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Chapter 18: The Gang’s Reaction (And a Kidnapping?!)

  Chapter 18: The Gang’s Reaction (And a Kidnapping?!)

  Scene 1: Rival Gang’s Fury

  The Aizawa estate was nothing short of a fortress. Nestled in the heart of the city, behind layers of towering walls and guarded gates, it radiated power and authority. Inside the grand hall, men in dark suits stood lined against the walls, their heads lowered as the rage of their boss shook the entire room.

  BANG.

  A heavy ceramic cup shattered against the floor, shards scattering like broken teeth. The man who threw it, Shigeru Aizawa, remained seated at the long lacquered table, his fingers tightening around the armrests of his chair. His eyes—sharp and lethal—glowed with fury beneath the dim lighting.

  “I want an explanation.” His voice was smooth, controlled. Dangerous.

  The men surrounding him flinched. No one dared to speak first.

  Finally, one did.

  “Sir, she… publicly confessed to him.”

  Silence.

  Shigeru’s lips curled. “To whom?”

  “…To Ryuji Sakamoto.”

  CRACK.

  The heavy wooden armrest split beneath his grip.

  “Say that again.”

  The underling swallowed. “In front of half the school, Lady Sakura confessed her love to Ryuji Sakamoto.”

  Shigeru’s gaze darkened. “The same Ryuji Sakamoto who belongs to the family I’ve spent years feuding with?”

  The man hesitated. “Y-yes. But, sir, there’s… something strange about it.”

  Shigeru’s expression remained unreadable. “What.”

  “The boy she confessed to… he doesn’t act like Sakamoto. He doesn’t even seem to recognize her.”

  A pause. A long, suffocating pause.

  Shigeru leaned forward, elbows on the table, calculating.

  “And what,” he murmured, too softly, “do you expect me to do with this information?”

  His men stiffened. They knew that tone.

  “Find out the truth,” one of them said quickly. “If it’s a deception, we’ll uncover it. And if he’s playing with Lady Sakura’s heart—”

  “We’ll end him,” another added, more confident this time.

  A ghost of a smile played at Shigeru’s lips.

  “Good,” he murmured. “You’re learning.”

  He finally rose from his chair, adjusting the cuffs of his suit with lethal precision.

  “Gather a team. I want him found before sundown. Make it clear that he doesn’t get to walk away without giving me an answer.”

  His men bowed low.

  Shigeru turned to gaze out the large floor-to-ceiling window. His estate overlooked the sprawling city—a kingdom that he ruled from the shadows.

  His voice was quiet but cold as death.

  “No one humiliates my daughter and walks away.”

  ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

  Meanwhile, at the school…

  Kenji stretched his arms behind his head, completely oblivious to the incoming storm.

  “Man, I can’t wait to go home and pretend today never happened.”

  Beside him, Tetsuya Arakawa gave a slow, pointed look. “You think the school’s just gonna forget the Yakuza princess publicly confessed her love for you?”

  Kenji grimaced. “I was really hoping.”

  Tetsuya sighed. “It’s almost cute that you think you have a choice in the matter.”

  Kenji waved him off. “I just need to lay low. If I ignore it long enough, maybe it’ll all go away.”

  At that exact moment, Sakura Aizawa’s voice rang through the hallway.

  “Ah! There you are, darling!”

  Kenji froze.

  Tetsuya hummed. “So about that laying low thing…”

  Kenji resisted the urge to scream.

  Scene 2: Kenji Tries to Escape

  Kenji had made a lot of mistakes in his life.

  This?

  This was a top three mistake.

  The moment Sakura Aizawa had stepped onto campus, smiling sweetly while calling him “darling” in front of the entire school, Kenji had known—knew deep in his bones—that his peaceful existence was officially over.

  Now, standing just outside the school gates with Tetsuya beside him, Kenji was on high alert.

  “You’re being paranoid,” Tetsuya muttered, watching as Kenji subtly scanned his surroundings like a man preparing for battle.

