The Shield We Carry

"I don't care who the father is, and I don't care how many cowards run away. I won't let anyone cast you out. If you can't fight right now, then I'll be your shield."

Akihiko Nirei's world shatters the morning he realizes an unexpected variable is growing inside his changing body. To make matters worse, the father the elegant, traditional-clad Hayato Suo has completely vanished into the radio-silent, complex underworld of Bankoku-gai, leaving Nirei to drown in the quiet isolation of his own fear.

Bracing for absolute rejection, Nirei expects to be a burden to Bofurin. Instead, Haruka Sakura steps into the line of fire. Bound by the painful ghosts of his own abandoned childhood, the fierce captain vows to stand as Nirei's absolute shield locking his fists and taking the heat for the suffocating rumors threatening to tear Class 1-1 apart.

But a secret this heavy cannot stay hidden forever. When Suo's dangerous syndicate ties spark a brutal retaliation, a bloody battle for survival forces three broken delinquents to grow up overnight. Trapped between the violent boundaries of the Red Chanpuru and the terrifying, beautiful reality of raising a mismatched-eyed baby named Haru, they must learn what it truly means to fight for a home.