High & Low Finale

9th Act: The Hidden truths

His steps were heavy, difficult to lift and hard to move forward. In his severe and harrowing life, he never imagined a mischievous doze of annoyance recklessly pushing its way closer and closer to him. Everything he wanted, everything he cared about, and everything he needed to protect were around the Sannoh Region. His daily reality was the same, even when the days became darker. They had to fight, they had to see their friends die. But there were also good days. Days filled with hope and happiness. But even those took another turn, as the fussing "punk" appeared in his life.

Nothing was the same. Even he couldn't recognize himself anymore. His actions were deviating. His mind covered with unusual thoughts. And those unfamiliar emotions, he couldn't handle. Every and each day, since he met that "punk" he had to deal with something new. Exhausting were those days. What would come next, he couldn't know. He couldn't guess. The leader of the Hoodlum Squad was able always to read people and situations. But now he couldn't hunch what the next moment would bring in his doorstep.

With his mind busy, and his steps heavy he had finally reached the Bar Odake. He pushed the door and stepped inside. Yamato and Noboru were already there drinking. It was already late, and like every night they would gather around the Bar Odake. To drink, to talk and sort out their problem each day. Only today the issue was Cobra. Since the previous night when he left with Kira, no one had seen him yet. Until now. He was wearing different clothes than yesterday, and surely those were not his clothes. They looked like old, and clothes that Cobra wouldn't wear.

"Where have you been?" Yamato asked him as he noticed his friend taking a seat next to the bar counter. He had never seen Cobra so beaten. "Did anything happen? I was worried. We looked for you and Kira, with Naomi last night. I even called you."

Noboru gazed at them both curious. Lately, he missed a lot of those Kira moments, since he was busy with college and Miho. "He never picks up his phone, if he is busy," he commented.

Cobra exhaled "I need a drink!" he said gazing at the Bar Odake Mama. He really wasn't in the mood to tell them what had happened. But even if he was, there was no way he would tell them any of that. Thinking only the mocking he would get. They already made fun of him, with his Inoki lines. Now, envision if they found out that he almost ended up marrying Kira. The leader of the Sannoh Rengokai married to that "punk". He shook his head and drunk the tequila (that the bar owner poured him a few seconds ago) one-shot.

"I'm alive. There is nothing more to add." he responded, making clear there was no way he would reveal anything else. "How are things here?" Cobra asked.

Yamato turned his body half aside and faced him like he was ready to tell him something important "Today I went with Rocky and Murayama at the area you send us yesterday."

"Oi! What did you find out?" Cobra asked him with a crawly look on his face.

"Those guys we fought back then when they had ganged up against Kira. We found them." Cobra's gaze turned into more serious as Yamato went on telling him "Though they were dressed into a school uniform. We followed them, and found they added an Elite High school."

Cobra tilted his head edging as he pressed his right fist against his jaw "High School students?" he asked confused.

"Yes. We found out they had some kind of competition going on. 'Whose gonna beat more people.' They had most videos as private upload. That's why we found only few." Noboru added seriously.

The leader of the Hoodlum Squad gave a fast glance at his friend "Noboru were you there also?"

"I called him. How would we enter high school? Only Noboru managed to get inside. The students took it as a game. The teachers interfered too. It was a big mess. The teachers managed to find out which students were behind it. We left them to handle it." Yamato concluded.