Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was still not particularly late. After getting off work, going straight back to his room left him with nowhere else to go. He had originally thought about going out to grab something to eat before returning because his stomach was starting to rumble again, but Yanagi Uriri would not allow it. If he wanted to eat, he would have to wait until tomorrow morning. Moreover, having learned from a secret chat with Natsuki Yumemi that Honda Haoyun had his eyes on Uryu Tsuki, this was another reason she forbade him from stepping outside.

"I heard about the Honda Haoyun situation from Natsuki Yumemi. You had better not go out after work; it's dangerous outside right now," Yanagi Uriri warned Uryu Tsuki out of concern for his safety. Uryu Tsuki nodded in agreement. He was still young and had no desire to die yet—everyone would think the same in his position.

Being in a relatively good mood tonight, he drifted off to sleep quickly. This turned out to be the best night's sleep Uryu Tsuki had experienced since coming here. Retiring early was in preparation for tomorrow's encounter; he hadn't forgotten what Lin Zimo had told him. Tomorrow, he was going to meet that remarkably smooth-talking Matsuumi Castle. Anyone capable of befriending a celebrity certainly could not be an ordinary person.

"Matsuumi Castle, oh Matsuumi Castle, I do hope you aren't that 'Makoto'." Uryu Tsuki's thoughts drifted back to that infamous "Makoto-san". However, constantly confusing an anime character with a real person always scrambled his thoughts. Asking him clearly when they met wouldn't hurt. It might be rather impolite, but at least it would confirm whether it was *that* Makoto or *this* Castle. A smile formed on Uryu Tsuki's face as he fell asleep.

Shifting the perspective to Sakamoto Tomoryu: on the surface, Sakamoto Tomoryu appeared fierce, but beneath that exterior lay a rather endearing person. His most striking feature was his eye-catching head of dyed yellow hair. Others often mistook him for a delinquent, but in truth, he cared deeply for his family. Rather than returning home, however, he chose to wander the streets and carve out his own path, and he was now a member of a motorcycle gang—a Bosozoku.

Sakamoto Tomoryu belonged to the violent faction of the Bosozoku rather than the cerebral one. This meant tearing through the streets on roaring motorcycles. The members were all under twenty years old and took pleasure in deriving amusement from harming others. Yet, Sakamoto Tomoryu was different; unless it was someone he utterly despised, he would not inflict pain on them. At present, there was only one person in the world whom he despised to the core: Honda Haoyun.

What was the grudge between Sakamoto Tomoryu and Honda Haoyun? It began like this: back before Sakamoto Tomoryu became a Bosozoku, he constantly brought trouble to his family, hurled verbal abuse at them, and frequently stayed out all night instead of coming home. Eventually, home ceased to be a place of warmth, filled instead with cold glares and curses. Back then, remaining completely indifferent to his family's feelings had seemed like the best state of mind to be in.

Nearly two months after Sakamoto Tomoryu ran away from home, someone informed him that his entire family had been murdered, including his baby sister who had been born only a short time ago. Upon receiving the news, Sakamoto Tomoryu rushed back immediately, but he arrived too late. The crime scene had already been cordoned off by the police, and five corpses—his family—were being carried out.

It was only then that Sakamoto Tomoryu realized how vital his family truly was to him, realizing too late that he had simply taken them for granted all along. Overwhelmed with regret, he spent that night drinking himself into a stupor at a local bar, using alcohol to numb his senses and escape reality, telling himself that this couldn't be real, that it was all a nightmare, and that every nightmare eventually came to an end.

Yet this was not a dream; it was stark reality. No matter how much alcohol one consumed, the dead would never return. It was merely his own cowardly way of escaping and making excuses to avoid accepting the truth. It was precisely at that moment that the leader of a Bosozoku gang, who had just stepped into the bar, caught sight of him. The gang leader took an instant liking to Sakamoto Tomoryu. Because Sakamoto was too drunk to hear what was being said to him, the leader's subordinates simply hoisted him up and carried him away to their headquarters.

When Sakamoto Tomoryu woke up again, he found himself not in a bar, but in an unfamiliar place. The first person his eyes landed upon was the leader of the Bosozoku. "Who are you? Where am I?" Sakamoto's first words upon waking were defensive inquiries; waking up in a strange place made one vulnerable to betrayal, especially inside someone else's territory.

The Bosozoku leader turned to look at Sakamoto Tomoryu without directly answering his questions. Instead, he simply declared, "From now on, you are a member of the Bosozoku. No matter what difficulties arise, brothers must support one another. Betrayal is forbidden." His voice carried an immense weight of authority, and Sakamoto was momentarily breathless under the sheer pressure of the man's presence. Was this truly the leader of a motorcycle gang?

