The day started with Ibuki mercilessly beating Izuru up while he slept with a pillow in order to wake him up and peer pressure him into go making her favourite breakfast: canned tomato soup, because she wasn't used to using stoves on her own, so the poor bastard had to heat it up for her.

But that didn't matter.

Instead of focusing on some duo of dumbasses who somehow work with a shared single brain cell, this will instead focus on someone living in the Shinjuku ward ever since the end of his family.

He woke up early and got started with making breakfast, and by the time he had finished that and sat down to eat by himself, his mother rushed out of her room and ran around thanks a certain thing called not setting up her alarm properly.

"Your bag's on the couch." Junpei said, sipping on his matcha tea.

"THANK YOU!" His mother Nagi replied.

"I made you lunch, the bento's already inside the bag."

"THANK YOU! OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL, WHAT-"

"Weather report said rain so take an umbrella." Junpei sighed, finishing his breakfast.

"OH YEAH, THANKS!"

After speedrunning her way into getting ready as fast as she could while eating breakfast on the run, Nagi quickly put her shoes on at the apartment's entrance hall and looked back at Junpei with a smile.

"I'm off. Have a good day at school!"

"Hai, hai, have a good day at the firm." Junpei waved as his mother left the apartment.

As his turn to get ready and leave came around, Junpei grabbed his school coat and placed it on after putting his shoes on. Through the mirror at the entrance hall, he looked at the emblem on the coat.

A red spider crushing an inverted shield between its legs.

The emblem of Shinjuku Metropolition School, otherwise known simply as Shinjuku Tech.

"Wish me luck, Jack-senpai."

Shinjuku Tech, being a much smaller school when compared to names such as Heiwa or Setsuna, was surrounded by a cluster of buildings in the Shinjuku ward, making it only accessible by the small roads and alleys that were created between the buildings that hid it from the outside world.

On a negative note, it made not alot of people find out about the school, but on the positive side, it made the task of finding it harder for those who happened to not know much about it.

That was actually useful after the new age of delinquents brought upon Shinjuku Tech by the foreign student Jack ended after the day he suddenly stopped appearing to school. Those who wanted to learn more about him and the golden era he created could only hear the rumours, because everyone was too lazy to try and go find Shinjuku Tech.

That and the delinquents who went soft during Jack's rule just returned to taking money of poor nerds after he went to the store to buy milk.

But even with him gone and his new age over, one underclassmen of his, whom he had showed kindness too despite his family situation, kept fighting to bring a new age of delinquents, one that could show the good of Jack's actions.

But on the other hand, as if that'd ever happen. This sadly isn't called Heiwa Revengers.

The only tangible thing Jack left behind on Shinjuku Tech was a storage room at the corner of the second floor that he decorated into being a meeting place for him as his friends, with all the quality of life things one would need like food, drinks and enough cards to go around, only that the place got ransacked not even a week after he left, so all that got left behind was a red couch and some chairs and tables. But the spirit of being a meeting place for friends lived on.

"Good morning, Yasuke, Nakano-senpai." Junpei greeted as he stepped into the room.

Yasuke and Nakano happened to be already there, with Yasuke being too focused on his laptop to pay attention to the outside world and Nakano reading a psycholoy book on the couch. Despite living much closer to the school than Nakano, as in Nakano had to take a train there all the way from Ikebukuro, Junpei still managed to get there way after he did.

And Ibuki? Still waiting on that tomato soup. Thanks, Izuru.

"Good morning, Kotomine-kun." Nakano said, placing his book down. "Yasuke, look who's here. No seriously, please stop trying to guess your sister's credit card information in order to give a talking 3D model some money."

"You mustn't break my concentration, senpai! I only have one shot left before the bank rings up sis to tell her I tried to yoink some of her cash again in order to donate some to my favourite first person shooter gremlin girl! This is a life or death situation!" Yasuke exclaimed, cleaning the sweat off his forehead.

"No, it'll be a death situation after your sister finds out." Junpei deadpanned, throwing his coat and bag onto the couch. "They said it'd be raining today but it's stupidly warm outside... Are we really in October already?"

"The only thing that works weirder than the weather is Yasuke's life decision making skills." The upperclassmen sighed.

"Ah. I'm a die. Thank you forever." Yasuke blinked.

Guess who has two thumbs and failed on using his sister's credit card to give some V-Tuber some superchats.

"Hm. Your sister always said she's rather be a lonely child." Junpei nodded.

"A lonely child is what I'm gonna be after she sells me!" He yelled, and then yelled again when his phone started rigging.

"It was a good ride, Yasuke. But everything must come to an end. I will name my firstborn after you." Nakano said, placing his hand on Yasuke's shoulder.

