DGA: Short Stories

Another Dark Gate Academy OVA. If you're confused and wondering where this lies in the timeline... it doesn't lie anywhere, in classic OVA fashion. Non-canon. Enjoy.

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“What?! I can't believe I didn't win!”

You lean your head back in the couch, watching as Nanami reads a recently received letter, a dejected look on her face.

“Didn't win what?” you ask.

Nanami puffs her cheeks out as she tosses the envelope to the side. “Remember that competition that was being held? Whoever submits the best short story wins 10,000 yen?”

You remember it... in fact, you submitted an entry to it. You're not much of a creative writer... but 10,000 yen is 10,000 yen. You aren't going to pass up the chance to win that much cash. With that kind of money, you could afford to take Saki out somewhere nice, buy her a fancy gift... oh, who are you kidding? You were going to spend it all on smokes and fireworks.

“So, that's a rejection letter?” you asks. “I guess someone had a story better than yours. Sucks.”

“Impossible!” Nanami exclaims. “No story could have been better than mine! That was my masterpiece!”

“Really?” you raise an eyebrow. “What was it about?”

Nanami develops a devilish smile as she pulls some folded up sheets of paper from her jacket pocket. “I'm glad you asked, Ryoji!”

Your eyes widen in a panic. “Nanami, no. That question was not an invitation for you to read your entire-”

“Too late!” Nanami laughs, unfolding the paper. “Prepare to be amazed by the Remarkable Tale of Captain Nanami!”

You sigh, hanging your head low. There's not going to be an escape from this, is there?

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Nanami Fuji, renowned and feared captain of the S.S Saki, stands proudly upon the stern of her ship, staring out onto the calm blue waves before her. Her vision impaired due to an incident with violent mermaids claiming her left eye, she was still able to see one thing perfectly clear... this was the calm before a furious storm. The Captain rests her chin atop the curve of her hook, another injury brought on by the life she leads, as she ponders to next course of action to take.

“First mate, Ryoji!”

“Yes, Captain?” the first mate asks, giving a salute. Ryoji Shida, a fine crewman, a loyal crewman. He helped build the S.S Saki, a large sturdy vessel named after his great lost love who drowned at sea. A tragic tale, but one that lead to Ryoji entering the service of the captain, a moment neither of them looked back on since.

“Set the sails! We're heading west!” the captain commands.

“West? Why West?” Ryoji asks, scratching the top of his head. Of course he wouldn't understand right away. Shida is a good and loyal man... but he is a simple one. It would often take two or three recurrences for him to understand a command.

“Did you not hear the stories told in that nearby port village?” she asks. “They told tales of another pirate crew terrorising their nearby businesses, and they said the Captain of the crew intended to head west in order to unearth an ancient treasure. There was also word that they kidnapped a defenceless man in town, and are holding him captive! How disgraceful!”

“I mean... they kinda are just doing what pirates do...” the first mate shrugs.

The captain gasps in shock. “That is not what pirates do! We may operate outside the law, but we have a strict code of respect and honour!”

“I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Samurai-”

“Silence, Ryoji! Set the sails!”

The first mate begrudgingly sets the sails, as the S.S Saki journeys west.

It begins to rain as the ship floats out in the middle of the ocean. “Uh, captain?” Ryoji asks. “Don't you think we should turn back? The storm is about to pick up.”

“Nonsense!” Captain Nanami exclaims, “We've braved more dangerous conditions than this! And look! I see the banner of our rival ship!”

“Our rival... what are you talking about?” Ryoji protests. “How can they be our rival ship if we haven't met them yet?”

“Ahoy!” Nanami yells out to the other ship, drawing out her cutlass. “My name is Nanami Fuji, and I be the Captain of this vessel? Who's in charge on your end?”

“That would be me,” a woman's voice calls out from the other ship, as a small blonde-haired girl steps into Nanami's line of sight. “You may call me Captain Alice Maddox! My crew of evil, bloodthirsty pirates with no remorse for people's lives or feelings have been tearing across this country without mercy!”

“What a strange thing to announce...” Ryoji mutters.

Nanami gasps in shock. “You fiend! You give pirates a bad name! I demand to know... you captured a poor, innocent, defenceless man in town... where is he?”

Alice laughs. “Why, he's tied to the mast of course!”

