Everyone had finally filled their empty bellies. Having finished eating, they gathered around with canned drinks in hand to chat, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious. Takuya mostly listened without chiming in much, while Yamagishi proved to be the biggest gossip hound in the Mizo Middle group, practically on the verge of whipping out a notepad and pen to jot down every absurd, out-of-this-world detail that Takuya considered utter nonsense.

Takemichi remained wedged between Mikey and Izana—a state of affairs that had persisted all evening, and not a single soul from either gang dared object or contest it, no matter how much it irked them inside.

After Mochi, thoroughly emboldened by alcohol and fearing neither heaven nor earth—ignoring death glares and the ominous cracking of knuckles all around—slung an arm over his shoulder and urged him to drink more. At first, it had been a polite invitation to sip at his own pace, but it soon devolved into outright arm-twisting.

Before Mochi was beaten flat on his back and dragged into a corner by his own crew, Takemichi had already downed more than an entire can of beer. His face flushed crimson, and he could feel his lucidity slipping away entirely.

"Takemitchy, are you alright? Do you want to go lie down?" Mikey asked worriedly.

Takemichi shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, I"ll be fine if I just sit for a bit. I"m not drunk."

Mikey cupped Takemichi"s cheeks with both hands, his feline eyes scrutinizing him to see if he was telling the truth. The boy"s face was blazing hot.

"I"m really not drunk..."

Takemichi smiled foolishly, clinging to Mikey"s arm and mumbling with slight head shakes. Right now, Takemichi looked just like a warm little kitten nuzzling against its owner"s palm, begging for affection.

Adorably lethal!

Initially, Mikey harbored no untoward intentions, but catching sight of that endearing face, an irresistible urge struck him to plant a kiss right onto that rosy cheek.

"Ahem."

As if on cue, the crowd cleared their throats in unison, glaring daggers at Mikey to arrest the blatant scheme stamped all over his face.

"Hold your horses, man."

"Show some decency in public, will you?"

"We"re not invisible here."

"Keep your hands to yourself!"

...

Without regard for Tokyo Manji or Tenjiku, everyone threw in a snide jab. If they couldn"t sit next to him, there was no way in hell they would stand by and let that bastard reap all the sweet benefits. For once, Tokyo Manji and Tenjiku were united in seamless solidarity.

Mikey scowled, huffing: "Takemitchy belongs to me. None of you get a say."

"Who belongs to who?"

Izana snapped right back beside them. If he hadn"t feared hurting Takemichi, he would have yanked him over to his side already. The two glared fiercely at each other, sparks practically flying.

Takemichi, still being held by Mikey, was beginning to feel the full effects of the alcohol. A fifteen-year-old body was truly pathetic—unaccustomed to alcohol, its tolerance was far worse than he had estimated. Yet he remained sober enough to realize the suffocating hostility brewing between Mikey and Izana.

He slipped out of Mikey"s grasp and staggered to his feet, swaying with sudden dizziness. Terrified he would tumble, both Mikey and Izana braced themselves to catch him. But unexpectedly, Takemichi smacked both of them squarely upside the head with a resounding thwack.

Both froze in stunned disbelief.

Silence fell over the yard. The Tenjiku members collectively sucked in a sharp breath.

"Stop fighting, both of you! What is there to argue about? Who"s hosting tonight, huh? You"re annoying as hell! Keep bickering and go sit in the corner by yourselves!"

Takemichi planted his hands on his hips like an infuriated mother scolding unruly brats, chewing them out in one breathless tirade.

The two invincible commanders of the delinquent underworld, having just been clouted on the head and reprimanded, stared back in dumbfounded stupor. Then their shoulders drooped. Sulking, wounded, and thoroughly petulant, both turned their heads away in a huff.

"Takemichi is being cruel to me again..."

"Takemitchy doesn"t love me anymore..."

Pfft! The rest of the crowd strained with heroic effort not to burst out laughing, clamping their hands over their mouths and turning away, their shoulders shaking violently.

Holy shit! Takemichi is an absolute god!

The Tenjiku guys felt as though every ounce of unreasonable tyranny they had ever suffered under Izana had been magically vindicated by Takemichi"s smack. Sorry, Boss, but this is fucking hilarious.

"Should we go comfort those two?" Draken asked Kakucho, his fellow commander-babysitter sitting beside him.

Kakucho shook his head. "What if we end up getting yelled at too?"

"Count me out," Draken said.

"Me neither," Kakucho agreed.

