Hello!!! Toyotaro Miracle high!!!- VIII

Shotaro raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he looked down at the shorter boy.
"Why are you here again? Those three bothering you?"
Hiroki shook his head, a strange excitement in his eyes. "No. They won't be bothering anyone anymore. It's like the entire hierarchy flipped in the past few hours. Everyone's talking about you, Aniki."
Shotaro rolled his eyes. "Oh great. So you want me to arrange you a discount at Ms. Rin's red-light district?"
Hiroki immediately turned red. "W-What?! No!"
Rin, who had been silently watching, chuckled at the exchange.
Shotaro continued, unfazed. "Well, good, because I'm against minor sex. Also, even if I wasn't, you wouldn't be able to reach your dick through that dome of fat on your belly, so it wouldn't work anyway."
"That's not—" Hiroki groaned, pressing his hands together like he was praying for patience. "That's not why I'm here."
"Then what?" Shotaro leaned slightly forward, curious.
Hiroki took a deep breath, then looked up at him with an expression of pure determination.
"I want to be your disciple, Aniki."
Shotaro blinked.
A long pause.
Then, finally—
"Excuse me… what the fuck?"
Hiroki clapped his hands together, eyes gleaming with determination. "Let's be like Saitama and Genos!"
Shotaro stared at him, utterly unimpressed. "No. I love my hair."
"Then Goku and Vegeta!"
"That's not even a master-disciple relationship, dumbass."
"Naruto and Sasuke!"
Shotaro squinted. "Not only are they not master and student, but I'm pretty sure they kissed. Like… twice."
Hiroki visibly flinched, rethinking his choices. "Oh… okay, then what about Dante and Vergil?"
Shotaro's crimson eyes darkened with something dangerous. "You want me to stab you with a katana? Because if I do, your fat ass isn't awakening a Devil Trigger—you're just awakening a one-way ticket to the ICU."
Hiroki gulped, raising his hands in surrender. "Uh… okay, then Cloud and Sephiroth?"
Shotaro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What you want me to kill your mom & stalk you around with long ass katana...I think Cloud and Zack would be better analogy. And even then, they weren't exactly a master-student duo… but close enough, I guess."
The two stood there, locked in this absurd exchange, when Rin, who had been silently observing, finally let out a tired sigh, folding her arms beneath the long sleeves of her kimono. "Excuse me, but… is this some Gen Z talk I'm too Millennial to understand?"
Shotaro and Hiroki turned to her in unison.
"Yes."
She clicked her tongue. "Figures."

Shotaro folded his arms, his crimson eyes locked onto Hiroki's. "What is power?" he asked, his voice calm yet weighted.
Hiroki blinked. "Huh?"
"Is power something you use to stay on top? Or something you use to throw others down?"
For a moment, Hiroki froze. That same question had been asked of him before—years ago, by his father, a high-ranking yakuza boss. Back then, he had answered wrong. Back then, he had been a dumb kid who thought power was just a means to an end. But now, standing before the guy who had flipped the entire school hierarchy in a single day, he had a different answer.
"Power is freedom," Hiroki said, his voice firm. "The freedom to save others or destroy them. Power itself isn't corrupt—it's a revelation. It doesn't define morality; morality is defined through it. The choices we make when we have power—that's what dictates who we are. And for me..." He clenched his fists. "I'd use it like you, as an ally of justice. Not like Hiyori—a banner of opposition."
Shotaro's expression didn't change, but there was something approving in the way he nodded. "You're right." He stepped closer, placing a heavy hand on Hiroki's shoulder. "But never forget—power and responsibility are a package deal. And above all..." He smirked. "Never forget to use your power for fun."
Hiroki blinked. "Huh?"
"I mean actual fun, dumbass. Not being a jackass. Life's too short to be miserable, so have fun—but not at the expense of others."
Hiroki processed that, then grinned. "Got it."
Shotaro glanced at Rin, then turned back to Hiroki. His smirk widened. "Alright then... let's make a gang."
Hiroki's eyes widened. "A gang?"
"Yeah. A delinquent gang. One that actually stands for something. We'll have fun, but we won't be assholes. We'll use the powers we have—and the ones we awaken—and use that freedom for good."
Rin let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple. "Oh great, you just got here and you're already forming a damn gang. Guess I really did raise you right."
Shotaro laughed. Hiroki, for the first time in years, felt like he belonged.
Shotaro crossed his arms, sizing Hiroki up with a scrutinizing gaze. "But first," he said, his voice carrying a sharp edge, "you need to get your fat ass in shape. No disciple of mine is gonna be wheezing after a short sprint."
Hiroki gulped. "So… what does that mean exactly?"
"It means tomorrow, 4 AM. Red-light district. Akagitsune estate." Shotaro's smirk was almost sadistic. "You're gonna train. Hard. Before you can even think about throwing around words like 'power' and 'justice,' you need to earn the freedom to make those choices. Only then will you unlock your specialty."
Hiroki's face paled. "4 AM…?"
"Yeah. Something wrong, Church Boy?"
Hiroki straightened his back, forcing a determined expression. "N-No, Aniki! I'll be there!"
Shotaro nodded, satisfied. "Good."
There was a beat of silence before Hiroki awkwardly scratched his cheek. "Uh, so… what do we call ourselves?"
Shotaro turned his gaze to the sky, thinking for a moment before a grin spread across his lips. "Let's call ourselves… the Red-Eyed Ronin."
A dramatic silence hung in the air. It was the kind of name that carried weight—the kind that would spread across the city like wildfire.
Until Rin suddenly spoke.
"You took that from an eroge."
Shotaro flinched.
Hiroki blinked. "Wait, what?!"
Rin folded her arms. "Yeah, I recognize that name. 'Red-Eyed Ronin'—it's from that old samurai-themed hentai game, isn't it? The one where the protagonist goes around avenging his fallen master while seducing half the cast?"
Shotaro clicked his tongue. "Yeah, and?"
Rin sighed, shaking her head. "You're supposed to be building a righteous gang, not a damn doujin title."
Hiroki, completely overwhelmed, just stood there, his brain buffering. "I... I don't know how to feel about this."
Shotaro clapped a hand on Hiroki's shoulder. "Feel proud, Church Boy. You're part of something legendary now."
Hiroki wasn't so sure about that, but at this point, he wasn't about to question it.