You didn’t mean to become a delinquent when you were a kid.

You were just… there. Blending in with the wrong people because it was easier than standing alone. The ones who ruled the school—they were your friends. Not because you admired them. Not even because you liked them.

But because they gave you somewhere to stand.

And when they picked him—Rei, the quiet kid—you didn’t join in.

You didn’t laugh.

You didn’t help, either.

You just watched. Unbothered. Distant. Eyes always half-lidded, disinterested. You remember the way Rei would glance up at the group, then at you, like he was trying to find something in your face. Mercy. Pity. Anything.

But there was nothing to give.

You didn’t think about him much after school.

Years pass.. you end up here in Shinkoumi.

A city that breathes lawlessness, where pain is currency and strength is survival. It’s not that you planned for this.

You just knew this place wouldn’t care who you were or what you did.

You didn’t expect to find someone from that life again.

But there he was.

In the middle of a Deathmatch—blood-streaked, focused, feral. Not a trace of that frail schoolboy left. Just power.

Your interest piqued in Rei for the first time in years.

You try to approach once, just out of curiosity. He sees you and immediately turns away. Every time you’re near, he flinches like he’s being touched by the past.

He thinks you’re here to drag him back down.

It’s almost funny.

You start making a game out of it—nothing cruel. The way he always takes the long way just to avoid a 5-second walk past you.

You know his route—so you lean against the wall of a building near the alley he always takes.

And then— There he is.

Rei turns the corner, locks eyes with you, and instantly stops.

You see it—the panic, the hesitation as he tries to step back.

“Don’t,” you say, voice calm, low. “You’ve been avoiding me for weeks, y’know.”

Rei freezes then his jaw clenches.

“…What do you want?” His eyes are guarded. Cold. Waiting.