Ren turned back toward their table. "Intimidating guy."
"You have no idea—wait till you see him in a fight," Shiinchiro said, his usual enthusiasm replaced by something like wary respect.
"He's just a first-year from Class 1-B, by the way. Same age as us, but he's already one of Sakuratei's most aggressive fighters. Maybe THE most aggressive!"
"A first-year?" Ren couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "How is that even possible?"
"Talent and crazy," Hana said bluntly. "Mostly crazy."
"That's not entirely fair," Fubuki interjected softly. "I heard he's actually quite skilled in martial arts. Multiple disciplines, I think."
"Skilled or not, he's dangerous," Shiinchiro muttered, poking at his food. "He's bad news... very, very bad news."
"I'm sure you girls have heard the stories back in middle school, that he got into like five fights against high schoolers and won all of them."
"Well, they're all true! It's not exaggerated at all! He even beat them all at once!"
"It was Hasegawa who personally recruited him into Sakuratei, and now he's even in the inner circle."
At the mention of Hasegawa's name, Ren's attention sharpened. His hand unconsciously went to his jacket pocket, feeling the crinkle of paper beneath the fabric.
"It's his rapid rise that's caused issues, though," Hana chimed in. "The older members are bound to be unhappy with Hasegawa's leadership style if a first-year's getting that kind of status so quickly."
"It's too disrespectful to the hierarchy, to the guys who've been there for years."
Ren glanced back at the Sakuratei table. Yuto was laughing at something another member said, but there was an edge to it, something sharp and dangerous beneath the casual exterior.
"So he's the reason for the internal division you mentioned?" Ren asked quietly, though his mind was elsewhere.
"Hasegawa recruited him personally. So Hasegawa's here. At this school. Right now."
"Kind of the center of it, yeah," Shiinchiro confirmed. "He's like the living symbol of Hasegawa's new approach. Raw talent and strength over seniority and tradition."
"Some of the members love it. Some people hate it and his guts too."
"And what about Yuto himself?" Ren asked. "Where does he stand on all this?"
Shiinchiro shrugged. "Extremely loyal to Hasegawa, like a mad dog, from what I can tell. Beyond that?"
He lowered his voice even further. "I even heard he doesn't care much about gang politics. He just likes fighting."
"Perfect," Hana muttered. "A violence addict with skill and no moral compass. Exactly what this school needs."
"You make him sound like a monster," Fubuki said gently. "We don't really know him, do we? Maybe there's more to his story."
"Maybe," Hana conceded. "But I'm fine not getting close enough to find out."
Ren studied Yuto from across the cafeteria, trying to reconcile what he was seeing with what he was hearing.
The guy looked dangerous, sure, but there was something else there. A kind of isolation, maybe. Even surrounded by other Sakuratei members, Yuto seemed somehow separate.
"He looks alone. " Ren thought. "A first-year already that deep in gang politics. Just what kind of school is this?"
The tension between the four of them broke when Shiinchiro suddenly slammed his chopsticks down with renewed excitement.
"Okay, but speaking of legends..."
"Please don't," Hana said almost immediately, like she already knew what he was about to do.
"Too late!" Shiinchiro laughed.
Then, like a child pulling show-and-tell from his bag, Shiinchiro produced a battered notebook. The cover read, in mismatched lettering:
Shiin's Encyclopedia of the Coolest Guys
Ren blinked. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Nope!" Shiinchiro flipped it open proudly. "I've been documenting all the local gang legends! Like, look!"
"It goes back almost five years!" He turned the book around and kept flipping the pages till he reached one.
The page had a crude drawing of a guy mid-fight, surrounded by a dozen faceless figures.
It was captioned. HASEGAWA – The Emperor of Sakuratei – Fought 12 Guys Alone and Won
Ren froze.
His fingers tightened around his chopsticks.
"Hasegawa."
"That's him. The one Kaito told me to find."
Fubuki and Hana burst into laughter at the childish drawing.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh all you want," Shiinchiro said, beaming.
"I'm gonna write an award winning book someday!"
Hana dropped her face into her hands. "Please stop, you're killing me."
Fubuki giggled quietly. "It's actually kind of impressive you have this much free time, yet you just managed to pass the entrance exams."
"It's called research," Shiinchiro insisted. "Gotta know who runs this city!"
Ren said nothing. He stared at the rough sketch of Hasegawa, at the confident lines and exaggerated muscles.
"This is him. The one Kaito wanted me to meet."
"But why?"
Shiinchiro noticed Ren's silence. "Yo, Ren? You good?"
Ren blinked, pulled himself back. "Yeah. Just... thinking."
Shiinchiro tilted his head. "About what?"
Ren hesitated. "Answers to my questions."
The table went still.
Hana and Fubuki exchanged glances.
Ren set his chopsticks down carefully. "My brother told me to find someone. Before he... before the coma."
Shiinchiro leaned forward, voice dropping. "Who?"
Ren's hand went to his jacket pocket again. Felt the paper. "Hasegawa Fujimoto."
Shiinchiro nearly choked on his drink.
"THE Hasegawa?" he sputtered, coughing. "Sakuratei's Emperor?"
Ren nodded slowly.
"Is that a problem?"
Shiinchiro stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Problem? Dude, that's like saying 'I need to meet the king' and walking into the palace! You can't just—" He stopped, shaking his head. "Why does Kaito want you to meet him?"
Ren touched his jacket pocket where the paper was hidden. The code. The message.
"I don't know yet," Ren said quietly. "But I'm going to find out."
Shiinchiro let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "Man... you really are Kaito's brother. I heard he had some crazy energy."
Hana crossed her arms, frowning. "Ren, Hasegawa isn't someone you just talk to. He's—"
"I don't care," Ren interrupted, his voice calm but firm. "If he knew my brother, if Kaito wanted me to find him, then I'll find him."
"Even if I have to go through every member of Sakuratei to do it."
Fubuki bit her lip, worry clear on her face. "That sounds... really dangerous."
"Everything about this is dangerous," Ren said. He looked at the notebook again, at the drawing of Hasegawa standing victorious over twelve defeated opponents.
His jaw tightened.
"And also he sounds overrated. " Ren muttered without thinking as he swiped through the pages. "No one can beat twelve guys alone."
Shiinchiro's head snapped up. "WHAT?! Dude, he's a legend!"
Ren's tone stayed calm, almost like he was bored. "Legends are just people. I'll prove it. I'll beat him myself if I have to."
His words landed heavy.
The entire table went silent. Even the noise of the cafeteria seemed to dull at the worst possible moment.
Hana turned to him sharply. "Hey... hey, Ren, that's not funny."
"I'm not joking," Ren repeated, voice low and steady. "I came here for answers. If Hasegawa doesn't want to tell me the truth..."
He looked toward the Sakuratei table.
"...I'll make him."
SLAM.
The sound was sudden, echoing throughout the room.
A lunch tray hit their table, spilling droplets of soup across the surface.
Ren turned quickly.
Standing over them, eyes sharp and jaw tight, was Yuto Ishida.
"You'll what?" he barked angrily.
The entire cafeteria froze.