The cold shower finally eased the ache in Yohan's body.
After washing his face, he combed his hair back into its usual slick-back style and sat shirtless on the edge of his bed, letting out a quiet breath.
The pain had subsided... slightly. But the deep purple bruise across his ribs remained as dark as ever.
And the moment he touched it— a sharp stab of pain shot through his side.
Yohan clicked his tongue in annoyance before hanging the towel out to dry and pulling on a plain T-shirt.
Only a few moments later—
Knock. Knock.
"Yohan, are you inside?" Mr. James's voice came from outside the room.
Yohan immediately walked over and opened the door.
"Yeah, Uncle?"
Jonathan James smiled warmly, "So, how was your first day at school?"
"It went pretty well," Yohan replied with a faint smile.
"I see." Mr. James nodded, "Would you like some tea?"
Yohan shook his head, "No. I don't really have the habit of drinking tea in the afternoon."
"Oh, alright." Mr. James chuckled, "That's why I came to call you. Never mind then. We'll talk again during dinner."
With that, he turned around and began walking downstairs.
Yohan was about to return to his room when he suddenly remembered his injury.
He hurried after him.
"Uncle..."
Mr. James turned around, "What happened?"
"Could you arrange some ice for me? I... need it."
The concern on Mr. James's face appeared instantly, "What happened, son? Where are you hurt?"
Yohan stayed silent for a moment before lifting one side of his T-shirt.
The moment Mr. James saw the injury— his eyes widened in disbelief.
Without hesitation, he shouted downstairs, "Luna! Hurry! Make an ice bag from the freezer and bring it upstairs!"
Yohan blinked, "Luna?"
Mr. James smiled, "My daughter."
He remained standing by the staircase, waiting. Yohan quietly stared at him, "So... Mr. James doesn't have a son. He has a daughter."
A few moments later— a girl came upstairs carrying an ice bag on a tray.
But...
The instant their eyes met—
Both of them froze.
Yohan stared blankly.
The girl carrying the tray... was none other than the timid girl with the blue bell-shaped earrings.
The same girl who had helped him during the test.
On the other hand, the girl herself looked equally stunned, standing motionless on the staircase with wide eyes fixed on him.
At the exact same moment— both of them spoke, "You...?"
Silence.
Yohan slowly looked up at the ceiling.
The girl, meanwhile, began panicking.
Standing beside them, Mr. James laughed before placing a hand on each of their shoulders, "I intentionally didn't tell either of you that you attend the same school. It was supposed to be a surprise."
He smiled, "But... didn't you two at least recognize each other from the childhood photographs?"
Yohan looked at Mr. James without saying anything.
After a brief silence, Mr. James shook his head, "Well... that was a long time ago. Maybe neither of you remembers."
He then turned toward his daughter, "Luna, take Yohan to his room. I'll see if we have any medicine downstairs."
With that, he quickly headed downstairs. The hallway fell silent once again.
For a brief moment— their eyes met.
Gathering all the courage she could, Luna spoke softly, "Then... let's go."
Yohan silently led her into his room.
A few moments later—
The two of them sat on Yohan's bed. Neither of them spoke. After an awkward silence, Luna quietly asked, "Let me see where you're hurt."
Yohan glanced at her before slowly lifting one side of his T-shirt.
The instant he did— Luna hurriedly turned her face away, blushing bright red.
Yohan looked at her in confusion, "What happened?"
"N-Nothing..." She took a slow breath before carefully turning back toward the injury.
The moment she saw it—
"Oh my... it's much worse than I expected!"
She instinctively covered her mouth with one hand.
Without wasting another second, she gently pressed the ice bag against Yohan's bruised ribs.
While she focused entirely on treating the injury, Yohan couldn't stop wondering, "Is she really this kind? Even in an environment like this?"
As Luna continued applying the ice pack with complete concentration, Yohan suddenly asked, "Why are you so shy?"
Luna froze.
She looked at him in surprise before brushing the loose strands of hair away from her forehead.
"I'm... I've always been like this."
Just then—
Mr. James returned carrying medicine and a glass of water. Without wasting time, he handed the medicine to Yohan.
After making sure he swallowed everything, he asked, "Has the pain gotten worse? Any trouble breathing?"
Yohan quietly shook his head.
Seeing that, Mr. James still frowned, "Even so... you should see a doctor after an injury like this."
Yohan looked at him calmly, "If it isn't better by tomorrow, I'll go. It's just internal bruising. The pain has already lessened a little. And I can breathe normally."
Mr. James still looked worried. He gently patted Yohan's back before turning toward Luna.
The two of them began walking downstairs. But just before leaving the room, Luna looked back and softly reminded him, "Don't forget to keep using the ice bag."
