Chapter 16

Amaya sat at her school desk, waiting for class to start. "Arthur, where are you?" she asked through the system. It was uncharacteristic for him to be so late.

She waited for a while but didn't get any reply.

'Maybe he's sleeping?' But why would he be sleeping at this time?

Arthur stirred, hearing the ringing in his head. He sat up, blinking at the bright purple interface hovering in front of him. He swiped at it, but his hand passed through it. He still couldn't get used to the system in his face.

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Shadow Knight System

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Missed call x2

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He noted that Amaya had called him, but he couldn't talk to her now—not yet, not until he was done with this. He noticed the time and realized he had overslept. He wondered if his parents knew he was still in bed—they would throw such a fit. Dragging himself out of bed, he sat back down at his laptop. He hadn't slept until dawn, working on something he needed to get done as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, at school, Amaya looked at her system, wondering if Arthur was okay. Mr. Saito came in to start class, and she shifted her attention, focusing on the lessons and taking notes diligently.

After classes, she headed to the roof, where she often found solace. Today, she found Lucas there, seemingly hiding from her with his blonde hair peeking out behind the water tank.

"Why are you hiding?" she asked, her voice curious.

"I'm not hiding," he denied, trying to sound casual as he stood up from behind the water tank, brushing off his pants.

"Is it because you're embarrassed?" she teased, a small smile playing on her lips.

Lucas blushed, his face turning a shade of red. "I am not embarrassed," he insisted, avoiding her gaze.

She sighed, she knew it would be awkward, he asked her out and she had to decline. No matter if he was 18 or not, he was too young for her, she liked older men, he looked too young. She was determined to scrub off the awkwardness between them and went to sit by his side.

"What do you want to do in uni?" She asked, she didn't think him the type to aim to go to university, so she never asked him.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice a bit hesitant. "I wasn't even planning on going, but I was afraid you'd look down on me if I didn't."

She was silent for a moment, considering his words. The cool breeze rustled her hair, and she watched as a few stray locks fluttered in front of her face. "It's never too late to go. If you're not ready, you don't have to go now," he shouldn't be considering her as a reason for going to university, after all in this world she could only exist for a short period of time. He would need to carry on living without her.

"I'm not smart like Arthur," he confessed, his gaze distant as he looked out over the school's rooftop. "I genuinely don't know if I'll be able to go anyway, but I was willing to try my best for you. That was until you rejected me."

She groaned, pushing him, "you can't possibly give up just because of that! You go to uni to study! Not to ask a girl out." She looked at his sour face and she didn't know if she should scold him or not. She finally gave in, sighing, "If you get in, I'll go on one date with you and give you a good luck kiss."

His face turned an even deeper shade of red. "Really?" He asked as if he didn't believe it.

Amaya nodded. "But you need to get into a good uni, or the offer is void!"

He beamed, that clearly made his day, "fine, no takebacks!"

"I'm not that mean," she said, smiling. "Besides, I'm thinking of taking the graduation exams one year early." The faster she was done with this mission, the faster she could find her way back to him.

He looked at her, dubious. "Your grades are really bad. How are you going to do that?"

She sweat dropped, yeah, her grades were bad but that was because she used to be bullied! And had a good for nothing mother! She coughed, clearing her throat. "I've been getting tutoring so I'm confident." Of course, she hadn't been getting tutoring but apart from Arthur, no one else knew about the system. He still did not believe her. "I'll do it this exam season. I want to graduate a bit early and take a year off to do what I want freely," she explained.

Lucas thought for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll take you motorbiking if you actually get good grades." He definitely did not think she could do it.

She laughed, how amusing. "I'll hold you to your promise."

It's a shame, he never had the opportunity to keep that promise.

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Saturday came quickly, and Jean's match was the talk of the prefecture. The four strongest naturally came to watch, but so did their men, and in Amaya's case, Kenji and Riku had to come with her.

"I really do not need you guys following me around," Amaya grumbled as she walked quickly towards the dump on the other side of town where the fight would be taking place. She was being followed by two scary dogs: Kenji and Riku. She had a small red box in one hand and was wearing a simple pair of jeans, a crop top, and a leather jacket.