"Hurry up and tell me where this is!" Sakamoto Tomoryu had no patience to waste in a stalemate here; remaining offered him no benefits whatsoever. He scrambled to his feet, intending to leave, but two figures standing guard by the door blocked his path, refusing to let him pass. It was the leader's direct order: no one was permitted to leave. Once you joined, you could forget about walking out.

"Do you think my territory is a place you can just stroll into and out of as you please? You are someone I've chosen, so how could I possibly let you leave?" The man stated bluntly that Sakamoto was his chosen one. Sakamoto Tomoryu froze. The person the leader had set his sights on was undoubtedly destined to be the successor to the gang. Sakamoto had no desire to be any kind of boss; he only wanted to live a quiet life.

Turning back, Sakamoto Tomoryu said to him, "Thank you for the offer, but I really don't want to be any kind of leader. I don't want my freedom restricted here. There are still many experiences out in the world that I haven't tasted yet." He claimed he didn't want the position simply to make the man give up, but to his surprise, the man uttered a condition that Sakamoto found impossible to refuse.

"I've heard all about your situation, and I express my deep condolences. As long as you stay here and work for us, I will help you track down the killer who murdered your family. Haven't you always wanted to know who it was?" Upon hearing this offer, Sakamoto Tomoryu's entire body trembled. As long as he worked for this man, he would be told the identity of his family's murderer.

The leader didn't know the answer offhand; it would require an investigation. "My name is Gouta Chisho, and I am the leader here," the man said. "My condition isn't unreasonable, is it? I will order my subordinates to investigate the murderer of your family right now." With a single command from Gouta Chisho, his men were dispatched to investigate. That investigation had lasted over a year.

Now, Sakamoto Tomoryu was waiting at the docks for the appearance of that specific person—the very man who had slaughtered his family: Honda Haoyun. Shortly after Sakamoto joined the gang, news broadcasts had reported that Honda Haoyun had escaped from a psychiatric hospital. This man went on a "plundering" spree whenever he laid eyes on anyone, and most people who encountered Honda quickly learned the terrifying meaning behind that word.

At the time of the murders, nobody had yet realized that Honda had broken out of the hospital. Now, armed with reliable intelligence, they knew Honda Haoyun would appear here in the dead of night to prey on passersby. Sakamoto Tomoryu's eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot. "Bastard! Finally, there's a lead. Let me find you and make your death as agonizing as possible." The metal baseball bat in his grip shook—not from fear, but from the surging excitement of finally facing this madman.

Under the moonlight, a hulking silhouette emerged into view. Analyzing the intel regarding the target's physical traits, Sakamoto recognized the signs: a massive, burly physique, wearing a mask, and clothes stained with dried blood. This was him—Honda Haoyun! Sakamoto Tomoryu roared at the figure, "You lunatic! Give my family back their lives!" With that cry, he lunged forward, swinging the metal baseball bat with all his might.

One of Honda Haoyun's flaws was his inability to properly hear what others were saying. However, he could sense the presence of anyone approaching. It wasn't until Sakamoto Tomoryu closed the distance that Honda reacted, only to be struck directly by Sakamoto's baseball bat. Sakamoto aimed his blows squarely at the head, knowing it was the most vulnerable part of the human body.

Sakamoto Tomoryu had initially aimed for Honda's temple, but the thick mask Honda wore cushioned the impact, preventing the blow from doing any serious damage. Confronted by his attacker, Honda's vigilance spiked, and a murderous intent slowly surfaced in his eyes. Sakamoto felt no fear; ever since joining the Bosozoku, he had lost count of how many eyes carrying such murderous gazes he had looked into.

"Today, either you die or I do," Sakamoto Tomoryu declared, charging at Honda Haoyun once more. This time, he put every ounce of his strength into swinging the bat directly at Honda's temple. His first swing might have been slightly off, but he possessed absolute confidence that this second strike would finish Honda Haoyun off. Eliminating him was nothing less than ridding society of a pest.

Unlike before, when he had been caught off guard and slow to react, Honda Haoyun was prepared this time. Sensing that the swing was once again aimed at his temple, he instantly ducked to evade the blow, simultaneously reaching out to grab Sakamoto Tomoryu by the collar. Seeing this, Sakamoto relentlessly rained blows down upon Honda's head with the baseball bat. The pain eventually forced Honda to loosen his grip, allowing Sakamoto to stumble back a few paces.

"This guy is unbelievably durable. If I had a gun, I would have settled this long ago." Sakamoto Tomoryu had forgotten to bring a firearm when he left, forcing him to stop by a local sporting goods store to purchase a metal baseball bat as a makeshift weapon. Every member of the Bosozoku was issued a gun, but firearms were strictly reserved for gang wars; using them for personal vendettas required formal application to Gouta Chisho.