Jin's POV
Damn it. Seriously? Of all times, my parents decide to transfer me now, in my fourth year? Tsk. What a pain in the ass.
As I walked, I felt my phone vibrate inside my pocket. I fished it out and answered the call.
"What?" I greeted lazily.
"What?!" A loud voice erupted from the other end. "What do you mean 'What'?! Have you lost your damn mind, Jin?! That's how you answer your older sister?!"
I instantly pulled the phone away from my ear. Damn, that was loud.
"What the hell?! Do you really have to yell?" I snapped, annoyed.
"Hey! Hey hey hey you stupid idiot! Let me remind you, Mister Jin Yagami, that you're talking to your big sister! Where the hell are your manners?! Tsk! So rude!"
Tsk. Here we go again. "Just get to the point already. Why'd you call?" I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Seriously, why does she always have to waste time ranting before getting to the point? It's irritating.
"I was just going to ask if you've found a school yet!"
What. The. Hell?
"That's it?! You called just for that?! Damn it, you just wasted my time!" I groaned in frustration.
"Tsk. And just so you know, sis, I'm already on my way to school!" I added before she could say anything else.
"Oh, okay. That's all! Bye!"
"Yeah, yeah. Bye!" I hung up with an annoyed sigh.
Call Ended
Tsk. What a waste of time. She just had to call and scream over something so trivial. Unbelievable.
A few minutes later, I arrived at my new school—
Sensō High.
I found this school online. There wasn't much information about it, which I found odd, but the name sounded cool, so I enrolled. Not the best reason, but whatever.
As soon as I stepped out of my car, the eerie silence of the place immediately caught my attention.
Weird.
When I walked through the school gates, I felt the weight of several gazes on me. Some students looked curious, others had cold, assessing stares, and a few wore cocky smirks, as if they were sizing me up.
Tsk. Annoying.
I ignored them and headed straight to the bulletin board to check my section. As I scanned the lists, something else caught my attention.
A single sheet of paper pinned to the board.
"Highest Ten?" I read aloud.
Curious, I took a closer look at the names listed:
10.) Hero So
9.) Faith Ishida
8.) Jake and Jerome Maki
7.) Kailey Yuzu
6.) Ken Nobunaga
5.) Briana Naomi
4.) Damian Jung
3.) Jermaine Lee
2.) Akami Holmes
1.) Shiro Ryota
Hmmm... A ranking system? Looks interesting. But why call it 'Highest Ten'? Wouldn't 'Honorable Ten' make more sense? Weird.
I shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it.
After finally finding my section, I turned and walked away, heading toward my classroom.
As I walked across the open grounds of Sensō High, I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. The sky was overcast, a dull gray stretching endlessly above, and the cold breeze carried the distant echoes of students shouting and scuffling in the distance. Before I realized it, I had bumped into someone—a solid, immovable wall of muscle.
I took a step back and looked up. The guy was tall, broader than me, with a sharp gaze that carried an air of dominance.
"Oh, my bad, man," I said, brushing off the minor collision. He, however, didn't respond. Instead, he just stared at me, eyes scrutinizing every inch of my face as if trying to read me.
"A transferee?" His tone was flat but held a hint of amusement. I gave a small nod.
A smirk played on his lips. "Tch. And you think you can handle yourself here?"
Something about the way he said it made me narrow my eyes. "What do you mean?"
He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "So you really don't know what you've gotten yourself into."
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Still ignoring my question, he suddenly extended a hand toward me. "Ryu Hyuga."
I eyed his outstretched hand but didn't take it. "Jin Yagami."
His smirk widened as he withdrew his hand. "Jin Yagami, huh? Well then, let me be the first to welcome you—"
Before I could react, his fist crashed into my face, sending a jolt of pain through my jaw. I stumbled back a step, the taste of iron creeping onto my tongue.
I wiped my lip, glaring at him. "The hell is wrong with you?!"
He tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with something between amusement and challenge. "Just making sure you understand where you are."
His stance shifted, and I immediately knew another strike was coming. This time, I was ready.
As he lunged, I dodged swiftly and countered with a sharp punch to his gut. He let out a grunt, staggering slightly as he clutched his stomach.
"Tch..." He exhaled sharply, his smirk still intact despite the pain.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" I snapped, keeping my guard up.
Instead of answering, he straightened, shaking off the impact. His eyes burned with something more intense now—excitement.
"You might just be interesting after all," he muttered under his breath before lunging at me again.
This time, he wasn't playing around. His punches came faster, more precise. I barely had time to dodge and parry, each blow grazing me as I struggled to keep up. His strength was undeniable. Every impact carried a weight that made my arms ache with each block.
I managed to slip past his defenses, delivering a solid uppercut to his ribs. He stumbled, but before I could capitalize on the opening, he swung his elbow at my temple.
I ducked just in time, feeling the air shift as his strike barely missed. Seeing an opportunity, I swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing onto the hard pavement.