“You're a monster!” Nanami exclaims. “It is my duty as a good an honourable pirate to send your crew to Davy Jones' locker!”

“And how do you expect to do that?” Alice smirks. “My crew is a strong twenty men, while all I see on your ship is yourself and that first mate of yours! You're completely out-numbered and overwhelmed!”

Nanami crosses her arms confidently. “That's what you think! As a matter of fact, I have a good friend lying beneath you right now!”

Alice pouts. “What are you talking about? That doesn't make any-”

It's then that Alice notices the giant, brown tentacles rising up around her ship. Her men draw their swords, but one sweep is enough to send many of them flying into the ocean. “W-what's going on?” Alice asks.

Captain Nanami laughs. “Many moons ago, I did battle with the great fearsome Kraken! It was a long and arduous fight, but in the end I was not only able to defeat the beast... I was able to tame it!”

“What?” Ryoji asks, confused. “I don't remember that ever happening?”

“I said many moons ago, didn't I?” Nanami explains. “It was before you came aboard!”

“But I built this ship!” Ryoji protests.

“No, that's impossible! Not the Kraken!” Alice exclaims as she attempts to slash at the creature, but it is to late, as the powerful grip of the Kraken pulls the Dreadful Pirate Alice's vessel down into the briny depths, never to be seen again. The Kraken also makes sure to grab the young man from the mast and sets him gently on the deck of the S.S Saki.

“Thanks for saving me!” the young brown haired man smiles. “But just who are you anyway?”

Nanami smiles as she points to herself. “The name's Captain Nanami Fuji, and I'm the greatest pirate of them all! And what's your name?”

The brown-haired boy picks himself up and dusts himself off. “I'm Ken. Ken Tajiri.”

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Ken,” Nanami laughs. “Now, let's get you back to town before we're caught up in the storm!”

And so, the S.S Saki return to town, victorious, with Captain Nanami feeling good that once again the day had been saved thanks to the efforts of a true good and honourable pirate.

The next day, once the storm had died down, the ship'screw set out once more, ready for another day filled with excitement and adventure, as is the life of a pirate.

Oh and also Captain Nanami and Ken got married.

THE END

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“So...?” Nanami asks as she finishes up reciting the story.

“So... what?” you ask.

“What did you think?”

You shrug. “It was... a story. I don't know why a Kraken showed up. And did you really have to get married to Ken at the-”

“Yes,” Nanami interjects. “Yes I did.”

“Nanami Fuji!” Isamu exclaims as he enters the lounge area. “Do I spy your short story entry in your hands?”

“Yep!” Nanami nods, happily.

“A-ha! I bet being the goddess that you are, you're the one taking home 10,000 Yen?” he asks.

“You're too kind!” Nanami giggles. “But nah, I didn't win. I guess someone just had the better story...”

A wide grin forms on Isamu's face. “Well, if that person wasn't Nanami Fuji, then it must have been Isamu Iori!”

You sigh. “Seriously? You submitted a story too?”

“Of course I did!” Isamu laughs. “I have a perfect creative mind! You'll never guess what it's about-”

“It revolves around a great hero named Isamu saving fair maidens from a great evil?” you pitch.

“Wow, what an amazing guess!” Isamu laughs. “You're completely right, Ryoji Shida! How did you know?”

“Just a hunch,” you shrug.

Isamu picks up a letter addressed to himself and opens it up. “What?” his voice booms as he reads over the contents. “It says here that my entry... DIDN'T WIN?!”

“Oh, that's a shame,” you mutter.

“I don't understand...” Isamu mumbles. “My story was perfect!”

“So was mine!” Nanami exclaims. “Maybe there was some kind of mistake! Maybe both our stories won!”

“That must be the case!” Isamu replies. “After all, just listen as I regale you with the tale I crafted.”

“Please no...” you mutter, but it's too late, as Isamu already begins to read.

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Within these pages lies one of the many tales of Isamu Iori, the bravest knight in all the kingdoms. While his deeds have been heralded many times, and songs of his exploits are favourites in all of the local taverns, here lies a story of more simple deeds. You all know the time he rescued the beautiful princess from an evil king, or the time he slayed a vicious dragon in order to free another, equally beautiful princess, but this story in not quite so epic or so grand. No, this story shall inform you all of some of Ser Iori's simpler good deeds, as is the case with the time he rescued a humble baker's daughter.