"Then let them be," Draken concluded.

Both shrugged and decided to stay put. Those two commanders had been pampered far too long; let them taste some humble pie for once.

"Come on, admit it. You two are just getting payback because those bastards hogged Takemichi all day and left you no room to step in, right?" Ran leaned over next to Kakucho with an enigmatic grin, whispering slyly between narrowed eyes.

So much for honorable gentlemen. You bastards are just as petty. Ran"s face spelled it out clearly.

Look who"s talking, the two thought in silent disdain, refusing to dignify it with an answer.

"Ha! Not only do you two share the same role, but your petty habits match up pretty well too."

"Big brother, you"re being just as childish as those brats," Rindou muttered, shaking his head in resignation.

After scolding them, Takemichi flopped back down, slapping his own cheeks to regain composure. He couldn"t let a single can of beer knock him out. But in truth, half his sanity was gone, and his audacity had multiplied tenfold.

Seeing him like this, Mitsuya considered going inside to mix something to sober him up, but Taiju beat him to the punch with the exact same thought.

"I"ll head inside and fix you some lemon water to sober up."

Taiju stood up promptly and walked inside. This time, his youngest brother wasn"t even surprised by such attentive care. Mitsuya, on the other hand, felt slightly displaced, since tending to Takemichi in such ways usually fell to him.

"Honestly, I always knew the eldest Shiba was capable, but looking at him, you"d expect someone brutish and crude. Who knew he could be so considerate?" Ran offered an honest appraisal. Having taken part in the Christmas Eve conflict, he could clearly measure Taiju"s stark transformation. Everyone knew the reason behind it. What a drag—every rival was formidable, and they all stuck close together. Having started with negative points, Ran hadn"t even found an opening to shine.

"Taiju-kun is genuinely wonderful, but he"s still terrible at expressing how he feels."

Ran"s offhand comment unexpectedly drew Takemichi"s reply. The two sulking commanders nearby, hearing him praise another man as good, grew even more aggravated. They couldn"t help glaring over, practically bursting with complaints: Takemichi treats me like garbage, yet sings praises for that brute!

"Wait, hold on a second."

Just as they opened their mouths, Ran cut them off. Glancing at Takemichi"s tipsy state, gears began turning in his head. In vino veritas—when the liquor flows, the truth comes out.

"What are you scheming?" Chifuyu narrowed his eyes in displeasure at Ran"s suspicious grin.

"Don"t you guys want to know what Takemichi really thinks of you? Ask away. Opportunity of a lifetime."

Everyone turned toward him simultaneously. Ran sighed inwardly. These guys" brains work so damn slow.

"Takemichi, who"s the most handsome guy here?" Haitani Ran—a man harboring a deep, narcissistic obsession with beauty rankings.

Surprisingly, Takemichi reacted instantly. Like an eager student raising his hand in class: "Hey! It"s Draken-kun!"

The sound of countless teenage hearts shattering mingled with a triumphant shout of "Yeah!" from Draken—even though he had worn the most disgusted look when Ran first started the game.

Haitani Ran, the supreme narcissist, instantly regretted asking.

The exceedingly promising candidate, Seishu Inui, stared blankly before slumping on the spot. Takemichi complimented his looks all the time—why the hell did he pick Draken? In what world was that guy more handsome than him?

"Could it be that because of my burn scar, Hanagaki thinks I"m not as good-looking as him? Kokonoi, if I get plastic surgery now, can they fix this scar?"

Kokonoi looked at his dazed, spiraling friend with profound pity. For the first time in his life, Inupee was doubting his own looks to this degree. While not vain like the older Haitani, Inupee had always known he possessed an exceptionally striking face. He had even planned to use that very face to charm Takemichi, and now the boy thought Draken was the most handsome? That was practically snuffing out Inupee"s hopes.

"Eh? Why Ken-chin, Takemitchy?" Mikey, supremely confident that he would be the one, voiced his dissatisfaction. Every boy always assumed he was the best-looking.

"Because Draken-kun is super tall, every muscle and abs on him is rock-solid, the tattoo on his temple looks so damn cool, and his face is sharp and manly. Draken-kun"s build is my absolute dream physique!"

Draken shot a smug, gloating look at everyone around him.

"You have everything except height, Mikey," Izana couldn"t resist mocking from the side.

"Look who"s talking! Who are you taller than?"

"Why would Hanagaki appreciate that guy"s clunky clumsiness?" Having heard Takemichi"s reasoning, Inupee stewed with bitter despair and resentment toward Draken, promptly going off to sulk in a corner.

