Tokyo.
Kuwata Town.
Underneath a standard apartnt building.
The area was known for its proximity to certain "colorful" districts and underground activities. The walls of the surrounding streets were covered in graffiti—vivid colors depicting animals, skulls, and other chaotic designs.
On the streets, provocatively dressed, heavily made-up won occasionally passed by. There were also groups of muscular n in uniform, their arms adorned with tattoos.
At this mont, a young man with ash-white hair and a white jacket walked by, hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.
When they saw him, the mbers of the local gangs imdiately changed their expressions. Only a few thugs, who had surrounded a passerby and were demanding protection money, remained oblivious to the approaching danger.
"Hey!"
The ash-white-haired youth walked over, his face full of irritation. "Who gave you idiots permission to pull this kind of crap in my territory?"
Hearing this, the thugs' faces turned pale.
"S-sorry, Akutsu! W-we didn't know..."
They stamred, bowing repeatedly. "P-please, forgive us!"
Despite outnumbering him, they were terrified, trembling like leaves in the wind.
"Get lost," the ash-white-haired youth, Akutsu Jin, said coldly.
"Y-yes, sir!"
The thugs nearly cried with relief and imdiately fled.
"Th-thank you..."
The three middle schoolers who had been surrounded quickly thanked Akutsu.
They had been terrified, surrounded by those intimidating thugs, and were about to hand over their money to protect themselves. Thankfully, this stranger had saved them.
"Hey, did you guys get the wrong idea?"
However, to their surprise, the ash-white-haired youth glared at them coldly. "Hand it over!"
"H-hand what over?"
The three looked at each other, completely confused.
In the next mont, Akutsu moved with lightning speed, grabbing the collar of the middle schooler in the center and lifting him off the ground. The other two watched in horror.
"Don't get it twisted. This is my territory. You think you can just pass through here without paying your dues?"
Akutsu's icy gaze shifted to the other two.
"Gulp."
Under his intimidating stare, the two instinctively swallowed hard. After exchanging a glance, they tremblingly pulled out the remaining pocket money they had.
"Get lost," Akutsu said, dropping the boy he was holding and giving them a cold look. "And rember, don't co back to this damn place again!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The three nodded frantically before running off in a panic.
After making sure no one else was following them, Akutsu turned to leave.
"Ugh..."
Just as he was about to head upstairs to his apartnt, a familiar woman's sobbing reached his ears.
"Damn old lady," Akutsu muttered, rubbing his temples in annoyance. He turned around, his face full of irritation. "Stop with the waterworks. I'm not falling for it!"
"A-Akuto," the woman, with short brown hair and wearing a tank top, cried pitifully. "My bag... it was stolen."
"What?!"
Akutsu's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Where did it happen?"
"At... at the park near the departnt store," the woman stamred, trying to recall. "Oh, and there were people playing tennis there."
Tennis?
Akutsu's eyes narrowed.
"Wait here. I'll get your bag back," he said coldly before striding off toward the park.
---
Near the park.
A group of about a hundred teenagers surrounded a man with a cone-shaped hat and a shifty expression.
"Trying to run, huh? Too bad Ishikawa-san's tennis ball hit you. Now you're not going anywhere!"
"Hand over the stuff you stole!"
"Behave yourself!"
The man, who had just robbed a passerby, was now surrounded by the group.
"Give it back, all of it!"
The man, looking miserable, handed over the stolen items: a phone, a woman's handbag, and several wallets.
"Wow, that's a lot of cash," one of the boys, Furuya from Gyokurin Middle School, said as he opened a wallet and saw a thick stack of 10,000-yen bills.
"Secure the items," Ishikawa said calmly, glancing at the group. His sharp gaze imdiately snapped so of them out of their montary greed. "Call the police and keep an eye on this guy until the owners co to claim their belongings."
"Got it!"
The group nodded in unison.
The thief, however, was completely baffled.
Since when did delinquents care about the law? This was beyond ridiculous!
"Stop right there!"
Just as the group was about to take the thief back to the street tennis court, a cold voice rang out.
"Huh?"
Everyone looked up to see a young man in a white jacket, his face cold and filled with murderous intent, walking toward them.
"That guy..."
So of the street tennis players frowned, trying to place him.
One of them suddenly shouted, "I rember now! He's Akutsu Jin from Yamabuki Middle School!"
Hearing this, most of the group's faces turned pale.
Akutsu Jin!
A notorious delinquent in the area. Rumor had it he had practiced karate since childhood and was incredibly fierce in fights. Even local gangs were wary of him.
But as far as they knew, he usually stayed within his own territory. Why was he here at the park near the street tennis court today?
"U-um, Akutsu-san," Furuya and another boy, Togawa, stepped forward, not wanting to provoke trouble. "Is there sothing we can help you with?"
"Put down what you're holding," Akutsu said coldly.
His anger was at its peak. Despite his usual disdain for the woman who had been crying earlier, no one in the world was more important to him than her. The thought of Yuki's tears made him want to smash the head of the person who had stolen her bag.
