A summons came from my father — Ryuzaki Genma.
The meeting place: the Ryuzaki-kai's home base.
"The boss is currently in a meeting with his inner circle. Please wait just a moment."
I nodded without complaint at the request to wait outside, and settled into a nearby chair.
When I pulled my Korean language textbook from my bag, the low-ranking member who'd spoken to me earlier—
Oh, right. I can't remember his name.
"Sorry, your name was...?"
"Ha. I was wondering when you'd ask. It's Yamato."
"Thank you."
"Why the polite speech, sir? It's making me feel strange just listening to it."
The other members all addressed me stiffly as "Young Master."
But this Yamato — cracking jokes like that — must have been fairly close to Ryuzaki.
*Wait. So this bastard Ryuzaki couldn't even remember the name of one of his closer guys?*
The more I learned about him, the more he sounded like an absolute waste of a human being.
Anyway. Yamato glanced at my textbook and slowly tilted his head.
"...Young Master?"
"Yes?"
"Are you... studying?"
"Sitting here doing nothing is a bit dull."
"Wow... you really have changed. The meeting'll be over in a few minutes anyway."
"Still, better to use whatever time I have."
I wrapped up the conversation with a mild, wry smile.
I had maybe a few minutes.
Not much time for studying — at least, not for most people.
For me, it was a different story.
I opened the textbook. Pages filled with text and diagrams spread before me.
The sheer volume of unknown knowledge hidden within made my chest tighten with anticipation.
I steadied my breathing, focused my mind the way I always did —
and then a shutter click echoed in my mind.
*—Click!*
The scene before my eyes froze, sharp and still as a photograph.
And with it, my body came to a natural halt.
Everything stopped completely.
Only my consciousness remained intact.
Gazing out at the frozen world, I leisurely opened the textbook and lost myself in its contents.
This ability had been with me since childhood — so natural to me that it took no great length of time to realize it wasn't something others were permitted to have.
Naturally, I never revealed it to anyone.
There was no reason to advertise the fact that I was different.
I'd used it over the years to untangle various problems, or to mentally map out the future developments of web novels I was reading.
*Back when I was always exhausted from work, I never had the bandwidth to use it for studying.*
A little late, perhaps — but being able to put this power toward learning now was more than enough to make me happy.
I spent a good while absorbing one section into memory, then released the ability.
I let the dull ache in my head settle, turned the page, stopped time again, and loaded the next section in.
"The boss will see you now."
"Oh — has it already been that long?"
About twenty pages, give or take.
Studying a new language was clearly slowing me down more than I'd like.
I'd get faster. Eventually.
I gave Yamato a small nod and stepped into the room where my father waited.
"Sit."
"Yes."
Same as always — a face that looked like it had never once relaxed.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Is that so."
My father made a small gesture, and moments later, steaming bowls of ramen were set before us.
I carefully lifted a spoonful of broth and tasted it.
Hm. Aggressively salty.
I'll just fish out the noodles.
"Your grades were impressive. Considerably so."
We'd been quietly eating in silence when my father suddenly spoke.
"A kid who's never touched a book in his life — what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"I don't know... I got tired of just messing around. Figured I'd give studying a shot."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"A lot more than I expected, honestly. I think I'll probably just keep my head down and study for a while."
"Heh..."
My father let out a short, dry laugh.
"I don't care what you do with your free time — but don't forget whose son you are. You are my successor."
"......"
"There are plenty of others who can push pencils and use their heads. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. Cold sweat gathered in my palms.
And I knew it instinctively.
This conversation was a crossroads — one that would determine the path ahead of me.
The Ryuzaki-kai.
One of the yakuza organizations that ruled Tsukuyomi Academy City.
If I became the head of an organization like that, I'd want for nothing.
Money. Women. Whatever I desired — it would all be within reach.
But that wasn't the life I wanted.
What I wanted was to learn. To keep discovering new things.
I had no desire to become the head of a criminal organization, living off the suffering of others.
Hell, in my previous life, I'd been ground down and killed by people exactly like the Ryuzaki-kai. That said everything.
So I had to be clear. Right now.
"Father."
"Speak."
"I have no intention of succeeding you."
One lifetime shaped entirely by a parent's path was enough.
My father's expression hardened for a moment — then he let out a quiet, dismissive snort.
"Even you wouldn't say something like that without a reason. Tell me."
"I want to study. Seriously."
"......"
"I want to study, get into a good university, and learn as much as I can."
"...Study. University. You? Don't make me laugh."
The air turned cold.
