A New Identity

A punch here. A punch there. A kick to the balls, and a few chops to the head.

That's all I did, and now I am standing in the center of a graveyard, or something reminiscent of it. The sounds of groaning and crying were all around me, and I can see various craters formed on the ground, courtesy of yours truly!

The strength in my punches went far beyond my already high expectations. Even though I was holding back, the ground still cracked under the might of my strikes. It felt good, being so strong and all. Now, if only I can meet that psycho who killed me in my past life...

"What the? What happened here?"

My attention was grabbed as I heard that voice. Using my peripheral vision, I notice a boy my age sporting a worn-out shirt, a brown leather jacket, and plain pants. He has brown hair and sharp black eyes, and a rather muscular build, at least compared to my thin body frame.

He looked at the destruction I caused, an eyebrow raised in confusion before his gaze finally settled on me.

"You..."

Oga Tatsumi, the protagonist of the anime Beelzebub and a classmate of mine, pointed a finger at my face.

"Who the heck are you?"

.

..

...

Yeah, of course. He doesn't know me. Why would he? It's not like he sits just one seat ahead of me in class!

Trying to keep the slight twinge of annoyance I was feeling at the moment, I decide not to overreact. There is nothing to overreact about anyway.

"... Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking for someone's identity? That's common courtesy, you know." Not that you would know anything about it anyway, you barbaric, ruthless, and defiant bastard. "How about you go ahead and tell me your name so that I can respect the social norms and introduce myself as well."

Oga grunted in response to that, kicking away a possible delinquent-turned-corpse to make some room to lie down. That was very rude of him.

He closed his eyes, not bothered by the whimpering of injured people cussing me out.

"Hmph. Fair enough. My name is Oga Tatsumi."

He introduced himself grumpily, or at least that's how he sounded. I wonder why he is talking to me though.

"I know. We're classmates."

That got his attention, and he looked a bit surprised.

"Are we?"

"Yes, we are." My eyebrow twitched. "I sit behind you."

"You do?!" His eyes widened.

What's with that blatant surprise on your face? Am I that unnoticeable?

I sighed.

"Just drop this subject, would ya? Talking to you is making me lose confidence in myself." I plop down the grassy field, which was covered in a few droplets of blood. "Not that I have any to begin with, but still. My name's Tengen Akihiro, by the way."

He hummed, before turning silent. It didn't seem like he wanted to continue the conversation if the closing of his eyes was anything to go by, so I decided to leave it at that. No point in talking to someone who simply wants to rest. I wouldn't like it if someone were to disturb me during my time of rest either.

I noticed Oga's breathing becoming steady, his guard fully down as he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Taking a nap while being surrounded by a bunch of unconscious delinquents, this guy sure has some screws loose. Not that I have any room to talk. I'm the reason they are unconscious after all.

I wiped the blood from my fist on my school jacket, my eyes taking on the sleeping form of Oga. We've been classmates for a month now, and he has yet to bring a baby to school. So I guess the story hasn't officially started yet. Maybe I should change schools before that happens. I don't want to be a victim of the *tantrums* of that little devil.

I pray for your soul, Oga-kun. Sleep well, as soon enough, you won't be able to.

Oh, I just sounded like a villain without meaning to.

Chuckling at the thought, I turn my gaze away from Oga to look at the sky. A second chance at life, huh? I wonder how I should live it. I didn't have many regrets in my past life, and even this life is not that bad if you just ignore all the bullying I endured. And the poor financial conditions I have. And my lack of friends. And...you know what? Forget it.

"Urgh."

My train of thought was broken by a grumbling sound, coming straight from the river. Out of the said river walked a baldy with a broken nose. He glared at me, before shrinking a bit as he noticed all his lackeys down the ground.

"W-what... W-what happened?!"

As if they were waiting for him, all the lackeys stood up shakily, their eyes filled with tears. So they were alive all this time?

"Oi, Abe! Let's run dude! This guy ain't human!"

A guy, possibly a second year, pointed at me, a terrified look on his face. I can't take him seriously with that weird hairstyle though. What's with all that shivering? I don't bite, you know~

"He shattered a boulder with a single kick..." Another lackey said, his finger pointed in the direction of a piece of rock. Oh, I remember that one. "He struck it, and then it went 'Boom'."

"But it's a stone." Abe pointed out.

"It was a boulder." Lackey retorted, making everyone pale in fear.

Ha! Their reactions are hilarious.

"That... That is nothing compared to what he did to me..." Another lackey said, shakily standing while averting my gaze. Now then, what's he gonna say?

Abe gulped, now looking quite fearful.

"...What?"

Everyone, besides me and Oga(who was still asleep), shivered, a chill running down their spines as they heard his next words.

"He hit me with that same kick..." The dude said, shivering uncontrollably. "...in the nuts..." With that, he finally broke down.

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

I winced, feeling guilty. I should have aimed somewhere else.

