Sendo rose from the ground, eyeing the man before him with a mix of concern and confusion.
"Uh... Here, man. Don't kill ya'self. Try Kendo. It helped me," Sendo offered, extending a 1,000 yen bill and dropping it onto the man's knees.
'This dude thinks I'm homeless... Well, ain't that just grand. But he looks like trouble. The type who'd fuck your girl and send you the footage... I want nothing to do with him, but it pisses me off that this lowlife thinks I'm some homeless bastard,' Minoru thought to himself, his expression a blend of confusion and annoyance as he observed Sendo's blonde hair, his tanned skin and piercings all over his face.
"You think I'm homeless or something, huh!?" Minoru retorted sharply, his tone laced with irritation.
"Ain't no shame if ye are! Dat doesn't mean I think badly of ya', old man!" Sendo replied sincerely, seemingly oblivious to Minoru's growing frustration.
'Old man? This fucking guy... he called me old...' Minoru's thoughts raced, his anger mounting as he met Sendo's earnest gaze.
Then, an idea sparked in Minoru's mind. 'Ah.. Fuck it, at this point. I'll just mess with him because why the fuck not. My life's ruined anyway,' he thought, resigning himself to the absurdity of the situation.
"Old man? Yer good?" Sendo asked, genuine concern evident in his voice.
Suddenly, Minoru's facade cracked, and he began to weep softly, his face concealed as he spoke.
"...Yes," he began, his voice trembling with emotion. "As of tonight, I no longer have a home after I brought shame to... A cruel mafioso boss," he confessed, his tone strained with pain. Sendo listened intently, his gaze unwavering.
"He tortures me every chance he gets, and tonight, he sent me on a mission. I failed, so I decided I'll just stay out of the house permanently, effective 20 minutes ago. Figured might as well go and die... It's... It's the less painful option, you see?" Minoru fabricated, his voice cracking with feigned despair.
"Aw shit! Dat's fukin' awful! Dat guy sucks!" Sendo exclaimed sympathetically, his fists clenched in frustration.
'Holy shit, this dumbass actually buys it...' Minoru pondered silently, steeling himself to continue the act.
"Y-yeah! I just got beat up by, uh... 30.. YEAH, 30 guys," Minoru continued, his hands retreating into his pockets as if to hide nonexistent bruises.
"DAT'S SO EXCESSIVE, DA FUCK'S HIS DEAL!!?" Sendo erupted indignantly, his agitation growing with each word.
'...How far I can push this?'
"And... If that wasn't enough... That bastard... He... HE... HE holds my little sister at gunpoint!!" Minoru added, injecting a touch of sincerity into his words, his anguish palpable. "He threatens my mom every day. I just can't do it anymore, man... And now with the failure of this mission... HE'S GOING TO KILL THEM ALL..." he trailed off, burying his face deeper into his knees as the charade continued.
"HOLY SHIT, DUDE. DAT'S TERRIBLE. WHAT'S YER MISSION!!? I'LL HELP YA' OUT!" Sendo exclaimed, his frustration turning into determination as he leaned in eagerly.
'Turns out, I can push it pretty damn far. Wow. Welp, time to take advantage of this guy. You probably fuck taken girls on your free time, and some of these girls probably, at some point in their lives, looked remotely close to Shiori. So that makes you a scumbag in my eyes. It only makes sense if you help me do one good deed in your wretched life.' Minoru contemplated silently, maintaining his facade of despair.
"N-no... Don't help me.. I'm too lost..." Minoru feigned reluctance, his voice quivering with false distress.
"B-but... If you insist... I need to find someone. She's in a mixer or a karaoke somewhere. The only clue that BASTARD gave me is 46th of some street.." he added, weaving a thread of truth into his fabricated tale.
"Huh? What a coincidence, dude.. I also look for a Senpai of mine in a mixer. I don't know the address at all, so I just figured I'd look in all of them till I find 'em." Sendo said, remembering his own mission to find Sakura.
'W-what...? He's going to comb through ALL mixers until he finds his SENPAI...!? So that means... His senpai must be someone important to him... Hm...! AHA! I got it, he is trying to deliver a message to his boss!!' Minoru's mind was ablaze with speculation, alarm bells ringing as he pieced together the reasons behind Sendo's frantic search.
