"For their leader. " Ren realized. "For Hasegawa. "
"He's not here," Shiinchiro whispered, following Ren's gaze. "Hasegawa doesn't usually show up for lunch. Too busy doing... whatever it is he does. "
"Where is he then? " Ren asked.
"He could be anywhere. The Rooftop, probably. I heard he prefers it up there. "
The lunch line moved forward slightly and Ren grabbed a tray. The cafeteria lady loaded it with rice, miso soup, and some kind of fish that Shiin insisted was actually pretty good for cafeteria food.
His hands moved automatically while his mind raced. "Rooftop. After lunch, I could.. "
"So. " Fubuki said once they were all seated, her chopsticks poised over her lunch. "First impressions of Sakura High? "
Ren spent some time considering the question as he picked at his rice. "It's... different. "
"Different how? " Fubuki asked, her voice soft with a hint of genuine curiousness.
"More let's say.. " Ren searched for the right word. "Structured? Like everyone knows where they fit in. Like there's an order to things that I am not seeing yet. "
Shiinchiro laughed. "Oh man, you picked up on that fast. Yeah, there's definitely a hierarchy thing here. But hey, that's just how it is, you know? Every school's got its own thing. "
"This school's thing is being run by delinquents," Hana said flatly. She took a sip of her soup, her expression carefully neutral. "Might as well be honest about it. "
"Hey, that's not entirely fair," Shiinchiro protested. "Sakuratei isn't that bad. They keep order, mostly. Could be worse."
"Could be better too."
Ren looked between them, sensing an old argument being rehashed. "You two disagree about this a lot?"
"Only every day for the past three years. " Fubuki said with a gentle smile. "Hana thinks any kind of gang activity is inherently wrong. Shiinchiro thinks Sakuratei is... what do you call them?"
"Necessary peacekeepers " Shiinchiro declared, stabbing his chopsticks into his fish for emphasis.
"Look here I'm not saying gangs are great or whatever like that but Sakura High is a big school in a complicated district someone has gotta keep things from falling apart completely. "
"That someone should be teachers and administrators. " Hana countered. "Not a bunch of students who think might makes right. "
"But when the teachers and administrators are ineffective.."
Shiinichiro continued but was cut off by Hana. "Then you fix the system and not replace it with something worse.. "
"Okay, okay!" Fubuki raised her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Maybe we don't need to have this debate again? Especially not on Ren's first day?"
Hana and Shiinchiro both toned down abit.
"Sorry," Hana muttered. "Arguing with him is just so frustrating. He's a dullard. "
"Heyyy.. " Shiinichiro called out. "You know I get passionate about this stuff," Shiinchiro added.
"No hard feelings though, right Hana?"
"No. " She smiled slightly. "Even when you are always wrong!. "
"I'm not you know what, never mind." Shiinchiro turned to Ren with renewed energy. "So! Want to hear something interesting?. "
"Do I have a choice?" Ren asked, but he was smiling.
"Nope! Okay, so here's the thing about Sakuratei right now and this is like, fresh gossip, hot off the oven, heard it this morning at the ceremony. There's been some internal drama lately. "
This big news got Ren's full attention. "Internal drama?"
Shiinchiro leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping even though they were nowhere near the Sakuratei table.
"Yeah, apparently there's some division in the ranks. Some of the older members like the third-years who've been around since before Hasegawa took over.. they're not super happy with how he runs things."
"How does he run things?" Ren asked, trying to sound casual even as his heart rate picked up. Any information about Hasegawa was valuable.
"More... flexible than the previous leadership, I guess? Less rigid rules, more focus on personal strength and loyalty. Some of the old guard think it's too chaotic, that Sakuratei is losing its structure." Shiinchiro shrugged.
"But Hasegawa's supporters which is most of the younger members think the old way was too stiff and controlling."
"Classic generational divide," Hana observed.
"Happens in every organization eventually."
"Yeah, but in a gang it's more complicated," Shiinchiro continued, warming to his subject.
"Because it's not just about disagreeing on policy or whatever. It's about territory, respect, power. When there's internal division in a gang, things can get... messy."
Fubuki shivered slightly. "I heard there was a fight last week between two Sakuratei members. They said it was just training, but..."
"But nothing in Sakuratei is just anything," Hana finished. "Every interaction is political. Every fight establishes or challenges hierarchy."
Ren absorbed this piece of information. He has always been under the the assumption Hasegawa's position was undisputed as everyone made it seem.
There were fractures within Sakuratei.
Did Kaito know about this?
Was that part of what he wanted to tell Ren?
Ren's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden change in the cafeteria's atmosphere. It was subtle at first just a slight dip in the noise but then it spread like a ripple through the crowd.
Ren looked up to see a figure moving through the cafeteria, slow and deliberate.
The boy walked with the kind of swagger that suggested he was completely disinterested in how others saw him.
His uniform hung loose, his tie undone, top button unfastened and his spiky hair, a mix of red and black, framed sharp features and eyes that burned with disinterest. His untied hair have him a wild and untamed appearance.
As he passed their table, Ren noticed how the other students instinctively shifted out of his path. Conversations paused until he had passed. Trays paused midair and even laughter softened to a nervous murmur until he'd walked past.
The red-haired boy headed straight for the Sakuratei table. The students there gave him space immediately, the way one might for a wolf joining a pack. One of them said something that made him smirk a flash of sharp teeth that didn't reach his eyes.
"That's Yuto Ishida," Shiinchiro whispered once the student was well out of earshot.
"They call him... "
"The Mad Dog. "