Chapter 12: Forced Volunteer Work (And Kenji’s Rising Popularity)

  Scene 1: Reina's First Punishment

  The orphanage sat nestled in a quiet part of the city, its modest brick walls and cheerful murals a stark contrast to the absolute disaster Kenji knew was about to unfold.

  He stood in front of the gates, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched in resentful defiance. Beside him, Reina Takahashi exuded an air of self-righteous accomplishment, clipboard clutched tightly as if she had already won a major battle.

  "This is ridiculous." Kenji muttered, glaring at the entrance like it had personally offended him.

  Reina didn’t even look up from her checklist. "No, this is justice."

  "Justice?" He scoffed. "You act like I burned down an orphanage. I haven’t even jaywalked."

  "You may not have committed crimes, but your reputation alone has a negative influence on the student body." Reina finally turned to face him, adjusting her glasses with practiced precision. "If you’re truly reformed, you’ll prove it here."

  Kenji let out a long, suffering sigh. "You just like making my life difficult, don’t you?"

  Reina didn’t dignify that with an answer. Instead, she marched forward, expecting him to follow.

  Kenji glanced to the side, where Tetsuya Arakawa stood, arms crossed, watching the whole thing with a level of wariness usually reserved for enemy ambushes.

  "This feels like a trap," Tetsuya muttered, his eyes scanning the area as if expecting snipers.

  Kenji sighed again. "Yeah, well, no way out now."

  With all the enthusiasm of a man heading to his own execution, Kenji followed Reina inside.

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  The moment they stepped into the orphanage, it happened.

  "WOAH! WHO’S THAT?!"

  A stampede of small children barreled toward them, their tiny feet pounding the floor like an approaching army.

  Reina stepped forward, clearing her throat in what Kenji recognized as her “professional” voice.

  "Hello, children. My name is Reina Takahashi, and this is Kenji Fujimu—"

  She didn’t get to finish.

  Because the moment Kenji stepped into view, the children stopped short.

  A beat of silence.

  Then—chaos.

  "WOOOAH, HE LOOKS COOL!"

  "LOOK AT HIS SCAR!"

  "IS HE A YAKUZA?!"

  Kenji felt his soul leave his body.

  "No," Reina said quickly. "He is not—"

  "CAN YOU LIFT ME?!" a small boy latched onto Kenji’s leg like a barnacle.

  "CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO PUNCH?!" another yelled, bouncing excitedly.

  Kenji blinked down at them, bewildered.

  Reina pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is not how this was supposed to go."

  Tetsuya, from the sidelines, was barely containing his laughter.

  Kenji sighed. Then, with a resigned shrug, he hoisted one of the kids up onto his shoulders effortlessly.

  The orphanage erupted.

  "BIG BRO KENJI! BIG BRO KENJI!"

  Kenji, surprisingly, found himself grinning. "Alright, alright. But if I gotta babysit, I’m teaching self-defense."

  Reina visibly twitched. "No, you are not—!"

  Kenji ignored her completely, already demonstrating a proper stance to the eager children. "Alright, rule number one: If someone grabs you, what do you do?"

  The kids shouted in unison. "PUNCH THEM!"

  "WRONG."

  Reina’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

  "You punch them AND run."

  Reina’s eye twitched violently.

  "Fujimura."

  Kenji just smirked, effortlessly dodging as she tried to snatch the pointer stick from his hand.

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  Back at school…

  Rumors spread like wildfire.

  Some students claimed Kenji was running an underground training facility.

  Others insisted he was grooming an army of future criminals.

  By lunchtime, a teacher had overheard, and by the end of the day, there was an emergency faculty meeting.

  "We have a problem," a teacher said grimly. "Fujimura has taken over an orphanage."

  Scene 2: Love Triangle Progression

  Kenji did not expect this.

  The orphanage was supposed to be a punishment, a dull waste of time orchestrated by Reina in her endless crusade to "fix" him. Instead, he was being worshiped like some kind of hero.

  A tiny girl clung to his arm like he was an actual jungle gym. A group of boys crowded around him, eager to learn “cool” self-defense tricks (which Reina had strictly forbidden,) and somehow, he’d ended up playing a ridiculous game of tag.

  Kenji wasn’t even trying to win, but somehow, he still had half a dozen kids climbing all over him.

  And through it all, Reina just stared.

  "This was supposed to be a punishment," she muttered under her breath, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

  She wasn’t sure what irritated her more—the fact that Kenji was clearly enjoying himself, or the fact that the kids adored him.

  She’d expected him to be aloof, indifferent, maybe even rude. Instead, he was smiling, joking, lifting kids onto his shoulders with ease. His usual sarcasm was toned down, replaced with a quiet patience she hadn’t thought him capable of.

  She pursed her lips.

  "This doesn’t change anything," she told herself, forcing her gaze away. "He’s still an arrogant, reckless—"

  "Are you and Big Bro Kenji getting married?"