  “Am I?” Kenji whispered back, eyes darting toward a black sedan idling down the street. It wasn’t there this morning.

  Tetsuya followed his gaze. “Okay. That’s probably not good.”

  Kenji clenched his fists. Of course it wasn’t good.

  Between Sakura’s public declaration of love, the school losing its collective mind, and the fact that the Aizawa family now thought they were engaged, Kenji had made the only logical decision.

  He was running.

  “Alright,” Kenji exhaled, mentally preparing. “No big deal. We just gotta avoid the guys in suits who are almost definitely waiting to grab me.”

  Tetsuya’s expression was painfully neutral. “And you have a plan?”

  “Yes,” Kenji said confidently.

  Tetsuya waited.

  Kenji exhaled again. “No.”

  Tetsuya sighed. “Of course.”

  “Look,” Kenji hissed, adjusting his bag. “I’m not stupid enough to walk straight into whatever trap they’ve set up. I just need to—”

  A smooth voice interrupted him.

  “You always take this route home, Ryuji?”

  Kenji froze.

  Tetsuya didn’t react.

  Slowly, Kenji turned.

  At the alley entrance, two men in dark suits stood casually, their presence just a little too calculated.

  Kenji exhaled through his nose, already knowing exactly where this was going.

  Of course.

  Of course they were already here.

  The lead man smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Going somewhere?”

  Kenji forced himself to stay casual. “Oh, you know. Just going home. Got some homework.”

  Tetsuya murmured, “You don’t do homework.”

  Kenji ignored him.

  The suited man tilted his head. “Strange. We were hoping to have a little chat first.”

  Kenji forced a laugh. “See, I’d love to, but, uh, I’m really—”

  A hand landed on his shoulder.

  Kenji flinched.

  His instincts screamed at him—move, now—

  But the grip wasn’t tight.

  It was… polite.

  Like a suggestion rather than a command.

  That was worse.

  Because it meant they knew he wasn’t a threat.

  And Kenji hated that.

  Tetsuya leaned closer. “You gonna run?”

  Kenji sighed. “Would it help?”

  “No.”

  Kenji clenched his jaw.

  The suited man smiled again. “Come with us.”

  Kenji let out the deepest sigh of his life.

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “Figured.”

  Scene 3: Kenji Gets ‘Kidnapped’ (Again)

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Kenji had technically been kidnapped before.

  It wasn’t common, but it had happened enough times that he’d learned some important rules:

  


      
  1. Always keep your hands visible—makes them less jumpy.


  2.   
  3. Don’t run unless you know you’ll win.


  4.   
  5. Avoid sarcasm. (Kenji was terrible at this.)


  6.   
  7. Act confused. (This part was easy.)


  8.   


  Which was why, as he sat in the backseat of a black limousine, staring at the very large, very serious-looking men in suits across from him, Kenji leaned back and went with rule number four.

  “…So,” he said after a long pause, his hands resting very visibly on his lap. “This is nice.”

  The two men stared.

  Kenji nodded to himself. “Yeah. Comfy seats. Good air conditioning. Definitely better than the last car I got kidnapped in.”

  The bigger of the two men, bald and broad-shouldered, exhaled sharply through his nose.

  Almost a laugh.

  Kenji counted that as a win.

  The smaller man, lean, sharp-eyed, radiating ‘serious business’ energy, folded his arms. “You think this is a joke?”

  Kenji held up his hands. “Not at all. I take getting kidnapped very seriously.”

  The big guy snorted.

  The sharp-eyed guy did not.

  “You’re playing with things you don’t understand,” he said, voice calm but edged. “Our boss wants to know your true intentions with his daughter.”

  Kenji blinked. “My what?”

  The man’s stare didn’t waver. “You heard me.”

  Kenji stared back.

  Then laughed.

  A full, incredulous, disbelieving laugh.

  “Oh, you’re serious,” he wheezed. “That’s—wow, okay. You guys think I have intentions toward Sakura?”

