Jin's POV
It's been three weeks since we fought the Phantom Six and Akami Army. In that time, we've all managed to recover—especially Ryu and Kev, who took the most damage. The bruises and cuts have faded, but the memories of that battle still linger in my mind.
We haven't heard much about what happened to Shiro Ryota after his fight with King. Briana told me that the battle was stopped because King suddenly arrived and put an end to it.
Honestly, I'm impressed that King was able to do that, even though I didn't witness it myself. The fact that his mere presence could stop a fight of that scale says a lot. I guess I should really avoid getting on his bad side.
Aside from that, Kise Goura and Atsushi Narumi have also joined our group. Actually, Kise joined on his own—he was the one who approached us. Narumi, on the other hand, was taken by force, just like what we did with the Maki brothers. It still feels strange having them around, but for now, we have bigger things to worry about.
Right now, I'm at the mall alone. Kev and Ryu had errands to run, Kai isn't answering her phone, Briana is busy, and the others are unavailable. I did leave them a message in case anyone wanted to join me. Sigh It's so boring to be alone. The noise of the mall, the chatter of strangers, and the flashing lights of various stores don't help much either.
As I was walking around, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered the call.
"What?"
["What?! What do you mean what?! Is that really how you answer the phone?! Do you even know how to respond properly, huh Jin?!"]
I immediately pulled my phone away from my ear—my sister's yelling nearly deafened me. Damn it! Will she ever learn to talk calmly?!
"What do you want?! Why are you yelling?!"
["You're so rude! You better watch out when I see you later!"]
"Just tell me what you need! Stop talking so much!"
["Where are you?! Pick me up at home! We're going to the mall!"]
"Fine, fine! Wait for me! Bye!"
["Hmph! Bye!"]
I sighed as I ended the call. Guess I have no choice but to drive back home and pick her up. Damn, she's so lazy when it comes to driving.
When I arrived, I saw my sister waiting by the door, already dressed and ready to go. She was wearing a simple casual outfit—a black shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers. Simple, but it suited her well. She had that confident look on her face, as if she knew she looked good.
"How do I look?" she asked, referring to her outfit.
"Stunning. Let's go," I said casually, motioning for her to follow me to the car.
She quickly got in, but of course, she didn't waste any time complaining.
"Why did you take so long?! Where were you?!" she whined.
"I was already at the mall when you called!" I snapped back as I opened the car door for her. "And why do you even want to go? What are you planning to do there?"
"Uhh... Nothing, really. I just wanted to go out. Besides, we're the only ones left at home, and you always leave me behind! I just want some bonding time with you, idiot!" She pouted before smacking me on the head.
"What the hell was that for?!" I glared at her, rubbing the spot where she hit me.
"Didn't I tell you to watch out?! That was your punishment!" she said smugly, adjusting her seatbelt.
"Yeah, right," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I started the car and drove toward the mall.
After a few moments of silence, she suddenly spoke up.
"How's school?"
"Good. I'm adjusting just fine," I answered, keeping my focus on the road. Tsk. As if I could tell her I've been getting into fights.
"Is that so?" She nodded, then smirked. "You know, you're so boring to talk to. No wonder you're still single."
I gave her an unamused glance. Damn. Was this personal now?
"As if you're any better. You're single too," I shot back in a bored tone. Tsk. She's acting high and mighty when she's in the same situation.
"Hey! Just so you know, Mr. Single, I have plenty of admirers! It's just that none of them meet my standards!" she huffed.
Tsk. As if! With her attitude? I highly doubt it. But if I say that out loud, she'll probably smack me again, so I just responded another way.
"If you say so."
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Whatever. Just drive faster. I want to check out the new clothing store that just opened."
I sighed but didn't argue. At this point, I knew better than to get into a pointless debate with her.
This was going to be a long day.
All throughout the ride, my sister and I talked about what's been happening in our lives. I told her about Kev and the others, but of course, I left out the fights—I didn't want to get scolded again.
As soon as we arrived at the mall, she immediately dragged me to Jollibee, saying she hadn't eaten lunch and was starving. I insisted we eat somewhere else since the place was crowded, and people kept glancing at her, but she refused. She wanted Jollibee, so Jollibee it was. No room for arguments.
