Path to Strength

While the whole problem with the dark future of Toman's delinquents was still unresolved, that couldn't stop Yuji from enjoying himself, after all, it was a special day for all Yggdrasil members.

"Shiki has been discharged!" Osanai, going against his normally bored personality with his surroundings, shouted in excitement as he let the cap of a champagne bottle fly over the group of teenagers, who screamed in excitement at the news.

(Please play "Signs of Love - Persona 4. As a soundtrack to this moment).

On the same day that the doctor allowed Shiki to return home, Yuji decided to accompany him, and even with Yuji's attempt to get the boy to rest after so long in a hospital bed, he ended up insisting on going straight to the gang's gym. What could Yuji say? Shiki could be very stubborn when he wanted to be.

The academy erupted in voices, many of the gang members congratulating the healthy return of Shiki, who was sitting next to Yuji, Akira and Osanai. The party had everything from snacks to drinks, and Yuji was surprised at how quickly they were able to prepare everything. He could only assume that it was Akira's doing.

Overall, the atmosphere was pleasant, with all the teenagers chatting about their own topics. This was a sight to behold, which made Yuji really proud. His gang had evolved so quickly, from a group of delinquents, to a huge group of friends. He had no shame in saying that he knew everyone in his gang, at least well enough to call them acquaintances.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring champagne to the party?" Akira asked Osanai with skepticism in his tone.

Osanai, who didn't seem to be upset by Akira's question, put a hand to his chin while stamping a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly proud of his own attitude. "Since I knew you guys would piss me off over this, I made sure to bring non-alcoholic champagne."

That surprised all three of them. Even Yuji had to widen his eyes at that, but he couldn't help but tease the blond with such an opportunity. "Aw, is Osanai trying to please us? That would be cute, if it weren't for being you."

That seemed to draw out the exact reaction Yuji was looking for, as the blond stood up and roared at Yuji, an extremely comical scene in the leader's eyes. "Pleasing only if it's my balls, damn you!"

The three laughed out loud at Osanai's outburst, and after this comical moment, the conversation between the four continued in a pleasant manner. Shiki was not averse to sharing his frustration with the fact that he had let Kisaki escape, but Yuji and the others assured him that it was not his fault at all, after all, there would be no way of knowing that he carried a weapon. In Japan it was extremely difficult to get access to firearms, so the idea didn't even cross Yuji's mind, so the only one who should feel guilty was himself. With his meta-knowledge, he should have known better how Kisaki acted, but even he was not exempt from mistakes.

A mistake that had almost cost the life of someone close to him.

Shaking his head, he quickly removed such thoughts from his mind and turned his attention to his friends. Seeing the three of them talking, Yuji realized that they had grown in his heart, and the last thing he wanted was for any of them to put their lives at risk because of a stupid fight of unbalanced teenagers.

He would put an end to this problem as soon as possible.

.

.

.

The next day, Yuji and Shiki were back in school, and with both of them in school, none of the school divisions dared to lift a finger. Shiki, who was now known as the protector of the school, made the delinquents stand with their tails between their legs, thus extinguishing the bulliyng in his presence.

Yuji, who didn't mind meddling in this kind of matter, still wouldn't allow bulliyng to occur in front of his eyes, but his attitude about it was disheartened, to say the least... For him, people had to have the courage to face their own problems. Obviously, he wouldn't let someone get beaten up for standing up to his bullies, but he still wouldn't run to stop any and all Bulliyng that came to his ears. In case it was something serious, he would interfere, but lighter matters, he could leave that for people to deal with themselves.

"Don't run in the hallway!"

"Do you want to sleep at my place today?"

The class finally ended, and the hallways immediately exploded with the chatter of teenagers. Yuji, who remained seated in his chair, stared outside through the window for a few minutes, until the corridors were considerably empty. With a sigh, he stood up and picked up his bag, leaving the room in slow steps. He didn't like to walk among the throngs of students, so he preferred to leave when things are quieter. Shiki would also go straight to his house, as he was going out with his parents, so Yuji was really in no hurry.

"Hm?" Just as he was about to turn down the hall, a figure that Yuji vaguely recognized stopped a few feet in front of him.

The figure was a boy, black hair styled with yellow stripes, and black eyes, with his iris a pasty shade, which made Yuji entertain the idea of the boy wearing lenses, as it was simply strange for someone to have such eyes.

But leaving his appearance aside, it took a few seconds, but he soon recognized the figure, and it was none other than Kazutora, one of the main reasons for Mikey being the way he is. With annoyance showing on his face, Yuji scratched his chin as he stared at the boy in front of him. With this information, he really didn't know what to do, after all, Takemichi would stop Mikey from killing him eventually, so he only had to worry about burying Kisaki seven feet from the ground.

So getting involved with the boy in front of him would not bring anything positive.

"..."

But of course things would never be that easy.

Bam!

With a clean, swift movement, Yuji grabbed an elbow aimed at his throat with extreme ease. This didn't really take him by surprise, but it did leave him confused, after all, he hadn't done anything to warrant an attack, so for what reason was there an unbalanced teenager trying to fuck his windpipe with a blow to his throat?

Yuji questioned with irritation, his eyes staring into the abyss that was Kazutora's gaze. The boy's eyes could frighten many people, but for Yuji, they served only to bring annoyance. His eyes were not those of a teenager, at least not a mentally healthy one. To Yuji, it was as if Kazutora had been lost in his own head for quite a while, and he could see it through his eyes.

'How troublesome.'

With effort, Kazutora released his elbow from Yuji, and immediately tried to hit him with a knee strike to his rib, an onslaught that was easily repulsed by a clean, hard blow to his thigh, causing his leg to retreat back to the ground before he could complete his move. This clearly seemed to upset Kazutora, who immediately tried to attack again, this time with a punch aimed at his nose.

Yuji was not surprised by his movements. After his fight against Mokichi, his skills had only improved, and possibly his current reflexes were enough to allow him to dodge bullets with some difficulty. Fighting against people like Mikey at his current level would be nothing more than a nuisance, as it would not benefit him in any way.

With a swift slap, Yuji easily changed the trajectory of the punch to the ground, causing Kazutora to stumble forward, the boy barely having time to turn around when Yuji just pulled his foot hard, knocking him face first into the ground. This enraged the teenager, and when he rose up with killing intent, he was shocked when he was unable to find Yuji where he had been just a few seconds ago.

"Where did he go?" Kazutora asked his two subordinates, who had watched the fight from start to finish with shocked expressions.

"N-We didn't see." The two replied in unison, this causing Kazutora to stare at them with an inexpressive face, making them swallow dryly as they closed their eyes to pray to whatever god was in heaven. 'If I get out of this alive, I promise never to steal for drink again!'

Meanwhile, outside the school, Yuji walked as if nothing had happened, headphones in his ears as he listened to some classic Jazz, which always served to relax him.

"This is going to be a noisy week."