Even though the downpour had eased slightly, it could still easily be called a torrential storm.
Pedestrians had either long since returned home or were huddled tightly under shop awnings to avoid the rain.
Except for a group of bald teenagers.
They were unruly, they were different—they insisted on walking right down the middle of the street in the pouring rain.
This left the few onlookers completely stunned.
Some couldn't help but reminisce about their own lost youth; once, they too had walked arrogantly in the rain like this, back in their embarrassing chuunibyou days... though they usually came down with a high fever the next morning.
But when these onlookers saw the words stitched on the backs of the bald heads uniforms, they quickly averted their gaze.
Hosen.
A notorious delinquent gang.
No one wanted to catch the attention of these troublemakers. There were about thirty bald heads in the group, and only the leader had hair.
It was a strict Hosen school rule: only the boss is allowed to have hair.
Similarly, among the rain-drenched crowd, only he was allowed to hold an umbrella.
His name was Matoba Toushi, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hosen High School.
His black hair stood stiffly upward, his face was fierce, his build burly and his eyes gleamed with a ruthless intensity.
His underling had been badly beaten last night, and as a boss, he couldn't ignore it.
That morning, the bruised underling had come to him, claiming he'd found the guy from last night and hoping Matoba could step in to teach him a lesson.
As an exemplary delinquent, standing up for your subordinates was an absolute must.
Other things could wait, but this had to be done with passion!
So he brought over thirty people with him.
Tonight, he had to reclaim his pride!
Ichinosuke Street—he knew this place.
If it weren't for the fact that he was underage, he would have liked to try it out himself.
The regulations for adult entertainment establishments in this country were still quite strict: minors were absolutely not allowed to be served.
If discovered, the establishment would have its operating license revoked immediately, and the owner would receive a permanent black mark on their professional record.
This was a very serious matter; with such a mark, they would essentially be barred from working in the industry for life.
"Hey, are you sure that guy is inside Ichinosuke Street?" Matoba asked the subordinate beside him, his tone carrying a mix of ferocity and doubt.
"Yes! I saw him ride his bike into the street with my own eyes this morning. I waited at the entrance for a long time and never saw him come out. He's definitely inside!"
Matoba frowned slightly before relaxing again.
Although he couldn't enter the adult clubs, that didn't mean he couldn't walk the streets.
Ichinosuke Street had many narrow alleys, often lined with small restaurants and similar shops.
He figured this guy must be hiding in one of those alleys.
"Boss, how are we going to find him once we go in? We don't even know his name."
As soon as the subordinate asked this, he received a swift slap to the back of the head from Matoba.
"Idiot! Useless! You got beaten up by someone and don't even know their name! A guy like you doesn't deserve to survive in Hosen!" Matoba roared fiercely.
But truthfully, he was also feeling helpless and frustrated.
Trying to find someone without knowing their name was far too troublesome.
"Split up and ask around. If you get any information, don't act recklessly. Report to me first. This time, I'll handle it myself!" he instructed.
His subordinates relayed the orders down the line, and the group confidently walked into the entrance of Ichinosuke Street in the pouring rain.
...
The sudden appearance of thirty-plus soaked delinquents immediately caught the attention of the older women lounging at the entrances of the adult clubs.
They weren't the least bit afraid of these kids.
After all, many of the customers they usually served were actual yakuza members, and the backgrounds of many of these establishments weren't exactly clean.
Even though these women and club managers were always incredibly friendly and sweet to Yuto, if you dug deeper, very few of them were easy to mess with.
These kids were just delinquents who hadn't even made a name for themselves yet.
In the women's eyes, they were nothing more than immature chicks trying to act tough!
"Oh my, what are all these little brothers here for?"
"Hehehe, are you little brothers of age? If you are, come play with your onee-sans!"
"Ah, ah, don't be shy, little brothers~"
The women, already idle and bored due to the heavy rain, found the perfect way to have some fun.
Many of the bald-headed boys immediately blushed bright red.
Though they could fight, they were only fifteen or sixteen years old.
How could they possibly withstand the seductive glances and teasing from these mature women?
"Stop blushing here! Go find out about that guy!" Matoba's angry shout snapped the balds subordinates back to their usual tough demeanor.
As they scattered, Matoba slowly made his way down the street, his eyes continuously scanning the surrounding clubs.
In his mind, he was secretly planning which one to visit once he finally came of age...
...
"Hey! Do you know if there's a guy around here, looks about..."
"Tsk, no idea. But why are you acting so fierce, little brother? Do you want your onee-san to keep you company instead?"
