I arrived at the izakaya. The place was dimly lit, with one of those cheap disco balls spinning like we were in some lame American party movie.
It reeked of alcohol and weed — the kind of smell that screamed we'd all be fucked if the cops ever bothered doing their actual job instead of scrolling on their phones all day.
My kind of place, honestly.
There were way too many people inside. Like, a solid crowd. The kind that already made my skin itch a little.
The second I stepped in, they all erupted in cheers.
"Happy birthday, Forsaken!" they shouted together.
The boys came over first. Kurogane was smirking like an asshole, cigarette dangling from his hand.
Sora trailed behind him, hands shoved in his pockets like he couldn't care less. Rei walked like every step might break the floor under him.
"Happy birthday, Forsaken," Kurogane said lazily, his voice cutting cleanly through the noise. "How's our birthday boy doing? Man, you sure took your time."
He exhaled smoke to the side and grinned.
"Anyway. Drink up, don't die, and don't do anything stupid I gotta clean up after."
"Yo, happy birthday, man," Sora followed smoothly. "Take this as a chance to breathe a bit, bro—you've been snapping lately. If you keep up the pace, we might actually blow up."
Rei was the last, looking at me as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Happy birthday, Forsaken," he said, voice warm but quieter. "I'm really glad we could do this for you. So… yeah, enjoy it, man. And don't go too hard tonight, alright?"
"Thanks, guys," I said after shaking hands with each of them.
I glanced over at Kurogane.
"Man, you really brought half of Matsumoto in here," I said, dry as ever.
He just laughed.
"Told you to let me handle it," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. "C'mon. I'll introduce you to the boys. You're basically part of the crew now."
Kurogane shoved me forward and the crowd turned to me, eyes measuring me like I was a living curiosity.
Delinquents, most of them, and a couple girls who looked too slutty to be in school.
A tall guy with bleached hair leaned in first, grinning.
"Yo, you've been blowing up lately. Didn't expect that from you, not gonna lie."
Another one crossed his arms, giving me a short nod.
"Wouldn't have checked your stuff if not for MTB… but yeah. It's solid."
Someone from the back laughed.
"So? How was Ai-chan? Worth all the hype or what?"
...I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.
A guy with piercings raised his drink.
"Either way, you're moving fast. Don't trip halfway."
A few more voices overlapped—half jokes, half approval.
Yeah.
This is gonna be a long night, is what I thought.
But once I got into it, shit quickly turned into a live Q&A.
Cups clanked together, filled with sake, whiskey, and whatever hard shit they could find. HHC vapes got passed around, filling the room with a thick, scentless foam.
Questions started flying at me nonstop, and I had to actually put in effort to answer them all.
"So, what's the deal with you and Yabai?" one guy asked.
I sighed, taking a puff from my vape.
"Well, I was just minding my own business, thinking about how much my life sucked, when this dude rolls up with like six guys. Starts yelling that I crossed his hood again, tells his boys to hold me down, and then bam — I got jumped."
I shrugged.
"Too bad for them, my friend pulled up with a bat. So they ate shit."
Laughter broke out, too sharp for my ears.
The guy with the bleached hair turned to me, grinning from ear to ear.
"So what, you just let them jump you?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, man. Getting beaten up is my favorite hobby."
A few guys snorted.
"I think Yabai got exactly what he deserved," a girl grimaced, disgusted. "Honestly, men like that? I'd lace his drink with cyanide or something."
Her friend seemed to agree.
"Yeah, like sorry, but if you treat people like trash, don't act shocked when it comes back to bite you."
"Come to think of it—Forsaken," a guy chimed in, leaning forward a bit, "did you actually kill Yabai?"
I pretended I didn't hear that.
A few seconds passed. People laughed it off like it was some edgy joke someone made after too many drinks.
Better this way.
Someone shoved a drink into my hand. Another one slapped my back like we'd been homies since kindergarten.
It was loud.
But kind of nice. Is what I told myself, before getting a burnout from the attention.