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  Reina choked.

  A little girl, no older than six, blinked up at her innocently, completely unaware of the nuclear bomb she had just dropped.

  Kenji, who had been mid-lift with another child, froze.

  Silence.

  Then—chaos.

  "EHHHH?! BIG BRO KENJI AND ONEE-CHAN?!"

  "IT’S LIKE A FAIRY TALE!"

  "WEDDING! WEDDING!"

  Reina waved her hands frantically. "N-No! That’s not—! Who even told you that?!"

  "I dunno!" the little girl chirped. "It’s just obvious!"

  Kenji’s entire soul left his body. "What part of this situation is obvious?!"

  Before Reina could properly recover, an all-too-familiar voice cut through the chaos.

  "Well, well. Look what we have here."

  Akari Hayashi.

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  Kenji groaned.

  Of course she was here.

  Akari strolled in like she owned the place, arms crossed, wearing a smirk so smug it could probably be classified as a lethal weapon.

  "I heard a rumor that you were getting reformed," she said, eyeing Kenji with exaggerated amusement. "Had to come see it for myself."

  Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am not getting reformed."

  "Sure you aren’t." Akari grinned, then turned to Reina. "So, how’s it going, Prez? Having fun with your pet project?"

  Reina bristled. "This is serious."

  Akari leaned in, voice low and teasing. "Oh, I can see that. You’re all flustered."

  "I am not—!"

  Akari, thoroughly entertained, latched onto Kenji’s arm, flashing a smirk at Reina. "Well, if you’re taking applications for this ‘Reform Kenji’ program, maybe I should be in charge. I mean, if anyone can control him, it’s me, right?"

  Reina’s eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

  Kenji, trapped between them, had the distinct feeling that he was about to become collateral damage.

  The kids, meanwhile, were eating this up.

  "Big Bro Kenji has two girlfriends?!" one boy shouted.

  Kenji groaned loudly. "I hate my life."

  ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

  Thus, the competition began.

  Reina vs. Akari: The Battle for the Children’s Approval.

  Reina, determined to restore order, immediately shifted into teacher mode, trying to prove that she was the responsible one.

  "Proper posture is important!" she lectured, adjusting one of the kids’ stances.

  "Pfft, boring," Akari cut in, flashing a grin as she lifted one of the younger kids onto her back. "Who cares about posture when they just wanna have fun?"

  Kenji watched this unfold with the weariness of a man trapped in a war he never enlisted for.

  One child tugged on his sleeve. "Big Bro Kenji, who do you like better?"

  Kenji stared into the abyss.

  "I am not answering that."

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  Somehow, this went on for way too long.

  By the end of it, Reina and Akari were both exhausted, the kids had fully turned this into an event, and Kenji was wondering if it was possible to fake his own death and flee the country.

  Tetsuya, who had been watching from a safe distance, finally approached, expression blank.

  "Boss."

  Kenji rubbed his temples. "What."

  Tetsuya took in the scene—the disheveled girls, the adoring children, the absolute disaster that had become of this "punishment."

  A slow, knowing pause.

  Then:

  "You have my condolences."

  Kenji scoffed. "That makes one of us."

  Scene 2.5: Reina’s Self-Doubt

  The playground at the orphanage had quieted down, the excited shouts of children replaced by the distant hum of passing cars and the occasional rustle of leaves. Reina sat on a bench near the entrance, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression unreadable.

  She had been watching Kenji for over an hour now.

  At first, she had expected a disaster. Kenji Fujimura, the school’s infamous delinquent, interacting with children? He was supposed to be a terrible influence. He was supposed to be reckless, crude, and unfit for any real responsibility.

  Except… none of that was happening.

  She watched as he crouched next to a little boy, tying his shoelace without a second thought. The boy beamed up at him, completely at ease, calling him "Big Bro Kenji" like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  She watched as Kenji lifted another child onto his shoulders, effortlessly keeping them balanced as they giggled and cheered.

  She watched as he took a step back when a little girl clung to his arm, embarrassed but not pushing her away.

  This wasn’t an act.

  It was real.

  And that made no sense.

  Reina pressed her lips together, gripping the edge of her skirt.

  "What am I missing?"

  She had spent so much time molding Kenji into her "reform project" that she never considered the possibility that… maybe he wasn’t someone who needed fixing.

  The thought unsettled her.

  "Why do you look like you’re solving a murder case?"

  Reina flinched.

  She turned sharply to find Akari standing beside her, sipping a juice box, her signature smirk plastered across her face.

  "I’m thinking," Reina muttered, adjusting her glasses.

  Akari raised an eyebrow, taking a seat beside her. "Oh? About what, exactly? Or should I say… who?"

  Reina rolled her eyes. "Don’t start."

  Akari leaned back, stretching her arms over the back of the bench. "You’re staring at Kenji like he’s a glitch in the matrix. What’s up?"

  Reina hesitated.

