Thug King

By lunchtime, Kenji Tanaka was no longer a person. He was a myth.

The story of the morning's confrontation had mutated and grown with every retelling, transforming into a piece of modern folklore.

According to one version, he had caught Rina Sato's katana blade between two fingers.

According to another, he hadn't moved at all; the Crimson Oni had simply collapsed from the pressure of his aura alone.

The most popular version, and the one closest to the truth, was still unbelievable: that he had defeated the legendary Rina Sato in a single second, with one hand, and then caught her before she could fall. This version was often accompanied by a hushed, scandalous addendum about the look on Rina's face as she left—a look of a maiden completely and utterly smitten.

The "Seiryu Underground" forum crashed twice from the sheer volume of traffic. The legend of the "Demon of 2-B" was now cemented. But a new, more tantalizing title was beginning to emerge in the whispers and posts: The Thug King. A king so powerful he didn't need a crown or a throne, his authority absolute and effortless.

Kenji, meanwhile, was experiencing the strangest school day of his life. In morning classes, no one dared to even breathe too loudly in his vicinity. When he walked to the cafeteria for lunch, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Students would see him coming, grab their trays, and practically flee, leaving a wake of empty tables around him.

He ended up sitting alone at a large table meant for eight, eating his katsudon in a circle of profound silence.

"Perhaps there is a contagious disease spreading through the school," he thought, genuinely concerned. "Their behavior is highly irrational. Social distancing is being practiced with extreme prejudice." He made a mental note to be more vigilant about washing his hands.

From across the cafeteria, two very different sets of eyes were watching him.

Yui Amano sat with a few other quiet girls, her lunch untouched. Her heart was a frantic drum against her ribs. She had watched the morning's events from the safety of a second-floor window, her hands pressed against the glass. She had seen him face the terrifying Crimson Oni. She had seen his impossible victory.

And she had seen him catch Rina.

A strange, unfamiliar heat bloomed in her chest. It was a confusing, uncomfortable feeling. She was terrified for him, relieved that he was safe, and… and something else. Something that twisted in her gut when she saw him holding the beautiful, fiery-haired rival in his arms. It was a possessiveness she didn't know she was capable of.

He did all this because of me, a small, selfish part of her brain whispered. It all started because he defended me. That makes him… mine to worry about.

"He's so cool," one of the girls at her table whispered, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Kenji. "He's like a prince from a manga."

"I heard Sato Rina fell in love with him on the spot," another added excitedly. "They say she's going to transfer to Seiryu just to be near him!"

Yui's chopsticks tightened in her hand. The rumor, as absurd as it sounded, sent a jolt of panic through her. Sato Rina was beautiful, strong, and confident. Everything Yui wasn't. The image of the powerful Oni looking at Kenji with adoration was burned into her mind.

A feeling of helplessness washed over her. All she had ever done was be a victim he had to save. What could she possibly offer a person like him? The thought made her rice taste like ash.

At another table, in a more secluded corner of the cafeteria typically reserved for the Student Council, Akari Ishikawa watched the same scene with a cold, analytical eye. But beneath the calm exterior, her mind was a whirlwind.

"The rumors are getting out of control, President," Kenjiro, her vice-president, said, nervously adjusting his glasses. "They're calling him the Thug King now. It's giving him a kind of legitimacy. Even some of the first-year delinquents are saying they want to pledge loyalty to him."

"Let them," Akari said, her voice clipped. She took a delicate sip of her tea. "A king with no desire to rule is not a king. He's a figurehead. A vulnerability."

But her words lacked their usual conviction. She had seen the look on Rina Sato's face, too. It wasn't the look of a subordinate. It was the look of a woman who had found her equal, her mate. That kind of devotion was a powerful political tool, whether Kenji Tanaka wanted it or not.

And that's the problem, Akari thought, her gaze fixed on Kenji's oblivious form. He's a nexus of power, attracting other powers to him. Rina Sato's obsession means Suzaku High's aggression towards us might cease, but it also means she will be a constant, chaotic presence in my school. He's destabilizing everything.

Then came the jealousy, sharp and unwelcome. It wasn't the romantic jealousy of a schoolgirl like Yui. It was the jealousy of a queen seeing a rival queen enter her territory. Rina Sato was a powerful piece on the city's chessboard. For her to be so captivated, so… tamed by this boy was a strategic coup that Akari couldn't fathom. He had won the loyalty of a powerful ally without even trying.

She, Akari Ishikawa, had spent years building her influence through careful negotiation, manipulation, and pragmatic alliances. This boy was accomplishing more in two days through sheer, unconscious charisma than she had in two years.

It was infuriating.

It was… impressive.

She hated that she thought that.

Her phone buzzed. It was a text from one of her informants.

[Yamata is moving. Not him personally. He's given the Judo Club Captain, 'The Bear' Maruyama, the green light. They're planning to corner Tanaka after school. In the judo dojo. They're saying they want to 'test his groundwork.']

Akari's fingers tightened around her phone. So, the next wave was coming. Yamata was using another piece to test Kenji's limits. Maruyama was different from the others. He wasn't a striker. He was a grappler, a beast of a man who crushed his opponents on the mat.

A plan began to form in Akari's mind, cold and precise. This was an opportunity. An opportunity to see more of Kenji's capabilities, and perhaps, to put him in her debt.

She stood up, her movements graceful and decisive. "Kenjiro. We're leaving."

"But President, your lunch—"

"I've lost my appetite," she said, her grey eyes glinting as she glanced one last time at the oblivious boy sitting alone in his circle of self-imposed solitude.

Let's see how you handle a bear, Tanaka Kenji, she thought. Let's see if your brand of chaos can overcome pure, crushing force.

The stage was being set for the next performance, and this time, the queen herself intended to have a front-row seat.