New friends

After hanging up the phone, Yuko and Emma chatted casually.

The guys in the next booth were also talking.

But they mostly talked about fighting and territorial disputes. Occasionally, when the atmosphere got lively, they would shout a little louder, and a few words would drift into Yuko's ears.

Yuko wasn't completely ignorant of the underworld. Even though her father and brother were somewhat reluctant to talk about it, she had grown up in a family with a dark past.

You see, if Yuko comes home on a day when there's a big meeting, she'll see a scene like in the movies, with menacing-looking policemen in suits respectfully lining the way to welcome her, calling her "Miss" in unison.

Yuko still isn't used to it. After all, these people are all older than her. She only got the title of "young lady" because of her father's influence. Yuko doesn't think she's any better than anyone else because of it.

Yuko's humble attitude earned her respect from others. Some acquaintances even inquired about her studies when they saw her, asking how her grades were going, and gave her lucky money when they visited during the New Year. Yuko quite liked these people; after all, what child doesn't like receiving lucky money?

Furthermore, this group is different from the biker gangs composed of energetic minors with nowhere to vent their frustrations. In today's adult world, there are very few bloodshed incidents. In the words of the second-in-command of the Meteor Society, it's already the 21st century, and no one wants to lose their life because of a meaningless fight.

To be honest, Yuko didn't really understand why young boys liked to fight so much. When Yuko was eight years old, her older brother, Genji Takiya, was tricked by their father into transferring to Suzuran High School to be a senior.

Suzuran Boys' High School is nicknamed "Crow School" because its atmosphere is one of survival of the fittest, glorifying violence and resolving problems—it's like a gladiatorial arena. Even Yuko's father was a graduate of this school. That year was actually quite chaotic, with many things happening, and Yuko was even sent to her grandparents' house in the countryside for refuge.

Yuko bit her straw, feeling grateful that it was all over now.

At that moment, the door of the beverage shop opened.

"Big surprise! I'm here!" Nono, who had said she was too busy, actually showed up. She squeezed next to Yuko, and her red hair had some black hair growing out on top because she hadn't touched up the color in a while, but it looked surprisingly unique.

Emma feigned surprise: "What brings you here? Aren't you with your boyfriend?"

Nono raised an eyebrow and said, "No man is more important than my sisters. Besides, I'm getting a little tired of him. I'll dump him in a few days." She said this more naturally than eating or drinking, and as she spoke, she hugged Yuko and groped her all over, saying, "Damn it, why don't you gain weight even though you eat so many sweets!"

Yuko blushed as Nono touched her, grabbing her hand to stop her. Not daring to make any strange noises that might disturb others, she could only whisper, "Don't do this here, haha, it tickles, stop it!"

Upon hearing Ye Ye's words, Emma kindly advised, "Ye Ye, be careful you don't suffer the consequences of toying with young men's hearts like this."

Ye Ye stopped what she was doing, looking completely unconcerned, and said, "Because I don't have a heart, I need to fill myself with other people's hearts."

Hearing this, Yuko, who was being held tightly in Nono's arms, looked up with a bewildered expression: "But I could clearly hear Nono's heartbeat."

"That's not what I meant." Nono let go of Yuko and stroked her head like she was petting a small animal. "Yuko hasn't figured it out yet. You'll understand when you grow up."

Yuko pushed her hand away and said with dissatisfaction, "You're only a month older than me, don't always treat me like a child."

Nono wanted to tease Yuko a little more, but at that moment, Draken, who was much taller than his peers, turned around from next door and could just see half of his face. He said, "Emma, ​​we're leaving. Are you going back with Mikey or with the others?"

Yi Hu also popped his head out from next door: "And Yuko, are you going back? I'll have the venue send you."

The venue that was called out immediately reacted: "Yihu, don't try to shift your problems onto me!"

"Haha." Yi Hu never tires of teasing the field.

"No need for that, someone from home is coming to pick me up." Yuko politely declined Ichigo's offer, as she really didn't want to ride on Ichigo's adventurous motorcycle.

When Emma heard Yuko say that, she said, "Then let's wait until Yuko leaves before we go."

draKen found it strange: "She's not a child, she won't get lost if she just waits in the store."

Nono rolled her eyes: "Ryuguji, you really don't know how to cherish a woman. Yuko is a beautiful girl who gets groped on the train and hit on outside. It's dangerous to leave her outside alone, okay?"

Draken glared angrily: "What did you say?"

Mikey, who had been lost in thought, suddenly burst out laughing as if he'd heard a joke: "What's that? It's hilarious."

Yi Hu, on the other hand, looked unusually serious: "It seems so. The last time I saw her, I was being hit on, and luckily, the venue stepped in to save the damsel in distress."

The venue scoffed, "Isn't that your fault?" It turned out that Yi Hu was the one who noticed first and then encouraged him to go. Yi Hu has always been good at stirring up trouble, but what's infuriating is that he always falls for it.

Amidst their bickering, Yuko called Mr. Kuroki, gave him the address, and he said he'd be there in ten minutes. Yuko had no idea how far the location was, wondering if her house was really that close to the store.

Of course, she had no idea that her whereabouts had already been discovered.

While waiting, Apa and Mitani made an excuse to leave first.

A few minutes later, the car arrived at the store entrance.

Emma and the others went out with Yuko.

The car parked at the entrance was no longer the black Mercedes from a while ago, but a black Lexus, and the license plate had also been changed.