"I-I'M NOT DEAD YET! AND DON'T TALK LIKE YOU GOT THE SKILLS NEEDED TO GET A WIFE, SENPAI! WE AGREED TO BE UNLOVEABLE LOSERS TOGETHER UNTIL WE DIE! I GOTTA TAKE THIS CALL!"

Yasuke grabbed his phone and bolted it out of there like his life depended on it.

Because it kinda is depending on it.

"So, this is what they call copium." Junpei whistled.

"This is anything but what they call copium." Nakano sweatdropped. "That idiot is probably going to get into more trouble without us near him than anything, isn't he?" He sighed.

"I mean... Well, yeah."

"Damn you, Yasuke..."

"You called, senpai?"

And Yasuke was already at the door! It's like he just destroyed his phone to avoid his sister's anger or something of the matter!

Because he did.

"Oh, you're done with your sister's rant already? I thought they lasted longer." Nakano said. "Anyway-"

"Oh yeah, I came back because these guys were outside." Yasuke said, opening the rest of the door for the group that was behind him.

Three of the guys that were part of the group walked in first, singing, more like awfully rapping, praises of their leader, who followed behind them with his hands in his pockets.

Two of them were comepletly useless to the plot so they don't have names and could be replaced with cardboard cuttous or by Imaishi Reo clones and no one would be able to tell the difference, but the third one was Yagami Kokichi, nicknamed Koko, the right hand man to the group's leader.

"Yo! On peaks and the snow, he's a rulling mofo, everything's gone a loony cause the school's rulled by Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyoooo, it's gotta be the legend! YEAH BOY!"

"Not this circus again." Junpei deadpanned, staring the group with a flat stare.

Nakano didn't even reply. He just looked at them with eyes that showed how much he represented the "No energy" part of that one meme.

"He's fat, he's fly, he's tall as the sky, always grabs his rocks when the bitches walk by, yo!"

"He's a nice cold sucker, beated a thousand mighty men, yeah!" Koko added.

"He's so fast, coming up on your ass, gonna knock ya in the air, cause he's jumpin' everywhere in your face! And the dude's so handsome all the bitches wanna pants him, ha! But there's no need to bust a tumour cause it's nothing but a rumour, word!"

"Oh yeah, today's tuesday, isn't it?" Yasuke mumbled, looking at the calendar in the wall.

"This day was off to a start too good to be true." Nakano sighed.

And Nakano still had no energy.

Thankfully, those three dumbasses stopped their freestyle attempts and Koko actually spoke some proper words.

"Y'all better motherfuckin' be ready for a sweet ass before class hangout! Y'all about to be graced by his majesty, the motherfucking Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyooooooooooo!"

"Hm."

Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo, actual name Kiyomasa Kiyotaka, was the idiot's leader, the top dog of the delinquents that roamed Shinjuku Tech. When Jack peaced out to go buy milk, he was the first to return the delinquents back to their violent ways and set things right, becoming the vanguard, pun fully intended, for the delinquent world of Shinjuku Tech, rulling over it with his unmatched fighting skills. Not even Yasuke could beat him on a fistfight.

He also didn't speak much because of very bad reasons.

"Out with it already. Whaddya want, Kiyomasa?" Yasuke asked, joining Nakano and Junpei's side.

"Eh... You shits still tryin' to keep Jack's little legacy or somethin'...?" Kiyomasa muttered, taking a deep breath.

And then, because god has been dead for a very long time, the two nameless jackasses began... Beatboxing.

Maybe this should have been another Izuru and Ibuki special afterall.

"Ah? Where's the Odd Taxi soundtrack coming from?" Junpei asked, looking at the ceiling.

"I'm the one who should be saying 'Ah?' here. I, Kiyomasa Kiyotaka, Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo, 2Ki4yo secondary name, singer of legendary delinquent deeds Yano-san, you three idioters keep being thorns on my resting time like you want to burn off my sweet ears!"

He started... He started thinking he was a mobster porcupine in a suit or something because the reason Kiyomasa isn't much of a talker is because he rarelly talks with proper sentences. He sure loves to make people not understand what he's saying by using half-assed lyrics, but at least he's better than the three other idiots combined.

"Just look at you, three dumbfounded vacuumed brained bafoons!"

Kiyomasa pointed at Junpei.

"Fallen wannabe, more boring and underwhelming than a movie about a bee, punching bag of the Sawada, how're you gonna keep Jack's loser legacy when you lost to someone whose name rhymes with 'salada'?"

And then he pointed at Nakano.

"And you, bookworm dethroned from a glorious time, you look so slender, how do you expect a nice girl to look at you and say 'Love me tender.'?"

And then he pointed at Yasuke.