After eating, we headed to the arcade to kill time. She said she wanted to bond with me, so I played along and enjoyed this rare moment of her being nice. Of course, I crushed her in every game we played, and she got annoyed that I didn't let her win at least once in Tekken.
Annoyed, she decided to go shopping next. She tried on different outfits, and whenever she liked something, she bought it immediately—without even checking the price! She was obviously taking advantage of the fact that I was paying. Sigh Goodbye, allowance.
Once we were done shopping, we decided to head home since there was nothing else to do. We walked out of the mall and made our way to the parking lot, but just before we reached the car, she suddenly stopped and turned to me.
"You go ahead to the car, Jin. I just need to buy something real quick," she said before running back inside.
I leaned against the car, waiting for her, when I noticed a man staring directly at me. He didn't look away, and as he walked closer, I felt a strange sense of unease. His presence... it reminded me of Shiro Ryota.
"So, you're the one Shiro was talking about, huh?" he said with a serious expression before grabbing me by the collar.
I retaliated instantly, grabbing his collar and pulling him close, ready for a fight.
"Who the fuck are you?" I asked, my voice laced with hostility.
He smirked. "I'm the co-leader of Phantom Six, Ken Nobunaga."
Tss. Another one of them, huh? He stepped back slightly, getting into a fighting stance. Looks like I was in for another fight.
I prepared myself, knowing full well he wouldn't be an easy opponent. I watched his movements, waiting for him to make the first move. As soon as he lunged forward, I moved to counter—
"Jin! What the hell is going on here?!"
We both froze in our tracks, turning toward my sister, who was standing a few feet away, arms crossed and glaring at us.
"Are you seriously about to start a fight? What do you two think you're doing?! And you! Who the hell are you?!" she demanded, her voice loud enough to make both me and Nobunaga flinch.
I quickly thought of an excuse. "Calm down, Sis! No fights happening! I know this guy! He goes to my school!"
I shot Nobunaga a look, silently telling him to play along if he didn't want to get smacked.
"Ah... Yeah! Hahaha! Jin's my buddy! We're friends!" Nobunaga awkwardly added.
My sister eyed us suspiciously before finally nodding. "Fine. But don't you dare start anything stupid, Jin."
She then turned to me. "I have somewhere to go, so I'll just commute home. You take care of your little dog over there."
Pfft. She just called him a dog. I held back a laugh while Nobunaga looked offended.
As soon as she left, Nobunaga turned to me. "So, should we continue?"
Damn, I almost forgot about him. Tsk. Looks like I really had no choice.
"Let's finish this."
I rushed at him, throwing a punch, but he dodged effortlessly. Then, to my complete shock, he suddenly dropped to his knees and grabbed my leg.
"Jin! Introduce me to your sister!" he shouted dramatically.
What the fuck?!
"Are you insane?! Get off me, Nobunaga, or I'll kick you in the face!!"
He immediately stood up but still looked serious. "No, really! This must be love at first sight! Jin, help me!"
I stared at him, dumbfounded. This guy had completely lost his mind.
"Idiot!" I snapped before attempting to punch him again, but he dodged easily. "Fight me seriously, you bastard!!"
"I can't, Jin! What if your sister gets mad at me?! And what if you refuse to introduce me?!" he whined.
I sighed in frustration. This guy was impossible. There was no point in fighting him if he wasn't even taking this seriously.
"Whatever. Do what you want." I turned away, heading back to my car, when my phone vibrated. It was a text from Kai, saying she was also at the parking lot.
I stepped out of the car, scanning the area until I spotted her walking toward me.
"What now, Jin? Are you finally willing to set me up with your sister?" Nobunaga's annoying voice rang in my ears again.
"Shut up, Nobunaga! You're getting on my nerves."
Before I could say anything else, Kai finally reached us. But the moment she saw Nobunaga, her expression changed to shock.
"Ken?! What the heck are you doing here?!"
"Yo, Yuzu! Hahaha! Don't worry, I'm not here to pick a fight!" Nobunaga grinned.
