“Bye, Aoi!” Ayane waved as the blue-haired girl stepped out of Fukuzora Mart & Diner after a light dinner. Aoi’s shoulders were slightly hunched, her expression laced with quiet irritation. The day had been… chaotic. At least she’d cleared up her misunderstanding about Ryo.

So, he’s Shadow Boy’s brother… great. They’re nothing alike, she mused, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked down the dimly lit sidewalk. Her mind replayed Raito’s interrogation from earlier.

I can’t let anyone know who I really am. Not here. Not yet. She exhaled softly, eyes narrowing as the city around her shifted from orange dusk to electric night. Neon signs flickered awake, and car horns hummed in the distance. Then— that feeling again. The weight of unseen eyes.

Aoi’s gaze shifted slightly to her right. A few figures in hoodies trailed behind her — subtle, blending with the crowd’s rhythm. But their footsteps were too measured, their presence too deliberate.

Trouble. Her pace quickened. So did theirs. She turned sharply down an alley between two narrow buildings. The air changed — metallic, stale with rust and smoke. A broken arcade sign buzzed weakly, casting fractured pink and blue light across the cracked pavement and graffiti-scrawled walls.

Aoi stopped in the center of the alley. Her fists clenched at her sides, her expression unreadable.

From the shadows, six boys and two girls emerged — the faint echo of snickers and sneakers scraping the ground filled the silence. Their leader, a tall boy, cracked his knuckles with a grin.

“Well, well, look who we’ve got here.” His tone dripped mockery as the others laughed behind him.

“Who are you?” Aoi asked evenly. “And what do you want with me?”

“Doesn’t matter who we are,” a girl sneered.

“Not when we already know you, Aoi Sakuraba,” another chimed in.

Aoi’s eyes narrowed. Her heart gave a single hard thump — but her face stayed calm. “You’re wasting your time,” she said flatly. “Knowing me won’t do you any good.”

The leader’s grin widened. “You really think you’re safe here? Just because no one knows who you really are… Blue Storm.”

The name hit her like a strike to the chest. The world seemed to still — air tightening, sound dimming.

Then came the change. The faint glow in her lavender eyes. The cold tremor of rage rising beneath her calm.

The boy took a step forward. “Tch, you don’t scare us just becau—”

He didn’t finish. A blur — a single, clean strike — and he hit the ground, gasping for air, sliding back several feet.

The others froze, eyes wide in disbelief. Then chaos broke loose. They charged, shouting, while Aoi’s stance shifted — low, sharp, and ready.

She exhaled slowly, her bangs fluttering as the air shifted around her. The first boy lunged — wild swing, sloppy footwork. She sidestepped, fluid as water, and caught his wrist.

A flash of movement — and his world flipped. His back slammed into the ground, air bursting from his lungs as his body skidded across the pavement.

Another came at her from behind — she twisted, her leg snapping up in a clean arc, heel connecting with his jaw. The sound cracked like thunder.

Three more surrounded her, hesitant now. Their confidence drained by the sight of her calm stance — weight on her back foot, hands loose at her sides, lavender eyes glowing faintly in the broken neon.

“Get her already!” one yelled, charging in.

They attacked together. Aoi’s body moved before thought — pivot, parry, drop low. Her elbow crashed into one’s ribs; she grabbed another’s collar and spun her into her ally, both hitting the wall with a dull thud.

A punch grazed her cheek. She turned sharply, catching her arm mid-swing. Her eyes locked on hers — calm, almost pitying.

Wrong move.

She flipped the girl clean over her shoulder. Mid-air, her hand twisted her sleeve, sending her spinning faster before her body crashed to the ground.

The alley fell silent except for the groans of the defeated. Neon light reflected off the streak of dust on her cheek as she straightened, steadying her breath.

A pained grunt echoed behind her. She turned slightly, spotting one of the boys sprawled across the cracked pavement, struggling to lift his head.“You think… you’re tough?” he rasped, before collapsing again, unconscious.

Aoi’s fists tightened, her heart twisting with unease, as she disappeared into the deep shadows of the alley. The faint hum of city lights filled the air once more.