"But you, you actually look like someone who has no doubts, you know what's going about, you see me and think 'Look at this genius, he's ingenius, tired of seeing us, he must have been voyagin', tell me about it?', my answer's no, kokujin! Heard your sister is really mean but I'll be serene, do her like I'd do Anna Faris and then you'll tell me who was in Paris!"

"You... You...!" Yasuke grit his teeth and smiled. "HOLY SHIT, THIS GUY IS AN ACTUAL RHYME GENIUS OR SOMETHING! DID YOU SEE HIM PAIR 'VOYAGIN' WITH 'KOKUJIN'?! I'D NEVER THINK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

"Yeah that's me, legendary delinquent Kiyomasa and there's only one and not three, no White Room or Black Room, the only room to call this Kiyotaka its masterpiece will me your momma's room!"

Kiyomasa finished his lyrical obliteration of Junpei, Nakano and Yasuke with a fist in the air, and then Kokichi dropped his phone as if it was a mic.

"Eh...? Why was mine smaller than theirs?" Nakano asked.

"That's what you're concerned about?!" Junpei asked.

"Point is, get off this room, you Jack-loving slackers!" Kiyomasa demanded, this time using normally structured sentences. "I've been telling you stupid shits that this is my hangout space now and it's not some dumb brat and his admiration for some washed up wannabe delinquent that's gonna stop me from taking a nap and reading porn mags on that red couch!"

"Tch, watch your mouth, Kiyomasa!" The grey haired barked. "We made it clear that we're not leaving this room and that's final! This is the last tangible thing Jack-senpai left behind, and I'll be damned if I let it falls into your damn dirty dog paws!"

"Oho? Tiny dog has big bark? Where's the bite, all I see is someone with his brain higher than a kite. Last time you barked this loudly, your big friend got curbstomped, and then again and then some more before that. Yasuke, square up, it's catch these o'clock, your friend said it so get ready to rock."

"We may not be able to beat you in a fistfight, but we'll beat you somewhere else! I'll protect the school Jack-senpai left behind in his way!"

With that proud declaration, Junpei got out his deck box and pointed it at Kiyomasa, who just scratched his pompadour and sighed.

"You a brat? More like a rat. Why solve this through some card game when I can end this by throwing your ass into river Thame?"

"I don't know about that, Kiyomasa-kun." Nakano commented. "The UK is kinda far... And flights probably cost alot this season. I'm just giving my opinion as the third year in the room, but wouldn't not accept Kotomine-kun's challenge just prove you're too scared to lose in something he's clearly better than you at? I think this is how the gods agreed to fight humanity with their own hands to decide on their end in that one manga series."

"Ah yes, good old humans versus gods in hand throwing. Gotta love when Miyuki Sawashiro's insults hit the right way." Yasuke nodded wisely.

"Ah?! Afraid?! Do you even know who this legendary guy is?!" Koko asked, clenching his fist. "Kiyokiyo's so nice that when he gives to charity, they're like, nah man, you done enough!"

"Shut up, Koko." Kiyomasa scratched the back of his head and sighed again. "I'll take you on that stupid challenge. Whatever drives your dumbasses outta my room faster."

With the cards set on the table, figuratively and literally, the guys inside the room surrounded the table where Junpei and Kiyomasa would have their fight for the storage room. On one side, the last person to believe the ideals Jack set on the school and on the other, someone who just wanted to burn them away and move on with his day.

And hopefully, no phrases would be said in a lyrical structure, but wishful thinking only goes so far.

"Stand up, vanguard!" Junpei declared.

"Vanguard, stand." Kiyomasa scuffed.

"Young Mutant, Worectus! (6000)"

"Some egg. Some Dragon Egg. (6000)"

"Of course only the legendary Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo can go first, no doubt about it!" Koko declared, and the nameless idiots agreed. "You're outmatched, Lamemine support crew!"

"What's a lam mine?" Nakano asked, staring at Koko with a flat look.

"I'll teach you all about how to understand insults one day, senpai." Yasuke nodded.

"Whatever gets the float off your boat." Kiyomasa shrugged.

Stop. The goddamn. Rhymes.

"I draw and ditch one to ride Savage Shooter. (8000) Egg makes me plus, then I soulblast to plus again, call Zandilopho. (8000) He gets a gauge, then I rest him for one more gauge. Pass."

Kiyomasa
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
XOO

Junpei
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. I discard a card to ride High Class Moth from my ride deck! (8000) Warectus' skill, I draw and get a Quick Shield. Moth attacks. (8000)"

"Let it hit."

"(Intimidating Mutant, Darkface)"

"(Slicing Dragon, Terrortherizino) Who the hell is naming these things these stupid names...?"

