Chapter 9

Frustration clawed at my chest, and I couldn’t shake the regret for trusting Subaru with the money. The more I thought about it, the more it weighed me down. What the hell was I thinking?

Subaru had already gone home—it was late after school, and I hadn’t even thought to ask him where Taka lived. Now I was stuck, with no clue where to find him. I considered calling in a favor from my yakuza connections to track Taka down, but I quickly dismissed the idea. The last thing I needed was for them to catch wind of what was going on. Especially Yanagi. He couldn’t know that I was involved with this, or worse—that I had enough money stashed away.

No. This had to stay quiet.

As I stood there, grinding my teeth in frustration, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Akane standing there, looking at me with concern.

“Yuki? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice soft but curious.

I hesitated for a second, debating whether I should ask her for help. But then it hit me—Akane had known Taka since we were kids. She had to know where he lived.

“Actually…” I began, trying to keep my voice steady, “do you know where Taka’s place is?”

She blinked, surprised by the question. “Yeah, I know. Why?”

“I need to talk to him. It’s kind of… important.”

Akane looked at me, probably sensing something was off, but she didn’t push. “Alright, I can take you there.”

Relief hit me, easing the tension in my shoulders as Akane agreed to take me to Taka’s place. We started walking through the dimly lit streets, and as expected, Akane naturally filled the silence with her usual questions.

“So,” she began, glancing over at me, “what’s been going on with you? You kind of disappeared for a while.”

I hadn’t planned for this conversation. I couldn’t exactly tell her about my life with the yakuza or the mess I was currently tangled up in. So, I gave her the same vague response I always did. “I’ve just been… busy.”

“Busy?” she pressed, raising an eyebrow. “Busy with what? Some secret mission or something?”

I laughed, but it came out a little stiff. “Something like that.”

She didn’t look fully convinced, but she let it slide. “Well, it’s good to see you back. It’s been weird without you around.”

I felt a small pang of guilt at that. Back when we were kids, the three of us—Akane, Taka, and I—were inseparable. Akane was always dragging us into random adventures, keeping things light. She was a force of nature, the one who kept us laughing even when things were tough. Now, everything felt different.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I muttered, not sure what else to say.

“What about you?” I asked, hoping to shift the conversation away from myself. “How’ve you been?”

She shrugged. “Same old stuff. School’s been crazy, and I’ve been helping out at home a lot. You know how it is.”

Akane’s family ran a small business, and I remembered how she’d often complain about helping her parents after school. Even back in middle school, she was always busy running errands for them. She never let it show, but I knew it weighed on her sometimes.

“And Taka?” I asked, trying to keep things casual.

“Taka’s still being Taka, you know? But don’t take him too seriously. He’s just acting out. I don’t think he’s actually as tough as he pretends to be.”

I nodded, but my thoughts were already wandering back to the mess I was in with Taka. As we walked, Akane kept talking, but my mind was somewhere else. I barely noticed when she suddenly hit me with a curveball.

“By the way, are you seeing anyone?”

I nearly choked on the drink I was sipping, coughing hard as her question hit me out of nowhere. “W-What?”

Akane laughed, clearly amused by my reaction. “Come on, it’s a normal question! Are you dating anyone?”

My face heated up, and I scrambled to pull myself together. “No, I’m not.”

She gave me a teasing grin. “Really? You’ve got that look, though. Like there’s someone you’re thinking about.”

For a split second, Haruna flashed through my mind, but I quickly pushed that thought aside. “There’s no one,” I said, a little too firmly.

“Uh-huh,” Akane said, smirking. “I’ve seen that look before. You’re totally hiding something.”

“I’m serious,” I insisted. “There’s no one.”

She sighed dramatically, throwing her hands up. “Alright, alright. But one of these days, you’re gonna spill the truth.”

“Sure, whatever,” I muttered, hoping she’d let it drop.

And for a moment, she did. But then, out of nowhere, she asked, “What about me?”

“Huh?” I blinked, completely caught off guard.

Akane gave me a playful look. “What do you think of me? Do you have any interest in me?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. For a second, I thought back to when we were kids—before everything got complicated. I had been fond of her back then, but things were different now.