"You're someone who will surpass me. The potential you carry wasn't given to you for pencil-pushing."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I do. You're my son. I'm certain of it. So stop talking nonsense."
"Then surely you can allow me to be a little foolish? I'm at that age."
*Bang!* The table shuddered.
"...Are you saying you intend to reject the Ryuzaki-kai?"
"I have no intention of rejecting your life. But inheriting it is a separate matter."
"A man raised his entire life to be a successor, and now he wants to walk a different road? He'll fail and fall flat on his face — no question."
But I didn't back down.
I'd already accepted that things between us might sour.
"We'll have to see about that. You built the Ryuzaki-kai from nothing on your own — maybe I can build something of my own too."
"Enough!"
My father's eyes went wide.
"...I'll keep this short. Take back what you just said. Do that, and I'll bury everything that happened here today."
He was pressing me — no second chances.
The way his fists were clenched, he was furious.
I gave a small shake of my head and rose from my seat.
Unfortunately for him, I had no intention of reversing my decision.
"A man of his word doesn't take it back."
"......"
"The ramen was good. Take a moment to cool down. I'll get out of your way."
Even if it meant taking a hit or two —
I wanted to do what I wanted to do—
*—THWACK!!!*
Ow.
His hand is not gentle.
***
"...Alright. That's it for today. Good work. You really do pick things up fast — the rumors weren't wrong."
"Ahaha. Do you think so?"
Arisu finished her math tutoring session and gave a small, wry smile as she bowed.
She'd just walked out of the new tutoring academy she'd started attending this week.
When her mother heard that her daughter had been beaten to first place in mathematics by some delinquent she'd never even heard of, she'd pulled Arisu from her previous tutor and enrolled her somewhere new.
The new male instructor was, admittedly, a better teacher than the last one.
But...
"Are you sure you can get home on your own? It's getting late. I could walk you."
"No, I'm fine. I can go by myself."
"I'm just worried about you."
There was something off about the way he looked at her.
Not as a student — as something else.
"No, really. I'll be going now."
She didn't feel good about this.
She politely declined the male instructor's repeated offers to walk her home and stepped out of the academy.
"...Disgusting."
Men who looked at Arisu tended to look at her exactly like that.
Eyes that moved between her face and her chest.
She doubted they even realized how obvious and unsettling it was.
Either way, she didn't like that instructor.
Muttering to herself, Arisu started down the road toward home —
*—Meow~!*
A tiny, adorable sound rang in her ears, and her eyes went wide.
Where did that come from?
She turned her head this way and that, searching.
And then she found it.
A tiny little kitten, squirming at the base of a utility pole in the alley.
...Oh no.
You're... you're too cute...!
Arisu had always been helpless around cats, and the little creature in front of her was almost unbearably precious.
"Oh wow."
She drifted toward it as if in a trance, both hands reaching out —
"...No."
She stopped herself just in time.
She'd read about this online.
If you handled a stray kitten carelessly, the mother might refuse to take it back.
"Hmm..."
It was filthy — matted fur, eyes crusted with discharge.
Everything about it screamed abandoned kitten.
*—Mrrrow~*
The pitiful little cry made her heart ache.
Its belly was sunken in — it clearly hadn't eaten in a long time.
"Just wait a little."
She hurried to the nearby convenience store and scanned the shelves for cat food.
"Cat food? Oh, what a shame — you just missed it. The last one went out a minute ago."
"Ah... thank you."
Of all the timing.
First that new instructor, now this. Today was just not her day.
She let out a small sigh and stepped back outside.
She glanced down the alley where the kitten had been —
"...?"
A man was crouched there. His forearms were covered in elaborate tattoos.
Tall. Built. Enormous in every sense — like a bear in human form.
She instinctively took a step back.
Was he going to hurt the kitten...?
"You must have been really hungry."
That voice.
She knew that voice. She'd heard it at school today.
Intimidating, huge, tattooed, and from her school —
There was only one person that could be.
"...Ryuzaki?"
"Who's there — oh, Arisu?"
Ryuzaki Ren, feeding a tiny kitten.
The bizarre combination — a fearsome delinquent and a helpless baby cat — kept Arisu staring at the two of them for a long moment.
He seemed just as startled, and looked back at her.
His gaze stayed fixed on her eyes.
Only her eyes.
Unlike everyone else.
Oh. Now she understood.
Why talking to him had always felt so unusually comfortable.
A wild face with not a trace of ulterior motive.
In that moment, she might have found him genuinely striking.
"...Panda?"
If only his face weren't covered in fresh, vivid bruises.