[Book Release Commemorative Side Story] His Name is Minoru Kagenou: Cid’s Previous Life

I wrote a little side story about our protagonist's past life to celebrate the book’s release!

I’ve received a ton of requests for this, and since I don’t usually get a chance to write about his time on Earth, I hope you all enjoy it. I put a lot of work into this one, so please go check out the published books too!

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I’m a second-year at Sakurazaka High School, and I have a classmate I absolutely despise.

The guy has black hair, black eyes, and a face so plain it’s practically a blank canvas. He always looks like he just rolled out of bed, sporting these permanent dark circles under his drowsy eyes.

His name is Minoru Kagenou. He’s the bane of my existence, and—in a stroke of cosmic bad luck—he sits right next to me.

True to his name, Kagenou is the definition of a background character. His grades are mediocre, his athletic ability is sub-par, he’s not in any clubs, and while he’s not a total hermit, he only has a handful of "talking-term" acquaintances. He’s just your run-of-the-mill, utterly forgettable student.

I didn't always hate him. I didn't like him either, obviously, but I tried to be a decent person and treat him like any other classmate. Then I actually started interacting with him, and I discovered his one unforgivable sin.

The morning greeting.

See, Kagenou and I both have a habit of sliding through the school gates at the very last second. We almost always arrive at the exact same time, which forces a social interaction.

"Good morning, Kagenou-kun," I’d say, trying to be polite to the guy I can't stand.

"Morning, Nishimura-san," he’d drone back in that flat, lifeless voice of his.

It’s not Nishimura! It’s Nishino, you idiot!

I’d scream it in my head every single time, but on the outside, I’d just keep my "perfect girl" smile plastered on and head for the shoe lockers. This has been going on every single morning for three months.

For the first month, I stayed quiet, assuming he’d eventually figure it out. But once Golden Week passed and he was still butcherng my name, I finally snapped and corrected him. I remember that conversation like it was yesterday.

THE FIRST CORRECTION

"Um, Kagenou-kun? My name isn’t Nishimura."

"Eh?"

Kagenou blinked at me, tilting his head as if he were looking at some bizarre specimen in a lab. "Wait, it’s not Nishimura?"

"No. My name is—"

"Oh, hold on. I remember now. You’re actually a Named Character, aren't you?"

"A Named Character?" I repeated, failing to process his weird nerd-speak.

"Ah, don't mind me. I usually make sure to remember the names of important people. I just have a bit of a slip-up now and then."

"It’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes," I said, giving him a small smile since he actually seemed to be apologizing.

Then he opened his mouth again.

"My bad. Sorry, Nishiya-san."

At that exact moment, I had to squeeze my fists so hard my knuckles turned white just to stop myself from landing a right straight into his smug, mocking face.

"...It’s Nishino."

"...Eh?"

"My. Name. Is. Nishino."

The silence that followed was excruciating. We just stared at each other until I finally turned on my heel and stormed off. I didn't say a single word to him for the rest of the day.

The next morning, we met at the gate again. I’d slept on it and cooled down a bit. It wasn't like he was being malicious; he was probably just genuinely slow. I figured I’d been overreacting over a simple name slip. So, I took the high road.

"Good morning, Kagenou-kun."

"Morning, Nishimura-san."

It’s not Nishimura! It’s Nishino! We are literally back to square one!

I wanted to howl, but I maintained my ironclad smile. What really got under my skin wasn't just the name; it was the fact that he acted like our talk yesterday had never happened. He called me Nishimura, and he didn't even look at me.

His eyes were always on me when we spoke, sure, but he wasn't seeing me. He had this distant look, like he was staring at something miles away that I couldn't see.

I hated that.

I realized then that it wasn't the name-calling that bothered me—it was the fact that I didn't even exist in his world. That was the moment I officially decided I hated him.

After that, I did my best to avoid him. We swapped greetings in the morning because I had a reputation to maintain, but that was it. I stopped correcting him. Even though we sat next to each other, we barely spoke unless a teacher forced us to.

Honestly, I wanted to ignore him completely, but my situation made that difficult. Being "Akane Nishino" comes with baggage. I’m the "refined beauty" with the perfect black hair that everyone stares at. Plus, I’m an active professional actress.

If word got out that I was feuding with a nobody like Kagenou, the tabloids would have a field day with whatever rumors they could invent. I couldn't have that. I’ve been a child actress since I was a kid, but my career hit a wall in middle school because of a scandal.

