Restarting My Life After Failing to Protect Girls in My Class – The Day I Was Called the "Demon God of Dragon Slaying" - Episode 8

“Hey, hey. Can you tell me your height and weight?”

The classroom of Class 2-1 was as noisy as ever today. It was full of chatterboxes, both boys and girls, and whenever break time came, little conversation booths popped up all over the classroom.

In the midst of all this, I was the only one with a math textbook open, working on the homework assigned in the class that had just ended, when three boys and one girl suddenly crowded around my desk, prompting me to look up with a confused “Huh?”

One of them was my classmate Yamamoto-kun. The other three were just some boys and girls from different classes I wasn’t particularly close with.

Yamamoto-kun, who would probably be classified as a troublemaker, cheerfully announced, “We’re making the second-year fighting rankings.”

I couldn’t help but ask back, “Huh? Why?”

Yamamoto-kun looked just as puzzled and replied, “Huh? Because it’s fun, obviously!”

“…Ohhh.”

“So, come on, tell me your height and weight. That’ll help us finalize Kizuki’s ranking.”

“Oh. So I’m in that ranking too, huh?”

“Well, yeah. You’re tall, after all. Being tall is basically a win, you know? Sort of.”

“I think I’m about 183 cm and around 88 kg.”

As I answered honestly, one girl immediately laughed and said, “No way. You’re a giant!”

The other two boys, not including Yamamoto-kun, also burst out laughing, saying, “That’s way too big!” and “I can’t believe you weigh that much. You don’t look it at all!”

“Man, I wish I had that! Must be some kind of natural talent!” Yamamoto-kun exaggerated, and I just gave a wry smile in response.

“Haha. Well, it kind of just happened, I guess.”

That’s a lie. Saying “just happened” is a complete fabrication. The only ones who know how much effort I’ve put into building this body are my parents and my uncle.

Yamamoto-kun, casually tossing around the word “talent” like that—I wanted to retort.

The reason I’ve grown this much is that I’ve eaten a lot, moved a lot, and slept a lot.

In my first life, my height and weight were almost the same as the average in the world… but this time, I’ve made my mom cry a lot with my daily food expenses.

In my first life, I was obsessed with anime, games, and light novels, but this time, I’ve ignored all that and practiced karate for five hours on weekdays and ten hours on weekends without fail.

In my first life, I often stayed up late and was usually sleep-deprived, but this time, I focused on going to bed early and waking up early, securing nearly ten hours of sleep.

On weekdays—I always wake up by five in the morning and do karate until eight. As soon as school ends, I run home and do more karate. Then I’m in bed by seven, dreaming away.

On weekends—I always wake up by five in the morning, do karate until around three in the afternoon with lunch in between. After that, I spend a little free time, study a bit, and go to bed by seven.

It’s been like that ever since I started middle school. I keep my grades up thanks to my faint memories from my first life and my focus during class. Break time at school is my homework time.

“You probably don’t need a body like that, Mr. Study Hard.”

My position in class is that of a weirdo who does homework during break time, even though I’m in the homecoming club, so I often get teased as a study nerd because I always have my textbook and problem set open.

No one in my class knows about my karate training.

If someone saw my fists, all battered from hitting trees and rocks during my strength training, they might figure out I have karate experience, but so far, no one at school has pointed it out.

I haven’t stood out in gym class either. I haven’t attracted the attention of the rebellious boys who want to show off during their puberty phase. I spent my middle school days peacefully before meeting Noma-san and Aoki-san.

“So, what rank do you think I’ll get?”

“Well, you weigh more than I expected, so let’s say you’re in eighth place.”

“Seriously? You’re giving me a single-digit rank?”

“You’re just way too tall. But don’t get cocky, Kizuki. The guys above seventh can all wipe the floor with you.”

“That sounds dangerous. By the way, who’s in there?”

“For example, the seventh is Fujii from the karate club. He’s not even five foot three, but he came in second in the city karate tournament.”

“Fujii-kun works hard, huh? So who are the top three? Who’s the strongest?”

“Wow, you’re really eager, huh? You wanna know?”

“Yeah, I really do.”

“Alright? The third place is… Sakoda from the judo club.”

“I know him. He’s from class four, right? The broad one.”

“Yeah, he weighs seventy-eight kilos. His judo techniques are one-hit KOs, and he might even have a chance against the second and first place guys.”

“The second and first are stronger than the judo club?”

“The second is the mad dog, Matsukawa.”

“Matsukawa the mad dog.”

“That guy’s insane. Once he loses it, there’s no stopping him. You know about the incident where he punched Kondo in PE, right?”

“That was when Kondo-sensei got a nosebleed.”

“Exactly. Challenging that muscle-bound Kondo is just crazy. No doubt he’s the craziest guy in the second year. Well, he did get taken down by Kondo, but… he’s definitely ranked second.”

When Yamamoto-kun said this with a smug look, his friends behind him nodded deeply.

“And now, the prestigious first place is none other than the absolute yankee, Shimono.”

“Haha, I knew it.”

“Well, it was to be expected. There’s no helping it. He’s the strongest delinquent from our middle school—rumor has it he even beat a third-year from Minami Middle in a one-on-one. His guts and real-life experience are on another level. Plus, he’s got that killer hook he developed from swimming.”

“Haha! I’d heard he was strong, but he has a special move too!”

“Seriously, be careful not to catch his eye, okay? No matter how big you are, if you take that killer hook from Shimono, you’re done for.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I’ll definitely be careful.”

I laughed while making direct eye contact with Yamamoto-kun.

I used to find Yamamoto-kun, a timid anime nerd who was a bit of a troublemaker in his first life, hard to deal with, but this time, we were chatting without any stress.

Of course.

This time, I’m a seasoned guy who’s been through the wringer for fifteen years.

Since going back to first grade, I’ve lived a life far more immersed in karate than Fujii-kun, the ace of the karate club.

I’ve managed to grow bigger than Sakoda-kun from the judo club, thanks to my big appetite that made my mom cry and long hours of sleep that sacrificed my free time.

I’ve even surpassed the mad dog Matsukawa, having achieved a time leap at the moment of death.

I’m not just dealing with Shimono, the absolute yankee, but I’m daily getting beaten down by the wizard of the underground fighting world, Taiichi Homura.

My current calmness is on a whole different level compared to my first life.

“The rankings are set to be posted in a surprise announcement in the hallway next week. Just make sure you don’t tell the teachers we’re the ones doing it, okay?”

“Got it. But thanks for the eighth place, Yamamoto-kun. It’s given me some confidence.”

“O—oh? You know, being thanked like that kinda throws me off a bit.”

At that moment, I suddenly remembered something.

In my first life, there was an incident during middle school where “one day out of nowhere, a mysterious document listing the top thirty strongest fighters was posted all over the hallways.”

The hot-blooded boys and gossip-loving girls were probably super excited about it.

Back then, my name wasn’t on the list, so I was completely out of the loop… but this time, I wonder if my classmates will say something to me. Will they say I’m amazing or something?

Honestly, that thought made me a little excited.