As I continued my descent, my instincts suddenly flared.
I stopped.
My expression remained lazy, unchanged, but the air around me felt electrified—as if something invisible had tightened around my body.
I took a deep breath, then slowly let it out before speaking aloud.
"Seriously… why are so many dudes surrounding me?" I muttered. "What are you guys—gay? I really hope not."
After my words fell into the air, silence followed.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
Footsteps.
They came from every direction, growing louder as they moved closer, tightening the circle around me.
One by one, figures emerged from the shadows.
They were young—teenagers like me. But instead of wearing a normal high school uniform, they wore something different. The opposite.
The moment I saw their clothing, I knew exactly where they were from.
Their uniforms were unmistakable. Masks covered their faces—some hid the lower half, others the upper—but their intent was obvious. If they were trying to look intimidating, they were doing a decent job.
Just not against me.
Compared to someone who had fought real gang members in his past life—people I would've defeated if I hadn't been destructed—this display meant nothing.
I let out a small chuckle.
"Heh… students of Iruka High?" I said calmly, a faint smile spreading across my face. "How interesting."
The Iruka High students didn't react at all.
After all, they weren't even trying to hide where they came from. Their uniforms were clearly visible. The only strange part was the masks. I didn't really know why they bothered covering their faces, though I could guess. Either way, it didn't matter.
"So quiet," I continued lazily. "No one's going to answer me? Huh gay's?"
I glanced around at them, my tone unchanged.
"Even after I made it clear I'm not interested at all."
I sighed exaggeratedly. "What is it? Are you guys really gay?"
A pause.
"Ugh. I never thought I'd meet a whole group of gay's," I added.
Craaack!
That sound echoed sharply through the air.
I didn't know exactly what caused it—maybe someone clenched their teeth too hard, or maybe it was their anger, or their patience finally starting to crack.
Either way, I smiled.
Good. They were finally reacting the way I wanted.
Then I heard a voice.
A familiar one.
I hadn't known the owner of that voice for very long, but I recognized it instantly. After all, it was the same voice that had been shouting at me earlier in class.
"Wait aren't you...Ryuen? So this is all your doing?" I said, fanning shock dramatically.
"Wait—are you perhaps truly gay? Damn, never saw you as the type!"
The person I called Ryuen was, as I mentioned earlier, is one of my classmates—his the guy with green hair. He was cracking his knuckles threateningly at me, the sound sharp and deliberate back then.
Ryuen stepped out from behind one of the guys and moved to the front, a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Yo, Shi-do Urazaki," he said casually. "Hope your day's been going well?"
"Oh, my day?" I tilted my head. "That depends on your answer. It might continue going well… or," I added, my tone growing a little too excited, "really well in my eyes."
"Well," Ryuen replied calmly, giving a lazy shrug, "your day's about to be ruined for a long while. Especially your face."
Impressed whistle.
"Wooow," I said. "That's a lot of spite for a guy you just met today. Did I do something to wrong you somehow?"
I asked jokingly, my expression relaxed—almost amused.
"I'll be straight to the point, Shido," Ryuen said. "Since you showed up at this school today, the girls have been acting ridiculously crazy over you. You've already been placed in the top ten most handsome guys in the entire school."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"That alone pisses me off. But that's not the only reason I'm here to beat you up. You see, my boss—who's relaxing comfortably in our class—noticed you. And because you made his girl fall for you, she's become obsessed."
Ryuen's eyes narrowed.
"Our boss isn't happy about that. So don't take it personally… even though I'm going to enjoy ruining that pretty-boy face of yours."
I was taken aback not by Ryuen's reasoning but by the part of me already being added to the ten most handsome guy's of the high school. So fast, within a single day? That's surprising.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Ryuen lifted a hand and casually signaled his lackeys.
I slightly shifted my stance, preparing myself.
While Ryuen was talking, I had already been counting. Twenty people. Twenty lackeys.
No problem.
The real question was whether they planned to use their abilities.
I almost laughed at that thought.
Of course they were going to use them. This world revolved around abilities—it would've been stupid to expect anything else.
Just as the distance between me and the lackeys closed and the clash was about to begin—
Stomp!