That incident changed me. I started wearing a mask. I became the perfect honor student for the teachers, the popular girl for the students, and the "friend to all" so nobody would ever have a reason to resent me again.

I killed my true self just to survive. That’s why I tolerated Kagenou.

THE INCIDENT

Today was no different. Kagenou got my name wrong, I said nothing, and we went through the day in silence.

I don't usually stay late since I'm not in any clubs, but I had supplementary lessons to make up for the days I missed for work. By the time I finally stepped out of the school gates, the sun was long gone.

"Great. My phone is dead..."

I sighed. Normally, I’d just call my driver, but I was out of luck. My house was a thirty-minute walk—not exactly a hike, but not a stroll either. The early summer night air felt surprisingly good, though, so I decided to walk.

It had been years since I’d walked home from school. My family usually insists on the private car and driver, so having the pavement under my feet felt almost... nostalgic. I was actually enjoying myself, which was my first mistake. I let my guard down.

A black van lurched to a halt right beside me. A massive guy hopped out before I could even register the danger.

"—Wh?"

A thick, muscular arm wrapped around my throat. I couldn't breathe. Everything started spinning, and my consciousness began to slip away within seconds.

The last thing I saw through the haze was the silhouette of a classmate running toward me.

THE WAREHOUSE

"...Ugh."

I woke up in a dim, dusty warehouse. My hands and feet were zip-tied, and a gag was shoved into my mouth. My head was pounding. I remembered the van, the man... and a face. I felt like I’d seen someone right before I passed out.

"Mmph! Mmm-mgh!"

I tried to scream for help, but it just came out as muffled groans.

"Oh. You're awake."

A gravelly voice came from behind me, and I froze.

"Keep it down if you don't want to get hurt."

The guy was a monster—at least 190 centimeters tall and built like a brick wall. There was another guy behind him, probably the one who’d grabbed me.

"I’ve already sent the ransom note to your parents. As long as the Nishino Zaibatsu pays up, you’ll get out of this in one piece." He let out a nasty smirk. "You shouldn't have been walking alone, little lady. Bad things happen to pretty girls on night roads."

He started walking toward me.

Get away! Stay back!

I tried to scramble away, dragging myself across the floor.

"Nice try."

The giant grabbed my ankle and yanked me back like I weighed nothing. He forced my chin up, inspecting my face. "Not bad. You really do look like an actress."

I thrashed, trying to shake him off.

"I said stay still!"

He backhanded me across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Tears pricked my eyes as his hand moved from my chin to my neck, then down toward my shoulder.

"You really are careless. Especially since you’ve been kidnapped before, right?"

I stopped moving. My heart skipped a beat.

"Back in middle school. It was a stalker that time, wasn't it?"

The memories I’d spent years burying flooded back. I started shaking uncontrollably.

"I can’t blame the guy. You're a prize. Why are you so scared, little lady?"

"Mmmph! Mmm-mgh! Mmmmmm!"

"Give it up. Nobody is coming to save you."

He pinned me down with his massive weight. I tried to twist away one last time, screaming internally for someone—anyone—to help.

SMASH.

The sound of shattering glass tore through the warehouse.

"Who’s there?!"

A window high above had been smashed. Moonlight poured into the dark room, illuminating a figure standing on the broken glass. He was decked out in a black sweatshirt, black work boots, and a black balaclava. He looked like a total freak—honestly, he looked more like a criminal than the kidnappers.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

His boots echoed against the concrete as he walked toward us.

"The hell are you?!" the giant roared.

"Who, me? I’m just your friendly neighborhood... Stylish Thug Slayer."

He stopped and casually adjusted his mask.

"Kill him!"

The accomplice lunged from the shadows, swinging a baseball bat at the masked guy’s head. It was a perfect blindside—but the masked guy dodged it like he had a sixth sense.

"Wh—?!"

"The moonlight was casting your shadow. Rookie mistake."

He spun on a dime and delivered a punch. Between the black clothes and the dark room, his fist was practically invisible. There was a sickening thud, and the accomplice dropped to his knees, unconscious before he even hit the floor.

"A clean strike to the jaw. You've done this before," the giant said, letting go of me and standing up. He cracked his neck, glaring at the intruder. "Too bad for you. I’m an ex-soldier."

He pulled a combat knife. His stance was professional, lethal.

"Ex-military, huh? Perfect. I’ve always wanted to test myself against a soldier."

The masked guy dropped into a low crouch. It looked... surprisingly cool. The two of them circled each other in the shadows, the tension thick enough to cut.