--------MINORU-PRODUCTIONS--------------
Punk: "The Blonde-Blood Gang's boss is dead! Got shot 65 times before he dropped... We fucking won the gang war!!"
Punk Gang Lieutenant: "SHIT!! Punk, this is the biggest news of your life!!! Go tell the boss, he's at some mixer in the city, GO FIND HIM!!"
Punk: "But ANIKI!!! WHERE exactly!?"
Punk Gang Lieutenant: *SMACKS HIM* "FUCK, SHIT, DICK!!!! I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! Just find him. I don't care if you have to raid every karaoke spot in the city, JUST DO IT."
Punk: "YES, SIR!!!"
-----------------------------------
'That... It actually makes sense...!!!'
"I see. Your senpai must be important to you, huh?" Minoru remarked, his tone laced with realization and a hint of disdain.
"Yah, dude!" Sendo responded, oblivious to Minoru's undercurrent of sarcasm.
"Alright..." Minoru said as he rose, a plan forming.
'I can't just leave this idiot to his own devices. What if Sakura's caught up with that brute of a senpai and they both end up doing something to her? I couldn't give two shits about her, but my old fart would kill me if something happened.'
"Let's search for them together," he proposed.
"Huh? Yer not old at all," Sendo noted, finally taking a proper look at Minoru.
'Only now you notice, you fucking dumbass?'
"Ah... haha... Thanks, I suppose..." Minoru replied, his irritation thinly veiled.
"Dat's a sick dye job, man! I gotta redo mine every few months," Sendo said, scratching his head with a grin.
"I was BORN this way, you PIECE OF..." Minoru started, then quickly corrected himself with a cough.
"What's dat?" Sendo asked, completely oblivious.
"Ahh, I just mentioned... I was born this way, with silver hair. Mom genes, haha..." Minoru said, his voice softening into a more hesitant tone.
"Really? Dat's cool," Sendo responded, his earlier excitement dimming slightly.
'Not impressed by that, are you, you shit?' Minoru seethed silently.
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Ait, let's get moving! I ain't too sure where my school's crowd hangs out for mixers, but if we're aiming for something around 46th Something-Street, we might find somethn. I know a few places in streets with 46 in them." Sendo suggested, pointing in a general direction, completely unaware of Minoru's brewing irritation.
'It's settled then, I'll have to stick to this doof for a while.' Minoru resigned himself to the plan.
"Got it. I'll follow your lead," Minoru managed to say as they started navigating through the city streets.
'He's not ALL that useless, I suppose...' Minoru conceded in his thoughts, trailing a few steps behind Sendo.
He glanced up at Sendo, noting their height difference.
"Hey, how old are you anyway?" Minoru asked, curiosity piqued as they neared a potential mixer location.
"Me? I'm 15 and a half," Sendo replied with a hint of pride.
Minoru couldn't help but let out a loud, disbelieving snort.
'As if,' he thought skeptically, doubting Sendo's claim.
"What?" Sendo turned, puzzled by the snort.
"Just choked on my spit. You're pretty tall for your age, huh?" Minoru covered smoothly, eyeing Sendo's height with a mix of skepticism and envy.
'This guy's out here looking like he could play in the varsity team, and he's only 15? Right, and I'm the Queen of England. This isn't some high school anime. But fine, I'll bite. It's not like we're going to be lifelong buddies. His type pisses me off too much anyway—so chipper and open. Bet he's got a whole fan club. How many hearts have you broken with that charm, huh, Romeo? Swear, if you so much as think about the first letter in Shiori's name... I'll kill you...'
"KYAAAA LOOK AT THESE TWO!! ARE THEY MODELS!?" A girl nearby screamed, catching everyone's attention.
"Woahh... Especially that silver-haired cutie... I just can't... I wanna just kidnap himmmm hnnnn!!!!" Another girl added, practically swooning.
'SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DIRTY OLD HAG! I'd kill myself thirty times before I'd date the likes of you!' Minoru thought furiously, barely keeping his cool on the outside.
"Ahh... Haha... Thanks..." he muttered, forcing a smile while awkwardly touching his hair.
"Wow, dude. Yer pretty popular with da ladies." Sendo casually observed, seemingly impressed.
'SHUT THE FUCK UP, SHOTA-IMPERSONATING GIRLFRIEND-STEALER. I DON'T WANNA HEAR THIS FROM YOU!'