An incredibly beautiful baker's daughter.

Isamu checks the map carefully as he rode along on his noble steed. Akemi Ibushi, Isamu's loyal bard and companion, rides along on a donkey as Isamu points out the cave within the cliff face. “There!” he exclaims. “That is where our villain hides!”

“Amazing!” Akemi exclaims. “How on earth did you know that, Isamu?”

“A keen eye is very important!” Isamu explains. “You see, the bandit in question was described as dangerously pale, with white hair! A person with that physical appearance would likely spend most of their time out of the sunlight and in caves! And do you see the wet tracks leading towards the entrance? They fit the size of the man we're after! And his feet are likely wet as he would have had to cross the nearby stream as he escaped town with the baker's daughter in tow! Furthermore... and this is the most concrete of all... as he fled, he said he'd be taking the baker's daughter to the cave by the waterfall exactly two miles out of the village, which happens to be this exact cave! All the pieces fit together, Akemi Ibushi!”

“Wow!” Akemi gasps. “Are you a knight or a detective! That's a great deductive mind you've got!”

“Well, I don't mean to brag...” Isamu blushes, “But I did once defeat the world's chess grandmaster at his own game. To spare his dignity, I promised I would tell others I allowed him to win, so you must keep that a secret. It would crush him to hear it in one of your ballads!”

Akemi nods. “That's okay! You've already given me plenty of material for the next song already!”

“Excellent!” Isamu booms. “Now, let us catch a criminal and rescue a poor, defenceless damsel!”

Isamu hops from his steed and readies his spear as he wanders into the cave. It's incredibly dark, but thankfully Isamu had gained to powers of nightvision after he defeated the deadly cat-beast several months prior. This allows him to easily see the bandit as he makes a poor attempt of hiding in the darkness. “Halt right there villain!” Isamu exclaims. “There's nowhere for you to run! Where is the girl?”

The bandit panics, as he reaches for his sword. “She's right here!” he yells, pointing towards a beautiful blonde-haired girl tied up and cowering in fear in the corner. “But you can never get to her, knight! You'll have to go through me, the great troublemaker and bandit Ryoji Shida!”

Isamu sighs. “Very well, Ryoji Shida! If you want to test your strength, then I'll be happy to oblige!”

The bandit charges at Isamu with his sword, but his form is lacking. Isamu is easily able to break the weapon in half with a single swipe of his enchanted spear.

“This weapon...” Ryoji mutters in shock. “It can't be...?”

“That's right!” Isamu exclaims. “I'm the wielder of the spear of Zeus! Forged in the heavens, blessed by every god, and honed with a magic lightningbolt, no other weapon compares! You've picked the wrong battle today, Ryoji Shida. Now stand before the full power of the hero... LIGHTNING SPEAR ATTACK!”

Isamu screams as a bolt of electricity forms around the spear, discharging and hitting the bandit in the chest as he lunges forward, vanquishing the criminal. The spark from the lightning is so powerful that it brightens the entire cave, making everything inside clear to the naked eye.

“You did it!” Akemi laughs as she strums on her lute. “This is going right into the next song!”

Isamu smiles as he approaches the young baker's daughter and unties her. “You are free now, fair maiden! I have come to return you to the safety of the village.”

The young girl scoffs. She's only a peasant, and not the princess' that Isamu is known for rescuing, but you would not be able to tell from looking at her. A glowing face, soft blue eyes, a fit and well-toned body, and a rear end designed by the very gods... it only lends credence to Isamu's belief that all women are goddesses, no matter their standing. “Whatever...” she mutters as she rises to her feet. “You didn't have to do this. I could have taken a loser like that myself.”

Isamu pauses, surprised by the girl's poor manners. Not even a thank you? How rude! “You certainly looked like you were in need of my help,” he mentions.

“Yeah... well, I didn't.” The girl crosses her arms. “I don't need anybody's help. I'm perfectly capable. And you're just some clown in a funny suit.”

“I am a knight and one the kingdom's most renowned hero-”

“Yeah, yeah,” the girl rolls her eyes. “I've heard it all before. Everyone's a great hero these days, and they all think I'm just some stupid baker's daughter who needs their help.”

