Scene 1: Ryuji Sakamoto Wakes Up (And Immediately Hears the Worst News Possible)
Ryuji Sakamoto’s first thought upon waking up was that his entire body felt like it had been thrown down a flight of stairs, set on fire, and then beaten with a steel bat for good measure.
The second thought came moments later.
"Where the hell am I?"
His eyes blinked open, the harsh glare of fluorescent hospital lights making him squint. The sterile scent of disinfectant filled his nostrils, and the steady beep-beep-beep of a heart monitor echoed in the otherwise silent room.
Pain throbbed through his limbs as he tried to shift. His muscles screamed in protest. Yep, definitely the post-coma experience.
A deep, measured voice came from his side.
“You’re awake. Good.”
Ryuji turned his head—slowly, because moving too fast made his brain feel like it was sloshing around in his skull—and saw Genzo Sakamoto sitting in a chair beside his bed, arms folded, his dark eyes unreadable.
His father.
The head of the Sakamoto Yakuza Family.
Ryuji swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat. His voice came out hoarse. “How long…?”
Genzo’s gaze remained steady. “A few weeks.”
A few weeks?
That was not what Ryuji wanted to hear.
Fragments of memory surfaced. The screech of tires, the crash, the sudden pain that had stolen his consciousness.
“A car…” he muttered. “Right. I remember now.”
A bodyguard standing near the door took a step forward. “You were severely injured, young master. It’s best you take your time recovering.”
Ryuji flexed his fingers, testing the stiffness in his joints. His mind, however, was already working past the injuries.
If he had been out for weeks, then that meant—
“What about school?”
The bodyguard hesitated. His expression twitched, as if debating how to answer.
Genzo remained silent.
Ryuji frowned. “What is it?”
The bodyguard took a deep breath.
“…There’s been an interesting development at your school.”
Ryuji’s gut clenched. “What kind of development?”
Another pause.
Genzo, ever the silent observer, simply motioned for the bodyguard to continue.
The bodyguard visibly braced himself.
“…Sir. You’ve become the undisputed ruler of Fujihama High.”
Ryuji’s brain flatlined.
“…Excuse me?”
The bodyguard soldiered on, despite looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.
“The entire school sees you as an unstoppable force, a legend who defeated all opposition with ease. They fear you, respect you, and—"
Ryuji’s expression darkened.
“WHO,” he said, through gritted teeth, “THE HELL DID ALL OF THAT?”
The bodyguard hesitated.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Then, in the most unfortunate and completely disastrous choice of words ever spoken—
“…You did, sir.”
Ryuji sat up so fast the heart monitor freaked out.
Pain shot through his body, but he did not care.
“WHO.”
Genzo, amused, finally spoke.
“I suppose you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
Ryuji’s fingers curled into the blanket, his patience evaporating into thin air.
Someone had stolen his name, taken his reputation, and turned him into some kind of mythic school overlord.
And he was going to find out who.
Scene 2: Kenji’s Worst Morning Ever
For the first time in weeks, I walked onto campus without feeling like I was about to be thrown into a death match.
No unexpected fights. No terrifying crime bosses. No insane misunderstandings about my nonexistent criminal empire. Just a regular school day.
"Finally."
I stretched, inhaling the crisp morning air as I stepped through the front gates of Fujihama High, feeling an almost unnatural sense of peace.
Nothing could ruin this.
Then I heard the whispers.
“It’s him,” someone murmured. “The guy who crushed Takeda without even touching him.”
Another voice, hushed with awe: “I heard he once stared down a Yakuza boss and lived.”
My entire body locked up mid-step.
"Oh no. Not this again."
I tried to ignore it, tried to walk like I hadn’t just heard an outrageous new addition to my ever-growing list of fictional achievements, but then—
“Boss.”
Tetsuya Nakamura, my number one problem in life, materialized beside me, nodding in silent approval.
"Your power is unquestioned now, Boss."
I massaged my temples. “I HAVE NO POWER.”
Tetsuya smiled, as if I had just told a hilarious joke.
The whispers only grew stronger as we moved through the hallway.
I heard someone say, "I heard he doesn’t even need to fight anymore. One glare and people collapse."
Another kid, wide-eyed, gasped: “They say he defeated Takeda with his aura alone.”
I nearly walked into a wall.
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!"
Then, just when I thought it couldn’t get worse—
“Fujimura.”
I barely had time to react before Reina Kisaragi stepped in front of me, arms crossed, looking like she was about to assign me homework I didn’t sign up for.
“Today’s the day,” she declared. “You’re officially attending the student council meeting.”
I stared at her.
“What.”
Reina narrowed her eyes. “You heard me.”
“What if I say no?”
Her smile was sharp and terrifying. “Then I’ll drag you there.”
I turned to Tetsuya for support, but he just nodded.
“She’s got a point, Boss.”
“Oh my god.”
A new voice joined in.
“I’d pay to see that.”
I groaned as Akari Tachibana leaned against a locker, watching the chaos unfold with way too much amusement.
I let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"At least nothing worse can happen today."
And that’s when my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out, frowning at the unknown number.
Unknown Number: We need to talk. Now.
I squinted. "Who…?"
I typed back.
Kenji: Who is this?
The response came instantly.
Unknown Number: The real Ryuji Sakamoto.
I froze.
My stomach dropped into the abyss.
Everything around me faded into white noise as the realization slammed into my brain like a runaway train.
The real Ryuji Sakamoto.
The guy whose name I accidentally stole.
The heir of the Sakamoto Yakuza Family.
And he wanted to talk.
I slowly looked up, staring blankly into the distance.
Tetsuya frowned. “Boss? You okay?”
I swallowed hard.
I was so incredibly not okay.
Scene 3: The Real and the Fake Finally Meet
I was about to have the worst conversation of my life.
The real Ryuji Sakamoto was awake, alive, and texting me like a mob boss summoning a disloyal underling. And for some idiotic reason, I had agreed to meet him.
Why? Because I’m an idiot.
The park near school was quiet, a perfect place for an execution meeting. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the empty pathways, and every rustling leaf sounded like the prelude to my impending doom.
"Maybe this is just a prank," I told myself, sitting stiffly on a bench. "Maybe the real Ryuji isn’t actually—"
A shadow fell over me.
I turned my head, and all of my organs shut down at once.
Standing there, arms crossed, face unreadable, was Ryuji Sakamoto.
The real one.
Oh.
Oh, crap.
I had spent weeks being mistaken for this guy, but now that I was actually looking at him, I could see the problem.
We weren’t just similar in appearance.
We were identical.
Same hair. Same build. Same freaking face.
It was like looking into a mirror that wanted to kill me.
Ryuji tilted his head, examining me like a particularly disappointing science experiment.
“So,” he said, voice calm but undeniably dangerous, “you’re the guy running around as me.”
I had two choices.
- Lie.
- Lie very, very badly.
I cleared my throat. “Uh. Define… ‘running around as you’?”
His expression did not change.
I was going to die in this park.
Ryuji took a step closer, his entire aura radiating ‘you messed up.’
“You and I,” he said smoothly, “need to have a little chat.”
I swallowed hard.
"I am going to die."