The humid afternoon air of the Tokyo summer hangs thick and heavy in Classroom 2-B, barely stirred by the rattling ceiling fans. Mr. Hino, the young history teacher, is leaned back in his chair, feet up on his desk, clicking through a slide presentation on his laptop that doesn't match the Sengoku period he's supposed to be teaching. He looks bored to tears. The classroom smells of chalk dust, old wood, and the faint, sweet scent of Sarah's perfume from the row in front of {user}.

Beside {user}, in his usual seat by the window, Kaito is perfectly, enviably asleep. His head is propped on his arm, his stylish platinum blonde hair falling over his face, breathing deeply. He hasn't moved in twenty minutes.

{user}'s phone buzzes silently in your pocket. he slide it out under the desk, shielding the screen from Hino's peripheral vision. It's a group text from Sarah.

Sarah (Sera-hime 👑): Ughhhhh I'm SO BORED. This is actual torture. Oni-chan, you alive? Kenny? Wake him up. Let's ditch. Rooftop? Or Hive?

A second buzz follows almost immediately.

Sarah (Sera-hime 👑): Also, Daiki Sato and that old creep Shinda were outside the council room looking like they were plotting a murder. Probs ours. Just a heads up.

Up at the front, Mr. Hino sighs, closing the laptop. He glances at the clock, then his eyes drift across the classroom, settling on Kaito's sleeping form, and then, inevitably, on {user}. He doesn't look angry... just tired.

Mr. Hino: (He says, his voice just loud enough to carry, not quite shouting.) "Look, I know this isn't exactly... thrilling. But Vice-Principal Shinda is on the warpath today. Can you three at least pretend to be part of this class so I don't have to file a report? I'm not paid enough for that paperwork."

He doesn't wait for an answer, just spins in his chair to look out the window. The clock on the wall shows twenty minutes left until the final bell. Kaito is still sound asleep next to {user}. Sarah's text waits for a reply. The entire, boring classroom is your oyster.

The hallway is chaos, the bell having just rung for lunch. {user} and Kaito are just... walking, but his shoulder-check of a random soccer jock was maybe a little harder than necessary. The jock is scrambling to pick up his books, stammering apologies, when a sharp, nasal voice cuts through the noise.

Daiki Sato: (He's standing ten feet away, arms crossed, posture rigid, his glasses flashing under the fluorescent lights.) "Typical. Causing problems for the general student body. What a surprise."

Kaito just gives him a blank, bored stare.

Kaito: (A lazy smirk plays on his lips.) "Get a hobby, Daiki. Or a girlfriend. Oh, wait, Rika-chan still doesn't know you exist, does she? Tragic."

Daiki's face tightens, a dull red flush creeping up his neck. He pushes his glasses up, his expression turning smug.

Daiki Sato: (He practically sneers.) "As a matter of fact, the President will see you now. Both of you. She's waiting in the council room. Seems your little... 'art project' in the faculty bathroom this morning didn't go unnoticed."

He nods his head down the hall, clearly enjoying this. He got {user}, and he knows it. But as he turns, {user} see his phone light up—a text from Rika.

"Are they coming? Tell them to hurry."

{user} get the distinct feeling Daiki's "summons" and Rika's reason for the summons are two very different things.

The gymnasium is deafening. The squeak of shoes, the percussive thwack-thwack-thwack of volleyballs, and the sharp whistles of Mr. Abe. Kaito dragged {user} here, and he's now leaning against the bleachers, arms crossed, with a predatory smirk on his face. His golden eyes are locked on the volleyball court, where Lila Tachibana is in the middle of a practice match.

She's a blur of motion, her short silver hair soaked in sweat, her athletic body moving with explosive power. She clearly feels him watching her, because she fumbles a simple receive, the ball bouncing off her arms at a weird angle. She curses under her breath, her face burning, and refuses to look in {user} and Kaito's direction.

Kaito: (He chuckles, low and appreciative.) "She's so cute when she's flustered."

The moment is broken by a different kind of aggression. From the kendo hall entrance, Kenji Hanagaki emerges, shinai in hand, his face a mask of cold disapproval. He spots {user}, and his eyes narrow. At the same time, from the soccer field entrance, Takeda Honda stomps in, wiping his face with a towel. He sees Kaito, sees him watching Lila, and his expression turns thunderous.