Kai doesn't seem convinced, so I decided to intervene. "Relax, Kai. He's not looking for a fight."
She narrowed her eyes before sighing. "If you say so. Then what are you doing here?"
"I just saw Jin and decided to say hi," Nobunaga answered casually still wearing hi casual smile.
As we talked, a group of eight men suddenly appeared, surrounding us. Both Kai and Nobunaga tensed up, clearly on guard.
"Who the hell are you?" Nobunaga asked, his tone sharp.
The men didn't answer. Instead, they charged at us without warning. I barely had time to react as a fist came flying towards my face. I ducked, countering with a swift punch to the attacker's stomach, making him stagger backward.
Kai, always fast on her feet, dodged an incoming strike and delivered a clean kick to one guy's chest, sending him crashing into another. Nobunaga, on the other hand, was laughing—actually laughing—as he weaved through attacks effortlessly, throwing counterpunches that landed with brutal force.
One of the thugs swung a metal pipe at me. I sidestepped at the last second, grabbing his arm and twisting it, forcing him to drop the weapon. I followed up with a knee to his ribs, and he collapsed, groaning in pain.
"Damn, they're persistent," Kai muttered, landing another punch.
Another guy lunged at me, but before he could get close, Nobunaga grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the pavement like he was weightless. Damn, this guy is strong.
The fight didn't last long. Within minutes, all eight men were sprawled across the ground, groaning in pain. We stood over them, catching our breath.
"Anyone wanna explain what the hell just happened?" I asked, glancing at Kai and Nobunaga.
Kai shook her head. "Never seen them before."
Nobunaga smirked but didn't answer. Suspicious.
I exhaled sharply. "Tsk. Let's get out of here."
As we walked away, I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time we'd run into trouble.
______________________________________
Ken's pov
After our engagement with these people, my phone suddenly rang. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, answering the call without hesitation.
["How's the mission?"] The voice on the other end was cold, calculated—Shiro Ryota.
I exhaled deeply before replying. "Sorry, Shiro. I failed."
A moment of silence passed before he responded.
["Is that so? Alright, execute Plan 3."]
I expected this. Failure isn't tolerated in Phantom Six, and I had just made a critical mistake.
"Understood."
["Starting today... you're not part of Phantom Six... and you are not the co-leader anymore."]
I knew this was coming, yet hearing it still sent a strange feeling through my chest. The organization I had been a part of for so long—the one I fought for, bled for—was now cutting me off just like that. No second chances, no hesitation.
I smirked to myself. "As you wish. But before that... I have some important news for you."
There was a pause on the other end, as if Shiro was weighing whether my information was worth listening to. ["Speak."]
I glanced at the bodies of the men scattered around me, the ones who had attacked us. Jin, Kai, and I had taken them down with ease, but something about them didn't sit right with me. They weren't just random thugs—they were coordinated, disciplined, and too skilled to be ordinary street punks.
"The ones who attacked us just now... they're from any gang I recognize... a long long time ago," I said. "They moved differently. Trained. Organized. This wasn't just some random ambush—it was planned. They're watching again, Shiro... very closely."
Shiro didn't respond right away, but I could hear him breathing on the other end, thinking. ["Are you certain?"]
"Yes. And another thing... they weren't after just me. They were after Jin, too."
That seemed to catch his attention. ["Jin Yagami, huh."]
"Yeah. If I had to guess, I'd say someone wants him out of the picture. Someone powerful."
["Interesting."]
There was another pause before he finally spoke again. ["This doesn't change the fact that you failed your mission, Ken. You're out."]
I chuckled. "Yeah, I figured as much. But you should know... if Phantom Six is in danger, I won't just stand by. I may not be your co-leader anymore, but I don't intend to sit in the sidelines while someone tries to outplay us."
Shiro sighed. ["Do whatever you want. You're no longer my concern."]
The call ended with a click.
I stared at my phone for a few seconds before slipping it back into my pocket. The weight of the conversation settled in. I was alone now—no rank, no crew, no purpose. Just me, my instincts, and whatever the hell I was about to do next.
I turned my head toward the mall where Jin had disappeared with Kai.
I smirked.
"Well then, guess I'll be sticking around for a while."