The last bell echoed through Mirae Academy, releasing hundreds of students into the hallways.
Lockers slammed shut.
Conversations filled the corridors.
Some students celebrated surviving the surprise quiz, while others complained about how unfair the questions had been.
I quietly packed my books into my bag.
Almost everyone had already left.
I glanced toward the seat beside the window.
It was empty.
Takoru had disappeared the moment the quiz ended.
Again.
“…He left already?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Emmi looked up from stuffing notebooks into her backpack.
“Boss?”
She laughed softly.
“He always disappears after exams.”
Nesmin, who happened to be passing by our classroom door, overheard the conversation.
“That’s because he hates staying around after tests.”
“Hates?” Emmi repeated.
Nesmin shrugged.
“Nobody really knows why.”
“He just leaves.”
Stevan, standing quietly beside him, added only one sentence.
“He’s always been like that.”
That was it.
No explanation.
No gossip.
No jokes.
The two boys simply walked away.
I watched them disappear down the hallway.
“…Strange.”
Yuri closed his notebook.
“Come on.”
“We should leave too.”
Outside…
The afternoon sun painted long shadows across the school courtyard.
Students slowly scattered in every direction.
Luxury cars lined the front gate.
School buses waited along the roadside.
The air smelled faintly of warm asphalt and fresh grass after yesterday’s rain.
Yuri walked beside me while explaining tomorrow’s chemistry assignment.
“…If we finish the equations tonight, tomorrow will be easier.”
I nodded.
Although…
I wasn’t really listening.
My mind kept drifting back to Takoru’s answer sheet.
Half blank.
Not because he couldn’t write.
Because…
He simply hadn’t.
As we reached the main road, Yuri suddenly stopped.
“I forgot.”
“My calculator is still in the science lab.”
Emmi laughed.
“I knew you’d forget something.”
“I’ll get it.”
Yuri looked at me.
“Wait here for five minutes, okay?”
“I won’t be long.”
Before I could answer, he and Emmi hurried back toward the school building.
I smiled helplessly.
“…Typical.”
Left alone, I slowly started walking along the sidewalk.
Without realizing it…
I took the longer road home.
The streets around Mirae Academy were quieter than usual.
Small cafés.
Flower shops.
Bookstores.
Everything felt peaceful.
Then…
A sharp metallic sound reached my ears.
Clink.
Clink.
I stopped walking.
It came from a narrow alley beside an old repair shop.
Curiosity pulled my eyes toward it.
A faded wooden sign hung above the entrance.
Ryota Garage
The place looked completely different from the expensive buildings surrounding Mirae Academy.
Old tires were stacked against the walls.
Rusted tools hung neatly from wooden shelves.
The smell of engine oil filled the air.
And standing in the middle of it…
Was Takoru.
Not wearing his leather jacket.
Not acting like Mirae Academy’s most popular student.
His white school shirt was rolled up to his elbows.
Black grease stained his fingers.
A wrench rested comfortably in his hand as he tightened a loose bolt on an old motorcycle.
His movements were smooth.
Confident.
Natural.
Almost…
Beautiful.
I froze.
This wasn’t the Takoru everyone whispered about.
This wasn’t the sleeping boy beside the classroom window.
This was someone completely different.
Someone who looked…
Alive.
I should have walked away.
I knew that.
This wasn’t my place.
And yet…
My feet refused to move.
Hidden behind the corner of the alley, I quietly watched the small repair shop.
Takoru tightened the final bolt before wiping the grease from his fingers with an old cloth.
“You’ve gotten faster.”
The voice belonged to an elderly man sitting on a wooden stool near the entrance.
His silver hair peeked out from beneath a faded blue cap, and thick glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.
Takoru gave a small shrug.
“The customer needed it today.”
The old man chuckled.
“You always say that.”
Without another word, Takoru picked up another motorcycle part from the workbench.
Every movement looked practiced.
Precise.
As though he had done this thousands of times before.
There wasn’t even a trace of the lazy student I saw sleeping beside the classroom window every morning.
He looked…
Focused.
Almost peaceful.
For a brief moment…
I forgot he was the same boy everyone at Mirae Academy feared.
Suddenly—
The ringing of a tiny bicycle bell echoed through the garage.
A little boy, no older than seven, stopped in front of the entrance.
He looked close to tears.
“Mister Takoru…”
Takoru immediately looked up.
“My chain came off again.”
The little boy held up his old blue bicycle.
Its chain hung loosely beside the wheel.
“I tried fixing it…”
“…but I couldn’t.”
Takoru placed the wrench back on the table without hesitation.
“Bring it here.”
The little boy carefully pushed the bicycle toward him.
Takoru crouched beside it.
His hands, already covered in grease, gently lifted the chain back into place.
He spun the pedals once.
Twice.
The chain slipped again.
“Hm…”
Instead of getting annoyed, he quietly adjusted the rear wheel.
Another turn.
Another adjustment.
Within a minute…
The chain moved smoothly.
“There.”
“Try now.”
The little boy climbed onto the bicycle.
He pedaled once.
Then twice.
His face immediately lit up.
“It works!”
He jumped off the bicycle with an enormous smile.
“Thank you!”
Takoru simply nodded.
“No more riding through the mud.”
The boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“…I’ll try.”
The old mechanic laughed loudly.
“You say that every week.”
The little boy giggled before reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out a few crumpled coins.
“How much?”
Takoru looked at the tiny coins.
Then quietly closed the boy’s hand around them.
“Keep them.”
“…But—”
“You’ll need them for ice cream.”
The little boy blinked.
Then his entire face brightened.
“Really?”
Takoru nodded once.
“Go.”
“Thank you, Mister Takoru!”
The little boy waved enthusiastically before riding away as fast as his little bicycle could carry him.
Silence returned to the garage.
The old mechanic shook his head with a smile.
“You’ll never become rich like this.”
Takoru picked up another wrench.
“I wasn’t trying to.”
“You never are.”
The old man laughed again.
I stood frozen.
The image in front of me didn’t match the stories I’d heard.
The arrogant biker.
The feared gang leader.
The mysterious boy who ignored everyone.
None of those descriptions fit the person quietly repairing bicycles for children without asking for a single coin.
Who…
Was the real Takoru Ryuzaki?
Before I could think any further…
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Yuri Calling…
I flinched.
The sound echoed louder than I expected.
Takoru’s hand stopped moving.
Slowly…
He lifted his head.
Our eyes met.
For barely a second.
Shock flashed across my face.
Without thinking…
I stepped backward.
“I’m sorry…”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Then I turned around and hurried away from the garage.
I didn’t look back.
I couldn’t.
My heart pounded wildly inside my chest.
Not because I was afraid anymore.
But because…
For the first time…
The rumors surrounding Takoru Ryuzaki had begun to crack.
And behind those rumors…
I had caught a glimpse of someone completely different.
To Be Continued…
welcome to chapter 13!
Sometimes, the loudest rumors hide the quietest truths.
Not everyone who looks strong is unbreakable, and not everyone who stays silent has nothing to say.
Thank you for walking alongside Rubi and Takoru as they slowly discover that first impressions aren’t always the whole story.
See you in the next chapter!