“You're not?” Isamu asks, before realising his words. “I mean-”

“No! Of course I'm not!” the girl replies, pumping her bicep. “I mean, look at that! I'm plenty tough! Now beat it, I'm going back to the village alone.”

“But don't you need anyone to guide you-”

“No.” The girl sighs. “I don't. Out of my way, loser.”

The girl brushes past Isamu as she makes her way to the cave entrance. “Wait!” Isamu exclaims. “Can I least get the fair maiden's name?”

The girl raises an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? I thought you were hired by my father to rescue me? Didn't he tell you my name?”

“Well, he did...” Isamu mutters. “But I... forgot.”

The girl sighs. “It's Rei. Remember it next-time, idiot.”

As the girl storms out, Isamu calls out to her. “But what's your surname?” It's too late though, as Rei has already left. Isamu lets out a sigh. “Come on, Akemi Ibushi. Let's head back to the village...”

The hero and his loyal bard exit the cave with the unconscious bandit tied up. They place the delinquent on the back of Akemi's donkey as they climb atop their respective steeds and get to moving.

As they head back to town, Isamu notices a small figure in the distance doing battle with another, much larger figure. Seeing that someone is likely in need, Isamu picks up the pace as his steed sprints towards the conflict. As he gets closer, he sees Rei, the baker's daughter from earlier who had been so rude to him before, being attacked by an ogre. Isamu realises that the poor girl is completely defenceless, but he would have no issue with the ogre. He leaps from his steed, high into the air as he readies his spear. “DOWNWARD SPIRAL ATTACK!” Isamu screams as he plunges the spear deep into the Ogre from above, slaying the beast.

Isamu places the shaft of his spear over his right shoulder as he grins confidently and Rei looks on.

“What?” she asks in shock. “Why did you help me? After I was so mean to you...”

“You were in need!” Isamu explains. “And a hero like myself would never abandon a person in need! Especially not someone as stunningly beautiful as yourself!”

Rei blushes. “I... see...” she takes a deep breath as she approaches the hero. “In that case... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier, and I promise that for as long as I live I will never make fun of you again.”

“Apology accepted!” Isamu smiles. “Now... perhaps the maiden would like to tell me her surname.”

“Arisato,” Rei smiles.

“Very well then, Rei Arisato... would you be interested in becoming my lover?” Isamu asks.

“Of course I would!” Rei smiles. “I'd kill to be with a hero as kind and as noble as yourself!”

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“I'm going to stop the story right there,” you protest. “The rest of this is just smut, isn't it?”

Isamu gasps in shock. “Ryoji Shida! Would you call the act of tender lovemaking between a goddess and her saviour smut?”

“Yes, I would...” you sigh. “Also, I didn't care for being cast as the villain.”

“And I didn't care for being some stupid damsel,” Rei calls out as she enters the lounge. “I'm the strongest person in the entire class, and you portray me as some baker's daughter that you have to save? Seriously, did you write that when I made fun of your cape a while back?”

“The time I wrote my masterpiece is irrelevant,” Isamu mutters. “I don't see you writing anything better Miss Arisato!”

“As a matter of fact, I did!” Rei fires back, holding up a letter. “I mean... it didn't win the contest, but it's still a lot better than anything you could ever write!”

Don't ask what it's about, don't ask what it's about, don't ask what it's about...

“What's it about?” Nanami asks.

Dammit.

Rei beams with pride. “Glad you asked! Stand back and see how a real storyteller does it!”

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*DING DING*

The bell rings, and the match can finally begin. This is the moment that Rei Arisato, the toughest fighter in all of Japan has trained her life for. A shot at the world title. That of course means going through the current world champion... Saki Kobashi. Kobashi has held that title for over a year at this point, but Rei hasn't given up on the chase. As many challenged Kobashi for the title and fell, Arisato was busy working her way up the ladder, taking down anyone and everyone who would dare stand in her path, dedicating all of her time towards training, becoming stronger, faster, more skilled... she's going into this fight determined and prepared to come home with the gold.

Ryoji Shida, the referee for the evening, circles the action as the two gladiators lock up, each one jostling for position, until Rei easily gets the upper hand. She whips Saki into the ropes, causing her to rebound and run right into a well-placed dropkick from the challenger, who manages to get the edge very early on the contest. Rei picks the champion up and drops her down with a vicious brainbuster. Saki recognises the danger she's in, as she crawls towards the corner to escape the oncoming beatdown, but she's not safe there. As Saki uses the ropes to pick herself up, Rei charges into the corner before leaping high and hitting Saki with a jumping forearm in the corner. Saki staggers out of the corner, stunned, before Rei hops to the second rope, jumping off to take her stunned opponent down with a leaping bulldog.

