The yard reeked of sweat, smoke, and fear. Even after a month in, it still made my stomach twist. But today, I wasn't just another inmate. I had a purpose.
Jun leaned against the chain-link fence, arms crossed, tattoos crawling up his neck like black rivers. "I've got work for you," he said, eyes scanning the yard like he owned it—which, in a way, he did. "Think of it as… shaking the cage."
I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"
He smirked, a cold glint in his eye. "There's someone I want gone. Your job… is to handle the room while I deal with him. Keep control. Make sure he doesn't escape or call for help."
Jun didn't say who the target was. That was his way of keeping it secret. Only Jun and I were going to kill him.
"And… can I recruit help?" I asked.
Jun nodded. "Muscle. But nothing more. You screw this up, it's on you."
I turned to my cellmates, who were lounging and picking at their nails. "Listen up. We're about to start a fight. Big one. Yard-wide. You want in? Follow my lead, and you'll come out with your heads still attached."
They grinned. The word "fight" was all they needed. They didn't know about murder, but they didn't need to. Chaos was their language.
The riot started small. A shove here, a punch there, a stolen cigarette tossed into a rival block. Then it exploded.
Fists flew, shouts echoed, guards ran in confusion, their whistles drowned out by the chaos. I moved through the yard like a predator, guiding my crew to block certain corridors, keeping the right spots controlled. Nobody could interfere with Jun's plan—not if I had anything to say about it.
A loud clang echoed behind me. One of my guys swung a pipe at a rival; the man went down screaming. I shoved another back against the fence, showing them who was boss.
Then Jun's hand flicked—signal clear. Side corridor. Now.
The VIP room loomed ahead, heavy and foreboding. I scanned the single guard stationed inside. He didn't move, didn't hesitate. I recognized him immediately—Kurohane-gumi's man, planted here to make sure nothing went wrong.
With the insider guard watching the door, my job was simple but critical: control the room.
I moved in, positioning myself between the target and the door. Every subtle movement, every shift in posture, made it clear who was in charge. The target's eyes darted nervously, realizing he couldn't escape, couldn't call for help.
I didn't need to strike. My presence was enough.
Jun stepped forward, silent as a shadow. The right-hand man didn't see him coming. In seconds, it was over. Blood pooled across the floor, the only sound my own steady breathing.
The guard at the door remained vigilant, ensuring no one from the outside interrupted us. He gave a slight nod once the deed was done, then melted back into the shadows, leaving Jun and me alone in the chaos of the riot still raging outside.
The alarms screamed, guards pounding down the halls. The yard was a blur of fists, shouting, and confusion—but Jun and I slipped back into the fray as if we were part of it all along.
He nodded once, sharply. "You did well. Keep your head, Hasegawa. This is just the start."
I didn't answer. My chest burned, adrenaline still screaming. I had seen what it meant to survive here—and what it meant to kill.
I wasn't just an orphan from the streets anymore. I was part of something bigger. Something deadly.
And I was ready to play the game.