Cause every answer I gave just seemed to spawn three more questions.
"Yo Forsaken, how'd that track with V€xxx even happen?"
"You really used to run with East Block?"
"Bro, you actually live alone?"
"Forsaken, spit something!"
"Drink this!"
"Hit this!"
I felt like I was stuck in a fucking blender.
I took a long drag from the vape, letting the haze sit in my lungs. The high settled in my body, calming me down a bit.
Kurogane noticed I was kind of frowning, and leaned in.
"Relax, man. They're just hyped you're here."
"Yeah," I muttered. "I can tell."
Someone pushed a shot into my hand. I tossed it back. It burned like hell and they cheered like idiots.
The room settled into a loud rythm that was becoming more bearable only when the dizziness started to hammer down my body.
I excused myself for a bit, letting everyone keep having fun pretending to celebrate me while I slipped off to the side.
Rei followed like it was instinct.
"Crowd getting to you too?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah… parties are nice, but…" He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm more used to quieter stuff. Like smaller groups, you know?"
"Tell me about it," I sighed.
We shared a laugh.
For a while, I stayed in the back with Rei—shots, vape clouds, and small talk that didn't really go anywhere.
Then two people came up to us.
Inazuki first. She looked like was trying to outshine the whole room, even though it was painfully obvious she was uncomfortable being here.
Right behind her was her boyfriend—the red-haired guy who made her cry back then.
He stepped forward and held out his hand. I blinked once, then took it.
"Happy birthday, Forsaken," he said, voice steady but rough around the edges. "Watanabe Katsuki. Good to finally—"
"Happy birthday, Shiba-kun!" Inazuki cut in immediately, leaning forward with a bright grin. "I'm sooo glad I got to say it in person, like, this is actually kinda hype, you know?"
She laughed, light and mischievous, like the tension in the air didn't exist at all.
"Not gonna lie though… I'm not, like, super into the whole alcohol-and-smoke vibe here," she said quickly, then pointed at me. "Wait, do you do this stuff too?"
Then she snapped her fingers like she solved it herself.
"...Wait, you're a rapper. Of course you do. Duh."
I decided to ignore the question. She'd already answered it for herself anyway.
"Yo, Inazuki. Didn't expect to see you here," I said.
"Yeah, I mean, I don't usually go to stuff like this unless Katsuki drags me," she said with a light laugh, flipping her hair back. "But like… I heard it was Forsaken's birthday party, so I was like, okayyy, I have to at least check it out, right?"
Watanabe kept glancing between us, blinking like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
"Wait… you two know each other?" he asked.
"We're classmates, bro. Nice to meet you too, by the way," I replied simply.
He clicked his tongue, still eyeing me.
"Classmates, huh…" he muttered, like he was storing that information somewhere.
I turned back to Inazuki.
"Well… I'm glad you came," I added. "Even if it's obviously not your scene."
She rolled her eyes, nudging Watanabe's arm.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get it twisted—I'm only here 'cause it's you," she shot back, smirking. "Don't expect me to suddenly start loving this kinda mess."
"I guess not," I said with a dry chuckle.
Katsuki didn't look amused. His arm wrapped around Inazuki's shoulder, gripping a bit too tight.
"C'mon, Mika," he said, voice low and rough. "The boys are waiting."
Then he looked at me, eyes narrowed.
"You can come too, if you're done hiding in the corner." He gave a smug little smirk I wanted to wipe off his face. "It's your birthday, right?"
Yeah... I really wanted to punch this guy.
Fucking prick.
"Hey—Katsuki, chill," Inazuki complained, shrugging his hand off with a pout. "You're like... grabbing way too hard."
She glanced back at me and flashed a quick smile.
"See you inside, Shiba-kun, okay? Don't disappear on me~"
And just like that, they disappeared back into the crowd.
Rei, who watched the whole thing in silence, like he'd been there and not there at the same time, finally spoke up.
"…So," he said, voice low. "Is there… something going on between you and that Inazuki girl?"