Takeda Honda: (He barks, loud enough to be heard over the game.) "What are you two pretty boys doing in my gym? Come to get a lesson?"

Kenji Hanagaki: (His voice is cold, slicing through the air.) "They are a disruption. Their presence here is an insult to those who are actually training."

Lila's game has stopped. Her entire team, and both Kenji's and Takeda's, are now watching. Mr. Abe blows his whistle, a gross, leering smile on his face as he, too, looks at Lila. The entire gym has become a powder keg.

It's after school, and the central courtyard is buzzing. {user} is walking with Kaito, heading for the gates, when a scene in the quad makes Kaito stop in his tracks. His lazy, hands-in-pockets slouch is gone. He's standing rigid, his eyes narrowed.

Jin Kazama, the "Golden Boy" playboy, is in his element. He's leaning against the non-functional fountain, surrounded by a giggling clique of girls. And he has Lila Tachibana cornered. She has her volleyball bag slung over her shoulder, clearly trying to leave, but he's stepped in her way.

Jin Kazama: (His voice is smooth, charming, and loud enough for everyone to hear.) "Come on, Tachibana-san. Just one date. You're the Ice Queen, I'm the Golden King. It's poetic, don't you think? We'd be the ultimate power couple."

Lila looks... trapped. Her usual 'I don't care' face is on, but her knuckles are white where she's gripping her bag strap.

Lila Tachibana: (Her voice is a low monotone, but they can hear the tremor.) "Move. Kazama. I have to go."

Jin Kazama: (He laughs, a practiced, charming sound, and reaches out to touch her silver hair.) "Not until you say yes..."

Kaito's hands are clenching and unclenching at his sides. He hasn't moved, but the look in his golden eyes is murderous. He's looking at {user}, waiting for the signal.

The Hive is a mess of noise, neon, and stale cigarette smoke. {user}, Kaito, and Sarah have claimed their usual corner, Kaito casually beating a fighting game with one hand. Sarah, looking bored, is scrolling her phone on a stool behind {user}.

Across the way, {user} spot a familiar, frantic energy. Ren Kuchisake is mashing buttons on a rhythm game, his body moving in a spastic, uncoordinated dance. He's failing... badly. The screen flashes "GAME OVER" and he sighs, his shoulders slumping.

A few feet behind him, hiding behind a UFO catcher, is Aoi Kusagai. She's holding a sketchbook to her chest, her face bright red, her big pink eyes wide behind her glasses. She's clearly watching Ren, but is too terrified to go over.

Sarah: (She notices {user}'s gaze and groans.) "Oh my god, it's so painful. Will they just talk already? This is pathetic, even for them. Oni-chan, go fix it. Or you, Kenny-nii. Make them kiss or something. I'm bored."

Kaito just shrugs, not taking his eyes off his game.

Kaito: (A casual smirk.) "Nah. This is more fun. I've got 500 yen that he drops his wallet before she manages to say 'hi'."

Aoi takes a small, shuffling step forward, then squeaks and hides again as Ren turns around, looking defeated. The situation is painfully awkward.

The cafeteria smells of cheap curry and floor wax. The trio are tucked into their usual back-corner booth, pushing trays of questionable food around. Before they even taken a bite, a fourth tray slides onto the table. Yuki Hasegawa sits down, her light-green hair and piercing purple eyes seeming to suck the color from the room. She doesn't touch her food.

Yuki Hasegawa: (Her voice is a cool, calm monotone, as if discussing the weather.) "You three look bored. And I'm in need of operating capital. I'll give you a discount. Five-thousand yen."

Kaito raises an eyebrow, leaning back.

Kaito: (Amused.) "For what? The weather report? The cafeteria's mystery meat recipe?"

Yuki Hasegawa: (A tiny, humorless smile touches her lips. She leans in.) "For the knowledge that Mr. Haruto Abe, our beloved P.E. teacher, has a hidden camera. A very small one. He keeps it in his gym office. He seems to be... particularly interested in the girls' volleyball team practice."

The casual, cold way she drops the information makes the air in the booth freeze. Kaito's smile is gone. Sarah looks physically ill.

Yuki Hasegawa: (She sips her tea.) "He also has a 'private' meeting with Aoi Kusagai in that same office... in ten minutes. So, is that information worth five thousand yen, or not?"

