𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 - high&low the worst: x cross

SIXTEEN

—[ t r u s t f u n d b a b y ]—
}{
{ woah, it feels good putting on
your dirty clothes.
you're something different, rockin',
rollin', swagin', swagger, wrong! }
free falling; 01

c h a p t e r s i x t e e n
「 u n d e r t h e s k i n 」
}{

Ryo Suzaki does not talk much. He's very modest unlike his best friend who adorns himself with load and loads of jewelry. Although, Ryo only wears a fleur-de-lis necklace similar to one Gina wears(also gifted by Kōhei). Ryo didn't wear much jewellery like Kōhei did because he didn't want to attract any attention to himself and keep the attention on his best friend. Kōhei was his best friend and he'll do anything for him but now, he is regretting many things.

He was young when his father's business failed, so his father ended up working with the Amagai Group as their driver temporarily until the company got back together. Kōhei's father had helped his father out a lot, hence Ryo has always been with Kōhei Amagai since childhood. Kōhei is the heir of the Amagai Group which owns several businesses and is essentially super rich, old money(but not as old as the Nakamoto Empire that Gina's stepfather handles). However as they both went to different elementary schools, they became distant. Growing up, Ryo's father told him "do your best for the boy" which resulted in Ryo doing all of his dirty work for his so-called best friend

When Ryo was younger, he was a bit more on the weaker side. He got bullied but Kōhei helped him out— but that was before the drifted apart due to being in different schools. Eventually, Ryo had a growth spurt and began working out more, training and becoming very strong. Due to his quiet and more reserved nature along with the fact he remained undefeated, Ryo was known as a "lone genius".

It was in high school when Ryo and Kōhei reunited. To say Ryo was confused by Kōhei's sudden transformation into an asshole-sadist-bully, would be an understatement. Nonetheless, Ryo stuck by him, after all, it was his father's wish that he stayed by Kōhei's side.

The two of them took over Senomen together— it was more like Ryo beating the shit out of anyone Kōhei told him to but, same thing. Saboten had been the former leader until Ryo had beat his ass for Kōhei as well. Sometimes Ryo wonders just how much of him his best friend wants till he's satisfied. Will he be thrown away too one day?

It was the end of second year when Ryo attended Hideoyoshi Nakamoto's wedding to a lady with a daughter. Kōhei didn't attend the wedding due to catching a fever. Ryo remembers very clearly seeing a very pretty girl surrounded by rowdy boys wearing suits bought by the girl's stepfather. The girl he'd later know as Gina Miyama, the daughter of Ume Miyama and the new stepdaughter of Hideoyoshi Nakamoto, the richest of the rich.

Ryo later meets Gina with Kōhei at another party, this time she didn't have any rowdy boys with her. She was still very pretty. Too pretty to be so in love with someone as shitty as his best friend. Ryo isn't sure how Kōhei got Gina to fall in love with him. It confused him. But maybe, Ryo thinks, no matter how much of an asshole you are, you have to fall in love at some point. But now Ryo doesn't think it's love Kōhei is feeling towards Gina. Kōhei saw Gina as an object to possess and at first he didn't really care since it wasn't his relationship but soon it began to make him feel sick.

It all started when Kōhei was going over the plan of taking over Oya High or something like that before the whole alliance idea with Ehara and Kamasaka. Ryo wasn't exactly listening. However when Kōhei showed him the pictures of the main guys he had to take down, Fujio Hanaoka and Yosuke Todoroki. It was them, he'd seen them at the wedding with Gina.

He'd always been suspicious of Gina, knowing she was most likely hiding something from the both of them and these two pictures confirmed it. When she'd come back from her visits to Oya City and re-tell what she did there, Ryo could tell there were gaps in the stories. Like when Kōhei would ask her 'what the fuck did you do that fucked up your knees and hands?' while pointing at her bandages knees and knuckles. Gina would say she fell and without a doubt, Ryo knew she was telling the truth just not the whole truth.

She was friends with them, the boys from Oya High School and had been denying it all this time. Ryo had done his own digging, asking around, following her(yes it was kind of weird but he wanted to know what was going on). There he found out about Gina's past and a newfound respect for her. She had been in a whole yakuza war, fought with a guy wielding a sword, fought drug lords and made a name for herself as Oya High's princess.

Ryo couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. It was a bit stupid of him to feel that way since he's never really been to nice to Gina or helped her out when Numa Tsuda was being rude. But he was jealous knowing she had people that cared for her and that maybe after all she was never theirs.

That night when he texted Gina to come out and see him, he wanted to tell her about Kōhei's plan. She deserved to know her childhood friends may be in danger. Maybe that was him betraying Kōhei but Ryo could only be so ignorant. However, Gina didn't even want to come out and listen to him and Ryo knew he would overthink his texts and something like that would be better to hear in person. He figures it's only a matter of time till Gina finds out.

But one thing Ryo doesn't understand is why Kōhei seems to be so close to Aya Nishiyama.

—
a/n:
the pictures of Todoroki and Fujio Kōhei shows Ryo are different from the ones Kōhei took from Gina's room

Surprise surprise, Ryo doesn't know Kōhei is cheating