Doormat

Haruto glanced up at Enji, who stood before him, a sharp look in his eyes.

'Is Daiki really that dangerous?' He thought, the question gnawing at him.

"I didn't give him an answer. He just... left me alone," He finally said. 

The truth was, he had been too overwhelmed with anger, too caught off guard to respond at all.

Enji and Nakamura exchanged glances. Nakamura resumed the tattoo, but Enji shook his head, his gaze still locked on him. 

"What the hell happened to make him ask you to spar with him?" His voice was serious, his brow furrowed in concern.

Haruto blinked in surprise. "Wait... he wants to fight me?" A smirk tugged at his lips. 'Isn't this perfect? I can beat him to a pulp.'

Seeing the shift in his expression, Enji rolled his eyes. He reached out and slapped the back of his head.

"Don't smile like that. It's not funny, idiot."

He then grabbed one of the nearby plastic chairs, flipping it around and straddling it beside Haruto. 

His gaze was piercing, almost as if he was trying to drill some sense into him. 

"That Underground Ring? It's not just a fight. It's Daiki's playground—his torture chamber. He doesn't fight; he toys with people."

Haruto's confidence wavered, but he tried to maintain his bravado. "You really think I'll go down that easily?"

Enji scoffed, exhaling sharply. "No, I think you'll fuck up that easily."

Nakamura, listening while still working on Haruto's tattoo, chuckled. "Relax, Enji."

"The fight's on Saturday, right? We've got time to prepare. Why don't we throw him into our Dog Cage?"

"Hm… not a bad idea." Enji rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Dog Cage?" Haruto's eyebrows shot up as he glanced between the two.

"Our underground fighting ring. If you win, you get a hefty sum of money," Nakamura explained with a grin, his gloved hand still moving the tattoo needle over his back.

Haruto's eyes lit up. Money. He could almost feel the weight of it in his hands, already imagining what he could do for his family. 

If he earned enough, he could finally take control of his household, be the provider, the one no one could cross—especially his drunk father. 

'If I have that kind of power, I'll get rid of that drunkard once and for all,' Haruto thought, already plotting. 

'I know that man will leave us in the future, but it won't satisfy me until I see despair in his eyes.' 

Enji, noticing the fire in Haruto's eyes, smirked. "Don't get cocky. You haven't even beaten me yet."

"But you're the reigning champ," Nakamura pointed out. "If Haruto can take you down, that's solid preparation."

"Also, you might want to talk to Kikuchi about payment for today's work."

Haruto raised an eyebrow. "Wait, I get paid for delivering that money earlier?"

Nakamura nodded. "Of course. The job's dangerous, especially with the cops tightening security along the coast."

Haruto listened closely and understood why they had been chased by the police. It was rare for them to stop a car out of nowhere. 

Enji chimed in. "Is there a mole?"

Nakamura nodded grimly. "Seems like it. More cops have been sniffing around lately."

"Damn," Enji rubbed the back of his neck, his face growing more serious. 

"We might need to ditch that car. Or at least modify it so it's not a dead giveaway. We got chased by the police earlier."

"Talk to Kikuchi about that yourself," Nakamura said. "I'm not dealing with him when he's in a mood."

Enji sighed, then shot Haruto a side glance, as if he was thinking of making him a scapegoat. 

Sensing the shift, He cleared his throat, trying to think fast. "Actually, I have to get going. I promised my sister I'd meet her." 

He lied, not wanting to be the one who told Kikuchi. Based on his analysis, the leader was the one who had a bad temper and was scary. 

Nakamura laughed, amused. "Yeah, right."

Enji just shook his head, "No, you and I both will go down to hell." 

Haruto just answered it with a sigh of disappointment, he didn't have a choice. 

Finally, after the tattoo was done, Haruto stood up, glancing at the mirror. His reflection showed the crow, wings spread wide across his back. 

He turned his head, admiring it for a moment, then pulled his shirt back on. 

He decided to get just a single piercing in his ear—simple, but enough to fit in without standing out too much.

Afterward, Haruto and Enji approached Kikuchi about the car and the upcoming fight in the Dog Cage. 

Kikuchi, rather than getting angry, simply glared at Enji but said nothing. His sharp eyes lingered on Haruto, though, as if weighing him up for something far more dangerous.

The underground fights were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. Haruto would need to be ready, especially since Enji was also participating. 

The conversation shifted to money as they wrapped things up. Kikuchi, leaning back, tossed a thick stack of cash at Haruto. 

It landed in his lap with a soft thud, and Haruto's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never had so much money in his life, especially earned in just one night. 

His fingers hesitated before grabbing the stack, almost afraid it might disappear.

"If you've got more deliveries, just let me know, boss," Haruto said, his voice filled with excitement as he stuffed the money into his pocket.

Kikuchi smirked but then leaned forward, his expression shifting to one of playfulness but with his serious face still on. 

Seeing how excited his new member was, made him want to tease him. 

"You know what, I've changed my mind. Hand it back." He extended his hand toward Haruto. "You need to pay for the damage to the car."

Haruto's smile didn't falter, but he shook his head confidently. "Nah, boss. Once it's in my pocket, it stays there. Can't take back what's already mine."

Kikuchi gave a long sigh, rolling his eyes but ultimately letting it slide and laugh. 

"I thought you don't have a ball since you always have that kind of aura in you, you know, someone that easily stepped on like a dirty rag." 

Hearing that, Haruto's eyes widened as he rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't respond to his boss, but the words kept sinking deep into him. 

As if he was still the old Haruto, the same Haruto that was perfectly described by Kikuchi.

But the thing was he let things slide just because he didn't want to have any problem with anyone.

However, the problem won't stop just because he was a doormat.

After that brief exchange, Haruto and Enji walk back to their resort as the light conversation about high school life still goes on.