Rei goes for a pin on the champion, but only manages a two count. Figures, while Rei may have the advantage, Kobashi is the champion for a reason. It'll be tough to keep her down for the 1-2-3. Rei begins clapping, getting the crowd involved and in support behind her as she readies herself in the corner, waiting for the champion to rise to her feet before aiming to hit her with a devestating super-kick! Saki ducks under the kick at the last second however, and in a spot of poor fortune, the referee connects with the heel of Rei's boot instead! Referee Shida is down for the count, and Saki sees her opportunity. She rolls our of the ring, lifting the apron high as she pulls out a steel chair. She takes the weapon into the ring and raises it over her head, ready to wallop the challenger with it as she turns around... but a pair of hands snatch the chair out of the champions hands from behind. Saki turns around to see Akira Nagayo, Rei's longtime tag team partner, making the save! Saki argues with Akira for a moment, letting her guard down, as she turns around only to be hit with a devastating spear from Rei!

Rei goes for the cover on Saki, but the referee is still knocked out and can't count it. She realises that she has to do something drastic in order to keep the champ down for long enough, as she climps the top turnbuckle. While Saki is still on the ground, Rei points her fingers to the sky before leaping off the top rope, spinning in the air several times before landing on Saki with a rib-crushing splash. As Rei makes the cover, the barely-conscious referee crawls to the action and makes a weak, slow counts.

1...



2...


...3!

*Ding Ding!*

The bell rings, marking the end of Saki Kobashi's world title reign, and the beginning of the unstoppable Rei Arisato's run as the best fighter in the entire world. As the referee hands her the title belt, Akira rolls into the ring, as Rei holds the championship high above her head and the two friends celebrate to close the greatest wrestling show of all time.

Many challengers came for the title, but Rei defeated them all. Akio Naito, Sayeka Ohko, Taka Doi... none of them were able to claim the belt. Rei held the title for another twenty years before finally relinquishing the belt on the day of her retirement. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame the very next year and went down as, in many people's eyes, as the single greatest fighter the world had ever known.

THE END

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“Now how's that for an action story?” Rei boasts. “Pretty awesome, right?”

“It wasn't very long...” you mutter.

“Of course not! It's a short story, Ryoji!” Rei laughs. “Besides, it wasn't a very tough fight!”

“Why was I knocked out cold so easily?” you ask.

“Because you were the referee!”

“Why did I have to be the referee?” you mumble. “Why are you all putting me in these crappy roles...?”

“Besides, it was about wrestling. Who wants to read about that?” Hikaru mentions as she wanders into the room.

“Let me guess, you wrote a story for this competition too?” you sigh.

Hikaru shakes her head. “Actually, no. I mean... I wanted to. Books are my thing, and I have a lot of short stories I could have submitted, but Hoshi begged me not to.”

“Hoshi?” you ask.

“Yeah, she was worried that if I entered something, her own story would have no chance of winning. Her story didn't win anyway, and I just spent the last half hour comforting her because of it.”

“What was her story abo-” Nanami begins.

“DON'T,” you yell, cutting her off.

“A little touchy, don't you think?” Hikaru laughs. “I'll just give the cliffnotes version, then. It's not like I have the story on me anyway.”

You sigh. You suppose you can live with hearing the shortened version.

Hikaru clear her throat. “The story revolves around a young girl named Hoshi, who during a thunderstorm is transported away from her family into a magical world.”

“She didn't just write about the Darkworld, did she?” Rei mutters.

“No, this is a different magical world,” Hikaru explains. “One that's a lot less murdery... but still a little murdery. You see, Hoshi is transported to this world in her house, and when she arrives, she finds that her house has landed on an evil witch by the name of Lilo. The Good Witch, Sayeka, welcomes Hoshi to this magical world. Then an evil with named Kamiko comes to claim the slippers of the other witch, but Sayeka places the slippers on Hoshi... which was kind-off a jerk move on the good witch's part, now that I think about it...”

Wait, this story sounds familiar...