Abe, my tormentor-turned-victim, glanced at me from the corner of his eye, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. He opened his mouth, before closing it again, as if wanting to say something but found himself unable to. He kept on doing it, before gritting his teeth in frustration and saying the words I hoped he would never say.

In the line of delinquents, there is this one custom that they all follow. They call this custom 'The Naming Ceremony'. It's a tradition among delinquents where you receive a name from an enemy you defeat, a name that sticks with you till the day you die.

And guess what name stuck with me?

"Nut-Cracker." (Nutto Crackurro)

I will fucking murder you, you bald piece of trash!!!

I felt my face pale as I heard his words. That name was even worse than I thought. And why the hell are you even giving me a name?! I'm not a delinquent! Me going to Ishiyama High doesn't make me delinquent by default!

Making up my mind, I was about to commit murder and drown this bastard in the river for good but failed to do so as he ran away, his lackeys following behind, muttering that dreaded name under their tongues all serious-like.

"Nutto-Crackurro..."

"Nutto-Crackurro."

"Nutto-Crackurro."

Don't speak English when you can't pronounce the words right!

As they all left, slowly but surely, my anger dissipated as I huffed, looking at the sky in annoyance. In a sense, by giving me a nickname, Abe has officially considered me superior to him. But that doesn't make me happy at all.

Nutcracker. What a joke.

I was hoping to get a cool nickname, you know?!

Rambling a few more minutes inside my head, I finally release a sigh. There is no point in thinking about it now. What's done is done, I will just have to deal with it. Instead of this, I should think about what to do from now on.

This is my second chance in life. Till yesterday, it was a similarly dull life to the previous one I was leading, but that needs to be changed. I don't know if I can die, but my previous experience in life has taught me that life can be cut short. I should at least enjoy it a little. But how?

Oh, I know.

I can just do something that I have never done before. Like going to those Idol shows my coworker keeps pestering me and my other coworker about. It would be a good start to my new journey in life.

I yawned, feeling my eyes getting tired. Damn, I feel so sleepy. There is still some time till my shift starts. A little nap couldn't hurt anybody, could it?

—With that thought, I close my eyes, drifting into the dreamlands.

~~~

(Some time ago) (Third POV)

The sounds of punching and groaning came from the river's side. A boy with dark hair and green eyes, continued with his assault on his poor victims as he thrashed them around, a cruel, almost demonic grin on his face.

"Hahahahahah! Knife-wielding bastards are ass!" The young man yelled, choking a delinquent with a pocket knife in his hand. "Don't go around poking people with sharp things like that! Someone can die, you know~"

This possibly crazed young man with the demonic laugh, was none other than the reincarnated soul of a poor victim, Tengen Akihiko.

"Hahahaha! I'm so fucking strong now! This is amazing!" Akihiko cackled like a maniac, throwing away the delinquent between his palms, before jumping and kicking a boulder so hard it shattered into tiny pieces. "That's what I call, 'rocking'! Get it?"

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" A boy bellowed, running straight toward their tormentor, his fist raised. "Just stay still and let me hit you!"

"You're a moron if you think I'd do that."

"Shut up!"

He threw a punch, only to have his fist hit only air as the dark-haired boy dodged it by tilting his head to the side, his demonic grin getting bigger.

The young delinquent shuddered. Something was very wrong with that smile!

"Your aim is shit. How about you cool off and try again? I will help you with that."

Before the delinquent could answer, a kick so strong he saw stars, landed in his nether regions, making him fly and fall into the river, his mind blank.

"Woah. He flew." Akihiko whistled, seemingly amazed by his own strength. "God, when I die again, I will give you a smooch. You're one amazing fellow, I swear."

With that, he started to laugh even harder.

As this was going on, unbeknownst to the boy, a person was gazing at the spectacle he was causing with stars in his eyes. He was a huge man, with a big mustache on his face. He sported a tank top along with boxer shorts, showcasing his terrible fashion sense.

The strange thing about this man, however, was the current state he was in. Instead of standing on the ground, he was inside the river, floating.

"Floating... Floating..."

This man, as you must have guessed already, was no normal man. As he had a promise to keep, a duty to perform. A *parcel* to deliver.

He was Batim do Emuna Alaindelon. The Transdimensional Demon from Hell. And he, was burdened with a glorious purpose!

"Oh, Wow!"

Alaindelon laughed to himself, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the crazy young man leaving an ever-lasting impression on his heart.

That demonic laugh, that cruel behavior, those eyes that hide the rotten personality beneath his gentle face, and not to mention that strength that far surpasses any other humans!

Yes. This was it. This was the person fit for *that* role!

"Ah! There's no doubt left in my heart anymore... This laugh... This strength... He is the person." His eyes sparkled even brighter. "I can leave Bocchan in this person's hands!"

With that thought, he floated away, leaving behind the sight of that cackling, and very much deranged human being.