Ryu let out a breath, lying flat on his back for a moment before he started laughing—not the mocking kind from earlier, but a genuine, exhilarated laugh.
"You're not bad," he admitted, propping himself up on his elbows.
I took a step back, still cautious. "And you're insane."
He finally stood, dusting himself off. "Welcome to Sensō High, Jin. You're going to need that fire if you want to survive here."
Before I could press for answers, someone called his name from across the yard.
"Ryu!"
Both of us turned to the voice calling out to him—a tall, well-built guy with a commanding presence. He pointed at me before speaking. "A newcomer?"
"Yeah, bro," Ryu replied casually.
The guy narrowed his eyes at me. "What's your name?"
"Jin... Jin Yagami," I answered.
"Kevin Hyun," he introduced himself, extending a hand. I took it firmly. "Do you know the rules here?" he asked seriously.
I shook my head. "No."
Kevin's eyes darted to Ryu, his expression darkening. "You didn't explain it to him?!" he barked, irritation evident in his voice.
"Hehehe... Not yet," Ryu admitted with a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head.
"You idiot! You just threw him into a fight without telling him why?!" Kevin scolded before smacking Ryu upside the head.
"Ow! Kev, come on! I forgot, alright?!" Ryu whined, rubbing the spot where he was hit.
"Forgot?! That's not an excuse, moron!"
"I swear, man! Cross my heart, hope to die!"
Kevin clenched his fist. "I swear, I might just kill you myself!"
I watched them bicker with a frown, growing more and more confused. What the hell are these two even talking about?
Finally, I had enough. "Oi! Can you two explain what's going on?! You're both giving me a headache!" I snapped.
Ryu blinked at me as if only just remembering I was there. "Oh? You're still here?"
I gave him a deadpan stare. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Tss. Hahaha! You've got guts, man. Wanna spar again? One more round!" he challenged.
Kevin smacked him again before I could even react.
"Damn it, Kev! That's twice now!" Ryu complained, glaring at his partner.
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Because you're an idiot." Then, he turned to me. "Come with me," he ordered, walking away without waiting for my response.
Ryu patted my shoulder. "Let's go, bro."
Tss. What's with that guy? One second he's pissed, the next he's acting all friendly. I swear, he's got a screw loose.
Kevin stopped at a bench and sat down. He leaned forward, his expression turning serious. "This school... it's different."
Ryu jumped in before he could continue. "Factions rule this place, bro! And Kevin's my partner." He pointed proudly at Kevin.
Kevin shot him a bored look before sighing and continuing, "As I was saying, factions control this school. The strongest among them is—"
"Phantom Six!" Ryu interrupted again. "Their leader is Shiro Ryota! He's currently at the top of the highest ten!"
Kevin's expression darkened. I could tell he was running out of patience. "Ryu, if you don't shut up, I swear—"
Ryu just grinned. "Go on, man. I'm listening."
Kevin exhaled sharply before continuing, "Like I was saying, Phantom Six is one of the strongest factions, and their leader, Shiro, holds the highest rank. But before him, there was someone even stronger—"
"Akira Yuiji! Or as people call him, Ace! He used to be number one until he mysteriously disappeared." Ryu cut in once again.
Kevin finally snapped. "Ryu! Do you want to tell the damn story yourself?! Since you keep butting in?!"
I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore. The sight of Kevin looking so done with Ryu was too much.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Tss. Laugh all you want, Jin," Ryu said with a grin before nudging Kevin. "Go on, man."
Kevin scowled but resumed his explanation. "Anyway, Ace vanished, and Shiro took the top spot. But Phantom Six isn't the only strong faction. There's also the Crimson Vanguard, led by the second-ranked fighter, Akami Holmes, and the Black Knights, led by the fourth-ranked Damian Jung."
I frowned. "Wait, what about the third rank? Jermaine Lee? I saw his name on the bulletin board."
"Jermaine is a solo fighter," Kevin clarified. "Like the Maki brothers."
"Ah... You mean the two ranked at number eight?" I asked, recalling the names from the rankings.
Kevin nodded. "Exactly."
He leaned forward, his tone growing even more serious. "If you want to survive here, you need to get stronger. Otherwise, you'll just be another nobody."
His words made me pause. Get stronger? Easier said than done.
"Oi, bro, by the way," Ryu suddenly spoke up. "What section are you in?"
"Class 4-B," I answered.
"Oh, hell yeah! We're in the same class!" Ryu cheered before throwing his arms over both Kevin and me. "Let's go!"
As we started walking, Kevin glanced at me. "Jin, do you want to join us?"
I raised a brow. "Join you?"
"Our faction. Right now, it's just me and Ryu," he clarified.
I thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'm in."
"Good. From now on, we've got each other's backs," Kevin said firmly.
"Hell yeah! We're a trio now!" Ryu grinned, clearly excited.
Kevin and I exchanged looks before ignoring him and continuing toward our classroom.