For a moment, the courtyard was silent.
Vincent stood alone, hands in his pockets, facing five delinquents who desperately wanted the world to forget how badly Akira had beaten them weeks earlier.
The morning sun cut through the clouds, turning the courtyard into a stage.
Students crowded the upper hallways.
Phones came out.
Whispers swelled.
Akira watched from the second floor, Nikki leaning on the railing beside him, Kenji half-smirking as if he'd been waiting for something like this to happen.
Vincent didn't look up at them, but Akira knew he was aware.
He always was.
Five vs One
The biggest delinquent swung first.
A wide, telegraphed punch — sloppy, desperate.
Vincent stepped aside like he was avoiding a falling leaf. His hand snapped forward once, twice—
Crack.
The boy staggered, clutching his jaw.
Another rushed from behind.
Vincent ducked, pivoted, and let him stumble past.
He didn't fight like Kenji — loud and explosive.
He didn't fight like Akira — sharp and deliberate.
Vincent fought like a blueprint come to life.
Cold.
Measured.
Perfectly efficient.
But numbers were numbers, and the remaining four circled him with growing fury.
"Still wanna act cool, transfer?" one spat.
Vincent lifted his chin. "That depends. Is this the part where you finally land a hit?"
The boy roared and charged—
—but something hit the ground between them with a heavy THUD.
A backpack.
Kenji dropped down from the second-floor railing, landing hard enough to crack the pavement. He rolled his shoulder, grinning.
"You guys starting without me?"
The courtyard erupted in cheers.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "You didn't have to jump."
"I didn't," Kenji said. "I wanted to."
The Fight Begins
One delinquent grabbed a pipe.
Another pulled brass knuckles.
Two came at Kenji at once, yelling.
Akira started walking toward the stairs.
Nikki grabbed his sleeve. "You going in or just brooding dramatically?"
He didn't look at her. "Going."
She smiled. "Good. I'll film your good angles."
Kenji's storm
Two came at Kenji — he headbutted one and kicked the other in the stomach so hard the boy folded in half. Kenji fought like a wildfire: uncontrollable, laughing, reckless.
"You guys hit like wet paper!" he yelled.
"Kenji," Vincent said, dodging another swing, "focus."
"I am focused!"
"No," Vincent muttered, "you're enjoying this."
Kenji grinned wider. "Same thing!"
Nikki's strike
One delinquent lunged at Vincent with a pipe.
He was fast — but Nikki was faster.
She swung her bag by the strap like a meteor and cracked the boy across the temple. He dropped instantly.
Nikki blew hair out of her face.
"That one's for interrupting my morning."
Vincent stared. "You really just—"
"Do you want help or a commentary track?" Nikki said.
Vincent shut up.
Akira steps into the ring
The last delinquent — Toru — the same who had confronted Akira in the back lot days earlier, stepped forward with a sneer.
"You're the reason this school's falling apart," Toru hissed. "Transfers like you bring the chaos."
Akira adjusted his sleeve.
"No," he said quietly. "People like you create it."
Toru swung.
Akira didn't dodge.
He stepped in.
Close enough to control the momentum.
A shoulder slam —
a twist —
a sharp strike to the ribs —
Toru hit the ground before he realized the fight had even begun.
Phones recorded everything.
Silence followed.
Akira looked down at him with a calm expression.
"Don't start something you can't finish."
Four Shadows
Vincent dusted off his sleeves. Kenji sat on the ground laughing. Nikki scrolled through her phone, checking which clips looked best.
Akira looked at the three of them — really looked — as the students whispered around them.
Not a team.
Not friends.
But something had happened here.
Something that couldn't be undone.
Vincent finally spoke, voice low.
"Next time you walk into a fight alone," he said to Akira, "tell us first."
Akira blinked. "Since when do I answer to you?"
"You don't," Vincent said. "But I'm not watching your back from the sidelines again."
Kenji stood and cracked his knuckles. "Same. I like punching things, but I like punching things with people I don't hate even more."
Nikki slung an arm around both boys. "Aww. Look at you guys. Friendship is gross."
Akira exhaled, almost a laugh.
Almost.
The Whisper That Changes Everything
As they walked back toward the building, students parted around them like they were wading through water.
Whispers followed their footsteps:
"Those four…"
"They're like a crew."
"Yokosaki's never had anything like that."
"If they stay together…"
Akira heard all of it.
And for the first time since arriving, he didn't reject the idea.
He didn't embrace it, either.
But he didn't walk away from them.
Not this time.