"You've been absent-minded all day today."
After school, Hina Ebina looked at Yumiko Miura with an expression full of exasperation.
Yumiko Miura had been in a bad state all day—clearly, the discussions among her classmates about Shin had been weighing on her mind.
In the past, Shin had always been popular with girls, but the quality of the girls who confessed to him back then had been rather average. Yumiko Miura hadn't considered any of them real rivals.
But now, things were different. First, it seemed Shin had some connection with a girl from Shuchi'in Academy, and now he was involved with Utaha and Eriri.
The number of high-quality competitors was increasing, yet Yumiko Miura still hadn't mustered the courage to make a move. This worried Hina Ebina deeply. "Yuigahama, you should say something to her too."
With that, Ebina turned to Yui Yuigahama, hoping she could also chime in and snap Yumiko Miura out of her daze.
After all, this was a matter of romance—something they wouldn't discuss when chatting with the boys. At this point, the only ones who could really get through to Yumiko Miura were Hina Ebina and Yui Yuigahama.
But when Ebina looked at Yuigahama, she found her staring blankly at the seats in the back of the classroom, as if she hadn't heard a word.
Following Yuigahama's gaze, Ebina realized—she was looking straight at Shin's seat.
A sudden, unsettling thought crossed Ebina's mind.
"Yuigahama...?"
"Huh...? Wh-what's going on?"
Yuigahama snapped out of her daze, turning back with a confused expression—her usual airheaded demeanor intact.
Seeing that Yuigahama seemed no different from usual, Ebina let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Did I just imagine it...?"
For a moment, she had feared that Yuigahama might have developed unnecessary feelings for Shin too. If that were the case... wouldn't she and Yumiko Miura become love rivals?
Romantic conflicts within small friend groups often led to fractures, and Ebina really didn't want to see that happen.
"Yuigahama's expression just now... was probably just my imagination, right?"
Even though Yuigahama seemed normal, Ebina couldn't shake the memory of her staring at Shin's seat in a trance.
She could only hope she was overthinking it.
---
After school, Shin left campus and headed to Shimokitazawa alone.
Though he had promised Ikuyo Kita that he'd come to watch Kessoku Band's performance, there was still plenty of time between the end of school and their live show.
He decided to use this time to handle the request from the Kiryu Group.
With the support of the Shinomiya family and the help of Stand users in handling certain matters for them, the Kiryu Group and the Shinomiya family had formed a mutually beneficial relationship.
Normally, the Kiryu Group could either resolve issues through their own strength or rely on the Shinomiya family's influence.
Because of this, it had been a while since Shin had received any direct requests from them. However, Kiryu still sent him nightly updates on the group's developments.
Most of the messages were along the lines of "Clashed with XX group today" or "Took over a new territory," so Shin hadn't paid them much attention.
Given the Kiryu Group's current reach, they had already expanded far beyond their original territory, even making inroads into Tokyo's underworld.
But perhaps because this small bar in Shimokitazawa was where he had first met Shin, Kiryu had kept it as a designated meeting place for important discussions.
Pushing open the bar's door, Shin stepped inside—only to find the place packed with rows upon rows of people.
The bar was closed for the night, meaning every single person inside was a member of the Kiryu Group.
And not just any members—Shin could sense it. Every one of them carried "Blackbird·Lover" within their minds.
"Lord Shin!!!"
The moment they saw him, everyone in the bar bowed deeply, their voices filled with reverence.
Every single one of them was a Stand user. Most had been nobodies before gaining their abilities, and their lives had completely changed because of it.
Even without "Blackbird·Lover" influencing them, they were deeply grateful to Shin for giving them this opportunity.
Despite being part of a violent organization, Japanese yakuza had an oddly strong sense of "loyalty"—this kind of behavior wasn't unusual for them.
Shin gave them a brief nod before scanning the room.
"Where's Kiryu?"
"Boss Kiryu is on a call in the back! I'll go get him!"
One of the underlings quickly answered before rushing off to a private booth.
Soon, Kiryu emerged, bowing as well.
"Lord Shin! My apologies—I was on a call with the Shinomiya family and couldn't greet you immediately."
"Enough with the bowing already."
Shin sighed in mild annoyance. The constant bowing was starting to feel excessive.
It had been amusing at first, but now it was just tiresome.
"So, what's the issue that neither you nor the Shiomi'in family could handle?"
"Well... we've run into some trouble in Tokyo."
Getting straight to the point, Kiryu explained.
"While expanding into Tokyo, we encountered resistance from the 'Ryuju Group.' Even the Shinomiya family couldn't do much about it for now."
"The Ryuju Group, huh..."
Shin rubbed his chin—the name felt oddly familiar.
After all, the first world he had ever entered was Dragon Ball.
But he did have some recollection of this Ryuju Group—wasn't the daughter of its leader also a student at Shuchi'in Academy?
If he remembered right, her name was Momo Ryuju. And in the original story, she had been the one to push Miyuki Shirogane to run for student council president.
But from what Shin had gathered in conversations with Shinomiya Kaguya, she was the student council president in this world—meaning Miyuki Shirogane hadn't joined the council.
Perhaps, in this world, Momo Ryuju had never crossed paths with Miyuki Shirogane at all?
Come to think of it, Shin hadn't seen some of the original male protagonists at school either—maybe Miyuki Shirogane wasn't even at Shuchi'in in this timeline.
The Ryuju Group was indeed a powerful syndicate, with influence stretching far beyond the underworld. The fact that Momo Ryuju could openly attend Shuchi'in Academy spoke volumes about their reach.
While the Shinomiya family's influence undoubtedly surpassed the Ryuju Group's, directly interfering in their conflict with the Kiryu Group wasn't so simple.
That said, the Kiryu Group did have Stand users.
If they couldn't win openly, they could always resort to underhanded tactics—so why hadn't they been able to overcome the Ryuju Group's resistance?
(End of Chapter)
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