And as she stepped back into the open street, her eyes lifted to the dim stars above. Damn it…

………….

A morning yawn slipped from Raito’s lips as he trudged toward school, hands buried in his pockets, eyes half-lidded against the early light. He lazily pulled out his phone, scrolling through the group chat.

“Mitsuru, you idiot… don’t make me wait again,” he muttered before pocketing the device again, weaving through the hum of morning chatter around him. Just then, a pair of middle schoolers walked past, their voices cutting through the buzz.

“Hey, did you hear? Some gang got trashed last night.”

He slowed down slightly, ears twitching.

“No way, really?”

“Yeah. A passerby said it was a girl — blue hair and everything.”

“Whoa, that’s awesome!”

“The bad news? They say she beat them to a pulp.”

“Yikes!”

Raito’s steps slowed. His eyes narrowed slightly, the words echoing in his head. A blue-haired girl… he thought grimly. The morning breeze brushed his hair as a thought hit him. He frowned. “Don’t tell me…”

“Raito~!” a familiar voice called out. He looked up to see Rikuya waving at him from their usual meeting spot up ahead.

“Rikuya,” he greeted flatly—only to feel an arm snake around his neck.

“Morning, dude!” Mitsuru grinned, pulling him into a playful chokehold.

“Hands off, Mitsuru,” Raito growled, prying him off with an irritated look. The three started walking together.

“I thought you said you couldn’t meet up today,” Rikuya said, adjusting his glasses.

“I did,” Mitsuru shrugged with a grin. “But I blitzed through my chores so I could walk with my two best bros. You should be grateful!” He gave a cheeky wink.

Rikuya just sighed while Raito rolled his eyes. “Let’s just go before you start bragging about how fast you can fold laundry.”

“Yes, boss!” Mitsuru saluted dramatically.

“You’re such a kid,” Rikuya smirked.

“Correction: I’m a spirited teenager!” Mitsuru shot back proudly.

As they reached the school gates, Raito added dryly, “A ‘spirited teenager’ doesn’t text group chats past 10 p.m.”

“Oh, come on, you’re still mad about that?” Mitsuru groaned while Rikuya chuckled beside him. They entered the classroom, sliding the door open.

“Morning, Raito, Mitsuru, Rikuya!” Hikaru greeted cheerfully, striding up to them.

“Morning,” Mitsuru and Rikuya echoed.

“What’s up?” Raito asked, voice low but polite.

“Not much! I just thought I’d greet everyone early,” Hikaru said with his hands on his hips.

“Sure you did,” Raito muttered.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Kazuki called from nearby. “He just wants to know what happened with the top dogs yesterday.”

“Kazuki!” Hikaru groaned.

“Oh, really?” Rikuya raised a brow.

“Honestly, not much to tell,” Mitsuru replied with a knowing grin. Raito sighed and made his way to his seat, arms folded.

“And there he goes, back to brooding,” Rikuya said with a half-smile.

“Yep,” Mitsuru nodded.

Hikaru suddenly lunged at Kazuki, shaking him by the collar. “Wah! Look what you did!”

“Me?! You’re the one being sketchy!” Kazuki protested, his headphones swinging wildly. “Hey—careful with those!”

Laughter rippled through the class as Raito glanced over with mild amusement.

“Today’s a free day, right?” Rikuya asked, taking his seat.

“Which means it’s training day,” Mitsuru said with a smirk.

“You and your definition of fun,” Rikuya muttered. The classroom door slid open again, as Aoi, Ayane, and Mei walked in together.

“Morning, girls!” Hikaru practically beamed, instantly abandoning Kazuki to rush toward them.

“Oh, Hikaru,” Ayane laughed, waving back.

“I just wanted to ask how the meeting went with the top dogs!” he said eagerly.

“Oh, that? It was amazing!” Ayane clasped her hands together. “They were so cool—and really kind, too!”

“Of course, you’d say that,” Mei said, smiling faintly.

Aoi stood quietly behind them, hands buried in her pockets, her calm eyes scanning the room.