"Who are you calling clunky, asshole?" snapped Draken.

"Someone save Inupee, he looks like he"s about to cry. Inupee, are you drunk or what?" Kokonoi muttered, deeply alarmed by his best friend"s existential crisis.

"I really thought Takemichi would say me," Kazutora murmured.

"You"re good-looking, but your personality is trash," Chifuyu shot back.

"I"ll just conveniently ignore the second half of that sentence," Kazutora replied.

"And here I thought Takemichi loved my body best! Draken, how the hell do you work out? Lift up your shirt, let me see!" Baji glared at Draken with venomous jealousy. Had Takemichi even touched Draken"s abs to be praising him like that? Baji had let the boy touch his own so many times, yet he preferred that bastard"s abs instead of his? What a total rip-off! Refusing to accept defeat, Baji lunged toward Draken, determined to yank up his shirt to compare whose physique was superior.

"Why are you talking about bodies like you"re doing it in bed?" Ran quipped.

"Only a pervert like you would jump to that conclusion," Smiley retorted.

"Come on, this game is ridiculous. Takemichi, who would make the best husband?" Mitsuya"s question contradicted his own dismissal, already knowing full well what Takemichi"s answer would be.

"It"s Mitsuya-kun!"

"Ha! Being the most handsome doesn"t guarantee you have husband material."

"Hey, Taka-chan, that"s cheating!"

"Takemichi only said you have husband material, not that you"d be his husband!" Draken certainly wasn"t going to take the loss lying down.

Right then, Taiju returned with the glass of lemon water. Seeing the entire yard in an uproar, he wondered what kind of circus had broken out in the few minutes he was gone.

"Hold on, back off man, we"ve got more questions," Ran waved.

"Takemichi, who"s the person you trust the most?" Chifuyu asked.

"My partner."

"Ha! See that? In any relationship, trust is paramount. Whether it"s camaraderie, love, or ultimately marriage—it all comes down to trust."

The pack of delinquents sneered collectively at the high-flown rhetoric: "Cut the poetic bullshit, man."

"Why is it Chifuyu and not me?" Mikey whined, thoroughly irritated that none of the answers had favored him so far.

"Because you"re the least trustworthy of all," Izana sneered.

"Can you stop taking jabs at me? Takemitchy, who have you beaten up the most?"

"Hmm... probably Izana-kun."

Mikey burst into gleeful cackling at Izana"s humiliation, while Izana"s face flushed with fury. Only then did Taiju grasp what was happening.

Naturally, Tenjiku was losing hard at this game. They could only pout, glaring in quiet contempt at the smug grins plastered across every Tokyo Manji face. If the tables were turned with negative questions—like whom Takemichi feared most or who drove him crazy—Tenjiku would have swept the board instantly.

"Alright, that"s enough of that. Let"s switch it up. Takemichi, what do you think of Izana?"

Ran wasn"t about to let Tokyo Manji maintain the upper hand. He quickly changed the subject, though he had learned his lesson not to use himself as a test subject—Takemichi might drop an unexpected bombshell that would shatter him completely. His fragile heart couldn"t take it, so he threw Izana out as the scapegoat; after all, the guy had taken so much rejection already without storming off.

The moment the question left his lips, a chill ran down Ran"s spine from Izana"s lethal glare. Ran simply grinned back sheepishly, as if to say: Come on, Boss, don"t you want to hear what he thinks of you?

"Izana-kun? At first, he was terrifying. His glare felt like it could freeze someone solid. Stubborn, obstinate, selfish, and cruel... Truly scary enough to make someone cry..."

Hearing this, Izana genuinely wanted to pack up and leave. It wasn"t entirely wrong—in everyone"s eyes, that was exactly what he was: a demonic fiend, an irredeemable villain devoid of a single redeeming trait. But he had foolishly believed Takemichi was different. He thought the boy saw something good in him, that he cared for him as a lonely child. Yet in reality, was he no different from the rest? Why bother saving an evil monster like him? Were all his actions just an elaborate farce, merely to keep Izana from hurting his precious friends?

The fragile trust Izana had begun to nurture instantly morphed into a surge of bitter rage.