"Turn end."

Kiyomasa
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
OXO
XOO

Junpei
Hand: 8
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Draw. I ditch one to ride Spinoextort! (9000) I call Regiodon and Savage Shooter too. (9000) (8000) Shooter's skill! I rest her and put the Dilophopyro in the drop under Regiodon as an equip gauge, then rest Zandilopho to move his two gauges to Regiodon. Regiodon, attack. (9000)"

"Quick Shield. (13000)"

"Spinoextort attacks! (9000) I counterblast and retire Regiodon to draw one for Spinoextort's skill. Oh yeah, I also call Dilophopyro from his equip gauge and give him a gauge, and Pyro's skill grants him a buff when called from a gauge. (9000>>19000) And then Regiodon's skill when retired by my card's skill, he calls a card from his equip gauge and gives it a gauge aswell. I'll call Terrortherizino. (12000)"

"Tch, no guard."

"(Emperor Dragon, Gaia Emperor) Nothin'."

"Damage check. (Despoiling Mutant, Sticky Bolas)"

"Eheh, sticky balls." Koko cackled.

"Shut up, Koko. Pyro attacks. (19000)"

"Jewel Flasher, guard. (23000)"

"Terror swings. (12000) He sacks Pyro and let's me draw one."

"No guard. (Evil Governor, Darkface Gredora)"

"Pass."

Kiyomasa
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
OXX
XOO

Junpei
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
OXO
OOO

"So, that's what those divine gauges do? I thought they'd be in a more... Holy looking aesthetic." Nakano commented, rubbing his chin.

"That's... That's the wrong type of gauges, senpai, I'll teach you about those when we get there." Yasuke sweatdropped.

"Zip it, mofos! The man, the myth, the legend, Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo just made a sick four attack turn with just two units on the front row before even hitting grade 3! Bow down to his universe expanding size neuron system!" Koko cheered.

"He could have made five with a third unit on the front though." Nakano pointed out.

"That's besides the point, don't mess with Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo's great pla-!"

"Shut up already, Koko." Kiyomasa sighed. "Get your turn moving, spider fucker."

"Stand and draw. I discard one and ride Vulgar Mutant, Stamping Red from my ride deck! (9000) Stamping Red's skill. Counterblast and put a cradle marker on your Zandilopho." Junpei explained, tossing one of his spare cradle markers, that he kept on his sleeves, to Kiyomasa.

"Why'd he nut his nut of webs on Zandilopho when Terror's right in front of him and ready to attack?! That doesn't sound like the best play to do with this red bug with big tiddies!" Koko exclaimed.

"Actually, it ain't that bad of a move." Kiyomasa replied. "Zandi has a more long term usage, being able to stock more ammo onto the guys on the field. 'Sides, being in the back makes him unreachable by swings, so hitting the back with skills ain't that bad of a plan."

"Oh, so you actually know your shit when it comes to the game? I didn't expect that from a gorilla delinquent." Junpei chuckled, smirking.

"I'm livin' in Japan in the twenty first century, this shit got dug into my head whether I liked it or didn't mean to it. And get moving before this gorilla busts your mouth open like if it was a banana, the clock's ticking and I'm countin' your hour."

Someone likes their Kanye West. But stop that.

"I call Morsiroro (8000) and then retire her for her effect. I retire Zandilopho and superior call Area Stiller from the deck. (8000) And since a unit in a cradle marker got sent to the drop, I add a unit with the same grade as that card from the deck to the hand. I'll add another Morsiroro. I also High Class Moth (8000) and then rest it and botdeck the retired Morsiroro to countercharge one. And finally, I'll call Stamping Red and Megaralancer! (9000) (9000) I counterblast and put Terrortherizino into a cradle marker. Since there's units in cradle markers on the field, both Stamping Reds power up. (9000>>15000) (9000>>15000)"

"Tch, annoying brat." Kiyomasa clicked his tongue.

"But aren't you two in the same year?" Nakano asked.

"Kiyokiyo Kiyokiyo's so nice that he's fine with being held back a year if it means being a great role model for the younger generation!"

"Will the two of you shut up?! I didn't get held back, I'm seventeen, dammit!"

"Seventeen?! You look thirty!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Bafoons, with their heads emptier than balloons..." The delinquent muttered under his breath.

"My vanguard Stamping Red attacks! (15000)"

"Huh? Yeah, let it hit."

"(Spear-attack Mutant, Megaralancer) No trigger."

"(Archebird - Draw) All on vanguard, draw one. (19000)"

"Boosted by Area Stiller, Stamping Red. (15000>>23000)"

"Allow it. (Herbivore Dragon, Brutosaurus - Front) All. (19000) (10000)"

"Megaralancer attacks and I suck High Class Moth into the soul for its effect, but it hits nothing. (9000>>14000) Turn end."

