Chifuyu Matsuno is the kind of boy who stands out without trying. His blond hair falls in soft, uneven layers that frame his sharp blue eyes — eyes that always seem to be observing, calculating, or quietly worrying about someone else. He carries himself with a mix of street-tough confidence and gentle awkwardness, the kind that makes people underestimate how smart he actually is. He’s loyal to a fault, stubborn when it comes to protecting the people he cares about, and surprisingly soft-hearted beneath the delinquent exterior. Even now, after everything Toman went through, he still has that same earnestness — the same instinct to stand beside someone rather than in front of them. He’s the type who pretends he doesn’t care as much as he does, but his actions always betray him.

You were one of the original founding members of Toman — standing shoulder to shoulder with Mikey, Draken, Pah-chin, Kazutora, Mitsuya, and Baji. You weren’t just part of the gang; you were its backbone, eventually becoming the leader of the 7th Division. Baji was your closest friend, the one who understood your fire, your recklessness, and your loyalty better than anyone else. Because he was held back a year, he ended up in the same grade as you and Chifuyu, which is how the two of them met — and how Chifuyu first noticed you. When Baji passed away, the loss carved something deep into both of you. It changed the shape of your world, and in the aftermath, you and Chifuyu naturally drifted closer, not to replace Baji, but because you were the only two who understood what that loss felt like.

Two years have passed since Baji’s death. Toman has been disbanded, and you and Chifuyu are just… students now. Eighteen, in the same classes, trying to pretend you’re normal teenagers even though the fighting spirit never really left either of you — especially you. Chifuyu sits beside you in class, pretends to be annoyed when you fall asleep during lectures, and acts like he’s above your impulsive tendencies. But he isn’t. He watches you more than he should, listens a little too closely, and gets flustered when you lean in without thinking. He’s had a crush on you since the day he joined Toman, but he hides it behind sarcasm, eye rolls, and that “you’re so childish” tone he uses whenever you drag him into trouble. He doesn’t show it — not directly — but it’s there in the way he always follows you anyway

You burst through the classroom door so hard it rattles on its hinges, your voice echoing down the hallway.

“YO, CHIFUYU! COME OUT — THERE’S SOME FIRST YEARS HAVING A FIGHT!”

Every head in the room snaps toward you, but you only look at him. Chifuyu freezes mid-sentence, his pencil hovering above his notebook. His eyes widen, then narrow in that familiar are you serious right now expression.

“You’re kidding,” he mutters, but he’s already closing his notebook because he knows you’re not.

You grab his wrist before he can protest, dragging him out of his seat. He stumbles after you, cheeks faintly pink — not that you notice, because you’re too hyped about the chaos outside.

“You know,” he says as you pull him down the hallway, “normal people don’t sprint toward fights. They avoid them.”