It's been three days since Karina went shopping with Emma but the beautiful girl hasn't visited her again since then.

Anxious, Karina has been checking the door to the convenience store where she's working in hopes of finding her new friend.

Friend—what a wonderful word. Just thinking of it makes Karina warm inside.

But what about Draken and Manjiro Sano?

Oh, she doesn't know.

Even though Emma said they'd all be friends, Karina had barely talked to the two boys, and, well, she doesn't know if she'll ever be comfortable with them, especially with Manjiro Sano. For some unknown reason, the boy's been haunting her dreams—holding her hand and looking at her through his deep dark eyes.

Just then, the convenience store's door opens, revealing a panting and sweaty Emma. She is holding a wounded boy with short light lilac hair. "Karina-chan!" Her eyes filled with panic and worry, she lets the boy sit at a nearby chair and then approaches Karina who's at the counter. "Do you have antiseptic and some bandages?"

"Y-yes," Karina replies. Hurriedly, she gets what Emma asked for and gives them to the girl.

"This'll hurt, Mitsuya." Emma pours the liquid into the open wound on the boy's arm. He only hisses, giving his best not to scream with the pain.

The beautiful blonde looks outside and spots her big brother and Draken standing on the street. Strangers pass by under the heat of the mid-afternoon sun. "Karina-chan," she calls her friend, "I'm sorry for the trouble. We can only stay in here. The nearest hospital's under the turf of Mammon."

"M-mammon?" It's the first time Karina hears the word.

"It's a name of a demon. And it's the name of the group of delinquents led by Isamu Itsuki. After hearing how Mikey fights and how Toman's getting bigger, he became interested in us." The boy whose name is Mitsuya displays neither fear nor hate when he talks about their enemy. "He wants to crush us. Bring it on then."

"Toman?" Karina asks.

This time, it's Emma who answers her question. "Tokyo Manji Gang, Toman for short--the name of Draken and Mitsuya's group, headed by Mikey."

Manjiro Sano is a head of a gang?

No wonder.

He really is someone awesome. Right. Karina has seen him fight. The boy's seriously strong.

The sound of glass shattering catches their attention. On the street, Draken is seen fighting with three armed guys who look older than him. They must be high schoolers. Manjiro Sano is not far from them, fighting five more armed opponents, one holding a cracked bottle.

The look of worry must have been obvious on her face because Emma stands beside her, one hand resting on her back as she says, "They'll be fine. Trust in them."

The fighting commences.

With his large build, Draken hauls on the neck of the two guys who attacked him and punches the others. The delinquents grunt in pain. Meanwhile, Manjiro Sano doesn't use his fist, effortlessly, he kicks the sides and the faces of his enemies.

The two can easily win the fight, but more Mammon members reach their place.

Karina gasps.

Not only that the two boys are in an obvious disadvantage, but she also sees her boss, Goro-san, arrive on the scene. The scrawny old man lifts his cane and points it at the delinquents, wanting to pass through the commotion and stop the brawl. "Stop fighting in front of my store, you hooligans! You're scaring my customers away!"

"Goro-san!" As one of the Mammon members aims to attack the owner of the store, Karina, without thinking, is suddenly outside and is pulling the old man away from the strike. "A-are you alright, Goro-san?"

"Stupid!" Manjiro Sano is already in front of them. Karina looks around. They're being surrounded by Mammon. She trembles as she holds onto Goro-san. "Just stay there. I'm here," Manjiro Sano says, looking at them for a moment and then focusing on the other delinquents.

I'm here. What confidence he has. Something Karina doesn't have.

Seemingly enchanted, she stares at the blond boy's back as he finishes off his opponents one by one.

"Hey, hey. Just how many are they?" Draken is already sweating a little. He's strong but the number of Mammon members is just plenty and they're with weapons--cracked bottles, sticks, metal bats, and knives. "You holding up okay there, Mikey?"

"Huh?" The blonde had just stepped on one delinquent, kicking the shin of another and then kicking his chest when he kneels down with pain. "Of course, I am."

"Watch out!" Karina screams as she sees a Mammon member run toward Manjiro Sano with a knife. Manjiro Sano looks back at her, eyes widening. Rather than dodging the attack of his enemy, he dashes toward Karina and Goro-san and— "Sano-san!"

Blood trickles to the floor.

He was able to punch the guy who was about to hit Karina and Goro-san with a metal bat, but, his side is bleeding from the wound inflicted by the other guy.

"Sano-san!" Karina's feet spring up. She approaches the blond boy.

