The streets of Tokyo were just as crowded and chaotic as Ayu remembered them. There was so much commotion going on at once it was enough to make anyone’s head spin. Giant screens laid across towering skyscrapers blared stunning and eye-catching advertisements. Music was always playing from somewhere but what it was or where it was coming from was impossible to infer. Street performers called out to passersby as they put on a show and attracted a crowd. Sure, Yokohama wasn’t that much smaller than Tokyo but some things were just unique to the capital city of Japan.
“Okay,” Juuzou frowned at his phone screen, “according to this, Hachiman Private Academy is that way.” He pointed in the direction.
“Gotta say, Hanazoe,” Akira remarked as they started their trek, “you were the last person I expected to recognize the uniforms of HPA. What’s up with that?”
“I’d rather not say.” Juuzou glowered.
I vaguely remember Juuzou talking about Hachiman once… I think he said his parents wanted him to go there. Of course, even if I didn’t know Juuzou, I would still… Ayu shook the thought out of her head. She shouldn’t worry over that right now. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand.
“By the way, how far away even is this place?” Akira asked.
“It’s right around the corner from here, I think.” Juuzou furrowed his brow as he studied his phone screen. “We got off at the nearest train station.”
“T-There it is,” Ayu gasped.
“Holy—”
The building was massive, taking up five blocks on either side of the street. It was the lone structure on its road and dwarfed the hardwood trees occupying its front lawn. Even though the school was physically far—guarded from trespassers by a great black iron fence surrounding its perimeter and a wide yard before it—Ayu could observe all of its mighty details in perfect clarity. The academy was styled after a baroque castle: rectangular windows dotted the white brick walls rising into the sky, each one set with golden sills separating the panes. Bright red roofing accentuated the white walls for a fabulous contrast of color. At either end, the building came forward; the main entrance was further back and guarded by a luscious walkway and enough trees to create a forest. From above, the school appeared like a grand throne where the main building was the chair whereas the two protrusions on either side were the jutting arms. Set right above the door on the roof was a prominent angel statue. He guarded the entrance to the school with his wings spread out for flight. He held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The whole academy seemed to sparkle in the sunlight of the late summer afternoon.
“What the fuck… This is a school?” Juuzou cried incredulously.
“Why’s it so big?” Akira murmured.
“Uh, well… I-I think it’s both a middle school and a high school… And since it’s a private academy, it’s got kids from all over Japan—and even internationally—coming to attend so I’m pretty sure it also has on-campus dormitories? I did some research last night,” Ayu explained.
A piercing musical note rang out through the air. Ayu yelped as Juuzou cussed loudly in surprise. Akira went very, very still. The bell signaled the end of school with a chorus so cacophonous, it could wake the dead. Almost instantly, the great double doors of Hachiman Private Academy swung open. A horde of students streamed out from the entrance. The gate of the black iron fence screeched as they slid to the side, revealing the school’s courtyard in all of its glory. Even though she was on the other side of the street, Ayu could see students hanging out on benches or enjoying the shade of the many trees. There were so, so many people. Ayu gulped as the edges of her vision blurred like a watercolor artist mixing paints on their palette. She tugged on Juuzou’s sleeve and he swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.
“We’re never gonna find who we’re looking for, are we?” Akira surmised.
“Not unless we ask,” Juuzou pointed out. Ayu glanced up at him in fear. “Don’t worry, Ayu; you don’t have to talk. And you,” He turned to Akira sharply, “don’t say anything stupid.”
“So just keep quiet. Got it.” Akira flashed a thumbs-up and a big grin. Juuzou sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Alright, let’s go.” The stream of students finally reached the gates. Juuzou clutched Ayu’s hand and gently tugged her along as they crossed the street; Akira followed at their heels. Juuzou approached the first student he saw and hastily asked, “Hey, uh… Sorry, this is kinda random, but do you happen to know an Akatsuki Katsuya or a Kirishima Ayaki?”
“Akatsuki!?”
Ayu gasped as Juuzou was suddenly wrenched away from her. The student—who had flaming red hair and eyes—had grabbed Juuzou by his shirt and brought him close. Juuzou blinked. The student glared back with his lips pulled into a fierce snarl. Fury burned in his smoldering crimson eyes.
“J-Juuzou!” Ayu squeaked.
“What the hell do you want with my cousin, hah!?” shouted the Hachiman student.
“Yuyake Itsuki!”
A shrill voice pierced the air. A young woman with long bubblegum pink hair cut in a hime style marched up to them. Her baby blue eyes were sharp and her lips were pursed as she set her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, exposing all of her voluminous curves.
“Aw, hell, what do you want, Tsuruoka!?”
He let go of Juuzou to whirl around and face this newcomer with a raised fist and barred teeth. Juuzou, Akira, and Ayu all exchanged a glance. A Yuyake and a Tsuruoka? Those were both clans belonging to Japan’s Four Great Modern Families! Granted, it wasn’t that unusual to see such distinguished individuals at an establishment like Hachiman, but one right after another? And even then, the Yuyake Clan—infamous yakuza crime lords—hailed from the Kansai region whereas the Tsuruoka Clan—overlords of several domestic business conglomerates—was based in Tohoku. And at the end of the day, Tokyo was Kurosaki Clan territory. Did the rulers of the Kanto Region know that both a Yuyake and a Tsuruoka were here in their stomping grounds?
