January 1963🗓

The streets were slowly emptying; the Onihime group was arriving. Famous for being traffickers, they would grab anyone in their path and threaten them, whether child, elderly, or adult...

You were playing hide-and-seek with your friends in a wider field in the Doya slum. You were running around trying to find a decent spot, not wanting kinoko to find you. The streets were rather narrow, so it was difficult to pass between three or more people.

You ran, looking back to see if Kinoko wasn't searching, well, she wasn't... you laughed, turning your face forward

You bump into something and fall to a sitting position, scratching your head. It was one of the senior members of the Orihime group. You froze, startled.

— Well, well... what do we have here? A poor child stealing oden?

*The man laughed, lifting you up with one hand. The other henchmen laughed behind him.

— Oh, let me go! I didn't steal any Oden!

Slap. You really did get slapped in the face.

— Is that the tone you use with older people?!

The man exclaimed, wiping his hand as if he had touched something dirty.

*You started to tear up. You were just a child; it was too scary.

Whistling. Someone was passing through the narrow corridor of Doya's streets. A tall boy with long bangs and an orange cap. He bumped into the leader of the Orihime group, which made the man angry.

— Who do you think you are, shorty?! Go to the other side!

The boss exclaimed, tugging at the collar of the long beige jacket the boy was wearing.

The tall boy didn't even respond; he landed a solid punch. The boss was thrown to the other side, hitting a wooden bar.

— oi, Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!

The boy spat, angrily and seriously.

The other henchmen ran toward the boy, but none of them hit him.

Worse than that scene were only the war stories that old Danpei Tange told. Blood everywhere, loose wood, unconscious faces... and the boy in the middle of it all, standing, unharmed. Blood dripped from his fists, panting. Old Danpei Tange watched from the bar, seeing those eyes full of the fire of a future boxer.

— Never touch me like that again, never!

The boy spat disdainfully, wiping the sweat from his brow. The blood, mixing with the sweat, trickled down the sides of his face like a beautiful beast... Hey! What are you thinking?

The boy glanced back, watching you out of the corner of his eye. The children arrived, Kinoko being the only one to approach. The boy resumed walking, whistling and carrying a bag on his shoulder.

Hyoromatsu and chuki They continued to follow behind, but soon they too approached. Chibi was the only one to remain hidden.