I'm going to be late for work...
He was too lazy to waste any more words and was tired of this pointless entanglement.
There was no warning, no roar, not even a clear gathering of power.
He simply took a step forward, his right hand moving so fast, like a giant python hunting its prey, that it almost left a blur.
Before Tetsuo could react, five fingers, like steel hoops, gripped his throat with precision and ruthlessness!
"Well--!"
His muscular body, weighing nearly 180 pounds, was lifted up by Kawamoto Kazuki single hand.
The feeling of suffocation overwhelmed Tetsuo instantly, like a tidal wave.
His eyes bulged out, and his face instantly flushed red.
His body began to struggle instinctively, and his legs kicked hard at Kawamoto's chest and abdomen with all their might.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A dull thud resounded.
Tetsuo's foot landed squarely on Kawamoto's body.
However, what terrified him was that he felt he hadn't kicked flesh and blood, but rather a wall made of reinforced concrete.
A tremendous force of recoil traveled up his ankle, making his calf go numb.
Kawamoto, carrying his body, didn't even sway once.
Not only could he lift himself up with one hand, but he could also withstand a full-force kick from himself without moving an inch?
What the hell is this monster?!
For the first time, fear appeared in Tetsuo's eyes.
Noriyuki Hotta and Hisashi Mitsui, who witnessed the entire process, were like petrified statues, completely incapable of thinking.
Noriyuki's face was completely drained of color, and his eyes were so wide they almost popped out of their sockets.
What did he see?
That Tetsuo leader, who was like a war god in their hearts, never lost a fight, and was ruthless and merciless...
He was actually lifted up by the neck with one hand by this freshman from the basketball team!
No matter how much Tetsuo struggled and kicked, the other party didn't even flinch.
This... this is impossible!
This was completely beyond his understanding of power.
This is not human!
This is absolutely a monster in human skin!
A chill ran from Noriyuki's tailbone straight up to the top of his head.
It made him feel cold all over, and his teeth started chattering uncontrollably.
Hisashi Mitsui was struck dumb, his mind going completely blank.
He understood Tetsuo's terror better than Noriyuki; it was a ferocity forged in the blood and lives of those who fought on the streets.
However, this first-year basketball player in front of him subdued Tetsuo in an instant with such an absolutely crushing victory!
Is this really the kind of strength a high school student should have?
Mitsui felt his worldview crumbling inch by inch, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, almost bursting through his ribs.
He tried to look away, but his body was too stiff to move, and he could only watch helplessly as this horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.
Kawamoto Kazuki held Tetsuo, whose face was beginning to turn purple, with a steady arm.
He looked at Tetsuo's eyes, which were beginning to glaze over due to lack of oxygen.
Is fighting fun?
"Is fighting exciting and cool?"
"Do you think that getting together, calling each other brothers, and shouting about loyalty makes you powerful and great?"
"But have you used your loyalty in the right place?"
"Your brother makes a mistake, and instead of stopping him, you join him in the fight. Is that what you call loyalty?"
Kawamoto tightened his grip slightly, making Tetsuo feel even more suffocated and his words even more oppressive.
"A true brother is someone who can give him a good punch to wake him up when he goes astray!"
"He was the first person to step forward and lend a helping hand when he was destitute and everyone else was avoiding him!"
"She was the only person he could think of and would ask for help without hesitation when he was desperate and hopeless!"
His voice carried an undisguised heaviness and heartache. "Instead of ending up like you, all shackled and forced to do hard labor in the same prison!"
The words "labor service" struck like a thunderbolt, sending a shiver down the spines of Noriyuki and Mitsui.
Kawamoto's gaze swept over Noriyuki, who was trembling on the ground, then glanced at Hisashi Mitsui, whose face was deathly pale, before finally settling back on Tetsuo's face.
Seeing that Tetsuo was almost unconscious in his hands, he finally let go.
Tetsuo collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, clutching his throat, coughing and gagging violently, his face filled with the fear of surviving a close call.
Kawamoto Kazuki's tone became even more stern, carrying a chilling coldness that penetrated the cruelty of reality.
"Look at the environment outside right now! It's an economic winter following the bursting of the bubble!"
"So many people work themselves to the bone just to earn a living and support their families."
"Your parents work tirelessly outside from dawn till dusk, always having to put up with others' attitudes, shedding blood and sweat. What do they get out of it? Just so you can eat your fill and have the energy to come here and bully your classmates? To fight, be aggressive, and swagger around?"
"Is fighting cool? Is bullying the weak impressive? Is it satisfying to hear others call you 'Big Brother'?"
A sharp glint flashed in Kawamoto's eyes. "Let me tell you, that's the simplest, most pathetic, and most despicable thing in the world!"
Study hard, find a decent job in the future, and work hard to earn money so your parents don't have to work so hard anymore; they're already exhausted enough!
"Make your parents proud, so that they feel honored, not ashamed, when they talk about you!"
"Shoulder the responsibilities of becoming an adult, support your family, and protect those you want to protect!"
"Isn't any of these things cooler than what you're doing now? Isn't any of these things harder than being a delinquent?"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying a deafening power that struck straight to the soul. "Be a decent human being... make others envious of your parents for having such successful and responsible sons like you!"
"Instead of things like this, where people feel ashamed for your parents when they mention them!"
That last sentence was like a red-hot knife, stabbing deeply into the hearts of Noriyuki and Hisashi Mitsui.
Even as Tetsuo's consciousness began to return, the place in his heart that he dared not touch most started to ache faintly.
I feel guilty towards my parents!
Noriyuki suddenly lowered his head, his body trembling uncontrollably.
It wasn't out of fear, but because of a shame and remorse that almost overwhelmed him.
Hisashi Mitsui was visibly shaken, as if struck by lightning.
He recalled his self-destructive behavior after his injury, the food his mother carefully brought him, and her unspoken worry...
I thought of my father's increasingly gray hair and the disappointed and heartbroken look in his eyes when I saw him...
An unprecedented bitterness and stinging pain gripped his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
What he had been using anger and rebellion to mask and numb was precisely this deep guilt towards his parents, the past, and himself.
Tetsuo Nan looked up at the tall figure standing against the setting sun.
The ferocity and playfulness of before were gone from his eyes, replaced only by deep fear and a sense of utter dejection as his will was completely shattered.
Kawamoto Kazuki stopped looking at them, turned around, and continued walking in the direction of his part-time job.