Every day, every month and every years it was the same.
Benji walked past the crowded street with his hands in his pockets, eyes lowered slightly as morning light stretched across the pavement on his way to school .
Students his age—who are just turn twelve—stood in long lines outside a massive glass building downtown.
The Official Fighting Corporation.
The OFC.
A towering structure of steel and reflective glass, holographic banners floating above its entrance.
Fighter Registration – Now Open.
Twelve-year-old and older were allow to register.
Happiness and Excited voices filled the air some people were giggling and filled with the hope.e
"I hope I get accepted!"
And for someone it is for pride
"If I become a legal Fighter, my family's going to freak out!"
A girl nearby stretched confidently, cracking her knuckles.
"I'm joining a club. I'll become Champion one day." she announce confidently
And many more people like this
They were excited.
Their eyes were bright and beautiful
Full of hope and a desire to be a fighter.
Benji watched quietly from across the street.
And he was thinking once all of these bullies are gone he would be finally living in peace.
The ones who passed. Normally, starts his journey travelling town to town or regions to regions to become strong.
Maybe…
Maybe things would get better for me.
Benji allowed himself the smallest smile with a hope that.
Then he turned and walked toward school.
The moment Benji stepped through the school gates, something felt wrong.
The air was heavier.
Students weren't chatting normally.
They were whispering.
"Did you see them?"
"Yeah… their new uniforms."
The crowd was talking about something in their whispers .
Benji frowned and moved through the crowd.
And then he saw them.
Black jackets.
Sharp-cut with shine
Matching cloth.
On the back—an aggressive yellow wolf emblem.
Ryo and his team was wearing a same uniform with a title
"Ryo Squad."
Ryo stood at the center, hands in his pockets, chin slightly raised. The jacket fit him perfectly, like he had been waiting his whole life to wear it.
Benji's breath caught.
"A… a club? That can't be " he muttered under his breath.
"It's illegal," someone whispered nearby. "You're not allowed to form a club and occupy any public property " someone said to other.
"But who's going to stop him? "A girl said
Ryo's eyes shifted.
They directly landed on Benji.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Oh look," Ryo called out. "The trash arrived."
Benji instinctively stepped back.
"No, No ,No ,No, this wasn't how it was supposed to happened. They were supposed to leave." He said in a fearful voice
The hallway buzzed with admiration and their aura was dominating
"Ryo, your club is insane!" they said
"We're going to rule this school!"
Ryo smirked lazily. "Of course we are. No teacher here has dare to stop us. "
Some girls nearby giggled.
"He looks so cool in that jacket…"
Benji stood frozen and he was thinking he was in extreme shock that the person who was supposed to leave and by then he would be happy but he isn't going to leave now.
There was a fear on the face of Benji
He was scared like a dog when he first time saw the Ryo .
"Why… didn't they leave?"
"Why were they still here? Why ?"
Ryo walked toward him slowly and hand in his pocket
"You look disappointed," he said lightly. "Miss us?"
He flicked Benji's forehead hard.
Pain shot through his skull.
"Get used to it," Ryo said, leaning closer. "Your bad days just started." he said with smile
Laughter echoed down the hallway.
Benji in shock stood there long for a long time after they walked away.
"…I'm trapped." Benji said
The first week passed.
Ryo pushed him down the stairs in the afternoon.
"Watch your step"
Benji hit the floor hard. No one helped him up.
The second week.
Cold water poured over his head in the locker room.
"Bath time!, you trashy"
He shivered, soaked and humiliated, while laughter bounced off the tiles.
The third week.
Ugly caricatures of his face covered the blackboard before class.
"This one looks just like him!"
Even some girls joined in.
The fourth week.
Ryo pressed his foot against Benji's back while he lay on the classroom floor.
"Say it."
Benji's fingers curled weakly against the tiles.
"…I'm trash."
"Good."
Every day, it continued.
And every day, something inside him cracked a little more and it was getting overwhelming
One evening, Benji stood alone on the school rooftop.
The sky was burning orange again.
The same sky.
The same world.
But it felt smaller now like a rat surrounded by cats.
"Why…?" he whispered.
His voice trembled.
"Why me?"
His fist struck the wall.
Weak.
Again and Again
Thud.
Again.
Thud.
It barely hurt the concrete.
But his knuckles stung.
"I can't… " he muttered under his breath. "I can't keep living like this…"
The wind didn't answer.
Next day
Again as usual at the time of lunch break Ryo was trying bully Benji.
But today
A circle formed on the school ground.
Students stood shoulder to shoulder, whispering nervously.
Benji was in the center.
Ryo grabbed his collar.
"Huh, Stand still you trash"
The punch came fast.
His vision flashed white.
He hit the ground.
A kick drove into his ribs and little bit blood start coming from his nose.
"You're still so weak."
Someone in the crowd muttered, "This is too much…"
But no one stepped forward.
Benji's body trembled as he tried to breathe.
Blood touched his lip.
"It's… over…" he whispered.
He could just stay down.
It would stop.
Slowly—
He pushed himself up.
"What—?" someone gasped. "He's standing?"
Benji's legs shook violently.
He swung.
His fist barely tapped Ryo's shoulder.
Silence.
"…That's it?" Ryo asked flatly.
Benji swayed, gasping.
"I… I won't… fall…"
For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes.
Not strength.
Not skill.
But refusal of all this stupidity
Ryo's expression hardened.
A knee slammed into Benji's stomach.
Air left him again.
An elbow struck his face.
He collapsed, crawling against the dirt.
"Stay down!" Ryo barked.
Benji tried to push up again.
"No…"
"He… he won't give up…" someone whispered.
Ryo lifted his leg—
And then—
"…What is going on here?"
The voice was calm.
Clear.
But it cut through the noise like a blade.
The crowd shifted.
A boy with blue hairs stood at the edge of the circle.
Tall.
Composed.
Sharp eyes that didn't waver.
He stepped forward slowly.
The air changed.
Even Ryo paused.
The boy's gaze moved from Ryo… to Benji… lying in the dirt.
And then his voice rose, firm and commanding.
"That's enough."
Silence swallowed the schoolyard.