Kota strutted into school with his head held high, convinced his reputation as a member of the infamous Red Fang gang would earn him admiration.


    He envisioned students gawking at him with awe, whispering about how cool he was like he was a king.


    ''Mari would also want to be my girlfriend once he realizes I am cooler than that bastard Haruto could ever be!''


    But as he walked through the hallway toward his ssroom, the reactions were far from what he anticipated.


    Students stepped aside, avoiding him like a bad smell.


    ''They must be scared of me,''


    Kota thought, puffing out his chest with pride.


    In truth, the disgusted nces and muttered insults weren''t out of fear but hate.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Unbeknownst to Kota, his delusions of grandeur were masking the reality—he was aughingstock and a pariah for reasons far beyond his gang affiliation.


    Lost in his daydreams, Kota didn''t notice someone deliberately shoulder-checking him, sending him stumbling back.


    "Ck, what''s this trash doing here? He actually dares to show his face at school after all the perverted things he''s done," one student sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.


    Kota froze in disbelief as a ripple ofughter erupted around him.


    His chest burned with humiliation, but he quickly steeled himself, spinning around and gripping the guy''s shoulder.


    "What do you mean, trash? Don''t you know I''m a Red Fang member now?" Kota snarled and red at him.


    ''This shitty punk. I''ll make him grovel like a dog,


    '' he thought, already envisioning the fear in the student''s eyes.


    But instead of fear, the student pped Kota''s hand away. "Don''t touch me with your disgusting hands," he spat.


    "Red Fang? Pfft!" He smirked in mockery.


    "I thought Red Fang had standards, but they must''ve hit rock bottom letting someone like you join."


    Kota''s brows furrowed in confusion. Before he could respond, another student chimed in, shoving him lightly.


    "Go crawl back to whatever hole you came from, you piece of shit. You don''t belong here."


    Anger red in Kota''s veins. His fists clenched as he grabbed the second guy by the cor, his voice trembling with rage.


    "What the hell did you just say? Don''t mock me! Do you know who I am? Daiki will kill you for this!"


    A tense silence fell over the group until a chilling voice broke through.


    "Kill who? You dare to drag my name through your pathetic mess?"


    Kota''s blood ran cold as he turned to see Daiki himself standing at the edge of the crowd, nked by his gang.


    Ren red at Kota with a hatred so intense it made Kota''s knees buckle.


    The crowd erupted into murmurs as Daiki''s gang moved forward. Ren sneered.


    "Oi, bastard, get your ass over here. We need to have a little chat."


    Kota''s heart raced, his confidence crumbling. The memory of Ren''s brutal punches shed in his mind, making his body shiver.


    Sweat trickled down his temple as he froze in ce.


    "What the fuck are you waiting for?" Ren barked, his voiceced with impatience.


    "Move, or I''ll drag you there myself."


    Kota nodded numbly, following them toward the abandoned building they used as their hangout.


    He trailed behind, keeping his distance. He was scared they would suddenly attack him.


    ''What the hell is going on?''


    he thought, his fists clenching as anxiety gnawed at him.


    ''This has to be Haruto''s doing. That bastard—why does he keep messing with me? We''ve been friends since first year!''


    Confusion and bitterness swirled in his mind, but before he could process his thoughts, they arrived. Stay tuned for updates on empire


    Kota''s throat tightened as he stared at the decrepit ssroom-turned-hideout.


    Swallowing hard, he braced himself and stepped inside.


    As Kota stepped into the ssroom, a fist flew out of nowhere, crashing against his face with brutal force.


    The impact sent him sprawling to the ground, blood gushing from his nose.


    Clutching his bloodied face, he looked up to see Ren looming over him, his knuckles already smeared red.


    "You bastard," Ren spat, grabbing Kota by the cor and yanking him up. "You''ve tarnished our group''s name with your idiocy."


    Before Kota could muster a word in his defense, Ren unleashed a flurry of punches.


    Each strikended harder than thest, the force rattling Kota''s skull as he instinctively tried to shield his face.


    "You piece of shit!" Ren growled, his voice seething with fury.


    "I should''ve known you were trouble the moment that asshole Haruto brought you to us!"


    Another punch connected, splitting Kota''s lip and sending blood sttering across Ren''s face.


    "You fucker," Ren snarled, "I''m going to kill you!"


    The blows came faster, harder, threatening to knock Kota unconscious. But just as Ren reared back for another strike, his arm was caught mid-swing.


    "Enough."


    Azuma stood behind Ren, his grip on Ren''s wrist firm, his cold gaze unyielding.


    "Daiki''s been telling you to stop, Ren," he said evenly.


    "If you want to prove yourself to him, beating someone half to death isn''t the way."


    Ren turned his re toward Azuma, his nostrils ring. "Shut up. You don''t know shit," he snapped, yanking his arm free.


    He stood up and shoved past Azuma, shoulder-checking him on the way.


    "This isn''t over," Ren muttered before stalking into the ssroom.


    Azuma sighed, shaking his head, before kneeling to help Kota to his feet. Kota winced as pain shot through his battered body.


    His face was swollen, his sses cracked, and blood trickled from his nose and mouth.


    "Come on," Azuma muttered, slinging Kota''s arm over his shoulder and dragging him into the room.


    Inside, Daiki sat on a worn-out sofa, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.


    His gaze locked onto Kota, and for a moment, the room seemed to freeze.


    "Do you know what you''ve done?" Daiki asked, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.


    Kota shivered under the weight of Daiki''s stare. "N… No," he stammered honestly, his voice trembling.


    Daiki''s brow twitched in irritation, and he nced at Ren. "Exin it to him."


    Ren smirked, his earlier rage reced by a sinister calm.


    He walked over to his bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a stack of papers, tossing them onto the table in front of Kota.


    "Take a look," Ren said, crossing his arms.


    Kota hesitated, his trembling hands reaching for the papers.


    As his eyes scanned the contents, his heart sank.


    Screenshots of his conversations filled the pages—threatening messages sent to Mari''s ex-boyfriends, coercing them to break up with her.


    There were detailed sketches of hidden camera cements he had drawn himself, along with photos of the cameras Mari had discovered in her room.


    The final pages contained messages he had sent to Mari, delusional derations of love, iming she was "his and his alone."


    Kota''s hands shook, the papers slipping from his grip as his stomach churned with dread.


    "It''s all over the chatrooms and the school building now," Daiki said coldly, his voice sharp enough to cut.


    "Your pathetic obsession with Mari has not only embarrassed yourself but tarnished our group''s reputation. People think Red Fang is full of losers like you."


    Kota opened his mouth to plead, but Daiki stood, his towering figure casting an ominous shadow over him.


    "You''ve brought shame to our name. Now you''re going to fix it," Daiki said, his tone deadly.


    Kota couldn''t move, his blood running ice-cold as Daiki leaned closer.


    "Because if you don''t," Daiki whispered, his eyes glinting with malice, "your body will be floating in the river tonight."