miu didn't believe it either.

"Now, hold on a minute! That just isn't possible!" Kenichi denied it completely. "I was there when it happened. He barely touched those guys."

However, as is the case with everything else at this school, once the information is passed along, it quickly spreads to everyone. As Kenichi soon noticed, everyone in the class was already talking about it.

"Did you hear? Tsukiharu said that he'd kill those guys if they didn't transfer to another school."

"He didn't have to send them to the hospital."

"He's as scary as the thugs he's always fighting with."

"I bet it has something to do with that gang he's part of."

"I always knew he was a dangerous guy. Now he's finally showing what he's really like."

"Hey! Hold on a minute, you guys, this is all a big mistake! Shirou wouldn't do stuff like that!" Kenichi desperately protested.

"Hahaha!" A laughter that could only belong to Niijima resounded as he stepped into the classroom. "This is great, Kenichi! I take it you heard the big news, too?!"

"What are you talking about, you devil?" Kenichi grabbed him by the collar.

"Don't pretend you don't know. The story going around the school is that Shirou destroyed three different Delinquent gangs yesterday, and he announced to all of them that he was Shirou Tsukiharu, Co-commander of the Shinzaki Alliance!"

"N-Niijima, you mean you mean you started that rumor?" Kenichi seemed almost afraid to ask.

"I only wish I had." Niijima confessed gleefully. "This has made the Shinzaki Alliance the most feared group in school and him the scariest fighter!"

Kenichi gripped harder on his collar. "Where is Shirou?! I have to know if he really did this or not!"

"I have no idea where he is. I haven't seen him all day. But who cares? True or not, this news is too good to pass up." Niijima exclaimed before pondering. "But it wouldn't hurt to spice this story up a little with the old Niijima magic touch. How about some heart-rending tale about our lifelong friendship and how he had to act to save me from a threat from a rival gang or something like that?" He exaggerated. "What do you think? Sound good?"

Kenichi didn't respond and could only worry about the situation. "What's going on?"

Later on, after school, Kenichi was in the greenhouse for the gardening club and watering flowers with Izumi. While planting, he was still upset by the events of the day.

"This is terrible. Now everyone thinks that Shirou is some kind of thug." Kenichi said sadly. "But he really didn't do it."

"It's okay, Kenichi. I believe you when you say he didn't do it." Izumi consoled him. "He's your friend, and I've seen that he's not a bad guy, so it must be a mistake."

"Thanks, it means a lot to hear you say that." Kenichi appreciated her faith. "I just wish I could see him so I could hear it from his own words."

"Oh, hear what?"

Kenichi stopped and turned around as he saw Shirou walk into the greenhouse. Kenichi became both happy and relieved when he saw him.

"Shirou, you're here?" Kenichi approached him. "Where have you been all day?"

"I just had some stuff I needed to do at home, so I arrived at school in the afternoon." Shirou explained before narrowing his eyes. "Oddly enough, I arrived in time to hear that several gangs had been destroyed, and apparently "I" did that to save my lifelong friend, Niijima?"

Kenichi cringed. "Ah, I should have known he'd go through with that." He put that aside and asked. "Listen, I need to know. You didn't really attack those guys, did you?"

"Originally, I was planning on fighting them, but they had already been crushed by someone else." Shirou informed him. "But, I have no idea who."

Kenichi breathed another sigh of relief. "That's good. I knew you were innocent." Then he became confessed. "But that makes this even more confusing. Why would someone go around using your name instead of trying to build their own reputation?"

"My guess is that someone is trying to keep a low profile." Shirou predicted. "It's not unusual to cover up your crimes by doing them but using the name of someone else who is well known and good for it. I'm pretty sure nobody doubted it for a second when they heard I did it."

"But that isn't right. We need to set things straight and clear your name." Kenichi insisted.

"What would be the point?" Shirou seemed disinterested. "No matter what I tell them, they've already got me pegged. Besides, I've always been a Delinquent with a bad rep. Whether I did this or not isn't going to change that. My name was never clear, to begin with."

"But…" Kenichi didn't look like he wanted to accept that.

"Besides, there are other things to focus on." Shirou reminded him. "Whoever this guy is, he's gotta be a decent fighter if he could take out whole gangs on his own, and if he's using my name, it means he's trying to get my attention."

"But why would he do that?" Kenichi asked, unaware.

"Who can say?" Shirou shrugged. "But it can't be for a good reason."

"Kenichi, Shirou."

Yet another person entered the greenhouse, and they both looked to see that, this time, it was Tanimoto. He waved and approached both of them.

"Tanimoto?" Kenichi spoke.

"It's Prince Tanimoto?!" Izumi stepped back while flustered and blushing.

"I heard about what happened." Tanimoto started. "People can be so mean. Sometimes, it just isn't important how good your intentions really are. People are always going to assume the worst about you." He then placed a hand on Shirou's shoulder. "But, I want you to know I believe in you. When I first heard the rumors about the Martial Arts Research club being beaten up, I was afraid you might have been the one who did it, but you're someone who knows where to draw the line, and what happened yesterday is just sick."

Neither Shirou nor Kenichi said anything while he talked, they just listened, but the look in his eyes was something they both noticed for different reasons.

Tanimoto reached back and smiled. "You know, everybody in school has this crazy idea that I'm some sort of Mr. Perfect student. Consequently, I don't have any friends." He offered his hand for a handshake. "So I'd be really happy if you both would consider me one from now on."

Shirou seemed stoic. He didn't let what he was thinking show on his face and shook his hand. "No problem."

Kenichi quickly shook his hand as well. "Ah, yeah, me two."

After that, Tanimoto waved goodbye as he walked away. As they watched him go, Shirou and Kenichi thought about what they saw in his eyes.

"Just now, I saw it in his eyes. A sort of sadness shimmering like a faint light." Kenichi thought, mirroring what Miu told him earlier.

On the other hand, Shirou was thinking something completely different and watched Tanimoto leave with a suspicious look. "Those eyes, I've seen them before."

Meanwhile, Izumi was behind them and having thoughts of her own.

"Oh, man! He's so totally hot! What am I doing?! I can't cheat on Kenichi!" Izumi thought to herself frankly while punching her head.

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, as I said, this chapter was very dialogue-heavy and was mostly about introducing Tanimoto and the plot point of the play. That said, I plan on making the next few chapters much more exciting and action-packed, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.