"Izana is also an idiot," Takemichi continued. "He clearly cares so much about others, yet he keeps putting on an act. He treasures the people around him as friends, yet insists on calling them mere pawns. Izana"s only tough with his mouth; his actions say something completely different. Everyone sees right through it, yet he thinks he"s hiding it so well. If Izana really saw people as pawns, Kaku-chan wouldn"t stay by his side with such unwavering loyalty. And Mucho-kun too—no matter what, he always returned to his king. Izana and Mikey, you two share so many similarities. And what"s most alike is how ridiculously strong you both are—strong enough that people can"t help but look up to you the moment they lay eyes on you. It"s truly incredible. With either of you standing behind them, everyone believes they"ll be protected, that victory is guaranteed. You both radiate a light that keeps people from looking away."

Takemichi rambled on, too intoxicated to notice Izana"s stunned expression, nor that of Mikey, who had suddenly been pulled into the comparison.

His eyes were hazy yet brimming with tenderness. He gazed at Izana with a radiant, disarming smile.

"At first, he was frightening. But the longer I know him, the more I realize Izana is actually an adorable kid in so many ways."

A heart that had felt on the verge of shattering was instantly enveloped in a sweet, soft blanket of cotton candy. Caught completely off guard, Izana froze, his lavender eyes rippling with silent turbulence as he stared unblinkingly at Takemichi.

A delicate pink crept up Izana"s cheeks before deepening into a full-blown crimson flush—easily matching, if not surpassing, the drunken flush on Takemichi"s face. Perhaps he was becoming thoroughly drunk on this boy as well.

"Shut up! Who"s an adorable kid? Stop talking nonsense... show some respect to your elders!"

No matter how fierce his words attempted to sound, the entire crowd stared at Izana like a flustered maiden incapable of meeting Takemichi"s eyes. His heart pounded erratically against his ribs, sending waves of helpless fluster through him. Izana would never admit it, but no matter how feral or arrogant he had once been, he had ultimately fallen before this boy"s boundless gentleness.

"Looks like our boss has officially been brought to his knees, huh?" Rindou chuckled at the sight, a faint spark of amusement dancing in his eyes.

Everyone in Tenjiku knew that even if Izana liked someone, he would concoct a thousand excuses rather than admit it was love. To Izana, emotion was a weakness; discarding everything was the only path to true power.

For years, that belief had stood like an unshakeable mountain, immune to anyone"s sway. Until he ran into this kid. Takemichi claimed Izana was stubborn, but he was tenfold more stubborn himself. Crucially, Takemichi never hesitated to lay bare his feelings and fight for them—the exact antithesis of Izana. In that sense, Takemichi was truly the only one capable of taming him.

Naturally, having followed Izana for so long, Tenjiku understood that beneath his harsh exterior lay a different soul. Each of them had once believed themselves the strongest, possessed of their own pride; why else would they follow someone who genuinely viewed them as disposable pawns? Yet out of that very pride, they had maintained the façade that this syndicate existed solely for mutual benefit, not out of camaraderie or a shared dream of standing at the pinnacle.

Who could have guessed that behind all their bravado, those earnest eyes would see right through them? He laid it all out with a sincerity they never dreamed they would ever receive again in this lifetime. An arrow straight through the center of the heart.

Envious as they were, they were genuinely happy for him.

Glancing from Izana back to Tokyo Manji, the atmosphere was surprisingly tame—mostly nodding heads paired with skeptical looks. That guy can actually be like that? Who would"ve thought? But he"s got a point. Guess he"s not entirely rotten.

Then, looking over at Tenjiku, where everyone looked touched and thrilled that someone had finally recognized their boss"s good qualities, the Tokyo Manji members wore their thoughts openly on their faces: We know our Takemichi is great, but don"t you dare get any ideas.

By then, Takemichi could hold out no longer. With a soft thud, he collapsed directly onto the grass, sound asleep.

Everyone stared blankly at his slumbering form before breaking into quiet laughter. Even Tenjiku had to admit that rarely had they felt such peace and simple joy; sometimes, indulging in childish antics wasn"t so bad after all.

"Alright, let"s carry Takemichi inside to rest while we clean up out here," Taiju told the group.

Yet a critical dilemma arose: who would carry him in?

They locked eyes in an intense standoff. Without a word, fists were raised simultaneously.

When a decision is too tough to make, let Rock-Paper-Scissors decide.

"No cheating, no re-dos, no whining. Win or lose, everyone accepts the outcome and respects the final result."

Draken"s expression was grave, as if swearing a sacred oath. But to them, this truly was of paramount importance—how could their precious treasure be handled lightly?