He shifted his weight.
"I think I saw her at the concert too. And just now… it kinda felt like there's… something."
He paused for a second.
"No wonder her boyfriend got pissed."
I blinked at him.
"Bro," I said flatly. "You're reading way too much into it."
"Am I?"
"Let's just get back," I sighed.
And, just like that, Rei and I slipped back into the crowd. The noise swallowed us immediately.
Kurogane's crew was already loud as hell, laughing at shit that wasn't funny, drinks in hand.
Inazuki and her boyfriend went back to his boys. Well—he did.
Inazuki just stood there with her arms crossed, eyes glancing toward me every few minutes. Watanabe must've noticed, cause his jaw kept clenching like he wanted to break something.
Rei leaned over.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "Totally nothing going on."
I ignored him.
Then the door slid open.
A few conversations stopped. Someone whistled. Even Kurogane paused with his cigarette halfway to his mouth.
A girl walked in. Hoodie pulled low, black hair spilling down to her shoulders, makeup like she was in a black metal band.
She wore a black leather jacket, miniskirt, and torn fishnets that's definitely seen better days.
Her eyes found me across the room.
And she smiled.
Not a cute smile... more like a dangerous one.
Great.
I got the feeling I know who this is.
One buff guy walked over to her, trying to act tough.
"Ma'am, I don't think you're on the guest li—"
Before he could finish, the girl had a knife pressed right against his throat.
"I'm sorry," she hissed, voice ice cold. "You were saying?"
The guy froze. A second later he snapped out of it and tried to swing at her.
She dodged easily.
I moved without thinking and threw my glass at his head. It connected hard, and the guy fell down.
For a split second, the room didn't react.
Then it did.
Chairs scraped back. Someone cursed. The noise died off in pieces until the whole place fell quiet.
Figures slipped into place behind her—quiet like sharows. Bar regulars, all of them. Pistols in plain sight.
The buff guy was on the floor groaning, holding his head. Two others quickly dragged him back.
"Yo, what the fuck—" one guy started.
Kurogane finally lowered his cigarette, eyes narrowed as he looked between Kurumi and the guy on the ground.
"Tch."
Sora went completely still, all that casual energy gone. Rei didn't move either, but his eyes were locked on her.
Inazuki blinked, looking between me and her as if she was trying to realize what kind of connection we had.
A few other guys stood up halfway, hands raised in surrender, waiting to see what the hell was going to happen next.
That's when Kurumi (cause who else could it be?) motioned for them to get out.
However, the atmosphere didn't improve. Everyone was trying to figure out the same thing:
Was this about to turn into a fight or a massacre?
The girl placed a hand on her hip, completely unbothered by the tension.
"My uncle's in the yakuza," she said flatly. "So I'd suggest you all think twice before doing anything stupid."
So my hunch was right. That's Kurumi.
Kurogane stared at her for a second, then let out a low breath through his nose. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and pointed it at her lazily.
"And what exactly you want here?" he asked, voice rough and low.
Kurumi tilted her head slightly, the dark makeup and hood making her eyes look sharper than usual.
"Relax," she said, her voice low and smooth, with that signature goth-girl edge. "I'm just here to wish someone a happy birthday."
Her gaze slid over to me.
"Forsaken and I go way back~"
I sighed.
"…That's my girlfriend, you fucking idiots," I said, rubbing my temples.
A few heads shifted instantly. The tension changed shape—less "immediate threat," more "file reloading."
My gaze moved back to Kurumi.
"Told you coming here would be a bad idea," I muttered with an annoyed growl I could barely hide.
Kurumi didn't even look bothered. She just smiled a little wider, like she was entertained more than anything.
"Mm," she hummed, tilting her head at me. "You say that like I forced my way in."
Yeah, not at all. Like, you didn't just come with guns and knives into a room full of delinquents.
"…Happy birthday, by the way. You look the same as always."
Was that supposed to be a compliment?
"Thanks. And you look different, what's your angle?," I asked.
