Kai's footsteps were slow as he walked home. The afternoon sun stretched his shadow along the cracked pavement, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Something felt wrong.
His mother had sounded normal on the phone, but there was something in her voice—a tiredness, maybe even fear. She always told him not to worry about their financial struggles, but Kai wasn't stupid. Their ramen shop had been barely scraping by for months.
Turning the final corner, his breath caught in his throat.
His family's restaurant was gone.
The front door was ripped off its hinges, tables and chairs lay broken across the pavement, and shattered glass crunched under his shoes. Their old wooden sign, "Yamada Family Ramen," was tossed in the gutter like garbage.
His hands clenched into fists. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing like a war drum.
This wasn't an accident.
Then he saw her.
His mother sat on the sidewalk, holding her side, her uniform covered in dust. A bag of rice lay beside her, torn open, its contents spilled across the street.
"Mom…?" His voice was hoarse.
She looked up and forced a weak smile. "Kai… you're home early."
Kai rushed to her side. "What happened?"
She hesitated, then sighed. "Some men came. They said the loan was overdue. I tried to explain, but…" She trailed off.
Kai stared at the ruins of their home.
Loan sharks.
He didn't know the full story, but he didn't need to. His mother had borrowed money to keep their business alive, and they had twisted the debt into something impossible to repay.
He took a slow, shaky breath. He wanted to do something—needed to do something. But what? He wasn't strong. He wasn't rich.
Not yet.
For now, he swallowed his anger, helped his mother to her feet, and made a promise to himself.
I'll get stronger. I swear it.
—
The next day at school, Kai sat at his desk, tapping a pencil against his notebook.
He wasn't listening to the lesson. He had bigger things to think about.
How the hell am I going to make money?
A normal part-time job wouldn't cut it. The debt was too big. He needed serious cash. Fast.
Fighting tournaments? Too risky. Gambling? No money to start.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the noise coming from outside the classroom.
Almost.
A muffled voice. Then a thud. Then quiet, nervous laughter.
Kai turned his head slightly, just enough to hear more clearly.
"Where do you think you're going, huh?"
It was Renji Takeda's voice.
Kai closed his eyes and sighed. Again?
Renji was a rich kid with too much free time and too little to do. His father owned a dozen businesses, and Renji treated the school like it was his personal playground. Usually, Kai ignored him.
But today, for some reason, his voice was pissing him off more than usual.
Maybe it was because he was already stressed. Maybe it was because his head hurt. Maybe it was because he just wasn't in the mood.
Another thud. Then a quiet, trembling voice. "P-please, I don't have any money today…"
Kai exhaled through his nose.
He wasn't a hero. He didn't go around looking for fights.
But this? This was just annoying.
He stood up, stretched his arms, and grabbed the chalkboard eraser from his desk.
Then he walked toward the door.