  Neither man reacted.

  Kenji raised a hand, pointing at himself. “Me? Intentions?”

  Silence.

  Kenji let his hand drop. “Look, I don’t know what she told you, but I don’t even know her. I’m not dating her. I’m not engaged to her. I’m not even remotely involved in her life. This is all just a massive misunderstanding.”

  The lean man nodded once. “I see.”

  Kenji sighed in relief.

  Finally. Someone reasonable.

  Then the guy reached into his jacket.

  Kenji tensed, instantly on alert.

  A gun? A knife? A phone? A—

  The man pulled out a photo.

  And handed it to Kenji.

  Kenji hesitated.

  Then, slowly, he took it.

  One glance, and his stomach dropped.

  It was a photo of him and Sakura.

  From this morning.

  Her standing way too close, smiling, holding onto his arm.

  Him looking like he’d just been hit by a train.

  Kenji’s eye twitched.

  The sharp-eyed man leaned forward. “Explain this.”

  Kenji lowered the photo.

  Then sighed.

  “Okay,” he said. “In my defense, I was completely unprepared for that.”

  The car slowed.

  Kenji barely had time to process this before the door on his left suddenly opened.

  He turned his head—

  And nearly jumped out of his skin.

  Because Sakura Aizawa was standing right there, perfectly composed, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

  “Hello, darling,” she said smoothly, climbing into the car like she owned it.

  Kenji stared.

  Then, very calmly, placed his face into his hands.

  “…I am so tired,” he muttered.

  Scene 4: A Chaotic Rescue

  Kenji was done.

  Not just regular done—no, this was a new level of done.

  Sakura sat beside him in the limo, completely at ease, sipping tea like this was a casual outing instead of a high-stakes Yakuza interrogation.

  The two men across from him were still staring, waiting for a response.

  Kenji rubbed his temples. “Let me get this straight. You kidnapped me because you think I have intentions toward Sakura—”

  The sharp-eyed man corrected, “Because we know you’re dishonoring her.”

  Kenji exhaled slowly. “Right. That. And now she’s… here.”

  He gestured vaguely at Sakura, who smiled serenely.

  “So what exactly are we doing?” Kenji asked. “Because I feel like we could’ve just talked at school. Without the kidnapping part.”

  The big guy actually considered that for a second.

  The sharp-eyed man? Not amused.

  “Your arrogance is astounding,” he said coldly. “You think this is a game?”

  Kenji snorted. “Oh, I wish this was a game. If this was a game, I’d at least have a pause button.”

  Sakura sighed dramatically, resting a hand on his arm.

  “Ryuji,” she murmured, “if you were just honest about your feelings, none of this would be necessary.”

  Kenji froze.

  Then looked down at her hand.

  Then at her face.

  Then at the two very large, very dangerous men in the car, watching him like he was a bug under a microscope.

  “…I’m sorry, what?” he asked blankly.

  Sakura tilted her head, eyes shining with something worryingly close to affection.

  “Father wouldn’t have sent his men if you had just told me the truth.”

  Kenji blinked. “What truth?!”

  Sakura smiled.

  Kenji’s survival instincts screamed.

  Then, before she could answer—

  BAM.

  The entire limo shook as the back door was ripped open with enough force to break the hinges.

  A baseball bat slammed into the car frame.

  Kenji jumped.

  The two men turned sharply, reaching for weapons.

  Sakura? Didn’t even flinch.

  And standing in the now-destroyed limo doorway—

  Was Akari Hayashi.

  Eyes blazing.

  Bat resting casually on one shoulder.

  And her tone? Absolutely unhinged.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  Kenji immediately pointed at Sakura. “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING.”

  Sakura sighed. “Must you be so dramatic?”

  Akari lunged forward.

  Kenji barely had time to flinch before another figure stepped in behind Akari, adjusting her glasses.

  Reina.

  And she wasn’t carrying a bat.

  She was holding a legal document.