Kiyomasa
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
OXX
OOX

Junpei
Hand: 4
Damage: 2
XXX
OXX

"Stand and draw."

Oh god, the background filler characters started beatboxing again.

"Stomping through the forest, no dragon dragon but emperor emperor, better than some retarded tyrannosaurs, hunter eating pipsqueaks in the back-a Ford Taurus, screw this chorus, fuck your legacy, I'll nail your mom, end this game! Ride! Emperor Dragn, Gaia Emperor! (12000)"

"He's still doing that...?" Nakano sweatdropped.

"You're not gonna act like this aren't the crispiest lyrics ever said in this school after what the last council pres did." Yasuke replied.

Thw last student council president got rejected by the girl he liked, who happened to be his senpai and who was moving to America to become an austronaunt, had a breakdown and became the most famous rapper in Finland.

The current one likes Buddha.

"Gift, Accel II, gift me a card. Call Bluesprint, Regiodon and Spinoextort too. (8000>>13000) (9000) (9000)"

"Since Terrortherizno went to the drop, I grab High Class Moth from my deck since he's regaded as a grade 3."

"Sure. I rest Shooter and throw Pyro under Bluesprint. Call a second Shooter and use her skill to throw another Pyro under Regiodon. Gaia Emperor's Emperor Charge. Any unit with an equip gauge gets 5k. (13000>>18000) (9000>>14000) Blusprint attacks, skill charges him for one. (18000)"

"Guard with Moth. (19000)"

"Regiodon, no skill. (14000)"

"No guard. (Area Stiller)"

"Spinoextort. (9000) Pay a counterblast, pop Bluesprint and draw one, then superior call Pyro with a gauge. (9000>>29000) And Bluesprint's skill, call Zandilopho behind Gaiga with a gauge. (8000>>13000)"

"Stamping Red intercepts! (14000)"

"Gaiga Emperor attacks! Pay a counterblast and pop Regiodon to add Regiodon's original power to Gaiga! (12000>>21000>>34000) And Regiodon's skill, superior call Pyro with a gauge! (9000>>24000) Open the door and get on the floor, get crushed by the dinosaur! Gene Striker Stampede!"

"IT MEANS EAT SOME DINO DNA, SUCKER!" Koko yelled like his life depend on it.

"Go for it. Do you feel lucky enough to clintch it all in this attack? Do you, punk?"

"Pictures of your momma at the beach won't get me as excited as the idea of punching that smile off your face and into the nearest wall." Kiyomasa narrowed his eyes. "Twin drive! (Herbivorus Dragon, Brutosaurus - Front) Front, all in. (29000>>39000) (9000>>19000) (34000>>44000) (24000>>34000) (Emperor Drago, Gaia Emperor)"

"Damage check. (Large Snowstorm Mutant, Snow Trick - Heal) Heal, all on vanguard and I heal one. (19000)"

"Pyro! (34000)"

"No guard. (Death Warden Ant Lion)"

"Accel Pyro! (39000)"

"No guard! (Evil Governor, Darkface Gredora)"

"Tch, stupid triggers. Pass."

Kiyomasa
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
xXXX
  XOX

Junpei
Hand: 4
Damage: 5
XXO
OOX

"Stand and draw. The red thread of fate and the infinite Mobius string, intertwined with one another to create this never-ending cage of lies! Ah, spin your thread, my red spider! Ride the vanguard! Evil Govern, Darkface Gredora! (12000)"

(Media - Fierce Battle)

"Imaginary Gift, Protect II."

"Ah? Your death wish finally showin' up or somethin'? You finally understood Jack's loser legacy ain't worth the time?"

"Nah. I'm just gonna end it in one go and go to class before I miss attendance." Junpei scoffed. "Gredora's skill! I cradle both your Pyros! Call, High Class Moth and Death Warden Ant Lion! (8000) (12000>>17000) Boosted by High Class Moth, Ant Lion attacks! I soulblast High Class Moth and drop two for a buff, a crit and a sentinel restrict. (17000>>35000/2)"

"Tch, no guard. (Savage Shooter) (Extortion Dragon, Spinoextort)"

"Bosoted by Area Stiller, Megaralancer attacks! He gets 2k for each of your rested rears and then sucks High Class Moth into the soul to block out intercepts. (9000>>27000)"

"Brutosaurus and Bluesprint, guard! (37000)"

"Eh, so you're already using big shields to guard attacks this small? Gredora attacks! I retire Megaralancer to superior call Pincer Attack Mutant, Intrduce Scizzors from the deck! Both get 10k, and then I soulblast one to give Intrude Scizzors another ten and restan Ant Lion! (12000>>22000) (12000>>32000) Red Thread Hell Cage!"

