Clothes, Earrings, and a Filthy Uppercut

"Wow young man, that jacket really brings out your eyes!"

Reiji looked at the mirror and glanced at the store clerk who gushed at his appearance. Normally, he would've thought they were just trying to make a sale, and that was still the case now. But there was also genuine admiration in her eyes, because it really did suit him.

He took off the jacket and placed it into the 'buy' pile, which was already pretty high. This was the 10th store they had been to, and they had already spent 6 hours in the mall. He was trying to replace his entire wardrobe after all, including home wear and outside clothes.

Thankfully, he had a a few million yen in his bank account since most of his major purchases were bought for him through the syndicate's account. The previous Reiji used his allowance on only day-to-day stuff and still only had this much saved up considering how high his allowance was. He was living pretty lavishly after all.

Still, it was enough for the clothes he bought for now so he couldn't really complain.

"Boss are we done?" Beardy asked.

"Yeah, for now this should be enough. I'm sorry for dragging you guys around today, I didn't want to do it alone," Reiji replied.

"R-Raizo, the Boss apologized to us!"

"Yes Takeshi-san, I can die happy now!"

Reiji simply rolled his eyes and walked out after paying. He was starting to grow fond of this pair, he could tell they really cared for him. In his previous life, his parents passed away when he was only 7, and the Uncle who adopted him after barely interacted with him aside for the bare minimum. This warmth was therefore unfamiliar to Reiji/Alex.

After dropping Reiji off at his apartment, the two left as well to catch up on some of the work they needed to do. He didn't ask what work it was, because even though he knew they didn't really do anything that crossed the line from a moral perspective, he had no intention of getting involved with it for now.

He needed to prepare, both mentally and situationally for his first day at school in Reiji's body. He had the entirety of Sunday to laze around and settle in, which he was thankful for.

***

"What should I do about these earrings...."

Reiji fiddled with the numerous earrings on both ears and contemplated. Ultimately, he decided to remove all of them except the main ones on his earlobes. Keeping all of them was a no-go, as he still looked a little intimidating and punkish with them on, whilst taking all of them off would take away from his style. Settling for the main ones was a good compromise.

"Yep, looking good Reiji. This is your first day so let's be nice and quiet!"

It was Monday morning and he was already dressed in his school uniform, which had black trousers, a white formal shirt with the school's insignia on the left breast pocket, and a dark blue tie that he didn't tighten all the way. He wore long sleeves that he rolled up to his elbows and left out the first button.

He still looked kind of like a delinquent, but this was Reiji's style even in his previous life. The slightly lazy look was what he liked, plus he hated it when the tie was pulled up all the way. Made him feel like he was choking.

"Things will go well....right?"

Like hell it will.

***

"A 15 minute walk, that's not too bad"

As Reiji shuffled to his high school he started to overthink.

'Souhei High School, the most reputable one in the country that is famous both academically and with their afterschool clubs. Some students can get scholarships to attend it, and you have a better chance of getting in to a good university either way.'

The previous Reiji did fairly well academically, so he got in even with his terrible reputation in middle school. No doubt, his dad pulled some strings too just to make sure he made it in.

Reiji was in the same class as 3 of the main cast of the game, which was something that had been in the back of his head until now. The protagonist, his childhood friend, and the gyaru. The cliche trio in these types of games.

"I just gotta keep my nose out of their business and I'll be fine. They'll be better off too that way."

As he kept muttering to himself, he heard a noise in the alley he was passing by. He glanced sideways and saw three men with the same uniform as him shoving another student into the wall.

He had a small face, short green hair, and a large pair of glasses. He trembled while the other 3 kept pushing him slightly.

'Ah shit, of course things can't go normally, why would they? Isn't this the event where the protagonist has the choice of stepping in and helping this dude by alerting the patrol officer nearby? It doesn't really impact the storyline much, but the main bully here would show up at some points later on and cause trouble to get back at him for interfering.'

'If the player does nothing here, there are some scenes later that show that the green-haired dude transferred out for 'some reason', though it was obvious why.'

Reiji looked around, trying to see if he could see the protagonist. They were starting to get a little more aggressive, yet there was no sign of him anywhere.

'Guess he chose the latter. Since it doesn't really matter on the main storyline, I guess I can step in. Can't just walk away when shit like this is happening, plus it could be the first step to 'whitewash' my image.'

"Hey dickwads, that's a little much don't you think?" Reiji yelled. His deep voice stopped the sneering laughs of the 3 bullies, who glanced at him.

"Huh? Who's this pretty boy? Get lost, don't play the hero or you'll end up with a broken nose," the main bully scoffed. Reiji couldn't even remember the dude's name, and he couldn't be bothered to take too long.

"I'll give you two choices. Either leave willingly, or leave with a couple of bruises if you refuse."

'Wow, Reiji's personality is steering me to the physical solution. I don't mind anyway, it's the best way to deal with these guys.'

"Haa? What type of bullshit? Hey Tatsuya, take care of him."

The main guy pushed a muscular guy with a shaved head, who stepped forward with a cocky grin.

"Hehe, I don't like your face. It pisses me off for some reason," Tatsuya spat.

"I know the reason, it's because you're ugly," Reiji teased.

Tatsuya's face darkened, and he lunged forward with surprising speed. But to Reiji, it felt like he was moving in slow motion (an exaggeration but that's what it felt like).

This was another reason Reiji wanted to go the physical route, he wanted to test just how strong he was. The protagonist never managed to beat Reiji in a fight in the game, and was actually humiliated in multiple routes if the player chose to use violence to deal with him. This made him curious about just how strong this body was?

Reiji's dad had trained him in combat since he was young, but he only ever used it in petty fights, so it was time to test his skills. As Tatsuya got close, Reiji shifted his head to dodge the incoming punch and retaliated with a well-timed uppercut into his chin.

In the next moment, Tatsuya fell to the ground, unconscious.

'Um....That's it? That was a little too quick, I didn't even get to do much.'

Though Alex had taken over Reiji's body, the combination of muscle memory and actual memories meant that there was little to no gap in skill when compared to the original.

"Wh-What just happened? Tatsuya?" As the main guy stuttered, the third dude's eyes widened as if something clicked.

"Wait, Minato, isn't that Yagami Reiji????"

"WHAT? Fuc- I'm sorry Yagami-san, I didn't realize it was you! We're sorry for getting in your way, please let us go!" Minato begged when he caught on. Why the hell did that greasy dude suddenly change his hair and show up now??

"Yeah fine, whatever. Get lost and take him with you. Don't do shit like this again or this won't end so easily next time," Reiji went along with it and gave them a warning.

'I guess a scary yakuza reputation ain't too bad after all.'

The two didn't hang around, quickly picking the fallen Tatsuya up and rushing out after apologizing again. Reiji looked at the green haired boy who was left behind, and saw him shaking in fear as he looked at him.

"I-I-I'm sorry Yagami-san, take my wallet and let me go please!"

'.....I take it back.'

"Chill out man, I don't want your money. Just get to school or you'll be late," Reiji replied and walked away. If he stayed he'd just keep the poor guy trembling.

The boy just stood there in confusion, watching as he left.

***

A few minutes later Reiji looked up and stared at the entrance of Souhei High.

'I guess this is it....No more backing out or overthinking. Let's just get it over with.'

And with that, Reiji took his first step into his new life. A life of twists and turns, of good and bad, and of complete and utter chaos.