After the door closed—
The room suddenly became incredibly quiet.
Only the faint clinking of melting ice echoed through the silence.
And once again—
Yohan found himself thinking about that timid girl, "Is she really... this kind?"
Meanwhile...
Somewhere deep inside a narrow alley—
Nearly thirty people walked together in perfect formation. All of them wore matching gray jackets. Except for the two leading the group. Across the backs of the jackets were bold black letters,
3rd Crew — WILD STOMP
After several minutes, the group arrived beneath a large bridge.
Waiting for them there, was another gang. A group of local delinquents hoping to seize control of the area.
One of them smirked, "So, we're gonna start from here?"
The two groups slowly closed the distance.
The members of Wild Stomp carried no weapons.
Their opponents... held baseball bats, Iron rods, Steel pipes.
The enemy leader—a particularly tall young man—walked confidently toward the front. Stopping directly before the leader of Wild Stomp, he sneered, "Well? You little runt. Ready to crawl beneath my boots?"
The boy standing before him, barely five-foot-six, didn't react at all. Without taking his eyes off the taller man, he casually asked the person beside him, "Robin. Who is this?"
Robin chuckled, "No idea. Today's the first time I've ever seen him."
The tall man's face twisted in humiliation, "You don't know me? I'm Ethan Hayes! The future boss of this district! And this..."
He spread his arms proudly, "...is the Hayes Gang!"
Broody continued staring at him.
Robin scratched the back of his head, "Oh. We don't usually remember people who just come here to get their ass kicked."
The entire 3rd Crew burst into laughter.
Ethan's face turned red with rage. Grinding his teeth, he walked back through the middle of his gang, "There are plenty of people in my crew to deal with trash like you. Get ready."
Robin was about to say something to his own crew, but Broody quietly stopped him.
"We shouldn't waste our crew's energy on people like them. We already have a much bigger bounty waiting."
Robin immediately understood.
Meanwhile—
Ethan reached the rear of his gang. And Without any warning, He roared, "Show them who I am!"
The entire Hayes Gang charged forward at once.
Yet... Not a single member of the 3rd Crew moved.
Only Broody.
He calmly stepped five paces ahead of everyone else.
Seeing his short stature, the enemy gang became even more confident. They rushed him head-on.
They had no idea...
How catastrophic that decision was.
The first attacker sprinted toward Broody at full speed, raising his baseball bat.
Before he could swing—
His feet suddenly left the ground.
An instant later—
His body flew through the air before crashing violently into one of the bridge pillars.
The rest froze, "E-"
Before anyone could react—
Ethan shouted from behind, "What are you idiots staring at? Kill him!"
They charged again.
Nothing changed.
One body flew.
Then another.
Then another.
Then another.
Every single person who reached Broody, was effortlessly thrown through the air.
Eventually, the remaining members of the Hayes Gang lost all courage.
Standing before them wasn't a teenager. It looked like a tiny monster. A monster tossing other fighters aside as though they weighed nothing.
Behind him—
Robin Jackson covered every opening. His whirlwind-like kicks swept away anyone attempting to flank Broody.
Step by step, The two of them advanced.
Until they finally stood before Ethan Hayes himself. His entire gang, had been annihilated before his eyes. Tears welled up in Ethan's eyes.
"You damn little brat, you'll pay for destroying my dream!" He lunged forward.
But before the punch could land, Broody simply walked beneath it. The punch met nothing.
Instead— It collided directly with Robin's raised knee.
Ethan's eyes widened.
Robin lowered his knee, removed one hand from his pocket and the other from adjusting his glasses.
Then— He flipped forward. Using explosive momentum—
Both heels slammed into Ethan's chin in a devastating handstand kick.
For a brief moment— Ethan couldn't hear anything. Blood slowly trickled from his ears.
Robin landed gracefully before dusting off his hands.
Whatever strength Ethan still possessed— He tried to fight back.
But before he could move—
Broody grabbed him by the head with one hand... and smashed him straight into the ground.
BOOM!
The concrete beneath him cracked apart.
Standing over Ethan's limp body— Broody and Robin heard his final, broken words, "H-How...did I... lose... to a bunch of kids...?"
His voice disappeared.
Broody silently picked up a nearby cap. Then gently placed it over Ethan's face.
Robin looked toward the sky, "He really dreamed big."
Broody merely smiled faintly.
Without another word— The entire 3rd Crew reassembled into formation and resumed their march.
After a long silence, Broody finally answered Robin's earlier remark. "He's lucky. He never crossed paths with the Boss. Otherwise, he wouldn't have slept peacefully for the rest of his life."
Leaving the broken remains of the Hayes Gang beneath the bridge, The members of Wild Stomp disappeared into the city. Their true destination... was Yohan Davis.