"Archebird, nullify!"

"Twin drive. (Jewel Flasher - Critical) Critical trigger. All effects to Ant Lion. (17000>>27000/2) (Paralyze Madonna - Draw) Draw trigger. All effects to Ant Lion. (27000>>37000)"

"Tch, a double trigger?!"

"My wincon isn't something as convention as an underwhelming stampedge of attacks or numbers. It's playing the long game and thin out until all that's left is enough to kill you, but against an ape like you, turn 3's long enough. I said I'd protect the school Jack-senpai created, and this is it! Ant Lion attacks! I discard wo and soulblast a grade 3 again! (37000>>47000/3) Darkface isn't the doing this attack, so let Ant Lion be a temporary stand-in. CRESCENT SLASH BURST STREAM! BLACK FLASH!"

"Tch, damn bastard-! (Emperor Drago, Gaiga Emperor)"

"You fell quicker than you rose. Now screw off, Kiyomasa!" Junpei demanded. "I won, so keep your end of the bargain!"

That's when the background filler duo started beatboxing menacingly.

"Ah? Bargain, what bargain? Did you wrote it down on some paper, do you expect me to cater to you, you set down no bargains and agreements, not even on the back of some newspaper. Back away? I'll send you flyin' to Norway. A proper confrontation is what I'm seeking, not some card game that has your brain blinking! I accepted your challenge, friendly match, there was no catch, but if you think I was being factual, then parry this, you filthy casual!"

Kiyomasa suddenly shoved away the table separating him and Junpei with his hands and charged forward to hit him with a brutal swing, but Junpei was ready for that and stepped up to the fight by taking an offensive stance.

That is until-

'What?!'

-everything around him flickered away.

There was no storage room anymore.

Just a part of a riverbank under abridge.

There was no Kiyomasa, only a shadow berserker with an eye covered by his black hair.

Paralyzed by fear, Junpei's eyes widenned.

"Proper confrontation, huh?" Nakano muttered.

In the next second, that illusion of Junpei's mind got broken.

Kiyomasa was striked with a mighty kick to the temple, and slammed on the ground with enough strength to leave the dent on the poor floor.

And as if that wasn't enough, he got kicked up right away, and then had his face slammed in by a knee.

The first strike to the temple had knocked him out already. The rest was for show. He had gotten one shot like if there was no tomorrow.

Utterly defeated in less that two seconds, Kiyomasa fell back on the ground, with blood gushing from his nose and the sides of his mouth, and with his eyes turned white from the strong blows. He couldn't even muster up a single word, just make small groans in his half-conscious half-unconscious state.

"Eh?" Koko blinked.

"N-nakano-senpai...!" Junpei muttered.

"You got the proper confrontation you wanted, Kiyomasa-kun." Nakano sighed, scratching the sides of his head. "Tch, why do you two always get so itchy in the morning..."

As Nakano scratched his head, the two nameless delinquents saw something that blew apart all their confidance instantly.

Lines tattoed onto Nakano's head, taking the shape of a dragon.

"A dragon tattoo in each side of his head...!!" Delinquent A gasped, stepping back.

"N-no away...!" Koko stepped back too.

"O-oi oi oi oi... OI! YOU TOLD ME HE WASN'T AROUND ANYMORE!" Deliquent B screamed, rushing to the door.

"You don't have to go so soon, there's still time until class starts." Nakano said, rolling up his right sleeve to check his non-existent watch.

"A manji tattoo on the right forearm too... W-WE'LL COME BACK FOR YOU LATER, KIYOKIYO KIYOKIYO!" Koko yelled.

Nakano stepped forward, but Yasuke extended his arm to stop him, and looked at his senpai with a toothy smile.

"Kick back and relax, senpai. I'll take it from here. Kiyomasa's little goons are lightweights to me! HERE COMES YASUKE!"

Yasuke started chasing the three delinquents as they tried to escape the storage room, and right as they were about to open the door to safety, they got tackled out of the room with the full force of a railgun cannon.

With his sleeve rolled down, Nakano followed Yasuke outside while dragging Kiyomasa's body by his collar and then tossed him into the hallway.

At that right moment, two other students, both second years, happened to be walking by.

"Oya oya, things look very lively today, Nakano-senpai!" One of the students, a bald young lad with a pair of cool sunglasses on, exclaimed.

"Say, student council president-kun, shouldn't you be doing what's right and standing up for your students in the face on dangerous threats to their well being?" The other asked. He had light coloured hair with black tips.

They were the student council president and his vice president, Nitta Shinei and Sachi Masao.