  Kenji had never been happier to see fine print in his life.

  Reina flipped open the paper, scanned the car interior, and said, completely deadpan—

  “Kidnapping is illegal.”

  The sharp-eyed man twitched. “Who are you?”

  Reina didn’t answer.

  She simply lifted the paper higher, pointing to a specific line of text.

  “If Fujimura isn’t returned to school grounds immediately,” she said calmly, “I’ll be forced to involve higher authorities.”

  Kenji nodded rapidly. “YES. THAT. LISTEN TO HER.”

  The big guy actually looked uncertain.

  The sharp-eyed man? Not so much.

  His gaze flickered to Sakura. “Miss Aizawa, do you—”

  Sakura smiled. “Oh, let them take him. It’s more fun this way.”

  Kenji snapped his head toward her. “What—”

  And then Akari grabbed his wrist.

  “Alright, idiot, let’s go.”

  Before he could argue, she yanked him out of the limo with zero hesitation, nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process.

  Kenji stumbled forward.

  Reina stepped in, blocking the doorway before the men could react.

  Akari spun her bat in her hands. “You wanna try something? Go ahead. Make my day.”

  The big guy looked at the bat.

  Then at the legal document.

  Then at Reina.

  Then at Sakura.

  Who just sipped her tea.

  Finally, he sighed. “…This isn’t worth it.”

  The sharp-eyed man glared. “We’re letting him go?”

  Sakura nodded. “For now.”

  Kenji barely had time to breathe in relief before Akari dragged him away.

  Scene 5: A Dangerous Warning

  Kenji had never been so happy to be dragged away from something in his life.

  Reina and Akari flanked him as they stormed away from the limo, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Sakura’s insane personal entourage.

  Kenji exhaled loudly, rubbing his wrists. “You know, for once, I’m not even gonna complain about being manhandled. That was the single most uncomfortable moment of my entire existence.”

  Reina adjusted her glasses. “Legally speaking, it was a mild felony.”

  Kenji deadpanned. “Wow, thanks, that makes me feel so much better.”

  Akari, still gripping her bat, tossed him a scowl. “You better be grateful. Do you know how humiliating it was having to fight for your useless ass?”

  Kenji sighed. “Trust me, I’d love to not be in this position.”

  Akari scoffed, muttering under her breath.

  Reina closed her notebook with a definitive snap. “I’ll be filing an official report about this incident.”

  Kenji blinked. “To… who?”

  Reina paused.

  Kenji smirked. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

  Akari rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just get out of here before those guys change their minds—”

  Bzzz.

  Kenji’s phone vibrated.

  He frowned, pulling it out of his pocket.

  One new message.

  Unknown Number:

  "If you hurt Sakura, expect consequences."

  Kenji’s entire body locked up.

  He felt the shift in the air before either girl noticed.

  Reina saw the look on his face first. “What is it?”

  Kenji didn’t answer immediately. His grip tightened on the phone.

  Akari leaned over, trying to peek. “Oi. Who’s texting you now?”

  Kenji flipped the screen down before she could read it. “It’s nothing.”

  Akari raised a brow. “That didn’t look like nothing.”

  Reina narrowed her eyes. “Who was it from?”

  Kenji hesitated.

  His mind raced through possibilities.

  If he told them… they’d only get more involved.

  And he really, really didn’t want that.

  So he did what he did best.

  He lied through his teeth.

  “Just a spam message,” he said, shoving the phone back into his pocket. “You know, those dumb ‘Congratulations! You’ve won a free car!’ texts.”

  Akari scoffed. “Pfft. Lucky you.”

  Reina, however, didn’t look convinced.

  She studied him carefully, her gaze sharp and calculating.

  Kenji kept his expression blank.

  A few long, suffocating seconds passed.

  Then, finally—

  Reina looked away.

  “For once, I agree with Akari,” she said. “We should leave before anything else happens.”

  Kenji forced himself to relax. “Yeah. Good call.”

