The train screeched into East Aoyama Station, brakes whining like they regretted being alive. The doors slid open with a metallic sigh, and out stepped a tall, stone-faced boy with black windswept hair and a face that said, "I want to go home already."
Kaito Ren: sixteen years old, transfer student, and reluctant future problem magnet.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked through the crowd. People instinctively moved aside. Kaito wasn't doing anything-no glaring, no flexing, no aura leaking-but something about him just gave off the vibe: If you start with me, you'll regret being born.
His reputation followed him even here, despite being brand new. When you were involved in a certain "incident" at your last school, rumors traveled fast. An entire rooftop full of delinquents hospitalized? Headmaster fainting? Windows shattered from shockwaves?
Well… technically not his fault.
Technically.
Kaito stepped onto the Aoyama High campus and paused at the gate. The school looked normal—students laughing, couples flirting, teachers yelling about uniforms. But he felt it instantly.
That pressure.
That familiar violent taste in the air.
Gangs.
A lot of them.
".Again?" Kaito muttered. "Is it impossible to attend a normal school?"
He walked to the shoe lockers. Instantly, a loud voice exploded from behind him.
"YO! New guy! You the transfer?
It belonged to a messy-haired teenager who wore the expression of a golden retriever that had accidentally snorted sugar.
"Name's Riku Tanabe!" he said proudly, slapping Kaito's back. "I heard you're strong!"
Kaito blinked. "Who told you that?"
"EVERYBODY!"
"Why?"
"No idea! But it's cool!"
Kaito just stared at him. Riku grinned like an idiot. Somehow, it was hard to hate him.
They exchanged shoes and began walking to class when Riku leaned over and whispered, "Okay, heads up—the school is basically gang HQ. And off campus, it's crew-controlled streets. The biggest crew is called the Thunder Serpents. If they talk to you… just play dead.
Kaito shrugged. "Not my business."
He opened his classroom door.
Instant silence.
Dozens of eyes locked onto him. A few girls whispered. A couple of guys stiffened. One dude dropped his pen.
Kaito walked in and sat at the last window seat. Classic protagonist placement. He hated it already.
Homeroom went off without a hitch—until break.
He saw three tall students block his desk. Hair bright yellow from dye, clothes disheveled, eyes sharp.
"Yo, transfer," said the biggest one. "We heard you got hands."
Kaito sighed. "No".
"No what?"
"No, I'm not interested."
"In what?
"In whatever stupidity you're about to drag me into."
The guys' faces twitched.
"We're from the Serpent Juniors," the leader growled. "We test every new guy. You pass, you get respect. You fail—
Kaito stood up.
The boys froze.
He wasn't threatening in any way. He was just standing. Yet his presence struck like a cold wave.
And then—
WHOOOM.
A faint blue swirl shimmered around him for half a second. His Tempest Aura—the instinctive semi-fantasy combat force inside him—reacted to danger.
Not fully awakened.
Just a warning.
But three idiots felt it, their legs buckled.
Kaito spoke quietly.
"I'm tired. You guys can leave."
The leader clenched his teeth. "Oh yeah? You think you can just—"
He raised his fist.
Big mistake.
Kaito moved hardly at all. A step, a shift, the tap of his knuckles.
THUD.
The leader's face met the floor.
His two companions attacked together. Kaito dodged lazily, like swatting at flies, and flicked their foreheads.
BAM. BAM.
Both collapsed, holding their skulls in agony.
Riku sprinted across the room.
"BRO WHAT DID YOU DO!? IT'S FIRST DAY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LAY LOW!"
"I tried," Kaito said.
It was true.
He really did.
Riku stared at the three groaning delinquents, then back at Kaito's expressionless face.
"…Okay, damn. You're terrifying. I like that."
The class watched in stunned silence.
Throat-clearing came from someone at the door.
Kaito turned.
A tall boy stood there, hands in pockets, sharp eyes, expression calm and unreadable.
Jin Kurosawa.
Leader of the Stray Dogs, the second largest gang in the district.
He peered at the knocked-out guys and then at Kaito.
"So you're the new problem child."
"I'm not a problem," Kaito instantly replied.
Jin smirked. "Could've fooled me."
He stepped inside, stopping right in front of Kaito's desk.
"You're strong. Strong enough that even Raiden Koga might come looking for you."
Riku loudly whispered, "Kaito, that's BAD. Raiden is like. the final boss of Chapter 20 type guy."
Jin ignored him.
"I'm recruiting you," he said. "Join the Stray Dogs."
"No," Kaito said.
Jin blinked. "You didn't even think about it."
"I don't want noise."
Jin stared at him for a long second.
Then smiled a little.
"You'll join eventually."
"No."
"We'll see."
He turned and casually walked out.
Riku fell to the ground, clutching his head.
"KAITO, HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU BE SO COOL AND YET SO STUPID AT THE SAME TIME—!? Jin's gonna drag you into EVERYTHING!"
Kaito looked at the window.
The wind outside was tranquil.
".I just wanted a quiet school life," he muttered.
The universe laughed.
Because standing outside the school gate…
Sitting against the wall, leaning, like he owned the whole city.
Tall, deadly-looking boy with tattoos of lightning on his arms. Raiden Koga. He grinned like a wolf. "So that's the punk with the wind aura…" Trouble had arrived. And Kaito hadn't even finished his first day.