Chapter 84: First Victory (Part One)

The autumn wind blew cold and restless, stirring up dust in the dilapidated fountain park and scattering it into the air. High above, the once-bright clouds drifted across a sky growing dim, carried along by the autumn breeze and gliding slowly overhead. A few white birds soared lazily, their clear chirps ringing out as they swept across the sky.

At the center of the park, beside the fountain now reduced to a pool of stagnant water, neglected trees shed their leaves, which drifted gently down in the chill wind. Aoki Shi stood with his hands thrust into his pockets, his expression cold and unyielding. Behind him, twelve boys with shaven heads, just like him, stood straight and rigid.

“Boss!” Fujiwara Mio pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, drew one out, and offered it to Aoki Shi.

Aoki Shi glanced at him, reached out to take it, and said calmly, “You know minors aren’t supposed to smoke, right?”

Fujiwara Mio blinked, uttered a faint sound, and moved awkwardly. “Well…”

“But today’s an exception!” Aoki Shi smiled, tucking the cigarette between his lips. Fujiwara Mio hurriedly produced a lighter, flicking it several times until a small flame appeared and lit the cigarette hanging from Aoki Shi’s mouth.

Aoki Shi took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. The familiar taste soothed the restless stirrings in his heart. “Aren’t you worried what will happen if the plan fails?”

Maeda Tora stepped forward and snatched a cigarette from Fujiwara Mio, lighting it with his own lighter. He grinned playfully. “So the boss smokes too… I was planning on quitting, you know.”

“Plan fails?” Maeda Tora inhaled deeply, his face relaxed and fearless. “As long as I’m standing, you’ll never go down before me, boss!”

“You’d better quit,” Aoki Shi replied, barely suppressing a smile as he glanced at Maeda Tora, his tone serious. “From now on, no one under eighteen smokes.”

“But…” Matsuzaka Daibu eyed their cigarettes, swallowing hard.

Aoki Shi curled his lips in a half-smile, reached out and plucked the cigarette from Maeda Tora’s mouth, handing it to Matsuzaka Daibu with a wicked grin. “Today’s an exception.”

“Why’d you take mine…” Maeda Tora muttered, but his attention shifted as he spotted a group of blurry figures emerging in the distance, clad in uniforms identical to theirs.

“They’re here!” Maeda Tora snatched another cigarette from Fujiwara Mio, lit it, and narrowed his eyes.

Aoki Shi calmly exhaled another cloud of smoke. “The plan succeeded.”

From afar, Koda Shofu caught sight of the dazzling shaven heads gathered by the fountain. He twisted his neck, agitatedly raking his fingers through his yellow hair, then bellowed in anger, “Aoki Shi!”

Aoki Shi heard the shout but remained expressionless, removing the cigarette from his lips and blowing out another puff of smoke. He watched as the wind swept the smoke away, dispersing it into the air. A faded leaf drifted past his face as he raised his head.

“Aoki!” Koda Shofu drew a deep breath. “Shi!”

The furious cry echoed through the empty park, like the beating of war drums. Without ceremony or wasted words, the moment the last syllable left his lips, Koda Shofu lunged forward, sprinting toward Aoki Shi with the speed of a hundred-meter dash. Behind him, nearly twenty delinquent youths followed in a dense throng, their shouts overwhelming and chilling to the core.

“Ahhh!” As they charged, yelling and racing toward him, Aoki Shi took one final drag, pressed the cigarette out on the battered trash can beside the fountain, twisted his neck, and glanced at Maeda Tora and the others, eager and ready. He smiled. “Just as Fujiwara said—wild and reckless.”

Drawing a deep breath, Aoki Shi straightened and watched as Koda Shofu closed the gap to less than fifteen meters. His voice was steady and forceful. “Go!”

Maeda Tora answered with a guttural roar, his grin growing ever brighter as his steps quickened, finally breaking into a run toward Koda Shofu. “If you want to hit the boss, you’ll have to get through me first!”

“Miyoyo Honey Fist, are you ready?” Matsuzaka Daibu slapped Fujiwara Mio’s head, laughing as he followed Maeda Tora into the fray despite Fujiwara’s scowl.

Fujiwara Mio clenched his fists and shouted, “I’m no Honey Fist!”

Looking down from above, the riot of colored hair in Koda Shofu’s group collided fiercely with the shining white heads of Aoki Shi’s crew.

Aoki Shi picked up Maeda Tora’s discarded cigarette butt from the ground and tossed it into the trash, twisting his neck and rolling his shoulders as he slowly walked toward the battle raging ahead.

“Hey, fight if you want, but no weapons! And don’t go too hard on anyone once they’re down!” Aoki Shi’s voice was barely audible amid the chaos of shouts and blows.

Koda Shofu knocked down a shaven-headed boy with a single punch, glaring at Aoki Shi as he sauntered forward. His face was twisted with rage. “Scared, baldy?”

A massive fist crashed into his cheek, and Maeda Tora’s excited face appeared beside him. “Who are you calling baldy, blondie?”

Staggered by the blow, Koda Shofu looked up in anger just as Maeda Tora kicked down another delinquent trying to ambush him. Maeda Tora planted his foot on the writhing boy’s stomach and grinned. “Come on, blondie!”

Koda Shofu growled from deep in his throat, “Bastard!”

“Where are you looking?” A cold voice barely reached Koda Shofu’s ears before a vicious roundhouse kick bent him double.

He struggled to lift his head. Aoki Shi’s cold face bore a hint of excitement. “Your opponent is me. Understand?”

Koda Shofu clutched his stomach and retreated a step, glaring at Aoki Shi and cursing furiously. “Is all you people can do just sneak attack?”

“If I wanted to ambush you, you’d already be down.” Aoki Shi didn’t waste words. Seeing Maeda Tora and the others fight desperately to earn him a brief chance for a one-on-one, as boys from both sides were knocked down and kept crawling back up, he only wanted to finish off this blond-haired punk as quickly as possible.

Aoki Shi gazed indifferently at Koda Shofu, who was doubled over clutching his stomach. He stood straight. “Hey, don’t act like a little girl. Come on, hit me.”

Koda Shofu’s face twitched. That kick had left his stomach churning, almost to the point of vomiting. But he was battle-hardened, having fought his way up from childhood to his current position, every step earned with fists and kicks. Now, being looked down upon and taunted so openly by Aoki Shi, rage surged through his mind.

“Quit acting tough!” Koda Shofu roared, bracing himself and stomping the ground, sending dust flying as he threw his entire strength into a punch aimed straight at Aoki Shi’s face.