He Won't Intervene

The next day, word spread through Seito High School that Sugihara Kei had come off worse against Shinnosuke. It spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred.

"Did you hear? Sugihara, the second-year senior, sent some people after Shinnosuke Nohara, and he beat them right back out. He even extorted one of them."

"No way, I heard Senior Sugihara went after Shinnosuke himself, and Shinnosuke beat him back out. He even beat him until he cried..."

"You're all behind the times. According to a reliable source, Sugihara Kei has already gotten on his knees before Shinnosuke Nohara!"

When Sugihara Kei heard these rumors, he was so furious he nearly ground his teeth to pieces! Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he raced toward Class C, where Shinnosuke was!

The judo club members had no choice but to follow him.

Sugihara Kei yanked open the door to Class C and looked around, his eyes bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he addressed the class.

"Where's that bastard Shinnosuke Nohara?"

The students of Class C stared at him in fear. Then Yasuda Takagi spoke to Sugihara Kei from the corner, trembling.

"Big Brother Nohara... no, no, no, Shinnosuke Nohara... might be on the roof right now."

Sugawara Kei's eyes instantly grew dangerous.

"Big Brother Nohara? So you're Shinnosuke Nohara's underling... take him to the roof."

"No... you've got the wrong idea... I'm not..."

As soon as Sugihara Kei finished speaking, two people stepped out from behind him and seized Yasuda Takagi, one on either side. They dragged him away under the terrified gazes of his classmates.

Shinnosuke lay on a battered old sofa on the roof. Inoue Ryushi knew Shinnosuke liked spending time there, so he had found the sofa somewhere and brought it up.

Whenever he had free time, Shinnosuke would lie there. With his hands behind his head, he watched the birds soaring freely across the sky and listened to the noise from the sports field. He actually felt a sense of belonging, as though he had always belonged in this world.

The sound of a door being thrown open roughly brought Shinnosuke back to reality. He sat up and looked closely. A gloomy-looking guy was glaring at him through gritted teeth, followed by a group of people in judo uniforms.

Sugihara Kei waved his hand, and two people came forward from behind him, holding a guy between them whose face was bruised and swollen beyond recognition.

The guy's face was smeared with tears and snot, but Shinnosuke still recognized his deskmate by his build and hairstyle.

Shinnosuke's face immediately darkened. He stared at Sugihara Kei without a word.

The veins on Sugihara Kei's forehead throbbed as he spoke to Shinnosuke with a vicious expression.

"I finally found you. This guy's your underling, right? I've already paid my respects to him. Now it's your turn, Shinnosuke Nohara!"

Shinnosuke continued to stare at Sugihara Kei without a word, his gaze growing more dangerous.

Sugihara Kei swept his arm forward, and he and the group behind him charged at Shinnosuke! Just then, a voice suddenly called out from behind them. Sugihara Kei and the others stopped in their tracks without thinking and turned to look.

"Hey, Sugihara! What do you think you're doing to our leader?"

The newcomers were none other than the Ryu Family!

Inoue Ryushi walked toward Sugihara Kei with the six people behind him. He took a drag on his cigarette and spoke.

"If you want to challenge our leader, you should at least beat me first..."

Sugihara Kei glared at Inoue Ryushi and sneered.

"What's this? The loyal dog came running to protect his master? Stop bringing shame on the second years, would you? As a senior, you not only lost to a junior, but you even became his dog. You've completely disgraced the second years!"

The people behind Inoue Ryushi couldn't help lowering their heads, their faces livid. Inoue Ryushi, on the other hand, looked completely unruffled. He tossed down his cigarette butt, stamped it out, and spoke.

"A loss is a loss. A man has to keep his word!"

Sugihara Kei's face darkened. He spat and thought to himself.

This guy's a bit of an idiot, but he's got some skills. With him here too, I really can't be sure we'd win this fight... Damn it, I let my anger get the better of me...

Sugihara Kei snorted and said to them,

"I'll let you off this time. Don't let me catch you when I get the chance..."

Sugihara Kei turned to lead his group back, but then Shinnosuke's voice came from behind him.

"Wait."

Sugihara Kei stiffened. His face livid, he spoke to Shinnosuke.

"Don't think I'm afraid of you. Do you think you can beat me just because you've got Inoue Ryushi with you?"

Shinnosuke stared at him and spoke word by word.

"This has nothing to do with Inoue. He won't intervene..."

Inoue Ryushi froze. He was about to speak, but a look from Shinnosuke stopped him. With no other choice, he sat down by the rooftop door, lit a cigarette, and spoke.

"All right, I get it... We won't intervene."

The people behind him were stunned to hear that.

"But..."

"Will Big Brother Shinnosuke really be okay...?"

Inoue Ryushi breathed out a cloud of smoke, looked at Shinnosuke's face, and spoke to his companions behind him.

"Trust him. After all, he's the man who beat the whole lot of us single-handedly..."

"..."