Paid in Blood and Teeth

As he walked through the narrow alley, Richard paid close attention to his surroundings. The alley had a single entry and exit point, which could potentially be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Its narrow width only allowed two people to walk side by side. At the forefront, Richard led the way, followed immediately by Hajime, while Shichiro and Toshiyuki took up the rear.

Continuing down the alley, they made a left turn, leading to the rear areas of three buildings. One of these buildings had a staircase, likely serving as access to a low-income apartment complex. Beneath the stairs, the space was cluttered with trash bags and garbage cans. However, what drew Richard's attention more were the five people gathered in the back alley.

Among them, three were standing together, engaged in a conversation. One person was engrossed in his phone, displaying intense concentration, likely immersed in a game. The last one was seated on the stairs, busy with his phone, presumably texting or messaging someone.

"Oi! Are you the ones who messed with these idiots?" Richard shouted, successfully drawing the attention of the group. They turned towards Richard and the others. One of the men, sporting a white hoodie and appearing slightly older than Richard, remarked, "You're here later than expected. So, you're Richard, huh?"

Richard responded with a cocky grin, "Yeah, I am. What? Are you scared?" TThe guy in the hoodie let out a scoffing laugh. "No, why the hell would I be scared of a wannabe thug like you?" he taunted.

The man who had been sitting on the stairs put away his phone and strolled down, standing beside the guy in the hoodie. He added mockingly, "That's the guy we have to beat? Ha! You don't look so tough." This man had a somewhat stout build, but it was evident to Richard that he was more than just overweight. *Judging by his arms, this guy works out a lot, and those ears* Richard thought, observing the man who, much like the guy in the hoodie, seemed a bit older than Richard and had cauliflower ears.

One of the remaining guys, a man with multiple piercings, chimed in, "You really think you can take us with just the four of you? That's pretty fucking hilarious!" As the conversation continued, Richard continued his quiet survey of the surroundings, seeking any potential resources he could use. Simultaneously, he inquired, "So, which one of you is the leader?" The man in the white hoodie promptly answered, "I am. Names Yuu, Takeda Yuu."

Pausing in his observations, Richard shifted his focus back to the group and asked, "Great, Yuu, you're on my list now. How about the rest of your crew introduces themselves? I'd like to know who I'll be informing others about after I teach you a lesson about coming into my territory." Yuu chuckled at Richard's words, proceeding to make introductions. He placed his arm around the man with cauliflower ears, indicating, "This is Katashi," and then gestured to the guy with the piercings, stating, "And this one is Jun."

The remaining men introduced themselves one by one. The one with dyed blond hair declared, "I'm Kei, and let me tell you, you're in for a surprise!" The final introduction came from an average-looking guy wearing a jacket, who simply stated, "Ken'Ichi."

With the introductions concluded, Richard clasped his hands together and announced, "Great! Now that we're all acquainted, I can get down to the business of kicking your asses." A cocky grin played on his face. Yuu responded by grinning back and goading him, "Bring it on."

As Richard prepared to charge at the group, Yuu signaled to Hajime, who nodded in acknowledgment. Hajime swung his metal baseball bat with full force, aiming for the back of Richard's head. The bat connected with a resounding SMACK, sending Richard tumbling to the ground.

Richard lay on the ground, groaning in pain as he turned to face Hajime. "You piece of shi-" he began, but Hajime abruptly halted him with a soccer kick to the stomach. Richard coughed from the force of the blow. "Stay the fuck down!" Hajime ordered.

"Why the fuck are you doing this?" Richard managed to wheeze out, looking up at Hajime. The latter glared down at Richard, his face twisted with anger. "Why am I doing this? Like you don't fucking know. What did you do when you first transferred to Aoyama High, huh?" Richard's memory flashed back to about a year ago, recalling, "Yeah, you beat the hell out of us and made us your slaves, forcing us to do whatever the fuck you wanted. And if we so much as deviated even slightly from your liking, you beat us until we were knocked unconscious. Don't act like this was unexpected, motherfucker, you had this coming!" Hajime shouted, releasing his pent-up anger. Meanwhile, Yuu nonchalantly lit up a cigarette, seemingly enjoying the show.

Still on the ground, Richard looked at Yuu and questioned, "Why the hell are you helping them?" He gestured towards Hajime and continued, "Simple. He paid me. Though, it looks like all we had to do was be here; he's taking care of you just fine."

