"We’ve got a betting pool going, and I put good money on you lasting the longest among the new recruits. Don’t make lose my investnt."
Laughter erupted from several of the other mbers. So genuine, so dark, all of them watching Ren with varying degrees of interest.
Ren felt his stomach twist slightly.
Betting pool.
They were betting on whether he’d survive.
"I’ll do my best." he said, keeping his voice steady.
"You better." Shuu waved them off dismissively.
"Now get out of here before you break sothing else. You’re burning daylight, and Matsuno doesn’t like to be kept waiting."
Ren and Shiinchiro backtracked through the destroyed doorway, the tal fra now bent beyond recognition, wood hanging in sad splinters and carefully circled around to the front of the building.
The mont they were out of earshot, safely around the corner and out of sight, Shiinchiro grabbed Ren’s arm with both hands.
"Two thousand yen?!" His voice ca out in a strangled whisper-shout. "Ren, do you have two thousand yen?!"
"I’ll figure it out," Ren muttered, pulling his arm free.
"*Figure it out? That’s a week’s worth of part-ti work! That’s..." Shiin was spiraling, hands gesturing wildly.
"And did you see that scar? Did you feel the vibe in that room? Everyone was ready to jump you if you said the wrong thing!"
"Shiin." Ren stopped walking, turning to face his friend properly.
His voice ca out tired so, so tired. "I know. Okay? I know."
Shiinchiro’s worry was written across every line of his face, in the way his hands kept moving, unable to stay still.
"This is much serious than I thought, Ren. These aren’t high school kids playing at gangs. These are people who’ve... who’ve done things. Real things. Dangerous things."
"I know." The words ca out heavier than Ren intended. "But I’m already here. Already committed. I can’t go back now even if I wanted to."
The weight of that truth settled between them.
Shiinchiro opened his mouth, closed it, then sighed long and defeated.
Then he pulled out his notebook again, that familiar dog-eared collection of gang intelligence and rumors.
"At least let show you the three guys I was trying to warn you about earlier. Please. So you don’t accidentally piss off soone even scarier than door-kicking-entrance guy back there."
Ren almost smiled despite himself, despite the exhaustion, despite everything.
"Fine. Show ."
They found a relatively clean spot against the side of the building, out of sight from any windows and Shiinchiro flipped through pages covered in frantic handwriting, drawings, notes cramd into every available margin.
"Okay." His voice went serious, all traces of panic replaced by genuine concern.
"Three people you absolutely cannot cross. Not if you want to survive your first month. If you piss off any of these guys, it’s going to be really, really bad."
"Promise you’ll at least try to avoid them."
He showed Ren the first entry, covered in underlines and warning symbols:
TAKESHI KURODA - First Division Captain
- Third year, age 18
- Red Faction leader
- Believes in Kaito’s original Five Virtues
- Directly opposes Hasegawa’s leadership
- DANGEROUS: Charismatic, strategic, has loyal following among older mbers
- DO NOT ENGAGE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
"Takeshi." Shiin explained in a hushed voice, like saying the na too loud might summon him.
"..is basically leading an internal rebellion. He thinks Hasegawa betrayed everything your brother Kaito built. Half the third-years follow him. So second-years too. Don’t get on his bad side. Seriously."
Ren’s expression didn’t change. "I have already t him."
Shiinchiro’s head snapped up so fast Ren heard his neck crack. "What?!"
"When?! How?!"
"Few days ago. School rooftop. He tried to recruit for his Red Faction thing."
"And..." Shiin’s voice ca out strangled. "And what did you say?"
"That I wasn’t interested." Ren shrugged like it was nothing. "Threw away his recruitnt card after he left."
For a mont, Shiinchiro just stared at him. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.
Then. "You... you threw away Takeshi Kuroda’s recruitnt card?"
"Yeah but not in his face. After he walked away."
"That’s not any better!" Shiin grabbed Ren’s shoulders, shaking him slightly in sheer disbelief.
"You rejected the Red Faction leader! That’s basically declaring you’re on Hasegawa’s side! That’s picking a side in a civil war you don’t even understand yet!"
Ren blinked, processing. "I... didn’t think of it that way."
"Of course you didn’t!" Shiinchiro threw his hands up in exasperation, notebook flapping wildly.
"Oh god. Oh no. You’ve already... you’ve already ssed with all three, haven’t you?"
His face had gone pale, like he’d just realized sothing terrible.
Ren felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.
"Who’s next?" he asked flatly.
Shiin flipped to the next page.
SHUU - Second Division Captain
- Age 17
- 2nd year
- Loyal to Hasegawa
- Scar from ’incident’ three years ago
- Reputation: Friendly until he’s not
- Dangerous: Unpredictable, violent when provoked
- Rose through the ranks last year after the civil war. Was the fastest before Yuto broke his record this year.
"As you’ve already t him," Shiin said. "Shuu’s... complicated. Everyone likes him. Everyone’s also scared of him. He acts friendly, but I’ve heard stories about what happens when soone crosses him."
He lowered his voice. "Three years ago, before he even joined Sakuratei, he put soone in the hospital for three months. Went to juvie for it. That’s where he got the scar, a fight inside juvenile detention. When he got out, Hasegawa recruited him during the civil war."
Ren glanced back at the building. "That’s where the scar ca from."
"And the third person" Shiin flipped furiously to his final entry.
YUTO "MAD DOG" ISHIDA - Elite Fighter
- Age 16, 1st year
- Youngest mber to ever reach elite status
- Broke Shuu’s speed record for promotion
- Loyal to Hasegawa (very personal bond)
- Fighting Style: Unpredictable, relentless, overwhelming pressure
- Reputation: "Mad Dog" because once he starts fighting, he doesn’t stop
- Extrely dangerous and prone to violence.
- Notable: Respects strength, hates weakness
"You already fought him." Shiin said unnecessarily.
"Cafeteria, first day. Everyone saw it. You’re probably the only first-year who’s ever landed a clean hit on him."
"But here’s the thing." He lowered his voice. "The Mad Dog doesn’t do draws."
"That’s not a good thing... he’ll keep coming after you until one of you was hospitalized."
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