I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Goto Kazuya.

Now seventeen years old, he was the third-generation leader of the biker gang [Hyakki Yagyō] that operated around the Setagaya area.
He had admired strong men since childhood, and by chance caught the eye of the second-generation leader. Since middle school, he had been active as a member of [Hyakki Yagyō].
Under his leadership, the group finally reached a literal size of about 100 members, enough to not be looked down on anywhere they went—a biker gang with proper clout.

The public road rampage three months ago had been to commemorate that growth.
But that night, Kazuya experienced “fear” for the first time in his life.
Normally, the bikes ridden by biker gangs are much louder than regular bikes because of illegally modified mufflers.

And when dozens of those bikes ride together side by side, the noise becomes unimaginably loud.
He used to laugh it off even when residents, woken up from sleep at night, opened their windows and hurled curses at him—but he never imagined that some lunatic would actually block the path of a pack of motorcycles with nothing but his bare body.
The man had probably just come out after exercising—he had nothing on his upper body but a towel slung over his shoulders, and through his disheveled hair, he looked at them with eyes like a wild beast and said,

“Get off. You’ll wake my parents.”
Naturally, Kazuya and his underlings scoffed and tried to ignore the man’s words—but the man walked up without a word and grabbed the back of the motorcycle Kazuya was riding.
‘Hah, like that’s gonna scare me?’

Spurred on by defiance toward the man’s calm demeanor, Kazuya slammed the accelerator to full throttle.
He figured the man would let go so he wouldn’t get dragged by the bike.
But contrary to his expectations, the bike didn’t move forward even a single centimeter.

‘What the hell?’
Startled, he tried twisting the throttle again, but nothing happened.
When he looked down to find out why, he was stunned.

The man was holding up his bike with one hand.
More precisely, he was lifting it with one hand.
With the rear wheel off the ground, there was no way for the bike to move forward no matter how much he tried.
Truly an absurd feat of strength.

“I’ll get off! I’ll get off!”
Realizing the situation and overcome with fear, Kazuya immediately declared surrender and got off the bike.
That was the first meeting between Goto Kazuya and Kim Yu-seong.

***
As soon as I entered the restaurant, the guy with the regent haircut who had suddenly called me “Hyung-nim” finished eating and introduced himself as Goto Kazuya.
“Please, just call me Kazu. Hyung-nim!”

Even though he was wearing a gakuran, he looked clearly older than me, so I awkwardly asked,
“Could I ask… how old you are?”
“I’m seventeen this year! I became a second-year in high school just a month ago!”

“……”
I thought I looked older than my age, but this guy had taken it to another level.
No, maybe it was just the outdated retro-styling that made him look like something straight out of a 70s or 80s biker manga. At the very least, he looked like he was in his twenties.

Not knowing what to do with this awkward situation, I eventually forced myself to speak.
“There’s no reason for you to call me Hyung-nim. We’re the same age.”
“But you’re the one who taught me what a true man is! I want to call you Hyung-nim! Please allow it!”

‘Unbelievable.’
After spending two years reincarnated in this manga world and going through all sorts of chaos, I never imagined I’d end up dealing with something like this.
Biker gangs, like yakuza, are often glorified in Japanese manga, but the fact remains that in reality they’re juvenile criminal organizations.

Maybe he sensed some of that prejudice in my gaze, because Goto pounded his chest and said,
“I won’t make excuses for what I did in the past. But the reason I came looking for you now is because I wanted to convey my sincerity.”
“…What do you mean?”

“I admired strong and macho men since I was young, which is why I became a biker. But by the time I realized it, I was just an idiot chasing thrills with reckless driving and trying to act tough in front of others. I still respect the opinions of the guys who stayed in the gang, but during spring break—after meeting you, Hyung-nim—I had an awakening.”
After saying that, Goto paused for a beat and declared,
“I realized that a true man doesn’t flaunt his strength.”

Feeling a headache coming on, I said to Goto,
“If you’ve realized that, how about going home and being a good son to your parents? Wouldn’t that be a more helpful thing to society?”
“Of course, that’s my intention! But before that, there’s one thing I must ask of you, Hyung-nim.”

“…What is it?”
“Please take me as your disciple!”
Goto Kazuya suddenly bowed his head to the ground as he said that.

Naturally, his dramatic performance drew attention.
Maybe because he was a former biker boss, Goto Kazuya was a master of over-the-top chuunibyou gestures.
It was the perfect scene for someone to mistake me as some kind of delinquent too, so I hurriedly pulled him to his feet.

“Don’t do this here. Let’s go talk outside.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And lower your voice a little.”

“Yes.”
After leaving apologies for our regulars and other customers who were still eating, I dragged Goto Kazuya outside the restaurant.
***

The place I took him to was a playground at a park near my house.
I figured it was a quiet spot where we could talk without worrying about other people watching.
I handed him a soda I’d bought from a vending machine and said,

“So… I guess I can somewhat understand calling me Hyung-nim, but what’s this about taking you as a disciple?”
At that, Goto Kazuya gripped the can of cola and replied with passionate energy,
“I mean it exactly how it sounds! I want to become a true man like you, Hyung-nim!”

I rubbed my forehead without realizing it. The conversation hadn’t changed at all.
‘Seriously, what the hell is this “true man” thing.’
But whether he was just clueless or stubborn, Goto Kazuya didn’t stop his personal PR campaign.

“I know you’re probably put off because I used to be a biker, Hyung-nim! That’s why I’ve completely severed ties with the gang for this opportunity!”
“Oh… okay.”
To hear that someone who’d risen to be the boss of a biker gang had suddenly abandoned that position… I could tell he’d made a serious decision.

But that was that, and this was this.
“I’m not some amazing person like you think I am. I stopped you guys that night because my parents had just finished working late and would’ve woken up tired the next morning from all the noise.”
“Yes! I know! But the fact that you did something like that out of filial piety just proves you’re a true man of this era!”

…We weren’t having a real conversation.
I let out a quiet sigh and asked,
“So what is it you actually want to learn by being my disciple?”

“Lots of things. The mindset of a true man, training methods to become truly strong, how to become a cool guy like you, Hyung-nim—things like that.”
At this point, it was like he was desperate to bronze me into a statue.
“I don’t have anything I can teach you. Even so, you still want to be my disciple?”

Goto Kazuya nodded without hesitation.
“They say that even just watching a master from behind the counter can teach you skills! If you’d just permit me, I want to follow you from morning to night and learn the secrets to becoming a true man!”
I had a hunch that even if I refused here, he’d keep coming back to the restaurant, begging to be accepted as a disciple.

That’s just how shounen manga works.
Rather than deal with that, I decided to shake him off using a different method.
“Fine. I’ll give you three days.”

I said that and raised three fingers for dramatic effect.
Goto Kazuya gulped and muttered,
“Three days…?”

“I can’t take in just anyone as a disciple. I’ll give you three days—prove that you’re worthy of being my disciple. Then I’ll accept you.”
“And how exactly do I prove it?”
“You just said it yourself. You want to follow me from morning to night and learn how to become a true man.”

“Yes, I did.”
“So excluding the time I’m at school, for three days straight, you’ll shadow my daily routine. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) If you can endure it, I’ll acknowledge you as my disciple.”
“Are you serious?!”

“A man never says the same thing twice.”
“Thank you, sir! I’ll give it my all!”
As soon as I gave my approval, Goto Kazuya bowed over and over again like a kid who’d just received a Christmas present.

Looking down at the back of his head, I thought,
‘Sorry, but I’m gonna work you until you beg me to let you quit.’