Kurumi's smile didn't fade.
"Angle?" she echoed softly, like she was tasting the word.
She took a step closer, slow, territorial.
"You make it sound like I need one just to show up…Can't I just come see you on your birthday?" she added, voice lighter now. "Or is that only allowed for your other friends?"
"Chill, shawty. I'm actually glad you came. C'mere," I said, blinking once.
"Nyan~," she chimed, half-mocking, half-teasing, before slipping into the seat right next to me like she'd always had a place there.
The room went quiet.
People just watched us, stunned into silence. Still pretty much on the edge.
Kurogane let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"Of course it's like that," he muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Man, your life's never normal, huh."
Sora exhaled through his nose, half-laughing.
"Yeah, okay… that explains a lot, actually."
Inazuki looked between Kurumi and me, eyebrows raised high—clearly not buying it, but also not saying it outright.
"…You've got that type of girlfriend?" she muttered under her breath.
Kurumi's gaze snapped to her—sharp, cold—before she turned back to me, nudging me with her elbow.
"Who's that girl?" she whispered.
I sighed.
"Relax. Just a classmate."
She raised an eyebrow at me like she didn't quite buy it, but didn't push.
Things… settled. Or at least, people started pretending they had.
Kurumi slipped a small wrap onto the table like it was nothing.
Coke.
...Yeah. Like, I really wasn't planning to do this shit today, in this time and place, but here we go.
Shit's gonna get so much worse.
"Mm… I brought a little something," she said lightly, almost sing-song. "Consider it a birthday gift~"
I glanced at it.
Yeah. That wasn't small. Five grams, easy.
That did it.
Kurogane let out a low whistle, leaning in.
"…Damn. You don't show up empty-handed, huh," he muttered, grinning like an idiot.
Sora laughed under his breath, shaking his head.
"Okay, yeah… that's one way to make an entrance," he said. "Respect."
One of the guys nearby leaned over, eyes lighting up.
"Yo, is that legit?"
Another chuckled, already reaching for a glass.
"Man, Forsaken really got connections like that, huh…"
Not everyone moved, though.
A few people kept their distance, watching instead of joining in.
Rei included.
He just stayed where he was. I mean, guy was hesitant about weed.
No way in hell he was touching that.
Inazuki leaned closer to Watanabe, voice dropping to a whisper.
"Umm… that's, like, coke, right?" she muttered, eyes jerking towards the table.
He smirked.
"…Yeah. Kinda fire, not gonna lie. I wanna try that."
Inazuki immediately shot him a look, grabbing his sleeve.
"Uh—no. Absolutely not," she said flatly. "Don't even think about it."
"C'mon, Mika," Katsuki said, voice low, almost coaxing. "It's just a line or two. Chill. You can try it too."
"Katsuki—no," she snapped immediately, grabbing his sleeve. "Don't be stupid."
One of his boys snorted from the side.
"Yo, she putting you on a leash now?"
Another chuckled. "Damn, bro, ask permission first next time."
I turned away from their little couple argument. Not my problem.
Instead, I leaned in and made a line with a credit card, rolled it up with a bill.
The powder went straight in.
Kurumi smirked at me, while Kurogane and Sora looked on with quiet surprise—an unspoken "so you've done this before?" hanging between them.
Inazuki caught my gaze too, a half disappointed, half "I was expecting this" look on her face.
"Well? How is it?" Sora asked.
The alcohol and weed haze dulled as the coke cut through—heart beating faster, sharper senses, everything suddenly a bit too clear.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah," I said. "That's something."
The table didn't stay quiet for long.
One by one, people leaned in.
Kurogane went first, rolling a line like he'd done it a hundred times before. No hesitation—just a calm inhale and a slow lean back like he was testing the room's gravity.
"…Yeah," he muttered after a second, smirking. "That's clean."
Sora followed, a little more cautious, but still confident. He straightened up after, blinking once, then laughed under his breath.
"Okay… I get it now."
