The streets of Caropiah were buzzing with life as Kikidori Nakahara strode down the cracked sidewalk, his jet-black hair swept back and his signature leather jacket bearing the crest of his family's mafia—the Inner Force. The emblem, a sharp, angular phoenix rising from flames, sat proudly on his chest. He didn't need to show off. Everyone knew who he was: the prince of the Inner Force and a force to be reckoned with, even at sixteen.
He adjusted the weight of his backpack slung over one shoulder, his steel-gray eyes scanning his surroundings. He'd learned young to always be on guard. Not just because of the constant shootouts that erupted between his family and their rivals, the Outer Force, but because, in Caropiah, danger lurked everywhere.
"Yo, Kikidori!" shouted one of his friends, Masa, as he jogged up to him. Masa was loud, reckless, and exactly the type of guy Kikidori kept around to make himself look even calmer by comparison.
"What is it now?" Kikidori muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You hear about that fight last night near East 4th? Your dad's guys really tore into them Outer Force pricks. Word is, their princess nearly got caught in the crossfire," Masa said with a smirk.
Kikidori frowned, his pace quickening. "What the fuck was she even doing there? That's not their turf."
Masa shrugged. "Guess Ere'ana wanted to play tough. She's just a four-eyed know-it-all anyway. Who cares?"
Kikidori didn't respond, but his jaw tightened. Ere'ana Mahina, the so-called princess of the Outer Force, was his age, his enemy, and his biggest headache. Every time he saw her at school, it was like nails on a chalkboard. She was sharp-tongued, smug, and too damn smart for her own good.
---
At the same time, Ere'ana Mahina was adjusting her glasses in front of her bathroom mirror, scowling at her reflection. Her auburn hair was neatly tied back, and her school uniform was perfectly ironed. Her outward appearance screamed nerd, but anyone who underestimated her did so at their peril. Beneath the bookish facade was the next ruler of the Outer Force, and she had no patience for bullshit.
"Ere'ana, you're going to be late," her younger brother, Jun, called from downstairs.
"I'm coming, damn it!" she snapped, grabbing her backpack.
As she descended the stairs, her father, Takeshi Mahina, was seated at the dining table, a newspaper in hand. "You'll be running into Kikidori at school again today, I assume," he said without looking up.
"Unfortunately," Ere'ana muttered, grabbing a piece of toast from the counter.
"Remember what I told you. Don't trust him. Don't trust any of them," Takeshi said, his voice low and firm.
"As if I could forget," Ere'ana replied, rolling her eyes.
---
The tension in the air at Caropiah High School was palpable as Kikidori and Ere'ana both arrived, practically at the same time. The parking lot was already filled with students, and whispers followed both of them as they walked through the gates. Everyone knew who they were, and everyone knew better than to get in their way.
As Kikidori rounded the corner near the lockers, he spotted Ere'ana with a group of her friends. She was laughing at something, but as soon as their eyes met, her smile disappeared.
"Great," Kikidori muttered under his breath.
Ere'ana noticed him glaring and shot back, "What the hell are you looking at, Nakahara?"
"You, unfortunately," Kikidori shot back, leaning casually against the lockers. "Tell your boys to stay off our turf next time, and maybe you won't have to duck bullets."
Ere'ana's eyes narrowed. "Stay in your fucking lane, Kikidori. Your family's been stepping out of line for years, and you know it."
The tension between them was magnetic, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. It was always like this—snarky comments, thinly veiled threats, and the occasional shove. Neither could let the other have the last word.
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Kikidori said, stepping closer, his voice low and dangerous.
"Smarter than you," Ere'ana retorted, refusing to back down.
The bell rang, breaking the moment, and the two turned away from each other with matching scowls.
---
The day passed in a blur of classes and glares exchanged across the hallways. Their schedules were eerily aligned, ensuring they crossed paths in almost every class. In history, Ere'ana raised her hand every five minutes to correct the teacher or add some obscure fact, much to Kikidori's annoyance.
"Does she ever shut up?" he muttered to Masa.
"Not unless she's asleep," Masa whispered back.
By lunch, Kikidori had had enough. He was sitting with his friends in the cafeteria when he spotted Ere'ana sitting alone at a corner table, her nose buried in a book. For some reason, it pissed him off. How could she look so calm and detached after all the chaos between their families?
"Hey, Ere'ana!" Kikidori called out, standing up.
She looked up from her book, clearly annoyed. "What do you want now, Nakahara?"
"Just wondering how it feels to always be second place. You know, since your family's been losing the war lately," Kikidori said with a smirk.
Ere'ana slammed her book shut and stood up. "You talk a lot of shit for someone who can barely pass math."
The cafeteria erupted into laughter, and Kikidori felt his face flush. "You've got a fucking mouth on you, don't you?"
"And you've got a thick skull," Ere'ana shot back. "Guess we're even."
The tension was broken by a teacher stepping in to separate them, but the fire between them burned brighter than ever.
---
That evening, Kikidori sat on the rooftop of his family's mansion, staring out at the city lights. His mind kept drifting back to Ere'ana. She was a pain in the ass, no doubt about it, but there was something about her that he couldn't quite shake.
Little did he know, across town, Ere'ana was lying in bed, staring at her ceiling and thinking the exact same thing about him.
The End of Chapter 1