"Eh? Not even the student council president has the balls to stand against the legendary berserker Li. I have a bright future ahead of me, and I want my limbs intact for that." Shin laughed.

"Don't worry, Shin. The only thing brighter than your future is your head." Masao chuckled.

"Hey hey, that's a low blow, Masao-kun..."

"Not as low as the number of hairs I can count on your head."

"Beautifully shaved heads aside, there's nothing someone like me can't do against the great delinquent deity Li. I mean, do you even know who he is?"

"My, my, are you trying to use my delinquent knowledge against me, Shin? Of course I know who the great Li is! Oh my, such a legendary delinquent, who went around beating the lights out of anyone and anything who moved just because he wanted a good fight!"

"Yes, yes! I remember his deeds were sung about by Yano-san or whatever Kiyomasa-kun called himself back in the day! Do you know about his fight against the fifty guys from Hell's Cage, Masao?"

"Who doesn't? But I much prefer his fight against the ninety that the Headless Knights had!"

"Or the hundred ten from Saint Snow?"

"No... If I had to pick one of Li's great deeds out of all of them... I'd choose the Musashi Shrine Massacre! On the night where the Black Hounds were about to have their final confront with Zeroboros, a gang war with a grand total of a wooping four hundred men, on the night of the Musashi Festival, one lone Li and his sister happened to be passing by and the rest is history! Both gangs were disbanded that night after being brutally beaten down by Li, and the Black Hound's leader still has trouble seeing from his right away white the guy on top of Zeroboros still needs to use a cane for most of the time!!!" Shin excited exclaimed. "If he were to even pair up with the Berserker of Hirabayashi, they could make up the most unbeatable and dreaded gang of them! But thankfully for us, everyday people, Li one day vanished!"

"Yay!!" Masao applauded.

"After hearing all of this, how can someone expect me to take on the great Li with this puny body of mine? I'd never, in a thousand years, raise my fists to Li..." Shin pulled down his sunglasses. "That is, unless the slanders the name of the good Buddha."

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Nitta-san, Sachi-san, my studies have been getting the best of me so I zooned out for a bit. Were you two talking about something?" Nakano asked, looking at the two.

"Oh don't mind us, Nakano-senpai." Masao chuckled.

"Well then, we'll be on our way to Gakuganji-san's office now. Have a good day, Nakano-san." Shin said.

"You too. Oh, and one more thing." Nakano said as he prepared to return to the storage room. "Li is dead."

Back at the storage room, a good ten minutes after the whole Kiyomasa incident, Junpei bowed before Nakano, even going as far as to grovel on the floor. Yasuke had left already for class.

"I'M SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE I CAUSED YOU, NAKANO-SENPAI!"

"Eh?" Nakano blinked. "I-it's fine, just get up, Kotomine-"

"No! I know you hate to have to fight again, and it were my weaknesses that forced you to raise your fists again! Please, let me make it up to you somehow!"

"Eh... It's fine, Kotomine-kun." He chuckled. "If it means protecting my friends, then I guess it's not that bad of a reason to go at it once in a while. Sometimes, you have to make a few exceptions here and there."

"Nakano-senpai!" Junpei looked up.

"I mean it. Let's just go to class before we're late. And don't worry about paying me or something, you did enough already."

"H-hai! Thank you very much, Nakano-senpai!"

And while that might have been it for Junpei, Nakano and Yasuke, things weren't done yet. Afterall, the cover has more than those three and Kiyomasa in it.

As Shin said, before heading to class, he and Masao paid the principal of Shinjuku Tech a visit in his office. The principal was a tall man with black haired combed back, except for a loose strand that fell off the left side of his head, and with small facial hair.

"You called, Gakuganji-san?" Masao asked.

"Oh, Nitta-kun, Sachi-kun." The headmaster, Gakuganji, placed down the papers he was reading and looked at the students he summoned. "Right on time."

"It's never too early to learn the Buddha's teachings." Shin chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "So, what can we do for you?"

"I'll be stepping away for a few days to help in the preparation for the marriage of my youngest son, so I wanted to ask you two to manage things in my absence."

"Oho? Young Kagekiyo's destined bride finally cracked and accepted the offer? About time." The blad man commented.

"You mean about time he did something of use. Between watching paint dry and being a King at Heiwa, I don't seen any difference." Masao cackled.

"The Yoshikawa family's goal is finally going to reach its final destination. It has been quite the journey. That was all, you two may leave now."

"If you excuse us then."

As Masao and Shin bowed and left the office, Gakuganji looked back at the window behind his desk and rested his head on his palm.