“You’re... pretty,” I mumbled, not sure how to answer.

Akane laughed again. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, clearly enjoying how awkward I was getting.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but enjoy Akane’s presence. It reminded me of the good old days, back when things were simple, before life became a tangled mess of debt and violence. She hadn’t changed much—still teasing, still playful—and for a moment, I let myself get lost in that. In the memories of us as kids, before everything fell apart.

For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. Like we were still just kids, walking down the street, teasing each other. But as the conversation settled into a more comfortable silence, reality slowly crept back in.

By the time we reached Taka’s place, I felt a strange mix of nostalgia and unease. Something was off.

“We’re here,” Akane said, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

I blinked, coming back to the present. I looked up at the place in front of us and immediately realized it wasn’t what I’d expected. Instead of a normal house, we stood before a run-down, empty-looking warehouse. I stared at it, trying to make sense of the situation.

Something didn’t feel right.

The moment I tried to ask her, a group of guys started walking out of the warehouse, and there he was—Taka, with some of the same members I’d already beaten up. My fists clenched, but before I could react, Akane rushed over to him.

"Hey, Taka! You won’t believe what Yuki just told me," she said, laughing as she leaned in close. "He actually thought of me as a potential girlfriend. Isn’t that gross?"

I froze. It hit me like a punch to the gut. Akane was in on this? Out of all people… Akane too? A bitter taste filled my mouth as her words sank in. I hadn’t seen her in years, but I never expected this. Betrayal from both of them—my childhood friends? That was something else.

Their laughter and taunts blurred into the background. It wasn’t just Taka playing games—Akane was in on it too. She wasn’t just watching from the sidelines, she was part of it, treating me like I was some joke.

Akane... really?

I had always thought of her differently, maybe because of who she was when we were kids. And this is what I get? My chest tightened, not with fear, but anger. The kind that creeps in slowly, taking hold as I replayed her words over and over.

In the end, I’m always alone, I thought, my gaze hardening as I watched them laugh. Friends, adults... it doesn’t matter. They all leave. You can’t trust anyone. They stick around until it’s convenient, then they’re gone. That’s how it works.

I sighed deeply, looking up at the sky, searching for something—anything—to make sense of it all. But all I saw was the same emptiness. I’ve survived this long on my own, and that’s how it’s always going to be. No one to lean on. No one to count on. Just me, myself, and I.

It’s funny, I thought. People talk about loyalty, childhood friends sticking together, but the truth? As you get older, you realize there’s no such thing. They’ll smile at you, then stab you in the back when they get the chance.

Taka stepped forward, grinning like he had me all figured out. "You really screwed up this time, Yuki. Messed with the wrong guy." He motioned to the gang around me, a circle forming around me.

They closed in on me, their faces smug, already sure how this would go. But instead of fear, something else bubbled up inside me.

I laughed.

Not because it was funny, but because I didn’t know what else to do. Should I cry? Scream about how my childhood friends had turned on me like everyone else had? Or should I enjoy the fact that I finally had a reason to let all this frustration out?

I didn’t know.

The laughter kept coming, echoing in the empty warehouse. The gang froze, not sure what to make of it. Even Taka seemed caught off guard, though he quickly tried to cover it up.

"What’s so funny?" Taka smirked. "You think this is a joke? You’re going to learn a lesson to never mess with me again, Yuki."

He had no idea.

Still laughing to myself, I started unbuttoning my school jacket. The others kept mocking, thinking it was all a joke. "What, you gonna fight us in your underwear?" one of them called out.

But as I pulled off my shirt, their laughter started fading.

Their eyes widened as they saw the scars on my chest and back. My body, covered in marks they couldn’t even begin to understand. And finally, they started to get it.

One by one, the mockings stopped. Even Akane, who had been smirking just moments ago, looked stunned, her eyes widening as she took in the sight.

I folded my shirt neatly, setting it down. Then I looked up at them, keeping my face blank.

"Blood’s hard to clean," I said quietly, rolling my shoulders as if preparing for a casual workout.

Taka’s face went pale, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of real fear behind his eyes.’’