Sano-san stops her with one bloody hand. "I said stay there. This is nothing." As if the beast inside him reawakens, Sano-san approaches his opponents with even more speed, knocking them down to the ground.

A moment more then the delinquents are running away from the two middle schoolers, like dogs with their tails between their legs.

"Mikey! Draken!" Emma runs outside of the convenience store, supporting the injured Mitsuya. He's losing so much blood. "We need to treat your wounds right now!"

"We can't go to the hospital near here." Draken is panting. He cleans his sweaty and bloody face with his shirt's sleeve. "The other hospital's an hour and a half ride. If only we have our bike with us."

"Then we need to go fast. Mikey and Mitsuya might bleed to death." Emma is close to crying.

Karina stands up and speaks, "My school is closer."

"But, Karina-chan, the Nurse's Office might already be closed by now."

"No. Terada-sensei often stays at least until 7 pm. She waits for the club members to finish." She's sure that the nurse is still there. Sometimes, she hides there when she's running away from Aiko and her group.

Sano-san asks Draken, "What time is it now?"

"30 minutes past 6."

"Tsk. We won't get there on time. Maybe we should—"

"I'll give you hooligans a ride." Standing with his cane, the old Goro-san looks both strong and fragile. He fishes his keys from his pocket and starts walking away. "What are you waiting for? Christmas?"

The teens look at each other. Without the need for words, they all agree to go with the store owner.

"H-How about the shop, Goro-san?" Karina doesn't need to hear the answer because the elder had already closed its blinds and locked it from the outside.

"There. No worries. Let's go."

The sun is about to set, painting the sky with the most beautiful hues of pink and orange. Sitting in the passenger seat, Karina looks at it and thinks it's melancholic. Her eyes fly to where Mitsuya and Sano-san are. They're sitting in between Draken and Emma, acting tough though in pain. They wince and grunt whenever they pass a hump or a bumpy road.

When they reach the school, it's 10 minutes before 7. They dash towards the Nurse's Office. Terada-sensei is already applying her make-up, ready to leave and have fun for the night.

She's startled by what she sees—two bloody and wounded teenagers.

"To the bed." Terada-sensei is already at her feet, picking the antiseptic, cotton, and some bandages. "What on earth are kids doing nowadays?" Carefully, the nurse cleans and disinfects the wounds of Mitsuya and Sano-san. "I can only do so much. These need stitching. Hold them tight."

While cleaning his wound, Karina notices that Sano-san is looking at her. But when their eyes meet, he quickly averts his gaze.

What was that?

What was that look?

It looked like something close to... hate.

"That's enough." Sano-san thanks the kind nurse. "I need to speak with the rest of Toman. We need to be prepared in case Mammon strikes again." He turns to Draken. "Ken-chin, you good to go?"

"Yeah," the tall boy responds. "But Mitsuya's staying."

The light lilac-haired boy isn't happy with what he heard. He taps his chest with so much force that Karina's sure it hurts. "I'm already okay. Let me go too."

"No." The sound of Sano-san's voice is firm. "You need to rest and not move much. Ow! Ow!"

Terada-sensei presses a finger on the blond boy's wound. "You too, boy, you need to stay put while your injury heals."

"I can't." Despite the nurse's advice, Sano-san stands up, wincing with the pain that he suffers.

Karina understands. Sano-san is Toman's leader and Toman needs him.

She watches him as Draken and the blond leave the Nurse's Office.

The school nurse could only shake her head. "Kids who never get tired of trouble." She asks Karina, "I've never seen those two before. And this kid right here. Are they students here?"

"I-I'm sorry, Terada-sensei. They were badly wounded and got nowhere else to go. They're from different schools."

Sitting down on the chair, the woman crosses her arms near her chest and arched one brow. "They're your friends?"

Uncertain, Karina's eyes search for Emma who nods at her. "Yes," she replied.

The school nurse smiles. "I'm glad for you then." Then she turns to Mitsuya. "You. Sit and don't move."

He sits on the bed near the chair where Karina is sitting at. He strikes up a conversation with her. "Thanks for helping us."

"I-it's nothing."

"My name's Mitsuya. Yours?"

"K-karina Maya, Mitsuya-san."

"Karina, then." He clenches his fist and punches the air. "Don't look so worried for those two. They'll go back to Toman and make a good plan to counter Mammon. Toman's handled much worse. And we have Mikey, Invincible Mikey."

Sano-san's group trusts in Sano-san so deeply—in his heart and in his strength. To lead a group well with members who are confident of his skills, indeed, he's very admirable.

Through the open window, Karina watches the change of colors in the sky, the yellow hue reminding her of a certain blond boy: Sano-san.