A girl nearby tried next, sniffling and immediately scrunching her nose.
"Ugh—why does it feel like my brain just got hit by a train?" she complained, half-laughing, half-wincing.
Two of the guys exchanged a look before diving in together, like it was a challenge more than a choice. One of them immediately started talking faster than before.
"Yo—this is actually insane, wait, I feel like—"
"Shut up, you're tweaking already," the other cut in, laughing.
I did six more lines, big ones, snorting them all in one go before more people could join.
And they did.
Lastly, Watanabe stared at the line for a moment, then scoffed like he had something to prove.
"Tch. It's just powder."
He snorted it.
Then he leaned back, blinking hard once.
"…Oh."
Inazuki immediately grabbed his arm.
"Katsuki—what the hell?! I told you not to—" she started, voice sharp, panicked.
He waved her off too quickly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, but his grin was already a bit too wide.
She didn't look reassured at all.
Then the music changed.
Someone cranked the speakers.
Bass dropped hard—sudden, heavy, vibrating through the floor like the whole building. Techno.
People stood up, starting to dance like there was no tomorrow.
Kurumi grabbed my wrist before I even fully processed it.
"C'mon," she said simply, already pulling me into the crowd.
She moved like she belonged at the heart of it—black leather, sharp silhouette, completely unbothered by the chaos around her.
For a while, we danced like a real couple. She even smiled at me once—small, rare, almost normal.
For a minute, it felt easy.
Then it stopped being easy.
Everything started to blur in a way that didn't feel like the high anymore. My stomach turned and I was feeling the nausea in my throat.
I stepped back.
"…I need air," I muttered.
Kurumi tilted her head, still moving slightly to the beat.
"You going outside?" she asked.
"Yeah. You coming with me?"
Then she gave a small shake of her head.
"I'll wait for you here," she said simply.
Like it wasn't even a question worth debating.
Then, softer—almost casually:
"Don't take too long."
I stared at her for half a second.
Then I turned.
Before I made it out, I looked back one last time.
Kurumi laughing.
Then her voice—closer to Sora now.
"Dance with me."
Sora saying something I couldn't hear.
Fuck is this bitch doing with my friend?... This is wrong.
And further back—
Inazuki standing near the edge of the crowd. She was looking at Watanabe. And he wasn't looking at her at all.
Then, her gaze caught mine. One second, before I stepped outside.
The air was colder than I expected. It hit me wrong.
Instead of leveling me out, it just twisted the knot in my stomach tighter.
I barely made it to a trash can before it all came up. I stayed bent over longer than necessary, dry heaving until there was nothing left.
When it finally stopped, I leaned back against the cold wall, breathing hard.
Head buzzing, heart racing. My mouth was bitter as fuck and my body didn't feel like my own.
I fumbled in my pocket for the 0.5 Tetsu gave me earlier. Swishers. A filter.
My hands were clumsy as shit, barely able to roll it, but I did it.
That's when a voice cut through the quiet.
"Hey… are you okay?"
I glanced up.
"…Define okay."
She winced a little at that, stepping just a bit closer.
"You just—" she gestured towards the trash can, "yeah. That didn't look very okay."
"I'll live," I muttered, finally lighting up the joint, even if it looked like crap.
Once I took a smoke, my heartbeat calmed. Everything fell back into place.
Inazuki crossed her arms, leaning against the wall next to me.
"For the record, that stuff in there?" she said, tilting her head back toward the izakaya, "not worth it."
"I know," I said dryly.
There are times I genuinely wish I never got into drugs, rare as they are. I can only imagine what Inazuki is feeling right now.
"…Katsuki tried it too."
I glanced at her.
"Yeah. I saw."
Her lips pressed together for a second.
"He doesn't listen," she muttered. "Thinks he has to prove something all the time."
"Sounds exhausting," I said.
She let out a small laugh at that—more tired than amused.
"…You have no idea."
Inazuki went quiet for a second, eyes narrowing a little as she looked me over.
