(Brain Storage)
(All characters in this story are eighteen years of age or older.)
April—the beginning of a new school year.
A bus stop somewhere in Tokyo was crowded with boys and girls wearing brand-new uniforms.
They were dressed in the burgundy blazers of the prestigious Advanced Nurturing High School.
Established under the guidance of the Japanese government, the school was a dream institution for countless students.
As they prepared to begin their high school lives, their faces were filled with unconcealed anticipation and excitement.
“A full boarding school is amazing! This is the first time I’ll be living away from my parents.”
“I heard there’s even a movie theater and a café on campus! It’s practically a city!”
“They say the graduation employment and university admission rates are both 100%. I wonder if that’s actually true…”
Bathed in the warm spring sunshine, the bus stop radiated youthful energy.
Then—
Thump.
A dull, heavy sound echoed across the pavement.
The asphalt trembled slightly.
It wasn’t an earthquake.
It was something else.
A heavy, rhythmic footstep approached from the distance, each impact perfectly matching the interval between heartbeats.
The lively chatter stopped instantly.
Everyone turned toward the source of the sound.
A collective gasp followed.
Walking down the sidewalk was what looked like a gigantic beast.
—No.
It was a man.
Yet his physique was so extraordinary that calling him merely “human” felt inadequate.
He stood well over 190 centimeters tall.
His shoulders were nearly twice as broad as those of an ordinary adult, giving him an impossibly massive frame.
His skeletal structure was abnormal.
His muscles, thick as forged steel, wrapped around his body like living armor.
The burgundy school blazer strained against his enormous pectorals, broad shoulders, and heavily developed latissimus dorsi, as though the seams could split apart at any moment.
But what drew everyone’s attention most was his face.
Pale.
A face covered in deep scars, as though a wild brown bear had mauled him countless times without ever managing to kill him.
His sharp eyes never wandered.
Simply looking straight ahead was enough to make everyone around him feel as though the temperature had suddenly dropped below freezing.
(A… monster…?)
(A yakuza…? Then why is he wearing a school uniform…?)
(Please don’t come this way… Don’t look at me…)
No one dared to speak.
Since humanity’s earliest days on the African savanna, fear had been engraved into the instincts of every living person.
When confronted by overwhelming violence, prey had only one option.
Remain perfectly still.
The dozen or so freshmen waiting at the bus stop silently stepped aside, creating a path for him.
No one dared meet his gaze.
Some even unconsciously held their breath.
Only the heavy thuds of his footsteps echoed through the silent street.
Kaoru Hanayama.
The legendary boss of the Hanayama-gumi, one of Japan’s most infamous yakuza organizations.
And, beginning today…
A first-year student at Advanced Nurturing High School.
Let’s rewind a little.
Back when Kaoru Hanayama was preparing to graduate from junior high school—
“General. At this rate, there won’t be any respectable high schools willing to accept you.”
Inside the smoke-filled Hanayama-gumi headquarters, Kizaki, Hanayama’s trusted lieutenant and chief strategist, let out a weary sigh while holding a report card.
Despite being a senior executive within the organization, Kizaki was also a graduate of the University of Tokyo, making him one of the few highly educated members of the group.
The report card in his hands could only be described as disastrous.
Although Hanayama’s teachers consistently praised his character, leadership, and conduct toward classmates, his grades painted an entirely different picture.
Out of a maximum score of five, he had earned a guaranteed 5 in Physical Education.
Japanese Language barely managed a 3.
Every other subject was 2 or lower.
“General, the schools still willing to accept you are all bottom-tier institutions where students can practically enroll just by writing their names.”
Kizaki rubbed his forehead.
“No… to be more accurate, they’re dumping grounds for juvenile delinquents.”
Hanayama calmly lit one of his trademark cigars.
“…It doesn’t matter.”
“They’re all the same.”
“They’re absolutely not the same.”
Kizaki immediately objected.
“As the leader of the Hanayama-gumi, allowing you to waste three years of your youth in that kind of school is something none of us can accept.”
He tapped the brochure lying on top of the desk.
Printed across its cover were smiling students wearing distinctive burgundy blazers.
The title read:
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
A government-sponsored elite academy that emphasized meritocracy while proudly boasting a 100% employment rate and university advancement rate.
“This is the only school willing to overlook your academic record after recognizing your… unconventional talents.”
“…I’m not going.”
Hanayama rejected the proposal without even opening the brochure.
“May I ask why, General?”
“…Students there aren’t allowed to leave campus for three years.”
He slowly exhaled a cloud of cigar smoke.
“What happens to the Hanayama-gumi if I disappear?”
Ever since inheriting leadership of the Hanayama-gumi, Kaoru Hanayama had carried the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of sworn brothers upon his shoulders.
That responsibility couldn’t simply be abandoned because of school.
But Kizaki had already anticipated the objection.
“General…”
“Leave the organization to us.”
At that moment, the office doors burst open.
Dozens of intimidating yakuza members who had been waiting outside rushed into the room.
Then—
THUD!!
Every one of them dropped into a deep dogeza, slamming their foreheads against the floor without hesitation.
“General!!”
“You don’t have to worry about us!!”
“Please… please experience a real high school life!!”
“We’ll protect the Hanayama-gumi while you’re gone!!”
“So please… go!!”
Their rough voices echoed throughout the headquarters.
Even so…
There remained one final reason that shattered Hanayama’s resolve.
“…General.”
“This is also your mother’s wish.”
Hanayama’s expression froze.
His mother.
For years, she had struggled with a life-threatening illness.
Doctors had repeatedly warned that she might not have much time left.
Yet recently…
Her condition had improved so dramatically that it bordered on a miracle.
She had slowly regained enough strength to live a relatively normal daily life.
She had smiled gently while holding his hand.
“Kaoru… seeing you live as an ordinary high school student… graduating like everyone else…”
“That would be the greatest medicine I could ever receive.”
Her gentle smile resurfaced in Hanayama’s mind.
No chain forged from steel…
No enemy powerful enough to shake the earth…
Could bind Kaoru Hanayama more firmly than those simple words.
His mother’s wish.
The unwavering loyalty of his sworn brothers.
After everything they had done for him…
Refusing was no longer an option.
Because for a true man who lived by the code of ninkyō—the chivalrous spirit of the yakuza—
There was only one answer.