"Haha, really? That's... nice to hear," he replied to Sendo, his voice laced with nervous laughter.
'Ugh... This is going to be the worst night ever...!!' Minoru mentally prepared himself as the two walked.
Meanwhile....
Gon found himself on a sofa alongside Konro, two girls, and Sakura, all huddled together in the mixer. The teens were visibly uncomfortable, almost squished against each other, as they faced Yuuno's 'friends' seated across from them on the opposite couch.
Sakura leaned closer to Gon, her voice low, echoing the unease that was palpable between them. "Hey... Tsubasa-senpai... Who exactly are these people?" she asked, her discomfort mirroring Gon's.
"...D-don't worry, Takagi-chan...! They're just some friends of Aniki's bro! It's all good... Why? Do they bother you? Haha..." Gon replied, his laughter tinged with an evident nervousness.
Before them, seven individuals lounged in a display of casual defiance. The group was predominantly muscular men adorned with tattoos and sporting buzzcuts, engaging in the open smoking of cigarettes and indulging in alcohol, seemingly lost in their own raucous camaraderie.
Konro leaned in, his whisper barely audible over the background noise,
"I think most of these guys are in their 20s... or even 30s... What the hell are we doing here, Gon!? Let's bail! I'm freaking out here! The other two girls are on the verge of tears..!" His voice carried a mix of fear and urgency.
Gon, trying to muster a facade of confidence, whispered back,
"D-dumbass...! Walking out on them would be a slap in the face to Aniki's bro! Besides, aren't I the second in command after Aniki, his brother, and Sendo-kun? Trust me, Kon! I'll make sure everyone from our school are safe here!"
Konro couldn't help but question the logic silently,
'Doesn't that technically make you fourth in command? Plus, your whispering gives you away... You're just as sacred shitless as we are!'
Sakura, having reached her limit, stood abruptly.
"This is absurd... I'm out of here," she declared, her determination clear.
"W-wait, Takagi-.." Konro reached out in a futile attempt to halt her departure.
"I'm leaving," she announced louder this time, drawing the attention of the seven onlookers as she made her way to the exit.
One of the men, with a serene yet intense gaze, stood to intercept her.
"What are you doing...? Move. I want to leave," Sakura demanded, meeting his gaze head-on, unafraid.
"T-takagi-san..." Another girl from their group whispered, admiration laced with fear, as she remained huddled between Konro and Gon.
"Wait. This is a karaoke mixer. Sing something," he commanded, his voice firm yet tranquil.
"I don't want to, I want to leave," Sakura stood her ground, firm in her resolve. Meanwhile, Gon and Konro were panicking internally, visibly sweating.
"W-well, A-Aniki's friends..!! Haha, if she wants to leave, we should let her, right? Takagi-chan! You're kinda disrespecting Aniki's friends, but, uh, I'll let it slide just this once!" Gon stammered out, standing up in a clumsy attempt at diplomacy.
The man who had halted Sakura studied her with an intensity that felt like he was peering into her soul, casually adjusting the cigarette between his lips with a hand pulled from his pocket.
In that moment, Konro's gaze shifted to the rest of the group. A shared, malicious grin spread across their faces as they watched the exchange, their focus entirely on Sakura.
"It's alright, kid. She doesn't actually want to leave," he declared confidently, his eyes never leaving Sakura.
"Excuse me...?" Sakura's voice carried a rising wave of defiance as she frowned, clearly offended.
Then, he exhaled a cloud of smoke directly into her face.
"T-Takagi-san!" Konro couldn't hold back, his concern erupting as Sakura started coughing from the smoke.
"That's enough! If she wants to leave, just let her go and—"
"It's... It's okay... Yukie-senpai..." Sakura managed to say, her voice weaker than before as she signaled at Konro with her palm.
"Just..." she tried to gather her strength, still recovering from the smoke assault.
"I'll sing just one song, then I'm leaving... Okay..?" Sakura's voice was soft, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red, her breaths coming slightly heavier as she addressed the man directly.
"T...Takagi...?" Konro whispered, his voice a mix of disbelief and concern, as the man's smirk only grew wider, witnessing Sakura's unexpected shift in demeanor.
"Yeah," The man replied confidently, "If you'll want to leave after this song, you can go." He concluded calmly.