"Cough, cough, never mind! Never mind. Goodbye!"
The bald subordinate tried to act fierce in front of the genuinely mature woman, but in the end, he couldn't hold his ground for even one round against her teasing.
Watching the bald boy flee in a complete panic, the hostesses in the karaoke parlor giggled.
For a moment, their laughter sounded like the pleasant tinkling of silver bells.
"What's so funny?!"
A somewhat stern voice echoed from the stairs.
It was Hanako.
As it turned out, the bald subordinate had accidentally stumbled into her karaoke parlor.
Hanako was wearing a black kimono beautifully embroidered with bright red peonies, giving her an air of deep dignity and quiet authority.
Although she always treated Yuto with a warm maternal demeanor, she was, after all, a strong woman in charge of an adult karaoke parlor.
When dealing with her subordinates or rowdy customers, her authority was off the charts.
"Madam," the women who had been laughing moments ago immediately fell silent, each greeting her respectfully.
Hanako merely nodded slightly.
She walked to the entrance and stared directly at the woman who had spoken with the delinquent.
The corners of Hanako's eyes bore faint wrinkles from age, but her gaze was exceptionally bright and sharp—even sharper than that of the younger women.
"What happened just now?" she asked.
"A student from Hosen came asking questions..." The woman, having also recognized the Hosen insignia, recounted what had just happened.
Hanako frowned slightly as a cold knot of unease forming in her chest.
Especially when she heard the woman describe the appearance of the person Hosen was looking for.
A baby face, looking frail and weak, probably in his teens.
The description perfectly fit Yuto.
Boy-toy face, somewhat skinny, sixteen years old.
'It couldn't be. Yuto-chan is so sensible—how could he possibly be involved with Hosen?' Hanako shook her head slightly, trying to dismiss the thought.
The woman in front of her grew nervous seeing the subtle movement, worrying she had said something wrong.
Fortunately, Hanako just casually said a few words of dismissal before heading back upstairs, making the hostess breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
As she climbed the stairs, Hanako was still thinking about what she had just heard.
'If they really are looking for Yuto-chan... I'd like to see what Hosen plans to do about it.'
A dangerous coldness settled in Hanako's heart.
She had no children of her own, and Yuto had won her affection so deeply that she treated him like her own beloved nephew.
If Hosen was really causing trouble for him, she would make absolutely sure those delinquents never left this street!
She slowly ascended the stairs, the back of her kimono swaying with each step.
Between the subtle movements of the silk, glimpses of the skin on her back could be seen.
It was not the fair unblemished skin of an ordinary woman.
Instead, it was densely, intricately patterned with the indigo ink of traditional yakuza tattoos...
...
Matoba Toushi stood in the rain, holding his umbrella with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Through the pouring rain, his underlings were constantly going in and out of one adult entertainment shop after another.
"Useless! You bastards can't even ask around properly!" Matoba took a deep drag from his cigarette, then forcefully spat it out.
The heavy rain instantly extinguished the glowing cherry.
He rolled his neck, feeling extremely irritated.
As he stretched, he suddenly noticed a small, narrow alleyway.
'Strange, why isn't anyone going into that alley?'
Feeling restless and annoyed, he decided to check it out himself.
He walked to the entrance and peered down into the gloom.
Only one shop at the very bottom had its lights on.
Matoba frowned.
He descended the stone steps in a few long strides and walked up to the small shop's entrance.
Kamisaka Shop.
He silently read the wooden sign before aggressively sliding open the door.
"Hey! Do any of you know if there's a person around here—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was completely stunned by what he saw inside.
Leaving aside the several unbelievably beautiful women sitting at the counter... what on earth was with the massive, ten-foot-tall skeleton in a huge robe?!
Oh, and there was a bald guy too maybe he's one of ours?
His shock lasted less than a second before the diner's cognitive magic washed over him, fading his terror into calm acceptance.
'Hmm, there's nothing strange about this scene.'
'It seems perfectly normal.'
"Welcome. You... are from Hosen?"
Matoba hadn't expected the young man behind the counter—who looked exactly like the pretty boy they were hunting—to recognize his affiliation.
"Hah, that's right!"
The moment Matoba proudly uttered those words, the casual chatter in the diner stopped dead.
The gazes of every single person in the small shop slowly turned and locked directly onto him.
'Hiss...'
Matoba inexplicably felt a freezing cold breeze wash over the back of his neck
Suddenly, a wave of sheer primal panic gripped his heart.
He really, really wanted to smoke a pack of cigarette at once to calm down right now!