Hajime, gripping his baseball bat, declared, "Now, it's time to pay you back for all the shit you put us through." As Shichiro and Toshiyuki approached Richard, ready to join in the attack, Hajime raised his bat menacingly.

However, something unexpected happened: Richard started laughing. His laughter confused Yuu and his gang. "He's lost his mind," Jun commented.

Hajime demanded, "The hell are you laughing about?" But Richard, still laughing like a maniac, replied, "Because of how pathetic you all are, obviously! Clearly, I didn't discipline you idiots enough since you pulled something like this." As he began to get up and reached his knees, Hajime yelled, "I said stay down!" and swung his bat, but Richard grabbed it mid-swing, stopping the attack in its tracks.

"Come on, Hajime, you'll have to try harder than that," Richard taunted as he effortlessly got up and flashed a toothy grin at Hajime, who struggled to pull the bat from his grip. But no matter how hard Hajime pulled, the bat wouldn't budge.

Before Hajime could react, Richard executed a quick and powerful kick aimed at Hajime's stomach. The impact was brutal, causing Hajime to double over, coughing violently. He drooled, unable to maintain his grip on the bat, which slid from his grasp, ending up in Richard's control.

Shichiro, fueled by anger, drew his arm back, preparing to deliver a haymaker right at Richard's face. However, Richard, with impeccable timing, flung the bat into the air and executed a nimble duck under Shichiro's punch.

Seizing the opportunity, Richard pivoted with precision and delivered a devastating liver shot to Shichiro. The punch landed with pinpoint accuracy, driving all the air out of Shichiro's lungs. The impact was concentrated on the right side of Shichiro's lower ribcage, and it hit with such force that Shichiro crumpled to the ground, clutching his side in excruciating pain. Tears welled up in his eyes as he groaned in agony.

Before Toshiyuki could react or intervene, Richard acted with ruthless efficiency. He grabbed the bat out of the air as it descended, maintaining a perfect grip. With a calculated swing, he unleashed another blow.

This time, the bat struck the left side of Toshiyuki's face, targeting his cheek and jaw. The impact was devastating, causing immediate damage. Several teeth were knocked out, and Toshiyuki's cheekbone took the brunt of the force. He reeled back in shock, dazed, and disoriented.

But Richard wasn't finished. He swung the bat yet again, this time directing his fury towards the right side of Toshiyuki's face. The strike was merciless, aiming for his jaw and the remnants of his teeth. The bat struck with such intensity that it rendered Toshiyuki unconscious. His face was battered, bloodied, and grotesquely swollen.

"What the hell is this, Hajime? I thought you were trying to beat me down!" Richard laughed cruelly, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and malice. He turned to Hajime, who remained on his knees, clutching his aching stomach.

Hajime looked toward Yuu, who remained unbothered while he continued to smoke, his demeanor as nonchalant as that of his gang members.

"What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you helping us!" Hajime's frustration erupted in a yell, directed towards Yuu. The disparity between what Hajime expected and the reality he faced was evident in his expression. Yuu, casually taking a drag of his cigarette, nonchalantly responded, "100,000 yen."

Hajime's shock was palpable. "You said 30,000 yen; why are you-" His words were abruptly cut short by Yuu's explanation. "Simple, he's stronger than I thought, so you gotta pay extra or we bail."

Amid the chaos, Richard seized the opportunity to further taunt Hajime, laughing and saying, "What are you going to do, Hajime? Are you going to pay them, or are you going to die?" The mocking tone in his voice only intensified Hajime's sense of desperation.

Hajime, his breathing rapid and his body drenched in sweat, was caught between a rock and a hard place. He glanced nervously between Richard, who continued to display an unsettling smile, and Yuu's gang.

With a heavy sigh, he eventually capitulated, realizing he had no other option. "Fine, I'll pay. Just help us!" he conceded. Yuu exhaled the last drag of his cigarette, acknowledging the decision.

Yuu, exhaling a cloud of smoke, gestured to Katashi. "Take care of him," he ordered, his grin reflecting a twisted anticipation. Katashi's response was a smile, and he cracked his fingers menacingly.

Meanwhile, Richard, still grinning with maniacal glee, laid the bat against the back alley wall, appearing unfazed. "You're gonna regret putting that down," Katashi sneered, to which Richard responded with a sadistic chuckle, taunting, "You're going to regret being born, you fat pig." Their clash loomed as they got ready to fight.