Ch 1: Worst Point of Life

Dark clouds hung above Horikoshi High School, threatening to pour any moment. Ms. Nakamura and Mr. Sato remained on the empty campus, feeling suffocated by the humid air. As thunder rumbled in the distance, they awaited the impending downpour.

Ms. Nakamura and Mr. Sato carefully inspected the school grounds, searching for damage or mess. Though the rain had stopped, the air still smelled of dampness. Mr. Sato scanned the trees with a flashlight for debris, while Ms. Nakamura checked the classrooms for misplaced items.

As they made their way toward the school gate, Mr. Sato suddenly stopped in his tracks, his attention drawn to something outside the gate. He signaled for Ms. Nakamura to come closer, and together they saw a student sitting all alone, staring blankly into the distance.

Mr. Sato nudged his colleague and nodded toward the student, "Look, it's one of our students. Let's go and talk to him."

Mrs.Nakamura recognizes the student sitting by the gate as Jinzo Watanabe. He was a notorious delinquent at Horikoshi High, known for causing trouble and getting into fights.

"That's Watanabe" Mrs. Nakamura confirmed. "He was expelled from school today for his behavior."

"Expelled? Why? What did he do?" asked Mr. Sato, puzzled.

"Unfortunately, he was involved in a physical altercation with another student," Mrs. Nakamura explained. "This wasn't the first time he had been involved in a fight, but this time it was particularly serious."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Despite his repeated behavior, the school had tolerated it because of his good grades. However, this incident was too severe for the school to overlook."

"I need to talk to-" Mr. Sato's voice trailed off as he looked towards the school gates and noticed that Jinzo was no longer there. He must have left already.

Jinzo's body moved on its own accord as he walked towards his apartment. His brown hair fell messily across his face, partially obstructing his gaze. With each step, his broad shoulders came into view, tapering down to a narrow waist. His eyes, a deep shade of brown, were slightly narrowed, lost in contemplation.

The bustling streets lay ahead, filled with honking cars and chattering people that created a constant buzz in his ears. Jinzo had been expelled from school just hours ago, and the weight of his situation felt suffocating, as he trudged through the crowded thoroughfare.

Jinzo, a poor orphan with a huge debt left by his late father, had been defending himself, but the school expelled him as the aggressor. Walking through the chaos, he wondered how to turn his life around.

While he was walking, he felt a few drops of rain pattering against his skin. He looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds gathering overhead, promising a downpour.

Jinzo zipped up his jacket and made a run for it, darting across the street toward his apartment. As he ran, the rain began to fall harder, drenching him to the bone. He could feel the water seeping into his shoes and soaking his clothes, making him shiver with cold.

Jinzo arrived at his apartment building, a rundown, and poorly managed complex that looked like it had seen better days. The walls were stained with grime, and the paint was peeling in several places. He trudged up the creaky stairs to his fourth-floor apartment.

Jinzo unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside, relieved to be out of the rain. The small, sparsely furnished space looked worn-out, with old furniture and peeling wallpaper. Despite its shabby appearance, Jinzo was grateful for having a roof over his head. He tossed his backpack on the couch.

Soaked to the bone from the heavy rain outside. Water dripped from his hair and clothes, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him as he made his way to the bathroom.

With a shiver, he stripped off his wet clothes and stepped into the shower, turning the water on to hot. He stood under the steaming water, feeling the warmth seeping into his cold skin.

As Jinzo stood under the steaming water, his muscles began to relax, and he let out a deep sigh. He couldn't help but think about the events of the day, the feeling of anger and helplessness that had washed over him. It wasn't the first time he had been in trouble, but it was the first time he had lost control.

Jinzo reluctantly turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel to dry himself off. He vigorously rubbed the towel over his damp skin, trying to warm himself up after the cold rain. Once he was dry, he wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way back to his bedroom to change into fresh clothes.

Jinzo trudged to his cramped bedroom at the back corner of the apartment, where a narrow twin-sized bed was pushed against the wall and a small window overlooked the dreary cityscape.

Across the room, a simple dresser stood, its drawers half-open and overflowing with clothes. Jinzo sifted through the mess, searching for something dry to wear. He settled on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt, quickly getting dressed before the chill of the room seeped into his bones.

As he lay there, he took in his surroundings, his eyes tracing over the sparsely furnished room. A small nightstand sat on top of the tiny table beside his bed, holding a lamp and a few worn books.

Jinzo groggily sat up on his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As his gaze fell on the nightstand beside him, his attention was drawn to a small picture frame among the few possessions he owned. He reached over and picked it up, his fingers tracing over the smooth edges of the frame.