“You can’t just yell at strangers out of nowhere!” scolded the young woman—the Tsuruoka. “You’re making a fool of yourself and tarnishing the reputation of our esteemed academy. I, Tsuruoka Kurome, will not allow anyone in our class to indulge in such boorish behavior! Especially in front of touring junior high school students! You don’t want to scare them away, Yuyake Itsuki!”
Wait, junior high school students? Juuzou, Akira, and Ayu exchanged another glance. Ayu looked down at her clothes. Well… Sure, gakurans and sailor uniforms were unusual garments for a high school dress code, but… Ayu glanced back up at Juuzou and Akira, who were both well over one hundred and eighty centimeters. Yeah, she was short, but together, they didn’t really look much like middle schoolers, did they?
“Oh, shut up, Tsuruoka!” snapped Yuyake Itsuki. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Goodness, will you watch your tongue? You speak like a barbarian,” sniffed Tsuruoka Kurome.
“This is my problem! Scram!”
“As if! As the class representative, it is my duty to correct the problematic behavior of anyone in my care! I will not permit you to continue embarrassing us all in this ogrish manner!”
“You’re so fucking full of yourself. They asked for Akatsuki Katsuya! That makes this a Yuyake matter so a Tsuruoka like you can just buzz off!”
“Shut up, Itsuki.”
Ayu perked up at the sound of a new voice. She turned her head to see a familiar boy with black hair and smoldering crimson eyes. Just like last time, Katsuya’s dark gold blazer and white dress shirt were slightly disheveled and he wasn’t wearing a tie. His bronze slacks hung low and his Barbie pink nail polish was hidden in his pockets. The silver chain wallet on his left hip glittered in the sunlight. His school bag was slung casually over his shoulder and he wore a deep scowl on his face.
Katsuya strode up to Juuzou and demanded, “What the hell do you guys want?”
“We just wanna chat, Akatsuki,” Juuzou responded. Katsuya narrowed his eyes.
“R-Really!” Ayu piped up. “W-We’re really sorry for,” She gestured with her hands, “causing a scene.”
“…You didn’t mean to. I get it.” Katsuya sighed and rolled his eyes. “Itsuki just loves blowing shit out of proportion. We can go to my place.”
“What!? Katsuya, you can’t actually be serious! Are you just letting these nobodies steamroll right over you!?” Itsuki roared.
“For the last time, shut the fuck up, Itsuki,” Katsuya groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is none of your business.”
“Hell yeah it is! You’re a Yuyake so whenever people go around asking for you, they’re picking a fight with me!” Itsuki declared.
“Last time I checked, my surname was ‘Akatsuki,’ not Yuyake,” Katsuya quipped back. “I can handle my shit myself. I don’t need you meddling in my goddamn business.” He turned on his heel. “See you tomorrow, Itsuki.”
“Wait, Katsuya—”
“Move,” Katsuya hissed through gritted teeth, “and don’t fucking look back.”
They followed his instructions without hesitation. As soon as they were some ways down the road, Katsuya whipped out his phone. He then furiously began tapping on the screen. Akira pursed his lips.
“Hey, Akatsuki, right? It’s me! Izayoi Akira! Missed me? Betcha you must have it real tough with that Itsuki character around.”
“Izayoi.” Juuzou frowned and glared at the second-year.
“What!? I was just making an observation!”
“I don’t really care,” Katsuya stated plainly. He shoved his phone into his pocket. “`Kay, Ayaki will be there after he’s finished with his doctor’s appointment.”
“O-Oh, r-really? That’s-That’s great!” Ayu beamed. “I-I was wondering why he wasn’t here with you…”
“Well, if this ‘chat’ is gonna be about what I think it’s gonna be about, he might as well be there too,” Katsuya griped. “Well? Is it Naturae?”
“…Yeah,” Juuzou confirmed.
“God fucking dammit.” Katsuya clicked his tongue. “Whatever. We can discuss more when we get to my house.”
“Erm, hey, if you don’t mind me asking… You are a member of the Yuyake Clan, right?” Juuzou asked. “Of the Four Great Families? That Itsuki guy mentioned you were cousins and he was pretty vocal about being one.”
“What about it?” Katsuya growled.
“It’s just… What’re two Yuyakes—and that Tsuruoka girl, for that matter—doing in Kurosaki,” Juuzou grimaced, “territory?”
“Oh… That’s what you were curious about?” Katsuya shrugged. “My mom married outta the Yuyake Clan; settled in Tokyo right after she tied the knot. Her relatives woulda paid for my tuition to Hachiman regardless, though; I’m second in the line of succession right after Itsuki so my gramps wants me to get a top-notch education.”
“Oh, shit, so you’re like, a super bigwig,” Akira gasped. “A head honcho. Royalty. VIP status individual. You’re not just a member of the Yuyake Clan, you’re one of the members. That’s insane.”
“Only if Itsuki’s thickheadedness ends up getting him killed,” Katsuya scoffed. “He and Tsuruoka are here `cause of some plot set in motion by the four clan heads. The plan was for their heirs to all attend the same high school. Some shit about the idea that genuine friendship could create ideal business partners. But the plan fell through the gutters. The Fubuki heiress never arrived and the Kurosaki heir straight-up vanished after the first semester.”
“Oh, is that so?” Juuzou and Ayu exchanged a glance.