“Anyway,” Hikaru continues. “Hoshi is told by Sayeka that she must seek out the great Dark Gate Academy. There, the Principal will be able to find her a way home. She follows a yellow brick road, where she comes across a Scarecrow named Akemi, who is in need of  a brain. The two follow the road before meeting Taka, a man made of tin without a heart. Later on, they then meet Ryoji, who is in desperate need of some courage.”

“Hey!” you protest. Why are you in all of these?

“All four of them set off to meet the Wonderful Principal Wei... and the story just kind of spirals out from there.”

“That sounds pretty good,” Nanami smiles.

Hikaru shrugs. “Yeah, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a pretty good book. Poor Hoshi really needed to come up with something original if she wanted to win...”

“Win what?” Saki asks as she enter the room, sitting herself beside you on the couch.

“That stupid short story writing contest,” you explain. “They all entered a story into it.”

Saki pouts. “Ryoji, didn't you enter a story into that competition?”

You lean back in the couch. “What? N-no I didn't,” you protest, but Saki smirks tells you that she isn't convinced.

“Whatever you say, Ryoji, but I did enter that contest!” she exclaims happily.

“Oh boy...” you mutter, knowing what's coming next. “Look, please don't read out your story to us. I've already had to listen to enough of them already...”

Saki smiles. “Okay Ryoji... I won't READ my story, because I can recite it by heart!”

You bury your head in your hands. Why does this always happen to you?

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The sun is strong. It must be about ninety, ninety-five degrees out in this dry, flat wasteland of a dessert. But the heat doesn't bother the Sheriff. All that bothers the sheriff is the thought of a criminal roaming free.

Ryoji Shida. Also known as The Stranger of the Desert, the man is wanted in 12 different towns for multiple charges of armed robbery, gunfights, disturbing the peace, among many others. The law enforcement in each town has set out for him, and every time the delinquent has managed to evade capture. Until now, that is. Ryoji Shida ended up making a single, costly mistake. He decided to come to Saki Kobashi's town, and sheriff Kobashi doesn't stop until she gets her man.

There's no shade in the desert, the only thing protecting the Sheriff from the blistering heat is the Stetson hat she adorns proudly atop her head. As she passes by the shed husk of a rattlesnakes skin on her horse, she checks the six-shooter pistol hanging by her hip. It's loaded with a single bullet, all she'll need to take down this dirtbag.

She sees a figure in the distance, made all the more hazy by the heat. A mirage, perhaps? No. Saki can feel that this figure is real. She's been hot on the bandit's tail for hours now, and she's finally begun to catch up. She keeps her right hand close to her holstered weapon, as she keeps her left hand on the reigns of her horse and strides onward. There's nowhere to hide in these flat plains, and the bandit notices the sheriff immediately. He considered hoping atop his horse and running, but he notes that she has come alone, and appears to have garnered an air of confidence. Perhaps he believes that he can easily take out this single law-bringer and carry on with the rest of his day.

He's wrong.

“Nice lookin' horse you've got there,” Shida remarks, spitting a wad of tobacco onto the ground below. Saki glares in disgust at this callous act. “Much nicer than mine, in fact. This lousy animal can't take me anywhere for shit. It's old and broken down.”

“What's your point?” the sheriff asks, hoping off her steed, and standing as close to eye-level she can, considering the distance in height between herself and the bandit.

“My point is that when I kill you, I might just take that nice horse with me,” Ryoji replies. “I desperately need a new one.”

“Don't get too far ahead of yourself,” Saki mutters. “I'm not dead yet, delinquent.”

“You will be soon,” Ryoji laughs. “Do you know how many lawmen have crossed my path?”

“No,” Saki answers. “But none of those lawmen were me.”

“I'm sooooo scared,” the bandit laughs.

“You should be,” Saki replies. “You let me get this close. Now there's nowhere for you to run. Nowhere to hide.”

“You talk a big game,” Ryoji fires back. “But that's all it is... talk. You can't intimidate me with words, the only thing that matters is action! And you've left yourself open to be caught by surprise... LIKE THIS!”

Ryoji whips out his gun and points it at the sheriff, but Saki is much, much quicker on the draw. One shot it all it takes, as the sheriff's bullet whizzes through the air, shooting the gun out of Ryoji's hand. As the delinquent's eyes widen in shock, he is tackled to the ground by the Sheriff, who proceeds to hog-tie him to the back of her horse.

