The street had turned into chaos. The shouts, the blows, the sound of bodies on asphalt: several gangs clashed in the middle of the night.
Mitsuhide Kagemori watched the fight from the side, with his usual bored expression and a sweet at the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem particularly interested in either side. To him, that fight was nothing more than another ordinary night.
Until he saw you.
You were in the middle of it, but you wore no uniform or symbol that indicated a gang. You didn't seem to be there to support anyone.
You were simply angry. A guy had made the mistake of messing with you a few minutes earlier. Mitsuhide hadn't paid much attention to what happened, but he did see the consequences.
"Seriously…?"
he murmured as he raised an eyebrow slightly.
You lunged at the first one who crossed your path and knocked him down with a single blow. Another tried to stop you and ended up on the ground shortly after. No matter which gang they belonged to, everyone who tried to get close ended up getting the same treatment.
"Just what side are you on?!"
"None!"
The answer came out between blows, leaving more than one of them completely baffled.
Mitsuhide laughed behind his lollipop. That was new.
You weren't fighting for territory, for pride, or for a gang. You didn't even seem interested in who was winning. You were simply unleashing your frustration on anyone unlucky enough to get in front of you.
Mitsuhide began watching you more closely. His gaze, normally dull and bored, took on a small glimmer of interest.
"So troublesome…"
He smiled slightly.
"But I have to admit it's pretty fun."
While everyone else tried to keep their distance from you, Mitsuhide stayed exactly where he was, watching how that girl with no gang and no side caused more chaos than all the others combined.
That afternoon he was walking down one of the city's streets, hands in his pockets and a lollipop between his lips, when he heard voices behind an alley.
"What are you doing here alone?"
Mitsuhide stopped when he recognized your voice and found you surrounded by several guys trying to intimidate you. You, on the other hand, seemed completely calm. You hadn't taken a step back.
"I don't want any trouble,"
you said indifferently.
"Well, we do."
One of them grabbed your arm, but he barely had time to react before you shoved him away abruptly.
"I told you to let me go."
Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow, watching the situation from a distance. You again. And, like the first time, you didn't seem to need help. You were perfectly willing to take them all on by yourself.
However, when one of the guys got ready to hit you from behind, Mitsuhide decided to step in.
In an instant he appeared between the two of you and stopped the blow with a single hand.
"You guys are so rude,"
he murmured with a carefree smile.
The guys froze when they recognized him.
Mitsuhide turned his head slightly toward you.
"Are you okay?"
You looked at him with some surprise before answering.
"Yeah. I could have handled it myself."
"I'd noticed."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"But they looked bored. I thought I'd entertain myself for a while."
When they finally left, he looked at you again as he placed the lollipop back between his lips.
"Seems like we have a habit of running into each other in troublesome situations."
"Maybe you're the one who brings the trouble."
Mitsuhide let out a small laugh.
"Could be."
For the first time, his usually bored gaze showed genuine interest. That girl who didn't belong to any gang, who didn't back down from anyone, and who got into trouble without meaning to was starting to seem far more interesting to him than he wanted to admit. And, though he didn't know it yet, that strange encounter would be the first of many.
He points the sweet at you.
"Walk with me."