The picture was of Jinzo as a child, sandwiched between his father and a space where his mother's face should have been. Hanzo, his father smiled at the camera with a warm loving expression. Jinzo's smile was wide and carefree, reflecting the happiness of those simple times.

Jinzo couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as he looked at the picture, memories flooding back to him. the passed seemed so far away now, and he wondered if he would ever be able to recapture that feeling of happiness and contentment again.

Jinzo stared at the old photograph, feeling a sense of longing and sadness wash over him. He had never known his mother, and the emptiness in the photo where her figure should have been was a painful reminder of her absence.

As a child, Jinzo had always wondered why his mother was never around. His father, Hanzo, had been the only parent he had known, and while Hanzo had done his best to provide for his family, there had always been a sense of incompleteness in their lives.

As Jinzo sat lost in thought, memories of his father flooded his mind. He remembered how his father had always been a gambler, how he would spend hours at the local betting parlor, putting odd bets and somehow always winning in the end. Hanzo had been a lucky gambler, and Jinzo couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his father's skill.

But as Jinzo's memories deepened, he also remembered the darker side of his father's gambling addiction. He remembered the late nights spent waiting for his father to come home, the empty promises of "just one more bet," and the toll it had taken on their family.

Jinzo had grown up too quickly, shouldering the responsibility of taking care of their household while his father was out gambling. He had seen firsthand the toll that gambling had taken on his father's health and their family's finances, and he had vowed never to follow in his father's footsteps.

As Jinzo's mind drifted back to that fateful day, his stomach twisted into knots. He remembered how his father had made a bet that was far too large, a wager that he couldn't possibly win. When he lost, he found himself in the clutches of a ruthless loan shark named Yuji Nakamura.

Yuji was ruthless and demanded payment from Hanzo. Unable to pay, Hanzo was forced to commit crimes for him.

Jinzo recalled how his father had come home that night, looking worn out. He had made a terrible deal that put their family in danger, and Jinzo had been shocked and frightened. As time passed, Jinzo watched his father get more ensnared in Yuji's web.

The weight of grief settled heavily on Jinzo's chest as his mind traveled back to the night he received the devastating news. It had been weeks since his father had last come home, and despite his efforts to find him, there had been no sign of him anywhere.

Jinzo had feared the worst, and his worst fears were realized when the police showed up at their doorstep to deliver the news. His father had been found dead, the victim of a violent crime that was linked to the crimes he had been forced to commit for Yuji.

Jinzo felt consumed by grief and anger in the months that followed. He was helpless and powerless in the face of the injustice that had taken his father.

Jinzo's heart plummeted as he faced the brutal truth of his predicament. He had always believed he was wiser than his father, having learned from the costly errors that had ultimately led to his father's death. But now, he found himself in the same dire circumstances as his father - indebted and without the means to pay it off.

He knew that Yuji was not the kind of man to let debts go unpaid. The loan shark was a vicious and calculating predator, and Jinzo had seen firsthand the lengths that he was willing to go to collect what he was owed.

Jinzo couldn't afford to make the same mistakes that his father had made. He couldn't afford to be reckless or desperate. He needed a plan, a way out of this mess that wouldn't cost him everything.

Jinzo's mind was in turmoil as he weighed his options. The idea of going to the police had crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He knew that Yuji had powerful connections in the police force and that any attempt to seek help from them would be futile.

He felt trapped and helpless, with no education or job prospects to fall back on. It seemed like his life was over before it had even begun. The thought of working with Yuji, the man responsible for his father's death, was unbearable.

As he sat there, lost in thought, he made a harsh decision. Determined to fight back against the injustice inflicted upon him and his family, "If I'm going down, I'm taking him down as well," he thought.

Jinzo knew that it was a dangerous decision and that the consequences could be dire. But he also knew that he had nothing left to lose. He was willing to risk it all for the chance to take down Yuji and reclaim his freedom.

As Jinzo continued to gaze out of the window, the rain outside had finally stopped. His mind was consumed with thoughts of taking down Yuji. He knew that taking down Yuji was not going to be an easy feat. Yuji was a seasoned fighter, he was more experienced than him. Yuji was also surrounded by guards.

Jinzo's thoughts raced as he considered different options for taking down his enemy. He knew that a direct attack was out of the question, but then an idea came to him - "Stealth" thought Jinzo, "If I caught him off guard then there's a chance.But how I get close to a man like Yuji?"

Jinzo had always been good at moving unseen, slipping in and out of crowded spaces without attracting attention. As he paced his shabby apartment, he racked his brain for a plan to take down Yuji. One idea after another came and went, each one more dangerous than the last. But then, as he neared the point of desperation, it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

Without hesitation, Jinzo grabbed his keys and bolted toward Yuji's HQ..

Author's Note:
Make sure to add it to your library!