“That’s Ayane for you,” Rikuya said, resting his cheek in his palm. “She could make a casual meeting sound like a drama finale.”

“Can’t blame her,” Mitsuru added. “Her sister’s one of Sayonaki’s strongest fighters… just like someone here.” His eyes slid toward Raito.

Raito ignored him. His attention was fixed on Aoi—the calm, unreadable expression on her face reminding him of the rumors he’d overheard earlier that morning.

He stood up. “Hey, Sakuraba.”

The sound of his voice cut through the chatter, making heads turn. Aoi’s eyes flickered toward his, calm and unreadable. The classroom seemed to quiet down slightly as conversations faded into murmurs.

Raito stopped a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his gaze steady. “Heard some interesting rumors on my way here,” he said evenly. “Something about a blue-haired girl who single-handedly flattened a gang last night.”

The classroom instantly quieted. Hikaru froze mid-step. Mitsuru and Rikuya exchanged glances.

Ayane tilted her head innocently. “Huh? A fight?”

Aoi didn’t flinch. “And what makes you think it was me?”

Raito crossed his arms. “You tell me. You’re the only one around here who fits the description.”

“Plenty of people have blue hair,” Aoi replied smoothly, her tone light but her eyes not leaving his. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?” Raito said, his brow furrowing. “We get to find out that you’re not a local from this town, and now a bunch of delinquents wake up in an alley, beaten senseless. You’re saying that’s just a coincidence?”

Aoi froze, her breath catching for a moment. Sayaka’s voice broke through the low buzz of chatter. “Uh, guys… you might wanna see this.”

Everyone turned as she scrolled on her tablet. “This teen model’s been blowing up online overnight— but the name’s what caught me off guard.”

Shizuka, seated beside her, glanced up from her sketchpad. “The name?”

Sayaka nodded. “Yeah. It says, ‘Here’s the new rising star of Urban Tokyo… Shion Sakuraba.’”

Aoi’s heart skipped, her blood ran cold with clenched fists as every eye in the room turned to her. Confusion. Curiosity. Whispers.

“Sakuraba?” someone muttered.

“Wait, like our Sakuraba?”

The classroom fell into a heavy silence. Then the door slid open.

“Good morning, everyone—” Arata’s voice faltered mid-greeting, his brow furrowing. “...Okay, what did I just walk into?”

“Nothing—” Aoi quickly said.

Raito scoffed. “Nothing? That’s a joke. You’re obviously hiding something.”

Her eyes flashed, meeting his glare. “You know, you should stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Maybe focus on fixing your own attitude instead of pointing fingers.”

Murmurs rippled across the room. Mitsuru winced. Ayane tugged nervously on her sleeve.

Raito’s smirk sharpened. “Heh… so that’s how it is, huh? You sure talk big for someone so secretive.”

“And you talk too much for someone who claims to want a lead,” Aoi shot back coldly.

A visible vein pulsed on Raito’s temple. He cracked his knuckles, that crooked grin of his returning. “Fine by me. I’ve been waiting to settle this anyway.”

Aoi snarled, her gaze never leaving his, “You’ve been trying to pick a fight with me for a long time. This seems like the perfect moment, so yeah, let’s go.”

………….

Minutes later, the training gym hummed with unease. Aoi and Raito faced off at the center, their classmates forming a loose circle around them.

Ayane bit her lip. “Oh no, this is really happening…”

“Yeah,” Mitsuru muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s been itching for this since day one.”

Rikuya adjusted his glasses, his tone level. “Can’t say I’m surprised. They’ve been at odds from the start.”

Mei folded her arms, her serene smile hiding concern. “This might not end well.”

“Your expression says otherwise,” Ayane sweat dropped.

Raito’s expression hardened, shoulders tense. “You’re way out of your league, Sakuraba. I’ll make sure you remember that.”

Aoi’s tone was razor calm. “Sorry, but those are all empty intimidations. Just stop talking and prove it.” She took a fighting stance, her gaze unyielding. “Come at me with everything you’ve got.”