Next morning — city footpath…
Soft morning light… steady traffic flow — vroom… whooshh… Ren Fujimiya walks along the footpath… one hand in his pocket… phone in the other… thumb scrolling — swipe… swipe…
His eyes fixed on the screen… then suddenly—
The scroll stops — stop.
A headline zooms in… an image of a black car… crash scene… shattered glass… Ren’s brow tightens slightly… his steps slow on their own — tap… tap… …stop.
He brings the screen closer… eyes narrowing…
That’s the same black car Masaki was driving… Did something happen to him…?
A slight tightness in his chest… a silent second of tension…
Then—
Phone vibrates — bzzz…
A message pops up—
“Good morning, little brother.”
Ren’s eyes soften… shoulders relax… He exhales quietly — exhale…
“…Huh.”
Thumb taps the screen lock — tap…
A faint smile forms as a thought passes— Why am I even worried…
He resumes walking — tap… tap… steady…
University gate — morning…
Students rushing… chatter — murmur… laughter… Near the gate, a figure leans against the wall… arms folded…
Ren walks past without noticing—
“Hey kid… you’re coming with me.”
Ren’s step halts — tap—stop.
He slowly turns… eyes on the figure…
“And why should I?”
The figure stands straight… chin raised… tone blunt— “Because Sato’s calling you.”
A slight smile appears on Ren’s lips… His eyes soften… like an internal joke just clicked…
Looks like… I’ll be making some new “friends” here today…
The figure notices the smile… brow creasing… Why is he smiling…?
He steps forward aggressively — thak… Points a finger— “You coming or not?”
Ren’s smile fades slightly… then returns, controlled… Head tilting a little—
“Yeah… let’s go. Hurry up… I want to meet him too.”
The figure turns… starts walking — tap… tap… Ren follows behind… calm pace… hands relaxed…
Senior block — corridor…
The atmosphere here is quieter… heavier… Posters of seniors on the walls… footsteps echo — thak… thak…
They stop outside a classroom…
Ren’s gaze lifts to the board above the door… reading it… He points lightly… innocent tone—
“This is a seniors’ classroom…”
The figure gives a side glance… a crooked smile forming… “Yeah… so come on.”
He grabs the door handle — click…
Before stepping in, a thought crosses his mind— He really doesn’t know… what happens inside a seniors’ room…
A small, sinister smile spreads across his lips…
The door slowly opens — creaaak…
And Ren… without hesitation… steps inside with him — step…
Senior classroom — inside…
The door shuts — thak… A faint smell fills the room… alcohol, sweat… something else mixed in… Three figures sit across the benches— Takumi Sato at the center… Ikumi sprawled slightly… Aoi Kisaragi half-leaning, lazy eyes…
Ren steps in… steady footsteps — tap… tap… His gaze moves calmly across all three… no reaction…
Sato rests his elbow on the table, chin supported… His eyes shift to the boy who brought Ren—
“So… you brought him?”
The boy lowers his head slightly… shoulders tense… “Yeah… Sato sir… please let me go…”
Ren stands to the side… just observing… Eyes neutral… like he’s registering the scene, not feeling it…
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The boy turns to leave—
“Wait a second…”
Ikumi’s voice is soft… but the grip isn’t… He steps forward… grabs the boy by the neck — grab… pull… Forces him onto the bench — thud…
Three bottles sit on the table… the liquid inside, strange… Ikumi picks one up — clink… tilts it… Pours into a glass — glug…
A bitter smell rises… almost chemical…
“Here… drink this… then you can go.” His smile looks friendly… but his eyes are cold…
The boy panics… hands shaking… “But I did what you asked… so why—”
Ikumi’s smile widens slightly… “Yeah… and still.”
The next second—
He pushes the glass to his mouth — force… The boy resists— But Ikumi grabs his jaw and forces the liquid in — gulp… choke…
“Khh—!!” The boy coughs… eyes watering…
Ren stands still… Arms relaxed… gaze fixed… No shock… no interference… just observing…
Aoi leans slightly forward from his seat… looking at Ren… “Do you even know who we are?”