This is a common protective measure used by criminals. If you always drive the same car, you'll easily be targeted. And aside from the brainless driving top-of-the-line luxury cars, people with connections in the underworld usually drive mid-range cars discreetly.

The driver, Kuroki, got out of the car and opened the door for Yuko. His eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, subtly scrutinized the group of young people the young lady had just met, showing neither contempt nor any other emotion, just pure observation. He, too, came from a delinquent background, but he was fortunate to have earned the appreciation of his father, Takiya Hideo. His father had done him a great favor, and protecting his daughter seemed like an inescapable duty to him.

Yuko, of course, had no idea what was going on. Before getting into the car, she said to Emma and the others, "It was a pleasure meeting you all today, so I'll take my leave now."

"Bye-bye~" Yi Hu waved to her.

Yuko's car slowly drove away, leaving Emma and Nono with reluctant eyes.

"How did you two get to know this good kid?" Draken asked after Yuko left, emphasizing the words "good kid."

“What? Emma is a good girl too, okay?” Emma retorted, dissatisfied.

Mikey, however, seemed somewhat noncommittal. He twitched the corners of his mouth, his expression seemingly smiling, but his eyes held no mirth: "A good boy...?"

He was the only one in the room who noticed the driver's gaze hidden behind his sunglasses, and the aura that belonged to someone from the other world.

Emma pouted, thinking Mikey also thought she was joking, and muttered, "Who combs your hair and cooks for you every day!"

Yi Hu, however, made a discovery from elsewhere: "That car must cost several million, right? Yuko really seems to be a rich girl from a wealthy family." Then, he regretfully added about the venue, "You're out of luck with the venue."

The veins on his forehead were practically bulging: "Is this joke never going to die down?"

"Haha, I'm leaving first." Yi Hu quickly made his escape before the crowd could unleash their fury and beat him up.

Drake casually asked Nono, "Nono, do you want to come along? On the field shuttle?"

Nono jumped onto the back of the field in an instant: "Of course, right, Xiao Gui?"

The ground struggled a couple of times, but didn't throw the person off: "YeYe, you get off here!"

"Aren't you even shy when a girl is clinging to you?" Ye Ye hugged his neck tightly, sticking to his back like a piece of chewing gum.

The crowd shouted, "You don't look like a girl at all!"

It turns out that Keisuke Baji and Nono Asanuma are neighbors, having attended the same kindergarten, elementary, and middle school, and are extremely familiar with each other. Furthermore, Nono Asanuma, Keisuke Baji, Mikey, Emma, ​​and Draken all attend the same middle school, with Emma being one grade below the other four.

Ye Ye stubbornly refused to get off the field, leaving the field with no choice but to carry her on its back.

The field carried Ye Ye, Mikey carried his sister, and Draken, who was going in a different direction, didn't go with them. The four of them also separated at a fork in the road.

When they arrived at the Asanuma residence, the mother heard the sound of her son's motorcycle, came out, and saw Nono sitting behind her son. She immediately called out to the downstairs, "You're back! Nono, come to Auntie's for dinner tonight!"

Ye Ye didn't refuse and looked up to give an OK sign.

Both the Asanuma and Jiji families are single-parent families, and each has only one mother. The difference is that Nono's father is still alive and has remarried, while her mother is a flight attendant on international flights, and she is away for months at a time.

The mother of the field raised the field on her own and also took good care of Ye Ye, who had no adults to look after her. You could say she watched her grow up.

They went to the parking lot, and Ye Ye went upstairs first. They all lived on the fifth floor of the same building. Ye Ye greeted the parking lot's mother first, and then went to the parking lot's room as if she knew the way well.

Boys' rooms are always rather rugged, and this place was no exception. There were cool motorcycle posters on the walls and a special attack uniform symbolizing Dongwan hanging on the wall. Comic books were scattered on the floor, but the blankets were neatly folded.

When the staff brought in tea and snacks, they saw that Ye Ye was already comfortably leaning against his bed, with her legs curled up, flipping through a comic book she had picked up at random.

Just then, Nono's crystal-encrusted phone rang. Nono glanced at the caller ID, then casually tossed the phone onto the bed on the floor.

After putting her things down, I asked her, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I don't really want to accept it, since we're breaking up anyway," Nono said nonchalantly.

What's there to be confused about? But the venue doesn't usually pry into other people's lifestyles, and although Ye Ye breaks up with people quickly, she never cheats on them during their relationships, so it's even harder for him to say anything. He just casually remarked, "You broke up too quickly."

"It's alright," Nono chimed in casually, glancing at the comics. "Dealing with these boring people is exhausting. I should take a break for a while."

Do you think you're working? The venue is making a mental rant.

Suddenly, Nono thought of something and asked him, "Speaking of which, you're the strange one. I've never seen you have a girlfriend since you were little. You don't actually like men, do you?" Nono thought of Matsuno Chifuyu, whom he met at the training ground last year and recruited into the team. She is currently his vice-captain. Because they went to the same school and lived in the same community, they hung out together every day.

“Who’s like you? I’m not interested in dating.” He said, straddling the floor, munching on a snack as he opened his mouth, revealing his canine teeth.

"Yes, yes, yes, all you want to do right now is be a biker gangster." Nono sighed inwardly when she saw him like this, feeling like she was talking to a brick wall. She continued reading her comics, ignoring him. He was such a blockhead; the more she read, the angrier she got.