While tidying up the shelves, Kawamoto Kazuki's thoughts drifted to the quiet night outside the window.
With the enactment and implementation of the Anti-Organized Crime Law in 1990, the yakuza, who once roamed the underworld, were at a delicate juncture in Japan.
They have had to begin to restrain their claws and claws, quietly withdrawing from certain areas and adopting more covert ways of survival.
But biker gangs are a different story.
The group is mostly composed of teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. It lacks a strict organizational structure and has no grand ambitions to make money.
What they chase is the so-called speed and passion, the rebellious youth, and the bonds of friendship.
They like to prove their existence through deafening engine roars and dangerous driving.
Illegal vehicle modification, dangerous racing, noise pollution, fighting, extortion of the weak----
Many members of biker gangs eventually succumb to crime, spending what should have been their best years in reformatories.
However, Kawamoto disagreed with the way this so-called passionate youth was expressed.
Paradoxically, the land where he was born and raised seems to have an inextricable connection with the culture of biker gangs.
Kamakura, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, Odawara, Hakone ----
These cities, surrounding Sagami Bay and boasting beautiful coastlines, tranquil streets, and a rich history, make up the Shonan where he lives.
He suddenly remembered the guy he had met on National Route 134 when he was in junior high school.
Route 134 is an important coastal road connecting Heike and Chigasaki.
Two years ago, Boss Kobayashi and I were delivering goods together in his car when we almost collided with a speeding motorcycle.
The rider was a slightly older boy, but with a wild and untamed air about him.
At that time, the hot-blooded Kawamoto and the rider got into a fight over a verbal argument, which eventually escalated into a physical altercation on an open space beside the national highway.
That was the strongest opponent Kawamoto had ever faced.
A clash of power, speed, reaction, and savage instincts.
The two fought to a standstill, and only stopped after Boss Kobayashi persuaded them to.
All I remember is that before he left, he got on his motorcycle and said a few words: "Hey, you're pretty good at fighting."
"Would you like to become my companion?"
I like it here.
"Join me! The mountains of Hakone, the castle of Odawara, the sea of Enoshima, the winds of Seisho —I will make this place our territory."
"Come race with me through this Shonan I love, let's go high-speed, and always keep the engine running at full throttle!"
"I want to restore Peace to the nights in Shonan, so that the only sound will be the roar of our motorcycles!"
His ambition sounds like he wants to establish the largest biker gang in Shonan and rule the streets at night in his own way.
It seems that, at least in this neighborhood, he has failed.
Otherwise, how could a nobody like Mitsuaki Okubo from the Far East dare to lay a hand on Shohoku students here?
Shaking his head to clear his mind of these old stories and chaotic thoughts, Kawamoto continued to focus on translating the Ode to Gallantry".
County Gymnasium.
The match between Kainan University Affiliated High School Takezono High School.
Sakuragi Gang and some members of Shohoku came to watch the game, and Kawamoto was among them.
Akagi's eyes widened as he wanted to get a closer look at Kainan, the rival he had been fantasizing about for three years.
In the stands, the girls' cheerleading squad from Takezono High School almost filled the opposite side of the stands, creating a beautiful scene.
The sounds of birdsong and cheers were especially clear and crisp.
In contrast, while the cheering squad in Kainan was well-organized, it appeared overly masculine.
Tatsumasa Oda did not appear in Takezono's starting lineup, nor even on the bench.
The match begins.
The process was brutal.
Kainan didn't even send out their full strength; with only Tadashi Muto and Soichiro Jin, Nobunaga Kiyota completely crushed Takezono in the first half.
Takezono's offense struggled, and their defense was riddled with holes.
The score difference widened rapidly; it was a contest on a completely different level.
Over at the Takezono stands, there were girls who had originally come excitedly, dressed up beautifully, to cheer on the handsome boys of the basketball team.
Watching their team being mercilessly crushed, the players' eyes reddened with anxiety, and some even began to sob.
"Waaaaah---- How could this happen----"
"Without Oda -kun, it's absolutely impossible—"
" Kainan is too amazing----"
Seeing this, Nozomi Takamiya, Yuji Okusu, and Chuichiro Noma of the Sakuragi Gang exchanged glances, their eyes flashing.
"Walk!"
Takamiya waved his hand, and the three of them furtively left their seats, circled around for a bit, and then wandered over to the Takezono cheerleading squad's stands.
Hey! Ladies of Takezono!
Takamiya forced out what he thought was his coolest smile, "We're from the Shohoku Basketball Team."
" Shohoku?"
Several girls from Takezono who were wiping away tears looked up, puzzled, at the three boys who had suddenly appeared, each with a distinctive appearance and demeanor.
"Yes! It's Shohoku, the Shohoku that defeated Shoyo!"
Okusu added that this was an attempt to increase credibility.
A girl blinked her tear-filled eyes, then suddenly remembered something, and her voice rose considerably.
"Ah! You guys are from the Shohoku Basketball Team? Then—then who's Kawamoto? You mean the Kawamoto scored 71 points in the first half against Shoyo?"
As soon as the question was asked, many female students from the Takezono looked over, their eyes filled with curiosity, admiration, and anticipation.
"It's me! It's me!"
Takamiya, Okusu, and Noma all spoke in unison, pointing to themselves without hesitation, their expressions increasingly sincere.
The girls from Takezono were stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.
" Kawamoto —there are three?"
"Ah—yes, that's right!"
Takamiya reacted the fastest, starting to make things up without batting an eye. He pointed to himself and said, "I'm Nozomi Kawamoto!"
Okusu immediately replied, "I am Yuji Kawamoto!"
"I am Chuichiro Kawamoto!"
"Oh----"
The girls looked on with realization, but then seemed puzzled. "So the three of you got a combined score of 71 points—that's impressive, but it doesn't seem as exaggerated as the rumors said—"
One of the girls sized them up. "Their appearance does match the rumors of them being fierce and monster-like—but they must be really strong to have defeated Shoyo."
The three men, including Takamiya, twitched at the corners of their mouths, but for the sake of their grand scheme of picking up girls, they endured it!
Takamiya patted his chest confidently. "Our Shohoku is very strong. Don't worry, beauties! If—uh, Takezono loses this game, in the next game, Shohoku will definitely avenge you against Shanghai and Kainan, and beat Kainan to a pulp!"
"Really?" Hope ignited in the girls' eyes. "You can really defeat Kainan and avenge our Takezono?"
"Of course."
Okusu and Noma also patted their chests and guaranteed it.
"That's great, thank you!"
Takamiya pressed his advantage. "Could you... could I leave you my contact information?"