R e n e g a d e s 🕯 High&Low

vol.21: Noboru

「It's not our fate, we could be the renegades.」

When I realized we were heading in the direction of Itokan, I thought of Naomi and my heart picked up speed. Had something happened to her? I swear, if someone hurt her I'll hunt them down and kill them!

We burst through the door into the diner and froze, our eyes widening in shock. The diner had been completely trashed. Shattered glass littered the floor among pictures and papers. The chandelier had been pulled down, the glass broken atop the table and wires hanging from the ceiling. Nothing had been left untouched.

Naomi was sitting at the bar, staring blankly at something she held in her hands. I frowned, quickly approaching her. The thing she was holding was a picture of a guy wearing a leather jacket, the word 'Mugen' printed on the back. This must be her brother... I set my hand on her shoulder.

"Naomi, are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

She didn't even react and I wasn't sure she could even hear me. She must be in shock and I have no idea how to deal with that.

The door swung open and Yamato rushed inside, breathing heavily. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene before him, his eyes snapping over to us. "Naomi..." And then he rushed over to us, his anger increasing with every step. "Oi, who did this?!"

"Yamato!" Cobra snapped angrily, nodding his head toward the back wall.

Yamato followed his gaze, slowly stepping forward. Sannoh's logo had been covered by another, drawn with white spray paint. "White Rascals..."

I swallowed nervously at the name, lowering my head. Is this because of me? Because I went to their club without knowing it?

"Why would they come here?" Yamato questioned quietly, more to himself than to us.

I should tell them the truth. This is my fault, I need to own up to it. I took a step forward, my lips parting but Dan suddenly stood up, looking as guilty as I felt.

"All I did was go to a club..."

"A club?" Yamato echoed.

"I didn't know it was theirs."

Dan was there, too? Jesus, we royalty screwed up, didn't we. I cleared my throat, rushing over to Dan's side. "It's an easy mistake to make! I mean, with all the bright lights and the people, their logo would be easy to overlook, especially if you're not looking for it. Right?" I nudged Dan in the ribs.

"R-Right."

Cobra tilted his head, eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. "What the hell did you do?"

"It was accident, I swear -"

"Jen." He practically growled my name and I knew he was beyond pissed which meant I shouldn't push my luck.

"I was there, too."

Dan's eyes snapped to me in surprise and I sent him a sheepish look.

Yamato looked between us in disbelief. "You both went to the White Rascals' club?"

"I was seduced by a strange woman," Dan told him.

We both hung our heads in shame. We hadn't done anything wrong, not intentionally, yet it was obvious we both felt guilty as hell for causing trouble for Sannoh. And poor Naomi... I was about to admit why I had been there when Cobra shot off the stool like a goddamn rocket. He grabbed Dan by the shoulder, shoving him hard against the wall. I winced at the sound it made, knowing it had to hurt.

"What did you do?"

Tettsu had come in the back entrance a moment before and he stepped closer to the pair. "Cobra-san, please stop. I'm also at fault." Cobra shoved him back roughly, his eyes never leaving Dan's, but Tettsu moved closer again. "I thought it was suspicious but I didn't stop him."