"Shinjuku Tech's a truly wondeful school, isn't it? The unseen rival Heiwa chose to so foolishly ignore. I can hardly wait for us to meet, Endo Mitsuaki." Gakuganji mused.

While on their way to class, Masao and Shin began having a small conversation as they walked.

"So, Heiwa, huh?" Shin wondered.

"That's right. Did you know I happen to have a sister there?" Masao asked.

"Oh? So it's true that Sachi-san really had a daughter before she decided to marry your father? What a shame."

"Chromo or no chromo, that woman's finally doing something better than help evade tax fraud. Having to change my name to hers sucked, but at least now I got something to look forward when we meet Heiwa. Sachi Minami, eh? I wonder what kind of trash you are, little sister." Masao cackled.

"You go on ahead, I forgot some stuff back at the office." Shin said.

"Got it, don't be late or the bald gremlin will catch you."

"Hai, hai."

Back at his office, Shin got out a can of cola from a mini-fridge under his desk and set it down next to an old framed pciture after opening it.

In that picture were a pair of beaten up kids on their first days of middle school, one of them being bald and carrying a pair of cool sunglasses, while the other had black hair and a strained look on his eyes.

"It's been a while since the last time we talked, hasn't it? I wonder if fighting you now will be as fun as it was before, crybaby hero-kun."

But because we can't have nice things and the spcial refuses to end here, one more thing happened.

Later that day, after school ended and a heavy rain storm fell upon Tokyo, Junpei saw himself forced to taking shelter in a neabry sconvinience store because he forget about his umbrella back att home.

"Dammit, why's rain a thing..." Junpei grumbled, using a towel he had on his trench coat to dry his hair.

"This is why umbrellas exist, y'know?"

"Shut up, Jack-senpai."

Junpei looked back his old senpai, the delinquent who changed Shinjuku for the best until the day he vanished without any warning.

This was Jack Rosario, a student who had moved to Japan with his mom from the States when he was younger. Despite being just a flew years older than Junpei and the rest, he looked old enough to be a father of two by now, with slighty tanned skin, brown eyes, black hair, and a build almost as tanky as Yasuke.

"Oi, oi, when are you gonna drop that?" Jack chuckled. "I'm not your senpai anymore. I'm just a convinience store clerk."

"Store cleark or not, you're still a legend, Jack-senpai."

"Hai, hai, then be honest with this so called 'legend'." Jack said with some air quotes added. "Have you finally got your head out of your ass and made up with your sister?"

"Ah?! That backstabbing fox isn't my sister, she's just dumb and useless-!"

"And she's your family, idiota." Jack sighed, placing his closed fist on top of Junpei's head. "The sooner you get on good terms with her, the sooner you'll feel better about yourself, y'know? Besides, family's always important, and I'm sure she's dying to hug you again!"

"...tch, shut up." Junpei clicked his tongue and looked away.

"Hahaha! You really are a kid, aren't you, Junpei? Something bad happened at school today?"

"I... Got into a fight."

"Did you win?"

"I wish... Things just froze and Nakano-senpai had to handle things for me. I was ready to finally do things on my own but then... I saw him...!"

"Oho? Li's fighting again? Man, not even I could tame the guy back in the day!" Jack laughed. "But y'know, if you all you see is that guy when you fight, then how can you protect anyone?"

"...ah, just shut up, this matter isn't relevant!" Junpei exclaimed. "What about you? Did you made plans already? God of Combat is just a few years away, but it's never too late to start planning?"

"God of Combat? You really think I got a shot at that? Plan tickets and hotels aren't something my convinience store part-timer salary can afford, y'know?" He laughed again.

"How can you just laugh about that?! Your dream is to be a pro boxer, right?! Entering the God of Combat is your ticket to success, I just know it! So just-!"

"I stopped dreaming a long time ago, Junpei." Jack said, looking up at the ceiling. "That small window of time that I had to make my dream come true closed for good ages ago. But just because my dreams can't come true anymore, it doesn't mean yours will be the same. You're still young, Junpei. So study, make friends, create some memories and make up with your sister. Then, make all your wonderful dreams a reality, okay? Stop focusing so much on some poor convinience store clerk like me. I'll always be here, so you don't have to worry about me one bit, okay?"

"...tch, brick wall-headed morron..." Junpei grumbled under his breath, looking away.

"I heard that! Now get moving, the fried chicken I bought this morning isn't going to eat itself! "

"Wha-"

"I said get moving!" Jack laughed, pushing Junpei forward.

"H-hey hey, I can walk on my own, Jack-senpai!" 'Jack-senpai, I'll make my dream come true... I'll make both of our dreams come true!'

In the following year, Jack would embark on a journey to South Korea to participate in the God of Combat, alongside the japanese fighter known as Nomad.