The next day, Jin stood at the front gate of the school, the early morning sun casting long shadows on the ground. The usual knot in his stomach was there, but it was different today. There were whispers in the air, rumors of what had gone down with Haruki and his gang. Jin didn't care. He had bigger things on his mind.
As he made his way to class, he felt the eyes of his classmates on him, their murmurs barely audible over the buzz of the school's morning routine. He ignored them, walking to his seat with his usual disinterest.
But then, something caught his attention.
A guy he didn't recognize was standing near the doorway, his posture casual but his eyes locked onto Jin's. He had dark, unruly hair and a lean build. Jin remembered him now this was the guy he had seen the day before, that was being used as a chair by Haruki's girlfriend.
The guy gave him a friendly nod as he approached. "Hey," he said, his voice light and easy. "I'm Levi."
Jin barely looked up from his desk, his eyes narrowing as he processed the name. "Levi, huh?" he muttered.
"I just wanted to say... thanks," Levi continued, his smile genuine as he bowed down. "For what you did yesterday. You really helped me out."
Jin gave him a sidelong glance. "I didn't help you," he replied in cold breath.
Levi chuckled, unbothered by the cold response. "Yeah, I get it. Still, I feel like I owe you. So... how about I treat you to lunch today?"
Jin raised an eyebrow. He didn't have the luxury to turn down free food. And, if he was being honest, he could use the distraction. The constant thoughts about Yumi were wearing him thin, and something about Levi's offer felt like an escape no matter how brief.
"I'll take you up on that," Jin said, his voice quieter now. He still didn't trust the guy, but he didn't mind taking what he could get.
They made their way to the cafeteria. Jin was surprised to see how much food Levi had brought far more than he could have expected from a simple "treat." There were piles of rice, meat, vegetables an entire spread of food.
Levi noticed Jin's raised brow and smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just got everything. Hope you're hungry."
Jin didn't say anything more. He sat down and dug in, the food almost too much to finish in one sitting. He ate quickly, not wanting to waste any time. The cafeteria buzzed with activity, students talking and laughing as they watched the two of them. Whispers followed them, murmurs that spoke of Jin's fight and what had happened with Haruki. But Jin couldn't bring himself to care.
Levi watched him, seemingly amused. "Guess it's pretty shocking to see us together, huh?" Levi said, looking around at the curious stares. "I mean, people probably think I'm the last person you'd be eating with."
Jin didn't respond, but he couldn't help but notice how different Levi seemed from the other guys, and that was... strange.
Once they finished eating, Levi stood up. "Come on, let's head to class."
As they walked out of the cafeteria, two guys approached them. They looked like the usual troublemakers big, burly, and sporting smug grins that screamed trouble. One of them spoke first. "Hey, you," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Come to the back of the school after school. We need to talk."
Jin didn't hesitate. "I'd rather go now," he said, his tone cold. "I've got something to do after school."
Levi, having been silent up until this point, tilted his head. "Guess we'll go with them, huh?"
''you can stop following me after all you've repaid your debt'', Jin said looking at levi but levi insisted, Jin gave a single nod and followed the two boys, Levi trailing behind him. The back of the school was quieter, the smell of smoke thick in the air as they rounded the corner.
Three massive, heavily tattooed guys were standing there, puffing on cigarettes. Their bulk filled the space, and their intimidating presence made the air feel thick with tension. One of them, the largest of the group, looked Jin up and down, sneering. "Is this him?" he asked.
The second guy, smaller but equally menacing, sneered. "is this the guy who decimated Haruki's crew man you've got to be kidding?."
The fat guy let out a deep laugh, the sound echoing through the empty space. He took a long drag from his cigarette. "What a joke. This is boring." He flicked the cigarette away and cracked his knuckles.
Before the guy could react, Jin was already moving. His fist shot out like an invicible blow, landing squarely on fat 1's jaw, blood splattering as the punch hit home. The force of the blow sent fat 1 reeling back, but Jin didn't stop. He rushed in again, unleashing a flurry of strikes. The fat 1 tried to block, but it was no use. Jin's punches came too fast, too strong, and with each hit, fat 1 crumpled further.
Levi watched in awe as Jin dismantled the guy with ease, his strikes quick and precise. The other two guys charged in, but Jin was already ready for them. fat swung a wild punch, but Jin ducked and slammed his fist into the man's gut, driving the air from his lungs. The guy fell to his knees, gasping for breath and a flying knee came in from jin hitting fat 2 square on his face
The fat 3 came at Jin with a heavy hook, but Jin sidestepped with grace and landed a brutal strike to the fat 3's groin. The guy crumpled in pain, dropping to the ground in a split second jin landed rains of strikes on fat 3 .
But there was something unexpected about this last guy he blocked the punch that was aimed at him, without missing a beat, Jin hit him with a perfectly placed bullet punch to the jaw. fat 3 staggered backward, clutching his face.
The fight had barely lasted two minutes, but it was over. The three fat guys were on the ground, groaning and in pain. Jin stood tall, breathing heavily but victorious.
He turned to the two guys who had called him out. They stood frozen, watching the aftermath in stunned silence.
Jin glanced at them, then looked away and left
Levi, still in shock, followed behind him. "You... you're something else," he said, his voice full of awe.
Jin didn't say anything. He just kept walking, the sound of his footsteps the only thing that filled the empty space as he left the two guys behind. They disappeared into the distance