"Die!"

The giant lunged. For a man his size, he moved with terrifying speed. He aimed a lethal slash at the masked guy’s throat, but the intruder blocked it with his forearm.

A sharp CLANG echoed.

"What?!"

The masked guy hadn't used his arm—he was holding something. A black crowbar. He was wielding it like a tonfa.

"A... a crowbar?!"

"Crowbars are underrated," the masked guy said. "They’re indestructible, easy to carry, and if the cops stop you, you can usually talk your way out of it. Most importantly... you can use them just like a tonfa."

"You're insane!"

The masked guy flicked his wrist. The crowbar traced a lethal arc, slamming into the giant’s wrist. The knife went flying.

"Dammit!"

The soldier threw a heavy punch. The masked guy met it with the crowbar. Metal hit muscle, and fists grazed the mask as they traded blows under the moonlight.

But slowly, the masked guy started losing ground. Every time he blocked one of those heavyweight punches, he was forced back a step.

"Hmph. A decent handicap," the giant grunted. "You’re strong, kid. You’ve seen combat. But you’ve got one fatal flaw. You're barely 170 centimeters and maybe 60 kilos. I’m 194 and 115. Our physical specs aren't even in the same league. As long as I protect my vitals, I can take your hits. You take one from me, and it’s game over. That’s the reality of a weight class."

The masked guy just stared at him through the eye slits of his balaclava.

"Fair point. I guess a single ex-soldier is still a bit much for my current self. That’s reality... Fine. I guess I’ll have to get serious."

His stance shifted.

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the potential in the crowbar. The tonfa-like shape, the weight, the durability, the portability—it’s a high-potential tool. After spending my nights beating the hell out of Frenzy gangs, I finally reached a conclusion..."

"Wait... the masked berserker? The guy who’s been hospitalizing bikers with nothing but a crowbar?!"

Apparently, that was a thing. I’d heard rumors that the local gangs had started wearing helmets 24/7 just because of some lunatic.

"The conclusion I reached after all that practice is this..." the masked guy said, raising his weapon. "A crowbar is way stronger if you just hit someone with it normally instead of trying to be fancy with tonfa moves!"

He swung. It wasn't a technique; it was a brutal, high-speed overhead strike. The giant reflexively raised his arm to block, but the sound that followed was the sickening crack of bone.

"Gah! My arm...!"

"Broken, right? That’s the crowbar’s true potential. The trick is to hit them with the L-shaped corner. It concentrates the force."

And then he swung again.

"Gah! W-wait—"

Swing. Swing.

"Stop! Please—"

Swing. Swing. Swing.

The warehouse was filled with the rhythmic, dull thuds of metal hitting meat. It was pure, unadulterated violence. The "Stylish Thug Slayer" kept hitting him until the giant stopped moving entirely.

Blood dripped from the end of the crowbar.

"It's not enough... if this is all I can do against an ex-soldier, I'll never reach it... I need more..."

He looked up at the moon through the shattered window.

"I need more power……"

He whispered it with such genuine sorrow, reaching out his hand as if he were trying to grab the moon itself. It was the most "main character" thing I’d ever seen. Then, he shook his head as if snapping back to reality and picked up the dropped knife.

He walked toward me.

"Mmmph!"

I tried to shrink away, certain I was next, but he just swung the blade down.

"Mgh?"

The zip-ties snapped. I was free. I looked up at the suspicious, black-clad lunatic who had just saved my life. He looked down at me for a moment.

"Be more careful on your way home."

And just like that, he vanished into the night.

I sat there in the silence of the warehouse, dazed. "Stylish Thug Slayer... who the hell was that guy?"

THE MORROW

The next day, I went to school like nothing had happened, despite my parents being worried sick. Thinking about the night before still gave me the creeps, but every time I thought about the name "Stylish Thug Slayer," I had to suppress a laugh.

Seriously? 'Stylish Thug Slayer'? That is so edgy.

I walked through the school gates and, like clockwork, ran into my least favorite classmate.

"Good morning, Kagenou-kun."

"Good morning, Akane Nishino."

I froze. "—Eh?"

Kagenou just kept walking toward the lockers, leaving me standing there in shock. He didn't get my name wrong. And for the first time... I felt like he was actually looking at me.

That voice... no, there’s no way.

I felt a smile tugging at my lips as I ran to catch up with him.

"Wait! Kagenou-kun!"

I think I’d like to try talking to him today. For real this time.