"This is bad..."
The group realized the situation was about to escalate.
When Akutsu's words reached Izumi and the others, they took on a completely different aning. Given Akutsu's reputation, they had every reason to believe that this guy was after whatever they had in their hands.
"What do we do?"
Izumi and Bukawa exchanged glances, both seeing the anxiety in each other's eyes.
Rumors had it that Akutsu had once taken on a group of thugs ard with tal pipes—and won. He'd single-handedly sent them running. Even though they outnumbered him, they were no match for soone who could take on hardened criminals. If a fight broke out, they'd be the ones getting hurt.
"Akutsu, right?"
A calm voice broke the tension.
Akutsu frowned and turned to see a black-haired boy, about 1.7 ters tall, stepping out from the group. Unlike the others, this guy carried himself with an entirely different aura.
"Soone like this at a street court?"
Akutsu was surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter soone like this here.
But then, he rembered sothing. Yesterday, after Yamabuki advanced to the semifinals, their captain, Minami Kentarō, had ntioned sothing about a talented newcor from Hyotei. This kid had apparently defeated soone from Fudomine, one of the so-called "Kyushu Duo." Even Yamabuki's usually calm coach, Banda, had praised the Hyotei rookie. And according to Muromachi, this kid had trained at a street court to get so strong.
"So… it's him?"
Akutsu's thoughts raced. When he looked at Ishikawa again, a cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You're the Hyotei rookie, huh?"
"Akutsu, watch your tone!"
"Yeah, are you with this guy? Planning to steal the stolen goods?"
"There are a lot of us here. I'd think twice before trying anything!"
The group fired off comnts, but their bravado was thin. Akutsu sneered at them.
"A bunch of losers."
He didn't care about them at all. His focus was on the bag soone was holding—the one that had been stolen from his mother, Yukki. Seeing the skateboarder pinned down by the group, Akutsu quickly pieced together what had happened.
But right now, he didn't care about the details. All that mattered was getting his mother's bag back and sizing up this Hyotei rookie.
"I said," Akutsu spoke again, his tone even colder than before. His bloodshot eyes, like a predator's, swept over the group. Izumi, Bukawa, and the others felt a chill run down their spines.
Danger.
This guy from Yamabuki was dangerous.
If it weren't for their numbers, so of them might have already turned and fled under the pressure of Akutsu's glare.
The atmosphere was tense.
No one knew if this guy would suddenly lash out.
"I'm guessing you're after this," Ishikawa said calmly.
Then, to everyone's shock, he took the won's bag and tossed it toward Akutsu.
"Oh no!"
The group's faces paled. Izumi and Bukawa braced themselves, expecting Akutsu to explode and attack. They'd heard how volatile he was—anyone who crossed him usually ended up in bad shape.
But to everyone's surprise, Akutsu didn't attack. Instead, he instinctively lunged to catch the bag. However, Ishikawa had thrown it just short, forcing Akutsu to stretch awkwardly to grab it.
The result was almost comical.
The fearso Akutsu, known for his ferocity, was now scrambling like a frog to catch a won's bag.
Despite his strong core, he barely avoided falling flat on his face. Still, the sight of him awkwardly clutching the bag, his shirt riding up, was undeniably ridiculous.
"Damn it!!!"
Akutsu was furious.
He hadn't expected Ishikawa to throw the bag like that. Not knowing what was inside, he couldn't risk it breaking. If Yukki's stuff got damaged, he'd never hear the end of it. So, he'd been forced to make a humiliating move in front of everyone.
"You've got guts, Hyotei brat," Akutsu growled, shoving the bag into his pocket. But as his hand disappeared into his jacket, he suddenly lunged forward.
*Whoosh!*
Like a panther, he sprang at Ishikawa.
His speed was terrifying—most of the group only saw a blur.
"Ishikawa-san!"
"Look out!!!"
Seeing Akutsu target Ishikawa, the group panicked. A few of the closer ones hesitated but then moved to shield him.
But they were too slow.
By the ti they reacted, Akutsu's fist was already within a ter of Ishikawa.
"Brat!"
Akutsu's eyes glead with malice, the veins on his fist bulging.
This punch was going to make Ishikawa pay for humiliating him.
*Swish!*
But just as Akutsu's fist was about to connect, Ishikawa grabbed the skateboarder, who'd been watching the scene, and yanked him into the path of the punch.
*Thud!*
Akutsu's fist slamd into the skateboarder's face.
Two teeth flew out, followed by a spray of blood. The skateboarder's right cheek swelled instantly.
"I don't like solving things this way," Ishikawa said calmly, dropping the skateboarder to the ground. He looked straight at Akutsu, who was now less than half a ter away. "But if you want to fight, I'll go all the way with you."
"Huh?"
Akutsu's eyes t Ishikawa's, and for the first ti, his instincts scread at him.
Danger.
This seemingly harmless kid was extrely dangerous.
Akutsu's animal-like intuition told him to back off.
(End of Chapter)
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