“What? You can't do this? Don't you know who I am? I'm Ryoji Shida, Master Bandit!”

“And my name is Saki Kobashi, and I am the law,” the sheriff fires back. “Remember that while you spend your days in a jail cell, you little punk.”

The sun is strong, but that doesn't bother the Sheriff. The Sheriff can handle anything knowing that this vicious criminal is no longer roaming free. No other town's sheriff could do what she just did, and she's proud knowing that she can pick up where others fail. To bring law and order to an otherwise lawless and orderless land... there is no single greater fulfilment in life.

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You rub your eyes vigourously. “Seriously? I was the villain in that? A vicious bandit? Come on, Saki!”

Saki crosses her arms as she pouts. “I'm sorry, Ryoji... I wrote the story before we started dating. Besides, just because a character was named after you doesn't mean it was based on you!”

You shake your head. “But he used my catchphrase!”

“That's just a coincidence!” Saki replies.

“Whatever...” you mutter. “Aren't you going to check to see if your stupid western story won?”

“Stupid? My story was great!” Saki hops off the couch and checks the stack of letters. She pulls out one... and then another, examining them both.

“What's wrong?” you ask.

Saki opens one of the envelopes and reads the letter within, shaking her head. “Well, I didn't win the contest. Buuuuuuut...” she trails off as she begins to open the other envelope, and on closer inspection you can see that it has your name on it. Saki reads the letter, and the largest grin you have ever seen appears on her face. “It looks like you did, Ryoji.”

“You won?!” Nanami exclaims. “That's amazing, Ryoji!”

“Congrats!” Rei smiles. “What was your story about?”

Saki's teasing grin grows even wider. “Yes Ryoji... tell us all about your story.”

You shake your head. “What? No, I didn't write a story! I'm not some dumbass creative writer!”

“Huh...” Saki mutters. “Then I guess there was a mistake. I guess the rest of us will split the 10,000 yen reward...”

You sigh. “Okay... fine. I wrote a story about a young man... about sixteen years old. He was always a troublemaker wherever he went, and he was kicked out of every school there was. Finally, he made his way to a strange school in some backwards town, where everything felt... off. The hero soon discovers, to his horror, that the school's students have to do battle with creatures that have risen up from a hellish dimension when night comes. The young man is powerless, and can't fight them, and must rely on his newfound friends to protect him.”

“Wait... isn't that...?” Nanami mutters.

“Are you kidding me?” Hikaru exclaims. “You seriously just ripped off your own life an passed it off as fiction? At least the rest of them threw themselves into a different setting!”

“Why wouldn't I?” you shrug. “Nobody's going to believe it's a true story, and I had the good sense to at least change the character's names, unlike some people.”

“I can't believe you!” Saki yells. “That is so lazy! So undehanded! You don't deserve to win!”

“If most of this class entered that contest, and I'm the only one who thought to do that,” you begin, “Don't I deserve the prize on the basis of being smarter?”

The rest of the group groan and roll their eyes as they exit the room, apart from Saki who whacks you on the head with the envelope. “Ryoji! Why would you try to pass off your own life as fiction?”

“I didn't expect it to actually win!” you protest. “I didn't account for everyone else's stories being awful! Besides, why not? I won because at the heart of all of it, I wrote the story about a young troublemaker who never fit in finding a real home. A place where he could truly turn his life around, where he found a purpose, an amazing group of weird friends, fell in love-”

“Fell in l-love?” Saki stammers. “Ryoji, did you just say you fell in-”

“What?” you panic. “No! Of course not!”

“I'm pretty sure I heard-”

“Well you heard wrong!” you laugh, nervously snatching the envelope from Saki's hands as you sprint out of the room. “Gotta go now! I'm using this money for fireworks!”

You run back to your dormroom, sighing hard as you shut the door behind you. You pull the money out of the envelope and smile. Damn, it really is 10,000 Yen. You are going to get so many fireworks, so many cigarettes, so many...

Oh, who are you kidding? You're going to take Saki out somewhere nice, have dinner with her, buy her a fancy gift. Because she deserves it.

And THEN you're going to buy smokes and fireworks. 10,000 yen is a lot of money, and you're not stupid.

THE END