And so, the crowd gathered for a high-stakes round of rock-paper-scissors, pouring 200% of their power, 2000% of their intuition, and countless silent prayers for luck into their throws. After several nerve-wracking minutes, the ultimate victor emerged: Hakkai. The young man beamed from ear to ear, feeling as if the local deities of his household had blessed him.

Hakkai scooped Takemichi up gently. The boy remained fast asleep, fidgeting slightly at first from discomfort. His brow furrowed in a slight whimper, making Hakkai freeze, terrified of waking him. But once Takemichi snuggled his face into Hakkai"s chest, finding a cozy spot, he relaxed and slept as peacefully as a kitten. His body was warm and soft, sending Hakkai"s heart hammering wildly against his ribs.

"Ahem."

The crowd glared. They understood his delight, but warned him not to pull anything shady—they were watching his every move.

Hakkai hurriedly carried him up to his room, gently laying him on the bed and tucking the covers around him. Watching that serene, sleeping face, a pang of longing struck him; how he wished he could crawl under the covers and hold him close all night. But if he didn"t head back down immediately, that mob outside would tear his house apart.

Unable to resist, he softly brushed Takemichi"s silky hair, pressed a tender kiss to his forehead, and whispered with a fond smile:

"Goodnight, Takemichi."

---

Everyone had completely forgotten—or rather, deliberately chosen to ignore—the person who contributed the most, leaving Mochi sprawled outside in the yard to be eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Side Notes & Fun Facts from Author:

It"s been so long since I last wrote that I was afraid of getting rusty, so here are a few fun little facts about the story that you might have missed, along with some things I left out or might include later.

Feel free to read this for entertainment while waiting for the next chapters.

1. In the manga, after Kazutora was released from juvie, it seemed like he either stopped attending school altogether or went to school but skipped classes (the mangaka wasn"t very clear, so who knows?). But I decided to have him go to school in this fic anyway—partly to create more interactions between Takemichi and Kazutora, and partly because I just wanted to see him attend school. He"s handsome, even if his personality is a bit quirky; in school, he"d definitely be the most popular boy with girls flocking around him.

2. Kisaki approached Kazutora, but Kazutora didn"t agree at first. The day after Takemichi fell ill, Kazutora secretly went to Takemichi"s house. But upon learning that Tokyo Manji was already there visiting, a surge of bitter jealousy hit him, which led him to accept Kisaki"s offer.

3. To this day, Takemichi still keeps Hanma"s jacket, waiting for an opportunity to return it. I really want to write a scene where Takemichi gives the jacket back to him, haha.

4. When Hanma initially saw Ran force a kiss on Takemichi, he toyed with the idea of telling Kisaki, knowing Kisaki might scheme something extreme like having Takemichi assaulted. But after comforting the crying boy and seeing how tenderly Takemichi treasured his jacket, that supposedly "straight guy" went home and kept his mouth completely shut. Besides, even if he had told him, Kisaki wouldn"t have done such a thing anyway; Hanma was worrying over nothing.

5. When Takemichi wanted to cooperate with the Haitani brothers regarding the Black Dragon situation, he actually went all the way to Roppongi to seek them out. He even invited the two brothers to McDonald"s, leaving them completely speechless, though they helplessly followed along anyway.

6. Takemichi didn"t seek out the Haitani brothers on a whim. He partnered with them partly so that they would bring up his name in front of Izana later on. Even his drive to defeat Kiyomasa and get him expelled from the gang was designed to make himself stand out as much as possible, ensuring Izana would take notice of him and paving the way for future contact.

7. Before meeting Takemichi, Izana had a massive headache because whenever he went outside, the delinquent world was talking about him, and whenever he returned to his gang, the Haitani brothers wouldn"t shut up about him either. Everyone painted a different picture, exaggerating to high heaven, leaving Izana both curious and exhausted. But after the bridge-jumping incident and finding out that Kakucho was Takemichi"s childhood friend, he forced Kakucho to recount childhood stories about Takemichi all night long.

8. Think Kisaki is an unyielding rock immune to the cupid"s arrow? Maybe, but the one who felt the very first "ripple" in his heart was actually Kisaki. It happened back in chapter one, when Takemichi turned back and smiled at him. That smile wasn"t just impossibly gentle; his gaze carried profound affection and overwhelming happiness just to see him alive. In this world, there is no sentiment more complex or overwhelming than that look and smile. Because of that, Kisaki remained haunted by Takemichi"s image for a very long time. Every time he thought of him or saw him, that memory surfaced. Kisaki himself hadn"t realized that Takemichi"s silhouette had eclipsed Hinata"s in his mind long ago. But let"s leave Kisaki stubborn a little longer for fun—the harder they fall, the more it hurts.

