Chapter 26

“High School Boys and the Savior” is the 26th chapter of the manga.

Cover Page
End scene of Chapter 25. Tadakuni jumps over the rails in frustration as Nago looks on.

Detailed Summary
Ringo, having just bought a hot bun, is approached by the Vice President, Motoharu and Karasawa. They request her to lend them some equipment from her school, but she finds it unreasonable and refuses. They tell her they forgot to arrange for it and that it’s needed the next day, but she responds that she’ll get in trouble if she's found out.

The boys follow her into an alley and block her path, much to her annoyance. As they continue to plead with her, she starts eating the bun, barely paying any attention to them. Telling her it’s only for a few hours and that she won’t get into trouble, they ask her if it’s okay, but are interrupted by another voice. Turning around, they see a boy who gently tells them to stop harassing her.

They all stare at him blankly, and he repeats his request to let her go. Realising what he's accusing them of, the three boys flush in embarrassment and remain silent. Suddenly, they yell at him in a confrontational manner and tell him to push off. When the newcomer says he’d rather avoid conflict, Karasawa yells at him to shut up and throws a punch at him, but he dodges and hits Karasawa. He then fells Motoharu and the VP as well with blows and kicks.

Having done so, he asks Ringo if she’s safe. Ringo, yet to absorb what has just happened, mumbles in confirmation and walks off with him after he offers to lead her away. The fallen Student Council members are relieved, as their plan went off well. Had the newcomer known that they knew Ringo, he would have been embarrassed. Hence, the pretence of aggression had been necessary. Now all that was needed was for Ringo to hold up her part of the act. However, seeing the confused expression on her face, they realize that she’s understood nothing at all.

The three are exasperated with her for not being able to read the situation, but continue to lie down noiselessly. When Ringo stops her ‘savior’ and is about the reveal the boys’ identities, the VP kicks her from behind, causing her to yelp. She is even more puzzled, but the boys regain hope when her face suddenly lights up in comprehension.

She then grabs the savior by his collar and threatens to pick a fight with him. The fallen boys give up and declare her hopeless. It is revealed that the savior then finds out the true story.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Nago
 * Tadakuni
 * Ringo
 * The Vice President
 * Motoharu
 * Karasawa
 * The Savior

Trivia

 * Motoharu is shown with a bandaged chin and a shaven goatee after the events of Chapter 24.
 * In the first panel, Tadakuni and Nago are shown walking away in the background, which is a detail from Chapter 25.
 * When Karasawa gets punched, his cap is shown flying off his head. In subsequent panels, he is still wearing it.
 * In the anime version, the characters present in this skit (minus The Savior) can be seen in the background's opening scene of High School Boys and Old Friends, as Hidenori and Yoshitake run into Kiyotaka. Hinting that both events are taking place at the same time.