Ren tilts his head slightly… a faint, almost silly expression… “No… I don’t know any of you.”
Sato lets out a small smirk… “You will.”
Ren ignores them completely… He turns and walks toward the exit — tap… tap…
Under his breath… a quiet whisper— “This isn’t what I expected…”
Near the door…
Just as his hand reaches for the handle — click—
A hand lands on his shoulder — thak… grip…
Ren stops.
Aoi stands right behind him… breath laced with alcohol… stance loose, but aggressive… “No, no… how can that be? No one leaves without taking a shot.”
Ren slowly turns… The distance between them closes… eyes locking directly with Aoi’s…
His expression calm… almost bored…
“No… I’m not drinking.” A small pause… “You should just remove your hand from my shoulder.”
Aoi’s face shifts instantly… irritation spikes… “You’ve got a lot of attitude!”
His arm swings — WHOOSH!
A wild punch straight toward Ren’s face—
Ren doesn’t even blink…
His eyes track the punch… perfect timing…
GRAB!
His hand catches Aoi’s wrist mid-air — snap hold… Momentum—stopped.
Next motion— Wrist twist — twist… lock…
Aoi’s body jerks forward… Joint pressure — crack… tension…
Aoi’s face distorts… pain spikes— “Tch—!!”
His body bends… control slipping…
Ren’s posture remains relaxed… His grip precise… no wasted force… but no escape either…
A calm coldness in his eyes…
Like—this is routine.
Aoi’s face twists in pain… body half-bent… wrist still locked in Ren’s grip — tight… pressure… His breathing breaks — khh… khh…
And Ren—
Completely calm.
His free hand casually lifts to his ear… a light scratch… As if none of this matters…
“Hmm… any other questions?” His tone flat… bored…
Sato and Ikumi both stand up at once — scrape… thak!
Shock clear on their faces… Their eyes on Aoi… nearly down to his knees…
“Stop it!” Sato shouts—
Ren tightens his grip for a split second… then—
THUMP!
A front kick straight into Aoi’s torso— The impact sends him flying back — whooshh… BAAM!
He crashes into the table — crash…
At the same moment—
Sato and Ikumi reach him—
Both punches swing together — WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Ren shifts half a step — slide… Blocks Ikumi’s punch — thak!
And instantly—
A full-force kick into Sato’s chest — THUD!!
Sato’s body spins… slides across the floor — skrr… Breath knocked out — haaah…!
Ikumi doesn’t stop—
Aggressive combo— Left jab — snap!
Elbow — swing!
Knee strike — drive!
Ren…
Just moves—
Lean… sidestep… tilt…
Every attack misses him by millimeters— Like time itself has slowed down for him…
A small smile forms on his lips…
“That’s it?”
The next second—
THUD!
A sharp punch lands on Ikumi’s chest… The impact folds him — ghh…!
Ren places his hand on his head — press… control… His gaze shifts straight to Sato…
“See?”
And—
THUD!
THUD!
Two clean punches to the jaw… Ikumi’s eyes go blank… body goes limp… He drops to the ground — BAAM…
The room falls silent.
Only heavy breathing… and the faint sound of chairs settling…
Ren adjusts his jacket — brush… straighten… Then takes slow steps — tap… tap… Toward Sato…
Sato is against the bench… back pressed… Fear and disbelief on his face…
Ren stops in front of him… leans slightly… Distance close…
A faint smile on his lips… almost friendly…
“From now on… stop ragging.”
His tone calm… but the authority absolute… Like the decision is already final…
Ren’s hand rises… Setting up for a punch— whooshh—
The door slams open — BANG!
The class teacher rushes in… heels echoing — tak… tak… Her eyes scan the scene instantly—
Ikumi on the floor… clutching his wrist… groaning in pain… Aoi collapsed near the table… Sato stunned… And Ren… standing right in front of him…
The teacher’s face shifts—shock and anger… “What is going on here?!”
The room freezes.
Ren’s fist slowly lowers from mid-air… relax… His expression returns to neutral…
As if nothing happened at all.
—Chapter 6 end—