1984.
Reiji stared out the dusty window of the bus as it slowed to a halt in front of his new school. The building looked ordinary from the outside — old bricks, faded paint, a rusted nameplate. Nothing suggested the darkness waiting inside.
"I thought this school would be nice..." he mumbled under his breath.
As he walked through the school gates, chaos greeted him. Fights were breaking out in every corner of the courtyard. Students were being beaten mercilessly — not because they had done anything wrong, but because they were weak.
No teachers stopped it. No one cared.
Reiji did nothing. He walked straight to an empty bench and sat down quietly, trying to remain invisible. But inside, fear twisted in his chest.
Suddenly, a voice barked at him.
"Hey. Get up. Come with me."
Reiji looked up to see a tall boy with sharp eyes and a tough demeanor. His name was Daigo Kirishima.
"Where are we going?" Reiji asked hesitantly.
"Just follow me," Daigo replied coldly.
Reiji followed him without another word. They entered a large hallway, then took a turn into a secluded area behind the gym.
Five boys were standing there, and one boy — calm and confident — was sitting in the middle, legs crossed like a king on a throne.
Reiji immediately sensed it. That one's the leader. The most powerful one here.
Daigo stepped forward.
"Sir, I brought him."
The boy sitting — Jiro Kanzaki — gave a lazy nod.
"So you're the new kid. We just need to run a small test. Nothing personal."
He smirked.
"Makoto, you're up."
A bulky boy named Makoto stepped forward. Reiji froze in place. Before he could say anything, Makoto swung his fist.
WHAM.
The punch hit Reiji square in the face. Everything went black.
He dropped to the floor — unconscious in just one hit.
When he woke up, the judgment had already been made. Reiji was labeled "weak." That was the worst thing to be in this school.
---
From that day on, Reiji's life became hell.
Beaten. Humiliated. Ignored.
No one helped him. No one stood beside him.
Weeks passed like this, and the pain built up like poison inside him. One rainy evening, Reiji found himself standing alone on a bridge.
Looking down at the dark river below.
"Why... why is it always me?" he whispered, tears mixing with the rain.
"Why have I always been weak, ever since I was a kid?"
He clenched the railing tightly.
"I can't take it anymore. I'm done..."
Reiji stepped forward — ready to jump.
But fate had other plans.