  She wasn’t the type to voice doubts. She didn’t like admitting when she wasn’t sure of something. But this wasn’t adding up.

  Finally, she sighed. "He’s not what I expected."

  Akari hummed. "Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I knew he wasn’t a total lost cause, but watching him? It’s kind of hilarious. He’s better with kids than most of our teachers."

  Reina didn’t respond.

  Akari peered at her for a moment, then nudged her with her elbow. "You’re thinking too hard about this. Let me guess—your whole world is crumbling because Fujimura isn’t the big, bad monster you thought he was?"

  Reina inhaled sharply, because that was exactly it.

  Akari snickered. "Oh, that’s cute. You’re actually struggling with this, aren’t you?"

  "I am not struggling," Reina said firmly, straightening her posture.

  Akari’s grin widened. "Uh-huh. Sure."

  Reina huffed. "I’m simply considering all the facts."

  "Right. And the facts are telling you that Kenji isn’t actually a delinquent, which means—oh no!—you might have misjudged him!" Akari feigned horror, pressing a hand to her chest. "How will the great Reina Takahashi recover?"

  Reina shot her a glare.

  Akari just laughed, taking another sip of her juice. "Relax. It’s not that deep. Kenji’s just… Kenji. Maybe he’s not the thug you thought, but that doesn’t mean you need to start questioning reality."

  Reina frowned slightly, her gaze drifting back to Kenji.

  "Doesn’t it?"

  Because if she was wrong about him, what else had she been wrong about?

  Akari watched her for a beat before her expression turned more thoughtful. "You know, Reina… be careful."

  Reina blinked, caught off guard by the shift in Akari’s tone. "What do you mean?"

  Akari leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "The moment you start doubting what you know about someone… that’s when people can twist the truth."

  Reina froze.

  A strange, uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

  Akari stood up, stretching. "Anyway, don’t overthink it. Just enjoy the show. Kenji being good with kids is the funniest plot twist of the year." She tossed her empty juice box into a nearby trash can, flashing a lazy grin before walking off.

  Reina sat still, her mind replaying Akari’s words.

  "That’s when people can twist the truth."

  She had no idea how much those words would haunt her later.

  Scene 3: The Real Ryuji’s Plans Begin

  The sun was setting by the time Kenji finally escaped.

  The orphanage had been absolute chaos. Between Reina’s failed punishment, Akari’s interference, and the kids declaring him the center of a romantic war, he was mentally exhausted.

  Walking beside him, Reina and Akari were still bickering.

  "You were being completely inappropriate!" Reina snapped, shooting a glare at Akari.

  "Please, I was saving those poor kids from being forced into another one of your lectures," Akari replied lazily.

  "I was teaching them valuable life lessons!"

  "Oh, sure. Because ‘proper posture’ is the number one priority when you’re six."

  Kenji zoned out. He was too tired for this.

  Tetsuya, walking a few steps behind, had the expression of a man who had given up.

  By the time they reached the train station, Kenji finally turned to the girls.

  "Alright, that’s enough. I am officially done with today."

  Reina huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine."

  Akari just smirked. "Whatever you say, Big Bro Kenji."

  Kenji grimaced. "Don’t. Start."

  Akari winked.

  With that, the girls finally went their separate ways, leaving Kenji and Tetsuya alone.

  For the first time all day, there was silence.

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  Kenji let out a slow exhale, rolling his shoulders.

  "Finally."

  Tetsuya said nothing.

  Kenji glanced at him. His bodyguard was staring straight ahead, his usually unreadable expression just a little too tense.

  Kenji frowned. "What?"

  Tetsuya didn’t answer immediately. His sharp gaze swept across the street, like he was searching for something.

  "Something feels off."

  Kenji raised an eyebrow. "You say that every day."

  "Yeah," Tetsuya admitted, "but today, I mean it."

  Kenji sighed. "You’re being paranoid."

  But as he pulled his phone from his pocket, something in his chest tightened.

  A new message flashed across the screen.

  No name. No sender. Just a few words.

  "Hope you’re enjoying my life, faker. It won’t last."

  Kenji’s blood ran cold.

  He stopped walking.

  Tetsuya immediately noticed. "Boss?"

  Kenji’s grip tightened around his phone.

  It was happening.

  Ryuji knows.

  He forced himself to exhale slowly, shoving the phone back into his pocket like it was nothing.

  "Nothing. Just tired."

  Tetsuya didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push.

  Kenji’s mind was spinning.

  For weeks, it had felt like Ryuji was watching from the shadows, waiting.

  Now, he wasn’t waiting anymore.

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  Somewhere else in the city…

  A darkened room.

  A phone screen glowed in the dim light, illuminating the sharp smirk of Ryuji Sakamoto.

  He leaned back in his chair, flicking the ash from his cigarette, watching the message he had just sent.

  Beside him, a tall figure stood silently, waiting.

  Ryuji glanced up, handing him a photo.

  A photo of Kenji.

  "Make sure he knows his place."