Chapter 26: A Storm on the Horizon (Bonus Chapter)

“Maeda Tora, you’re going too far!” The secluded area behind the school gymnasium had always been a favorite haunt for delinquent youths. At this moment, Maeda Tora was crouched on the ground with a cigarette dangling from his lips, his gaze fierce as he looked at the pompadour-haired boy who had just spoken.

The pompadour boy’s words seemed to resonate with the other delinquents nearby. A dozen or so rough-looking teens began murmuring their agreement. “Hair regulations are bad enough, but now we’re supposed to study? If we could do that, we wouldn’t be delinquents at all!” the pompadour youth grumbled, angrily flicking his cigarette to the ground.

Maeda Tora suddenly stood up, grabbing the boy’s collar with a firm hand and shouted, “Yeah, you don’t have to study. And then what?”

“Look at you lot, so cowardly. Last time, even with so many of us, none of you could beat our boss alone.” Maeda Tora’s face darkened. “With attitudes like yours, you still call yourselves delinquents? What are you even good at?”

The others fell silent, lowering their heads in shame and confusion.

The pompadour youth, however, sneered. “So what? The Mitsui brothers from the school next door can take on ten guys together. And in Crow High, those tough guys are everywhere.”

“Even Ishihara, a senior in the third year, doesn’t have such harsh standards. Who does Aoki think he is?” The pompadour youth slapped Maeda Tora’s hand away, eyes wide with indignation as he stared him down.

Maeda Tora was silent for a moment, then looked at the boy calmly. “If you still want to run with me, you have to accept these conditions. I’m already following Aoki, so you can come if you want, but I won’t force you. But if you ever go against Aoki, don’t expect any mercy from me.”

“Bah! You think Aoki can live up to those standards? Bald Aoki is just a—” The pompadour youth spat contemptuously.

The instant Maeda Tora heard “bald,” his rage exploded. He punched the boy hard in the face. Caught off guard, the pompadour youth grunted and collapsed to the ground.

“Yasuda! If you’ve got a problem, say it to my face. Don’t drag Aoki into it.” Maeda Tora’s eyes were savage. “What do you even know about Aoki? He’s in my class. Whether I’ve followed his rules, I know better than anyone.”

“Aoki was right: people like you are just failures hiding behind the delinquent label. If you can’t meet even these basic demands, you don’t deserve to be called a man, let alone follow Aoki.” Maeda Tora looked at Yasuda, who was clutching his face and silent on the ground, shook his fist in frustration, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

“If you want to stick with me and follow Aoki, do as I say. If you’re in, wait outside the classroom after school and I’ll introduce you to him. If not, go hang with whoever you want.”

Without a backward glance, Maeda Tora shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving the group of delinquents exchanging uncertain looks.

“What should we… do?” one of the boys asked, bewildered.

“Bah…” Yasuda, the pompadour youth, struggled to his feet, spat out bloody saliva, and glared with resentment. “To hell with Maeda Tora and bald Aoki.”

Seeing that the others were silent and seemed to be seriously considering Maeda Tora’s words, Yasuda laughed scornfully. “Just you wait. Let’s see how long bald Aoki can stay arrogant. A few days ago, he knocked out Ishihara, a second-year senior, in the kendo club and sent him to the hospital. Do you think Ishihara’s third-year brother will let him off? They’re blood brothers, you know?”

Yasuda’s mouth twisted into a grim smile. “I was going to warn Maeda Tora to be careful, but it looks like he’s eager to die alongside Aoki. Heh, you all know how many people those Ishihara brothers have sent to the hospital, right? I advise you to keep your distance from that baldy. If not, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

“You’re going to follow Ishihara?” one of the delinquents asked, stunned.

Yasuda’s eyes were full of hatred. “Maeda Tora can serve Aoki, so why can’t I serve Ishihara?”

“At least my master is stronger than his.” Yasuda seemed frustrated by his own words, punched the wall behind the gym, and cursed. Then, he strode off angrily.

The remaining delinquents looked at each other, saying nothing. After a while, a plain-looking, short youth with a Mohawk spoke quietly, “Let’s leave it for today. Go home and think about it.”

“Yeah.”

With confused expressions, the delinquents dispersed. The Mohawk boy squinted, his fingers nervously fidgeting, and after a moment’s hesitation, he decided, “I need to check in with Tora.”

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

Meanwhile, Aoki was sitting idly by the edge of the sports field, watching his classmates playing dodgeball and daydreaming with his chin resting on his hand.

He wished PE class could be more interesting, but… No one dared throw the ball at him during dodgeball, so what was the point? Remembering how he stood there expressionless, while his classmates played dodgeball as if they were tossing handkerchiefs, Aoki sighed and rubbed his temples.

He might as well go back and study… At that thought, Aoki took out his phone and began searching for study materials out of boredom—even if the experience points were modest, it was better than nothing.

Maeda Tora, just returned from behind the gym, took a secret glance and saw Aoki’s phone screen filled with mathematical reasoning and analysis. His breath caught, and he clenched his fists in admiration. “Only a man this diligent and self-disciplined is worth following! I can’t fall behind—I must escape last place in the mock exams!” Maeda Tora took out his phone and began earnestly studying first-year middle school math… His math skills were still stuck at elementary school graduation level.

The PE teacher was tall and burly, but seeing Aoki with bruises still on his face and that fierce expression, he couldn’t bring himself to tell them to put their phones away. He simply turned away and pretended not to notice.

“In the office, the male homeroom teacher was saying how scary that bald delinquent transfer student was… He’s not to be trifled with.” The PE teacher stroked his chin, gazing at the clouds, recalling how the homeroom teacher Matsushita was both afraid and complaining about Aoki. He shook his head gently. “I used to laugh at Matsushita for being timid, but it seems I was wrong…”

He glanced back at Aoki, who was frowning at the complex formulas on his phone screen, making his face look even more intimidating. The PE teacher quickly looked away, heart pounding from fear. “I was definitely wrong… That kid must come from a yakuza family, no doubt. Otherwise, how could someone so young have such a presence…”

“After class, I’ll have to share my analysis with the other teachers. If they provoke that baldy and he calls yakuza to deal with them, they’ll be in real trouble.”

Completely unaware that the PE teacher had invented a complex underworld background for him, Aoki’s brow relaxed as he finally understood the meaning of the formulas on his phone. He smiled with satisfaction, pleased at the five-point boost in experience.