"Okay, like… who even are you, Shiba-kun?" she said, tone sharper now. "'Cause I swear, up till now you were just that quiet delinquent dude who naps through class."
She tilted her head, clicking her tongue softly.
"But now? You're out here doing lines, and your girlfriend just—what—even brings yakuza with her?… Like, what kind of life are you actually living?"
I let out a slow breath.
"I don't know, alright?" I said. "I was a nobody. Then people showed up, shit started moving, and somewhere along the way I lost control."
I ran a hand through my hair, clenching my teeth.
"I'm not even famous yet, and it's already this fucked. So yeah—what do you want me to do?"
She blinked.
"Hey… chill, I wasn't coming at you like that," she said, tone softer now. "I'm just—like, trying to understand, you know? 'Cause from the outside it looks kinda… scary."
Of course it does. But you're dating a delinquent, isn't that scary too?
"…And you don't exactly look like you've got it under control right now," she said, glancing at the trash can, then back at me.
Her voice dropped a little.
"Just… don't wreck yourself trying to keep up with whatever all that is."
I didn't answer.
She stepped closer, eyeing the joint, then snatched it out of my hand with a scoff.
"Uh—gimme that."
Before I could say anything, she took a drag. Then another—like she had something to prove.
A second later, she choked, turning away as she coughed into her sleeve.
"—Okay, wow—" she rasped, waving a hand like that would fix it. "That's… yeah, that hits."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You good?"
She shot me a look, still a bit breathless.
"Shut up, I'm fine," she muttered, clearing her throat. Then, quieter, "Just—don't say anything, okay?"
"You're… still pretty. Even when you're like this," I replied, before I could stop myself.
She froze for half a second.
"…Huh?"
Her eyes moved away, then back, like she didn't know where to put that.
"Wow. Okay," she said, a little too quick, brushing hair behind her ear. "That was—random…You're high as hell."
"Maybe it's the only time I'm honest," I said, taking the joint back and dragging from it.
She went quiet for a second.
"…That's kinda messed up," she said finally, softer than before. "Like, what, you only tell the truth when you're completely gone?"
No. I just don't feel like sugarcoating shit right now.
"…You're annoying," she added under her breath—but there wasn't much bite to it.
"And you're stupid," I said flatly. "You obviously deserve better than that guy."
She snapped her head toward me.
"—Wow. Okay, rude," she shot back, frowning.
But it didn't stick.
"Don't talk about him like that," she added, quieter this time. "You don't know him."
She huffed, wiping her lips with the back of her hand like she needed something to do something, anything.
"…And you?" she shot back suddenly, eyes narrowing. "What about your girlfriend?"
I glanced at her.
She wasn't done.
"The one who walks in with yakuza behind her, pulls knives, then just sits next to you like it's normal?" she said, voice rising a little. "You're really gonna sit here and call other people toxic?"
She stepped closer, pointing slightly at me now.
"Like, are you okay in the head or is this just your type or something?"
I sighed, not interested in continuing the conversation.
"Guess we both deserve better," I muttered, shooting up to my feet. "Come on, let's just get back inside."
She blinked at that, like she wanted to argue—but didn't quite have the energy for it either.
"…Yeah," she said after a moment, quieter now.
I threw the joint on our way back.
"Don't think you're off the hook just because you changed the topic, though," she added under her breath.
"I don't wanna argue with a friend right now," I said quietly, not looking at her.
She blinked at that, then shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"…Yeah. Fair," she said simply.
We stepped back together, side by side, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Kurumi's gaze shifted almost immediately when she saw us. It landed on Inazuki, eyes narrowing.
Inazuki shot her a disgusted look and I could swear, sparks went flying.
Then—
"Oi."
Watanabe.
He was already off balance, moving in too fast, looking like a zombie. He stopped in front of us, before his eyes locked onto Inazuki.
"…Mika," he said, slower now. "What're you doing with Forsaken?"
Inazuki blinked at him.
"Seriously?" she said, flat. "I just went outside for a bit."
