Ryu's pov
The air is thick with tension as we stand in the parking lot, the distant hum of engines and muffled chatter in the background. Jin has been staring at his damn notebook for the past few minutes, completely zoned out. It's almost comical how lost in thought he looks.
"Enough fantasizing, Jin. Damn, you really got hit hard, huh?" I smirk, shaking my head at him.
"Shut up, dumbass," Jin mutters, still half-distracted.
Kev, ever the killjoy, sighs. "Tsk. Cut it out already, you idiots. Time to head home."
"Fine, fine," I say. "Jin, Kev and I are heading out. You coming?"
Jin blinks at me like I just asked him to recite the alphabet backward. "You do realize we're all going the same way, right?"
I frown. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm parked in the same damn lot as you two, dumbass."
Oh. So that's why he was acting weird. "Rich kid problems, huh?" I tease, eyeing his sleek black Camaro parked right next to our Hyundai Accent. "Damn, big shot."
"Tsk." Jin just shrugs.
As we're about to get into our cars, a sharp whistle cuts through the air. Instantly, my body tenses. Wrong fucking timing.
Kev mutters under his breath, "Phantom Six."
Eight of them. But only one matters.
I exhale slowly as Hero So, their second-in-command, steps forward, his eyes locked onto Jin. "We don't need you two. Just him."
Jin steps forward without hesitation. "And what do you want from me?"
Hero smirks. "You have no idea what you've just started. You took down one of our leaders, and now, you've ignited a war. But before that, we'll have to teach you a lesson."
He snaps his fingers, signaling the seven others to surround us before turning his back on us and walking away. "You guys can handle it."
Kev chuckles, cracking his knuckles. "Big fucking mistake letting So walk away."
The guy in front of us sneers. "You think you can take on the Phantom Six? You're outnumbered."
I roll my shoulders. "That's a lot of talk. Let's get this over with."
And just like that, the fight erupts.
Jin moves first. In a blur, he closes the distance between him and three of them, weaving through their attacks with terrifying ease. One swings at him, but Jin ducks low, driving his fist into the guy's gut so hard he lifts off the ground before collapsing.
The other two hesitate. Mistake. Jin delivers a vicious sidekick to one's ribs, sending him crashing against a car, then pivots and elbows the last guy in the jaw. He drops instantly.
Damn, that was fast.
Two come at me next, fists raised. I block the first one's punch and counter with a brutal knee to his stomach before smashing my elbow across his face. Blood splatters onto the pavement as he stumbles back, dazed. The second guy lunges at me, but I sidestep and deliver a roundhouse kick to his temple, knocking him down.
Kev is handling himself just fine, throwing powerful, precise blows. He parries an incoming punch, grabs the guy's arm, and slams his knee into his stomach before tossing him aside like trash. The other idiot barely has time to react before Kev lands an uppercut, sending him sprawling.
The last two remaining hesitate, realizing they're outmatched.
"Pathetic," Kev mutters.
One of them, coughing up blood, glares at us. "You morons have no idea what you've done. You've started a fucking war."
Jin steps forward and, without a word, kicks him in the chest, sending him crumpling to the ground. "The war started when Jiro tried to ambush us. We're just finishing what you started."
Jin sighed, rubbing his temple before finally speaking. "Let's go home."
Just as we were about to leave, Kevin interrupted him, his tone serious. "Not yet, Jin. We need to talk."
Jin paused before nodding. "Alright. Let's go."
As we drove, Jin turned to Kevin. "What do we need to discuss?"
Kevin leaned back, exhaling deeply. "The war is about to begin. We need to prepare."
"Tch. And how exactly do we do that?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.
"We're outnumbered. If it's just the three of us, we won't stand a chance," Kevin said firmly.
Jin nodded. "So, what do we do?"
Kevin's voice was unwavering. "We need to form alliances. We need an army."
I shot him a sharp glance. Kevin never aligned himself with other factions. He never bothered forming allegiances. But now, we were being forced to do just that? Just how deep had we gotten into this mess?
"Who do we recruit?" I asked, skeptical but knowing we had no other choice.
Kevin clicked his tongue, shaking his head at me. "This is your fault, Ryu. You should've explained to Jin who rules over each class."
I scratched the back of my head, annoyed. "Damn it. You always pin everything on me."
Jin smirked. "Then why don't you just tell us, Kev? Ryu's hard to talk to anyway."
I shot Jin a glare, but Kevin continued, ignoring our bickering. "Alright. We start with the Class D fighters. Kise Goura. He's not widely known, but he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with some of the best. He controls Classes B, C, and F of the second years. Then there's Atsushi Namuri, better known as Tiger Namuri. He's just as strong as Kise and holds command over Sections A, D, and E.
"Next, we move to the Class C fighters. Blake Ryoma. A first-year, but he already took down Kise in a one-on-one fight. If we can get him, it'll be a game-changer. Class B fighter, Claine Yuzu. She's the younger sister of Kailey Yuzu, ranked seventh. She's a skilled fighter despite being a bit childish. If we get her, there's a chance Kailey will join us too. Claine controls Sections C, A, and F of the first years.
"For Class A, we have Jerzey Lim. He's fast, precise, and he dominates the third years. And finally, the Class S fighters... The Maki brothers. Jake and Jerome Maki. A deadly combination of strength and speed. They rule over the second years. If we manage to get them, our chances of winning will skyrocket."
Kevin looked at me, smirking. "We need them by tomorrow. Some will join us willingly. Others... we'll have to force. But Claine? That'll be easy."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I know what you're thinking, Kev. No way in hell! Over my dead fucking body!"
Jin raised an eyebrow. "What's up with Ryu?"
Kevin chuckled. "We're using him as bait for Claine. She's obsessed with him."
Jin laughed. "No way! Someone actually fell for Ryu?"
I scowled. "Shut the fuck up."
Jin smirked. "Come on, Ryu. Claine's cute. It won't be that bad."
I clicked my tongue. "Tch. Fine! But you assholes owe me for this. Especially you, Kev. I hope your crush rejects you."
Kevin smirked. "In your dreams."
Jin stretched. "Alright, let's meet tomorrow. I need to head home."
"Yeah, go home before your mom beats your ass," I teased.
"Fuck you," he muttered before walking out.
I turned to Kevin, who was still grinning. "You're seriously enjoying this, aren't you?"
Kevin shrugged. "Just do your best to impress Claine. Or better yet, make her your girlfriend."
I rolled my eyes. "You're a real piece of shit."
Kevin just smirked. "And proud of it."