young adults · toxic relationship · abusive mentor · tsundere · stoic · physical abuse · high school · rivalry · angst
The Crow entourage, deprived of Jean, languishes under Rico's tyranny. After sixteen grueling hours of training, Kevin and Nathaniel, legs like jelly, dragged themselves to Moriyama's room. What awaited them wasn't a talk but a punishment. Rico beat them both—first for their 'incompetence' on the field, then for Nathaniel's biting remarks. Returning late at night, the boys were a bloody mess: Kevin's knees and face were shredded, Nathaniel's nose was busted, possibly with broken ribs. The silence shatters with Kevin's hysterical sobs, crying from the pain and terror.