He huffed a short laugh, eyes moving between us again.
"You didn't answer the question," he muttered.
Inazuki's expression hardened slightly.
"Katsuki," she said, quieter but firmer, "you're being weird."
He stopped for a second. Somewhere down the line, my dumb ass thought it's a good idea to answer him.
"She was getting away from your stupid ass treating her like a ghost," I replied. "I mean, you ignored her all night, right? Guess showing off to the boys is so much more important than your own girlfriend."
Watanabe's grin twitched first—like it cracked before it broke.
"...What did you just say?" he muttered.
Then he stepped forward.
One hand grabbed my collar, yanking me in a half-step.
"Say that again, Forsaken," he hissed, voice low.
Inazuki immediately moved in.
"Katsuki—stop!" she snapped, grabbing his arm. "You're making a scene!"
He didn't even look at her.
"Shiba-kun," Inazuki said quickly, turning to me, voice tighter now. "Don't—just don't get involved, okay? He's drunk, it's not—"
She cut herself off, glancing at Katsuki's grip, then back at me.
"Please," she added quieter. "Just drop it."
He ignored her.
I wasted no time—stepped in and drove a headbutt straight into him.
Watanabe stumbled back, boots scraping the floor.
He came back swinging. A punch, sloppy, too drunk to be clean.
I dodged it easily.
He lost balance completely and went down hard.
For a second, the room went cold again—chairs shifting, voices cutting off mid-sentence.
His boys were on him instantly, lifting him up by the arms.
"Yo, Katsuki—chill, chill," one of them muttered, steadying him.
Another turned toward me, jaw tight.
"Oi… you got a death wish or something?"
Inazuki stepped forward immediately.
"No—stop, it's fine!" she said quickly, turning to me right after. "Shiba-kun… you didn't have to do that."
Her expression softened for a second, conflicted.
"…Seriously. I'm sorry, this turned into a mess."
Then—
"'A mess'?"
Kurumi's voice cut in, calm but sharp.
She was already standing.
Her eyes moved on Watanabe's side of the room.
"My uncle's name alone is enough to end this conversation," she said flatly. "So unless you want that kind of attention in here, I suggest you back off."
Then she turned to Inazuki.
"…And you," she added, voice colder now, almost amused. "You've got a funny habit of standing too close to things that aren't yours, huh?"
Inazuki went still for a second, then smoothed her sleeve.
"I wasn't stepping on anything," she said, even. "Just stopping my boyfriend from embarrassing himself."
She glanced briefly at Kurumi—cool, measured.
"…Guess some people prefer showing off."
Then, she turned and walked, heading towards the entrance.
A few people let out low whistles under their breath.
"Damn…" someone muttered.
"Girl's got a mouth on her," another said, half-impressed, half-nervous.
Watanabe's boys went quiet for a second—glancing between Kurumi and where Inazuki just disappeared, like they weren't sure which side was safer to stand on.
Kurogane dragged on his cigarette, watching it all with a faint smirk.
"…This party's going to shit," he muttered.
Sora exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah… we need to fix the vibe. Fast."
I clicked my tongue.
Enough.
I moved past them without a word, heading straight for the corner where the instruments were stacked.
Someone noticed.
"Yo—what's he doing?"
I grabbed a guitar, fingers wrapping around the strings like my muscle memory didn't go anywhere.
Then, I started singing, my voice tinged with rage and hurt I couldn't quite hide.
"I'm gonna make you bend and break
Say a prayer, but let the good times roll
In case God doesn't show
And I want these words to make things right
But it's the wrongs that make the words come to life
'Who does he think he is?'
If that's the worst you've got
You better put your fingers back to the keys"
The crowd was stunned to silence. I eyed Kurumi as I went on with the hook.
"One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
'He tastes like you only sweeter'"
People started cheering. All except Watanabe's boys, who were quietly heading for the exit. And Kurumi, who was biting her lip.
And, in that moment I knew, this was the best and the worst birthday of my life.