A heavy foot slammed into the ground.
Everyone froze.
All attention snapped toward the source of the sound.
A girl stepped forward with a striking appearance stood before us, her skin a deep, sun-kissed brown that contrasted sharply with her vivid purple eyes.
Her long black hair, streaked with white highlights, framed a face set in a confident, almost challenging expression.
She wore a cropped, navy blue school jacket with gleaming gold buttons, revealing a toned midriff and defined abdominal muscles. A long, matching skirt flowed down to her shins, paired with black tights and bright yellow high-top sneakers that added a splash of urban flair to the traditional uniform.
Her posture alone told one thing clearly:
She was not someone to underestimate.
The brown-skinned girl folded her arms across her small chest and stared Ryuen and his lackeys down without a hint of hesitation.
"Huh i knew it! You guys again?" the girl said flatly. "And this time you're surrounding a defenseless pretty boy?"
She shook her head, clicking her tongue in disappointment.
"How low can you guys actually stoop?"
Her tone shifted—not angry, but firm. The kind of voice a teacher used when scolding students who should've known better.
"You really don't get tired of pulling this kind of crap, do you?"
Ryuen's expression twisted the moment she spoke. The smugness didn't fade—it sharpened.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue and took a step forward, cracking his neck to the side. "You really like sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, huh?"
He pointed a thumb back at himself, voice rising just enough to carry.
"You shouldn't be getting in our way—" His eyes narrowed. "—Sakura."
The name rippled through the group like a stone thrown into water.
Several of the masked Iruka students stiffened. A few exchanged uneasy glances. One or two even took half a step back without realizing it.
"So it's her…" one of them muttered under his breath.
Ryuen noticed the reaction and scoffed.
"What, getting scared now? Don't make me laugh."
He turned back to her, irritation written plainly across his face. "You're always like this. Always showing up. Always playing hero."
Sakura didn't move. Her arms remained folded, her vivid purple eyes calm—yet cold.
"Because you're always doing the same thing," she replied evenly. "Ganging up on people you don't like. People your boss doesn't like."
Her gaze briefly swept over the masked students surrounding them.
"Someone unpopular. Someone weaker. Or someone strong enough to threaten you."
Ryuen's jaw clenched.
"You don't know shit," he snapped. "This doesn't concern Azura High. Go back to playing justice somewhere else."
Sakura's POV:
This wasn't the first time Ryuen and his gang had beaten or bullied people for the stupidest reasons. And this pretty boy wouldn't have been the last—if I hadn't shown up.
A few minutes earlier…
I was walking down the mountain path as usually planning to head home, hands tucked into my jacket pockets, when I noticed a boy ahead of me. His appearance immediately drew my attention.
Short silver hair caught the sunlight, reflecting it with a soft, lunar glow. He walked with a lazy posture, yet his steps were calm and unhurried.
At the time, I thought: Huh. Pretty good-looking.
That was it. Nothing more.
Beyond his appearance, I didn't sense anything extraordinary about him—no Battle-Spirit, no Aura.
But just as I was about to turn left at the upcoming corner, I noticed movement.
Not the pretty boys.
But shadows slipping between buildings.
Footsteps that didn't match the pretty boys pace—too quiet, too coordinated.
My eyes narrowed.
"…Iruka students again."
I recognized the pattern instantly. I'd stopped them before. Too many times.
And now they were doing it again.
Back to the Present
I looked at the pretty boy again—this time more carefully.
He looks like the usual type, I thought.
Someone who relies entirely on his ability. Probably doesn't know how to fight properly. No martial arts training at all.
Then I sighed inwardly.
But damn… I've got to admit it.
He's beyond good-looking. He's smoking hot.
From up close, I could guess his type perfectly.
Strong ability.
Weak body.
That was how most people were.
And if that was the case—
Leaving him alone with Ryuen's group wasn't an option.
I exhaled slowly and straightened, finally unfolding my arms from beneath my chest.
"I'm not leaving," I said.
"And if you want to keep doing this," my voice hardened, "you'll have to go through me as usual."
I lifted my chin slightly.
"I'm a proud Azura High student. I don't look away from injustice."