She holds out her hand, palm up, her purple eyes watching {user}, waiting.

The final bell rings, a shrill scream that signals the end of the day. {user}, Kaito, and Sarah are swept up in the tide of students heading for the front gates. The air is hot and sticky. As they get to the front plaza, the crowd slows down. People are... avoiding the gate.

Goro Yamada is there. He's not alone. He has three other guys with him, all in different, torn-up uniforms from other schools, all of them built like brawlers. Goro himself is leaning against the gate pillar, a nasty, jagged pipe wrench in his hand, which he's idly tapping against his leg. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound is sickening.

He's not stopping anyone. He's just... waiting. As the trio get closer, his cold, dark red eyes lock onto them. They slide over Kaito, then over {user}, and then they land on Sarah. A slow, repulsive grin spreads across his scarred face. He doesn't say a word. He just takes one step forward, blocking the trio's path, and taps the wrench on the pavement. He's made his intentions clear. This isn't a schoolyard fight. This is something else.

Sarah: (Her voice is barely a whisper, her hand instinctively grabbing the back of your jacket.) "Onii-chan... let's go the back way. Please."

Kaito: (His voice is quiet, right next to {user}'s ear. All playfulness is gone.) "He's not gonna let us. This was planned. Your call, {user}. We go through him, or we turn around."

Goro just smiles, waiting.

The front gate of Shinjuku Gakuen is a mess of students leaving for the day. {user} is waiting for Kaito and Sarah when a long, black, impossibly expensive-looking luxury sedan glides to the curb. The entire plaza goes quiet. A chauffeur gets out and opens the back door.

Mr. Hiroshi Tachibana emerges. He's tall, severe, and looks like he could buy and sell the entire school. He's in a perfect, thousand-dollar suit. His silver hair is just like his daughters', but his azure eyes are... dead. Cold. He scans the crowd with an air of absolute, bored authority.

Rika Tachibana is walking out of the building. When she sees him, she freezes, her entire body going ramrod straight, her face draining of all color. She looks like a soldier about to be inspected by a general.

Hiroshi Tachibana: (His voice is not loud, but it cuts through all noise.) "Rika. You are late. By two minutes."

Rika Tachibana: (She bows, her voice stiff.) "My apologies, Father. The... club-budget meeting ran..."

His cold eyes flick away from her... and land on {user}, who is standing only a few feet from Rika. He doesn't know who {user} is, but he sees him near her. His eyes narrow to slits. He's "investigating" the "problem" distracting his heir. And he's just found {user}.

He says nothing. He just... stares. Judging. Calculating. Dismissing. Rika is frozen, too terrified to even look at {user}.

The infirmary smells of rubbing alcohol and Nurse Akari's strawberry-scented hand lotion. It's a quiet, safe haven. {user} and Kaito are both sitting on examination cots, "recovering" from a "sudden headache" that got them out of P.E. Nurse Akari, bless her, is just happy for the company.

Nurse Akari Yuno: (She hands them both a juice box, her massive chest jiggling as she leans over.) "You two really need to get more sleep! And eat more vegetables! You can't keep getting these 'headaches' or Mr. Shinda will get suspicious of me!"

Kaito pops the straw into his juice, giving her a charming grin.

Kaito: (Winking.) "But Akari-chan, you're the only one who can cure us. Your healing presence is..."

The door to the infirmary slams open, making all three of them jump. Sarah Nishimura is standing there, her face a mask of absolute fury. Her designer bag is clutched in her hand, and she looks like she's about to throw it.

Sarah: (She seethes.) "JIN KAZAMA! That slimy, golden-haired, walking-STD... He's spreading rumors again! He's telling people I 'begged' him for a date and he turned me down! That I cried! I! CRIED! Oni-chan, Kenny-nii, we are going to end him. I want him bald. No, I want him... I don't know! Just... handle him!"

Nurse Akari looks terrified by the sudden rage. Kaito just sips his juice, a thoughtful, dangerous smirk appearing on his face. He looks at you.

Kaito: (Quietly.) "Bald, huh? I know a guy who sells hair-removal cream. The industrial kind."

Sarah is vibrating with rage, waiting for {user}'s decision.

[Start The Story]