Souta had been wandering around for a while before it finally hit him that he was completely lost. He looked around, trying to make sense of where he was, but nothing looked familiar.
"Where… where the hell did I end up?" he muttered.
He pulled out his phone, switched on the map, and followed the screen while walking through a narrow alley. But before he could react, he bumped straight into someone.
"Sorry—I wasn't paying attention, he said.
The guy he'd collided with grabbed him by the collar, a creepy smile spreading across his face.
"But you did make a mistake… didn't you?.
But then the guy actually looked at Souta's face properly. His eyes widened.
"Souta? You?.
Souta recognized him too. His voice came out small, shaky.
"A-Arata…?.
Arata wasn't alone. A group of guys stood behind him, laughing.
"Oi, Arata. You know this softie?.
Arata shrugged. "Yeah. Back in middle school, he used to call me his best friend.
The whole group burst into laughter. Arata forced himself to stop for a second.
"I've spent a damn good time using this guy's money, he said proudly.
They circled around Souta. His palms were sweating; he had no idea what to do. One of them tugged at his backpack.
"So this brat's daddy is rich, huh?"
Arata clicked his tongue. "Yeah. Poor guy though—every friend he ever made only stuck around for his money."
The boys laughed again, but Souta couldn't take it. Hearing someone badmouth his friends? That hit him harder than any punch.
"T-that's not true, My friends aren't like that.
Arata actually looked surprised.
"Oh? So you've got 'friends' now?.
Souta snapped.
"My friends aren't like you. They actually care about me.
The sudden fire in his voice caught them off guard. A minute ago he'd been trembling, and now he looked like he could bite someone's head off. Arata smirked.
"Oh? Did it hurt your feelings when I talked about your precious friends?.
Then his smirk dropped. His voice turned cold.
"But get this you are exactly like a tissue. People use you and throw you away. Even your new 'friends' will dump you eventually… the same way I did. Got it?.
That was it. Souta's patience snapped. His face twisted with anger, eyes turning bloodshot. He threw a punch straight into Arata's face.
"Shut your damn mouth!.
Arata stumbled back, blood dripping from his nose. His friends exploded in rage. One of them slammed a fist into Souta's stomach.
"You bastard! You think you can hit him!?"
Souta's vision went dark around the edges. The ground disappeared from under him as he collapsed. They started kicking him from all sides, but Arata raised a hand.
"Stop."
They all stopped, as if they were obeying his command
Arata stepped toward him.
"Since when did you grow a spine? You're the same coward who used to tremble just talking to strangers. And now you're throwing punches?.
He kicked Souta in the gut—hard. Souta coughed blood. But Arata didn't stop; he kept kicking until his friends finally grabbed him.
"Dude, enough! You'll kill him!.
Arata took a deep breath and composed himself. Souta was barely conscious.
"Call your friends. Arata said, grabbing him by the hair and shoving his phone into his hand. "I want to see who they are.?
Souta couldn't even speak from the pain.
But then a voice cut through the alley.
"No need to call. We're already here.
Souta forced his eyes open. Standing ahead were Isame, Hina, and Miko. His chest tightened; tears blurred his vision. But Arata laughed.
"These are your 'friends'? This pretty boy and these two wannabe princesses?.
One of his guys scoffed at Isame.
"Hey handsome, you here to get beaten up too?.
They were still laughing—completely unaware of the storm heading their way.
Another one smirked.
"We can let you go. But leave the girls behind.?
Hina's eyes flashed with anger when she saw Souta bleeding on the ground. Miko's voice was sharp.
"How dare you touch our friend?.
Hina, trying to stay calm, told Isame,
"Don't let any of them walk away after what they did to Souta.
Isame nodded. "Got it.
Arata and his gang burst out laughing at the sight of Isame.
"You two are idiots. What's this pretty boy gonna do to us?.
Isame slipped off his blazer and handed it to Hina. One guy walked up to him with a sneer.
"Kid, go study. This isn't your level.
Before the guy could finish, Isame's leg snapped upward like lightning. His kick smashed into the guy's head, sending him crashing to the ground.
No one even realized what happened.
Before the next guy could react, Isame drove his knee straight into his face. The boy hit the dirt instantly.