9. Takemichi didn"t let the Mizo Middle crew join his delinquent affairs anymore because he knew he would be taking dangerous risks in the future. Inadvertently, this created a wedge between him and his close circle of friends.

10. Regarding the two inner personas within Takemichi: to give you a clearer picture, Michi is an arrogant, cunning queen bee type. He loves flowers, loves beauty, loves being pampered, hates pain with a passion, and utterly detests all the boys circling around Takemichi. Take, on the other hand, is curt, irritable, cold, and driven to conquer power and strength. However, he genuinely respects Takemichi"s persistence, as Take admires true strength. But with that tsundere nature of his, don"t expect him to ever admit it. In DID, alters can communicate and connect with one another. Normally, the two of them bicker constantly, but when they team up to cause trouble, their chemistry is off the charts. Whether they"ve done things behind Takemichi"s back to blow his mind will be revealed later.

11. You probably know this already, but Mitsuya deliberately tailored Takemichi"s uniform in the wrong size and purposely measured him with his hands to create physical intimacy. Everyone in the sewing club has already identified who their "sister-in-law" is. While sewing clothes for Takemichi, Mitsuya was beaming openly and humming cheerful tunes, shocking everyone and creating a huge buzz. That"s why everyone stared so intensely at Takemichi when he arrived.

12. Everyone in Tokyo Manji possesses a secret stash of candid photos of Takemichi, and the one with the largest collection is Chifuyu. The special privilege of being a partner is unmatched. When Takemichi visited Draken"s room and found it looked different from before, it was because Draken had to hurriedly hide countless candid photos he had secretly taken of him before Takemichi stepped inside.

13. Seeing Takemichi sharing a bed with Chifuyu, Baji was intensely jealous, though he didn"t realize it at the time.

14. When Sanzu ambushed Takemichi, it wasn"t just to vent his frustration; there were deeper calculations involved. But he probably never calculated that he"d end up hopelessly attached to that so-called "filthy gutter rat."

15. When Takemichi suggested hot coffee, Sanzu refused not out of spite, but because he was worried Takemichi wouldn"t be able to sleep, so he bought milk instead. And rest assured, that scarf is being treasured very carefully.

16. Honestly, Ran"s love stems from something quite selfish: he realized Takemichi"s love for Tokyo Manji was immense—so vast that it bred jealousy. He thought to himself: How can someone love so deeply? What would it feel like to be loved like that? At first, Ran merely wanted to snatch him away to satisfy his own craving for love. A true walking red flag, whereas Rindou is much milder. It"s impossible to write RanTake without some toxicity. But his feelings will undergo growth, even if a few storms must pass first.

17. Takemichi"s mother has realized the existence of Take and Michi, but she hasn"t said anything—partly because she fears she wouldn"t be able to bear the emotional shock, and partly because she"s waiting for Takemichi to open up to her himself, though that will be very difficult.

18. The four-leaf clover necklace will not appear in my fic, because to me, it"s the token of love between Takemichi and Hinata. Since I plan for them to break up eventually, including it would only mean writing a scene where it gets destroyed, and there"s plenty of angst elsewhere already.

19. There was a major rewrite in the Christmas Eve battle. You might have noticed that originally, I had Takemichi just standing there watching everyone fight Taiju without doing much—just making declarations and spectating, which was a plot hole.

My initial plan was for Takemichi to test Hakkai. To make Hakkai realize that no matter what, he couldn"t let his brother die, Takemichi was going to force Hakkai to confront the life-or-death reality of his brother. Once both sides were exhausted, Takemichi would have Take take over and tell Hakkai: "Takemichi told me to tell you: either you fight me, or I"ll kill your brother. Takemichi might not kill, but I certainly will."

After that, Take would beat Taiju up a bit more to pay him back for hitting Takemichi earlier. But doing that would make Takemichi seem too ruthless and cruel, and the timing wasn"t right. It would make Takemichi far too calculating and dangerous, and normally, friends wouldn"t be able to look each other in the eye after that. There were also too many logical inconsistencies, so I didn"t think it fit and changed it to what it is now.

20. When I first started writing this fic, I only intended it to be casual entertainment—a brainless teen fic. Who knew I would end up pouring so much blood, sweat, and tears into it later on? I couldn"t even stop myself.

There are still a few more facts, but I"ll save them for later. See you all soon!