"We can't let you go there alone. What if you get jumped?" Kenji said with his gruff voice. He really did not want to go anywhere with her, but if she got injured, his pride as an underling would be trampled on. As long as he had this damned dog collar on, he had no choice but to do his job properly. He had tried everything to get that shit off, but it must be made of titanium because it wasn't coming off.

"I will literally be with Lucas. What's the point of third-wheeling?" she huffed.

"At least take us to run errands," Kenji insisted.

Riku, who was caught in this weird situation, could only pity his life. Since he was under Kenji, he had no choice but to follow orders.

Amaya looked at him, and he stiffened, remembering the pain he felt when she slammed his head on the table.

"Fine, but errands only," she agreed.

As they approached the fight site, the area was already buzzing with activity. The site lights were already on, casting an eerie glow over the abandoned buildings and piles of scrap. Amaya spotted Lucas immediately, his tall frame leaning against a broken-down car. He straightened up when he saw her and walked over with a smirk.

"You made it," he said, glancing at Kenji and Riku. "And you brought company."

"Not by choice," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Lucas laughed, the sound echoing in the open space. "Better safe than sorry, right?" He understood the gist, he didn't have any underlines so he could move alone, but once you become a boss you will never really be alone.

Amaya scanned the crowd and noticed Hiroshi standing off to the side, his face stoic – pretending she didn't exist. Nearby, Scarface, another known figure in the gang hierarchy, was moderating the event. Jean was with his men, wearing his usual jorts and a black sweatshirt. He looked so unbothered but beamed when he saw them, waving enthusiastically.

Amaya waved back, unsure of how she should feel about this whole child death fight situation. How much social credit would she lose if she called the police? She held onto the first aid kit she brought, hoping she wouldn't need to use it but prepared for the worst.

"You think he stands a chance?" she asked Lucas, nodding towards Jean.

Lucas shrugged. "He's cocky, but he's not called 'the last prodigy' for nothing."

Kenji scoffed, "He's gonna get himself killed, that's what's gonna happen. Mamuchi isn't a joke, it's not for kids to challenge."

"Positive as always, Kenji," Amaya remarked dryly. That was not what she wanted to hear at all.

Jean jogged over to them, his usual confident grin plastered on his face. "Hey, you guys made it! Ready to see me kick some ass?"

"You'd better win," Lucas said, giving Jean a mock-serious look. "We didn't come here to watch you get your ass handed to you."

Jean laughed, a carefree sound that seemed out of place in the grim setting. "Don't worry, I've got this."

Amaya handed him a bottle of water and squeezed his shoulder. "Just be careful, okay?"

Jean stared up at her with fake bewilderment. "Woah, pretty onee-chan, you're wishing me luck right?" 

Amaya rolled her eyes, somehow seeing him confident eased her worries a bit, "better not lose, or I will actually kill you." He laughed and returned to his place waiting for the match to start.

"I am so worried." She muttered.

"I mean, since he challenged number 20, he has to have some confidence in his skill, right?" Riku asked, this was his first time seeing all these people up close, especially from what he had heard about Jean, he thought he was strong enough to stand a chance.

Kenji looked at his subordinate like he was stupid, "you say that because you've never fought with someone from an outside gang, if you only fight with highschoolers you won't understand. In the real world they pay dirty in fights, they are the type to bring a knife to a fist fight."

Amaya wanted to throw up. "Please shut up," She hissed, trying to hold down her stomach contents.

The crowd started to settle as Scarface stepped forward to announce the start of the fight. Jean squared his shoulders and took a deep breath, walking to the centre of the makeshift ring.

Everyone's eyes turned to the eyes of a silhouette standing opposite Jean, long blonde dyed hair in a ponytail, dark eyes and a handsome face. He was number 20, tattoos going up his neck and muscular arms that were bare in the black tank top. Seeing him compared to the much smaller Jean Amaya was ready to just end this show right there.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Scarface's voice boomed, "tonight we have a special match. Jean, our rising star, versus Number 20, the beast of Mamuchi. Place your bets and let's get ready to rumble!"

The crowd roared in excitement, the air thick with tension and anticipation. Amaya's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Jean and Number 20 face off, each sizing the other up.

"Come on, Jean," she whispered, clutching the first aid kit tightly.