Kamaguchi Estate
The paper door slid open with a gentle hiss.
Sora knelt silently before his father, Masaki Kamaguchi, head bowed. His face was still bruised, lip split. A silence stretched between them like a drawn blade.
Masaki sat across from him, poised as always in a crisp hakama, his glasses catching the golden glow of the lantern light. His face was unreadable—a statue of serenity masking the storm beneath.
"You raised your hand without a plan," Masaki said calmly.
Sora didn't speak.
"You let your emotions override your logic."
Still silence.
"You shamed the name of Kamaguchi in front of insects."
Masaki leaned forward slightly. "And worst of all, you lost."
Sora trembled.
Masaki's voice dropped, quieter and far colder.
"The Tatsugami boy showed you what a true heir looks like. You mistook presence for power. Never again."
He stood up slowly.
"From this moment on, you will not act without my word. Do you understand?"
Sora clenched his fists, barely holding back tears. "Yes... Father."
Masaki turned away, his expression never shifting.
"Ryuji Tatsugami has declared his arrival. The board has heard his footsteps. Now we must decide..."
He glanced out the window, eyes narrowing.
"...whether to crush him, or mold him."
A beat passed. Then he added, "Soon, we will call a meeting with the other heads. The Five Immortal Vassals must weigh in. This matter now belongs to more than just our house."
---
Sakuragi High, Rooftop
Kaito leaned back against the rail, munching on chips. "You really shook the empire, huh."
Ryuji said nothing, watching the clouds.
"You think Kamaguchi's done?"
"No," Ryuji replied, low. "He just got serious."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "So what now?"
Ryuji's gaze hardened.
"Now we see what kind of king he really is."
---
Scene 3 – Student Rumors
In the halls, the legend grew. Sora Kamaguchi, once untouchable, brought low by the transfer student. Not everyone saw the fight, but the whispers were spreading like wildfire.
"I heard Ryuji beat him and his guys—alone."
"No way, Sora Kamaguchi? For real?"
"I know someone who saw it. Said it was brutal. Said Sora looked... scared."
"He got floored. Like, mentally and physically."
"Ryuji Tatsugami isn't just strong... he's something else."
And so, the balance at Sakuragi shifted again.
The rumors about ryuji are no longer rumors.
He was a reckoning.