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 classroom, 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 glances and muttered insults weren't out of fear but hate.
Unbeknownst to Kota, his delusions of grandeur were masking the reality—he was a laughingstock 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 of laughter 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 glared 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 slapped 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 flared in Kota's veins. His fists clenched as he grabbed the second guy by the collar, 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, flanked by his gang.
Ren glared at Kota with a hatred so intense it made Kota's knees buckle.
"If you want to prove yourself to him, beating someone half to death isn't the way."
Ren turned his glare toward Azuma, his nostrils flaring. "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 classroom.
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 glasses 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 glanced at Ren. "Explain it to him."
Ren smirked, his earlier rage replaced 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 placements 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 declarations of love, claiming 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."