146 He Returned to School

"Will you be able to join classes in the same year as me?" Devon shouted in surprise upon learning that Dash would not be assigned a grade higher or lower than hers in high school.

Now sixteen years old, Dash, who was a year older than Devon, should have been a year ahead of her. However, due to losing a year when he was young, he ended up meeting her.

"Haha, did you think I would disappear from your side? I'm like an ingrown toenail; the more I'm here, the more I'll stay." Dash shouted while trimming his fingernails.

Devon looked at Dash, who lived in her house like a brother, shook her head, and focused on posting some photos on the internet.

According to Dash, having a certain number of followers was good if you planned to reach a specific group of people in the future.

Dash, who was momentarily silent, had an idea and said, "By the way, I have the design for the tattoo I want, so I want you to take a look."

Devon was surprised; before she could say anything, Dash showed her a photograph depicting the roots of a tree in black and white, which he understood to be a Sakura tree, like the Sakura Bushido logo.

"Do you know it looks more like a dry stick than a Sakura tree?" Devon questioned, looking Dash in the eyes.

Dash looked at the image again and asked, "Do you think so too? I thought Eli was crazy, but now that you mention it, you have a point. Still, it looks good on my arm."

"When do you want to go?"

"Now, Eli told me he'd be there to introduce me to the tattoo artist, so I want you to come with me." Dash said as he dragged Devon toward the door.

Devon chuckled and asked, "Won't you cry when you get the tattoo?"

"I'm a war machine, girl, I won't cry for something like that." Dash stopped and smiled arrogantly; he had pain under control, so he dismissed Devon's words.

On the way, Devon played several videos from nearby cameras showing needles tattooing people's skin hundreds of times, making Dash increasingly nervous. He wasn't entirely calm.

He was following Chozen's words; he said to take certain things to offer them to his pains and sorrows, so he believed that getting a tattoo would make things feel lighter inside him.

"Don't you want to get a tattoo?" Dash smiled wickedly when asking this question.

Devon noticed his gaze without even turning her head to Dash but chose to ignore that question and said, "Getting a tattoo is not something to be taken lightly. I think my parents would kill me if I came home with a tattoo."

"That, or you're afraid of pain..." Dash whispered as he parked the car outside the place Eli had recommended.

Devon frowned; she didn't want to fall into Dash's subtle traps and said, "If the tattoo artist does a good job, I'll consider it. Meanwhile, I'll be by your side supporting you."

"How sweet of you. Now, let's get down; the ink is drying."

...

Eli, who had received a call a few days ago asking if he knew a good place for tattoos, recommended his friend, who had tattooed a beautiful falcon on him.

"Pain is training; you won't feel anything when the needle pierces your skin multiple times."

Dash looked at Eli's new appearance, now calling himself Hawk, and said, "I don't know which Eli I like more; I guess I'll stick with the current one..."

"Karate changed my life; you were right when you invited me before."

Devon looked at Dash, and after exchanging greetings, everyone entered. She didn't have much to say about Eli, who had radically changed his personality.

"This is Dash; he just came from Japan and kicked everyone's ass in the tournament," Eli boasted to the tattoo artist, who seemed to be in an astral journey.