Fukushū no Kage
Arc 1: Shiroi Academy
...
The night wrapped the city in its mantle of darkness, and footsteps echoed silently on the deserted streets of Shiroi. Haruto, Mikasa, Yuta, and Renji walked alongside Aya, immersed in an uncomfortable, heavy silence. Despite being together, a profound tension intertwined within their hearts.
"We need to get home soon," whispered Mikasa, her eyes scanning every shadow that passed.
The cold seeped into their bones as they advanced, and every corner seemed to hide a new danger. Haruto felt the weight in his chest grow heavier, as if something terrible loomed over them.
Suddenly, they heard the echo of footsteps coming from behind. Slowly, their faces turned simultaneously, and there they were: Riku Tanabe, Daichi Sato, and Takuya Mori. Smiling, but this time with company.
"We didn't expect to see you so soon, did we?" said Daichi with a chilling smile as they stopped in front of the group.
Haruto's friends tried to take a step back, but soon more figures emerged from the darkness. Shun Takagi, Rina Kawaguchi, Emi Fujimoto, and Aiko Matsuda were among them, each playing their role in this act of torment.
"We didn't plan to play, but you all seemed so desperate to follow that boy," murmured Rina, playful yet dangerous.
Mikasa stood in front of them, her voice trembling with contained fury. "Don't you dare touch him."
Riku looked at her with disdain. "Oh, but you don't have a choice."
The other bullies surrounded the group, leaving little room to escape. Each member of Haruto's group feared the inevitable: what was about to happen.
"There's no need to fight," said Renji, trying to stay calm. "Leave him alone."
"It's too late for that," responded Daichi, with the calm of a predator before its prey.
The attacks began like shadows in the dark.
Mikasa was the first to fall, knocked down and mercilessly kicked by Daichi and Shun. Yuta tried to intervene, but he was quickly overpowered by Takuya's brute force and Emi, who beat him unconscious.
Haruto screamed, trying to protect his friends, but his resistance was useless against so many opponents. Riku grabbed him, laughing as his blows rained down brutally. Blood dripped from Haruto's mouth as he collapsed to the ground, defenseless.
Aya tried to shield Haruto, but Rina slammed her against the wall with brutal force, leaving her writhing on the ground. Aiko's sadistic laughter echoed in the distance as the other bullies continued their torture.
Renji tried to protect Haruto with his body, his mind clouded by desperation. But his efforts were in vain. A precise blow to the head, delivered by Takuya, caused him to collapse brutally. Still conscious, Renji begged them to stop as the others kicked him repeatedly.
The boy at the center of it all was utterly defenseless amidst the chaos. Devastating blows rained down like a storm, and each scream of pain only seemed to fuel the fury of his attackers.
Mikasa, crying and screaming, tried to crawl toward her friend, but Shun intercepted her, knocking her down with violence. The scene was an indescribable hell—bodies sprawled and blood mixed with the dust on the ground.
The attacks continued until the boy at the center stopped moving entirely. His body lay still, a mask of agony frozen on his pale face. The other members of the group wept inconsolably, terrified, witnessing the cruel end.
Riku stopped for a moment, looking at the group with a cold, empty expression. "The game is over. We'll take care of cleaning this up."
The bullies disappeared into the darkness, leaving only silence and the echo of muffled screams.
Haruto knelt beside his friend's lifeless body, sobbing bitterly, while the others cried around him, unable to process the horror that had just occurred.
The world was silent, and the weight of the tragedy was unbearable. Only the shadow of the inevitable remained—the brutal lesson imposed by Shiroi Academy.
Haruto clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling not only from the physical pain but from the helplessness he felt at being unable to save Renji. Tears fell from his eyes as he silently vowed that this would not end like this.
His friends, around him, shared the same sentiment. Fear, guilt, and hatred intertwined in their hearts as the cold night enveloped them.
In that moment, without any of them knowing, something had changed inside Haruto. A dark spark had begun to burn within him, one that would not extinguish until justice was done.
End of Volume 1
The tragedy was just beginning, but with it also came a promise: the shadow of vengeance was destined to grow and consume everything in its path.