Chapter 2: When the City Starts Watching
The rumors did not spread slowly, and they did not stay small, because by the next morning my name had already turned into something heavier, something dangerous, whispered in corners and spoken with fear by people who had never even seen my face.
Some said I broke bones with one hit, others said I smiled while doing it, and a few went further and claimed I wasn't human at all, but I didn't care which version survived because the truth didn't matter once fear took control.
As I walked through Shinjuku that day, I felt it clearly, the shift in the air, the way people stepped aside before I reached them, the way conversations died the moment I passed, and the way even hardened delinquents avoided my eyes.
Fear had learned who I was.
School was no different, only tighter, louder, and filled with eyes that never stopped watching, as students whispered behind their hands and teachers paused mid-sentence when they noticed me, pretending everything was normal while knowing it wasn't.
I sat at my desk by the window, sunlight touching my face, and felt admiration, jealousy, and hatred mix together into something unstable and dangerous.
That was when Kenta stood up.
He was tall, broad, scarred, and confident in the shallow way people get when they've never been truly tested, and when he spoke, his voice was loud enough to make sure everyone heard.
"So it's true," he said, staring straight at me. "You think you own this place now?"
The classroom fell silent, waiting for my response, but I didn't rush to answer, because silence makes weak people uncomfortable.
He walked closer and slammed his hand on my desk, trying to reclaim control. "I'm talking to you."
I finally looked up, meeting his eyes calmly, and in that moment I saw his confidence crack just slightly, enough for me to know the outcome was already decided.
"Sit down," I said quietly.
The room froze.
Kenta laughed, but it sounded forced, hollow. "You got lucky once. That doesn't mean—"
I stood up.
That single movement was enough to make him step back without realizing it, his body reacting before his pride could stop it, and everyone noticed.
"After school," I said calmly. "Construction site near the east block."
I sat back down like nothing happened.
Kenta didn't speak again.
That afternoon, the sky hung heavy and grey as I reached the construction site, empty and silent, the kind of place where no one interfered and no one asked questions.
Kenta arrived five minutes later, and of course he didn't come alone.
Ten guys stepped out behind him, armed with bats, chains, and one knife held by shaking hands, and when he smiled, I knew he thought numbers would save him.
"You really thought this was one-on-one?" he said.
I sighed, already bored.
"You brought too many," I replied.
They laughed.
The first one rushed me, but his attack was clumsy, predictable, and finished the moment I struck his knee and dropped him screaming to the ground.
The second tried to come from the side, and I caught his wrist, twisted, and felt the bone snap before he even understood what happened.
The knife came next, badly aimed and worse timed, and one kick to the chest sent him flying back, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The system activated instantly.
"Combat detected."
"Threat level: Low."
Low.
I moved faster, cleaner, without anger or hesitation, each hit landing exactly where it needed to, until the ground was filled with groans and broken confidence.
Kenta tried to run.
I caught him, slammed him into a steel beam, and listened to the echo ring through the empty site as he slid down, coughing and terrified.
I crouched in front of him and spoke slowly.
"This is your only lesson."
I forced him to look at me.
"You don't touch me, you don't talk about me, and you don't send people after me."
He nodded desperately, swearing through broken breaths.
That night, my phone filled with messages from unknown numbers, threats mixed with warnings, until one stood out.
"You beat a pawn. Do you think the board won't move?"
I replied with one sentence.
"I'm waiting."
The answer came instantly.
"Tomorrow night. Rooftop of the Orion Building."
When I arrived, five figures stood there, calm, confident, different from the others, and when the woman from the convenience store stepped forward smiling, I knew the real game had finally begun.
The system reacted.
"New storyline detected."
"Urban Dominance Arc unlocked."
I smiled.
Good.
Shinjuku was finally ready.