  They started walking again, leaving the scene of the crime behind them.

  But Kenji’s thoughts were still stuck on that text.

  He didn’t know who had sent it.

  Didn’t know if it was just a warning… or a promise.

  But one thing was clear.

  This wasn’t just school drama anymore.

  This was real.

  And if he wasn’t careful…

  It was going to get him killed.

  Scene 6: The Mystery Man Returns

  The sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the quiet streets.

  Kenji adjusted his bag over his shoulder, his steps slower than usual as he and Tetsuya took their normal route home.

  Akari and Reina had split off a while ago, their respective frustrations still simmering from earlier. Kenji had welcomed the silence, figuring it would give him some much-needed time to decompress.

  It didn’t.

  He could still feel the weight of that anonymous text burning in his pocket.

  "If you hurt Sakura, expect consequences."

  The words played on loop in his mind, like some ominous prophecy he couldn’t shake.

  Kenji exhaled through his nose, running a hand through his hair.

  This was bad.

  This was really bad.

  Tetsuya, who had been eerily quiet this whole time, finally spoke. “You’re being watched.”

  Kenji stumbled mid-step. “Huh?!”

  Tetsuya jerked his chin toward the alleyway across the street. “Don’t look.”

  Kenji immediately looked.

  A dark figure stood partially obscured beneath the overhang of a building.

  The moment Kenji’s eyes landed on them, they stepped forward.

  Kenji’s stomach dropped.

  Tetsuya sighed. “You suck at listening.”

  Kenji ignored him. His entire body tensed as the man slowly approached, his polished dress shoes clicking against the pavement.

  That same sharp suit. That same casual confidence.

  Kenji felt a prickle of cold recognition.

  He knew this man.

  Or rather—

  This was the same guy who had confronted him at school.

  "You’re not Ryuji Sakamoto."

  The words from that first meeting slammed into Kenji’s brain like a bullet.

  He fought the urge to backpedal.

  The man stopped a few paces away, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.

  Kenji forced his voice to work. “…You again.”

  The man tilted his head, smirking. “Miss me?”

  Tetsuya shifted slightly beside him, his stance casual—but Kenji knew better. Tetsuya was on high alert.

  Kenji swallowed hard. “What do you want?”

  The man studied him for a moment before chuckling.

  “You tell me,” he said. “You’re the one walking around with another man’s name.”

  Kenji’s pulse spiked.

  There it was. Again.

  The direct accusation.

  The man in the suit was calling him out, plain and simple.

  Kenji stuffed his hands in his pockets, forcing himself to stay calm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  The man hummed, clearly unimpressed.

  “Right. Of course you don’t.” He stepped forward, his presence suffocating.

  Kenji held his ground.

  The man leaned in just slightly.

  “Tell me, Fujimura,” he murmured, his tone almost amused. “Do you actually think you can keep up this little charade forever?”

  Kenji clenched his jaw. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  The man’s smirk widened.

  “Then let me be clear,” he said, straightening up. “Your time is running out.”

  Kenji stiffened.

  The man turned his gaze to Tetsuya for the first time.

  “I assume you already knew that, though.”

  Tetsuya, for once, didn’t respond.

  Kenji glanced at him sharply, but Tetsuya’s expression remained blank.

  That was worrying.

  Kenji steeled himself, taking a small step forward. “Look, buddy. I don’t know what your deal is, but you seem pretty interested in my life.”

  The man laughed lightly. “Shouldn’t I be? After all…” He leaned in again, his smirk razor-sharp.

  “…you stole a dead man’s name.”

  Kenji’s blood turned to ice.

  His throat closed. His breath caught.

  Tetsuya’s fingers tensed slightly.

  Kenji couldn’t move.

  Dead man?

  Before Kenji could even begin to process that, a commotion erupted near the school gates.

  Kenji snapped out of his trance just in time to see the suit-clad man take a step back.

  He turned back to the man in the suit—

  But he was already gone.

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