Disclaimer: What can I say? I'm just reimagining Tokyo Revengers and its original characters and plot(that do not belong to me) with my own characters and plot!

I swear on my dead cat's name, that this chapter took a long time to come out cause I kept rewriting it!

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"Your cup was already empty— Ack!" I slapped Aoi's shoulder.

"The hell Arai? That hurt!" She whined.

"Whoops, my hand slipped. I didn't mean to hit you, so sorry," I played it off coolly, averting my eyes from her with an intended smile.

She understood, and begrudgingly kept quiet.

We all rearranged ourselves according to Nagumo's instructions. In the end the pairings for the mixer were; Aoi and Keizo at the further most left end of the table, then Harumi and Takeomi, which was followed by me and Shinichiro, to lastly Nagumo and Wakasa (of course) at the further most end in the right.

Honestly, I somewhat felt attacked by my pairing.

Then again this could just be a matter of pure coincidence…

But who am I kidding? Nagumo loves playing matchmaker.

I should've bolted out of here when I got the chance after hearing that Nagumo was the hostess for this silly little get-together.

Never really felt like I had the energy for this sort of thing.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. We're all here as friends, so let's not talk about our other 'work' and stick to getting along and having a fun time together, mn yeah?" Oddly enough, Shinichiro was the one who first spoke.

We all knew Shinichiro to be the lovesick boss of Black Dragon but people weren't always one-dimensional. In the case of Sano Shinichiro, he can be serious and assertive when needed. Being a leader is no easy task, of course. I mean, how else was he supposed to run a big and mighty gang like Black Dragon if he couldn't compose himself?

True, you can't go wrong that he's a love sick fellow. But isn't that normal?

Hormones are crazy, especially when you're a teenager. For instance, Nagumo likes Wakasa but she isn't a scattered brain (as much) whenever he's near her. He's features were above average looking and I can see why she and many others would fawn over him. But I'm sure she'll grow out of her infatuation, afterall I doubt he was going to be her true love.

"Ah, yes. That would be good," Nagumo agreed, putting her hand together in an A-shaped gesture with a delighted smile. "Alright, Wakasa told me that the food is going to be served soon. For now, I think an introduction is best to pass some time! So tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies, aspiration, or anything in general if you're willing to share with the rest of us,"

"Then I'll go first," Aoi announced as soon as Nagumo was done speaking. "My name's Goto Aoi. I like collecting books. So, I'm a bit of a bookworm. As for my aspirations, I might want to become a pediatrician, but who knows? I'm still thinking about it,"

I broke into an overly enthusiastic thundering applause for Aoi and soon it was followed by the clapping of everyone else at the table.

Okay I admit, I'm getting too excited even though we're still at introductions.

The spotlight automatically shifted onto her partner, Keizo. "Arashi Keizo, but my friends call me 'Benkei.' Though calling me by my given name is also fine—-"

The nickname really does suit him very much. 'Benkei' was the name of a character renowned for his monstrous strength, and a warrior monk with a scary ogre-like face and a beast-like build. Now, that doesn't seem so far-fetched with Keizo's physical appearance. Though, the nickname can also be considered as an underlying insult, since it does suggest calling the person an ugly brute.

Keizo continues on with his saying. "-as for my likes and aspirations, they are still undecided… I do a lot of bench presses. That's gotta be something. Though, I'll do whatever suits me best, I guess"

I feel my lips curl into a grin. I didn't know Keizo had a comedic side to him. I've always heard how much of a berserker he was, and I guess that tempered my initial impression on him. I myself shouldn't have judged a book by its cover.

I respected him for it, so I clapped loudly while whistling. It earned a few concerned stares in my direction but I ignored them.

I'm not that hard to impress really. (or at least I think I am…)

"Don't worry about the gremlin boys," Aoi assured those who were growing increasingly wary of me.

"I won't bite… just yet,"

"Okay…" Keizo muttered, yet there was still a hint of unsureness at the last bit that I had said.

As if I was going to start biting anyone right now.

"Relax, I really won't," I promised them yet there will still some uncertain looks.

Harumi raised her hand, signaling for her turn. "You done? So I'm next. The name's Nomura Harumi. I like traveling a lot so I'll do something related to that in the distant future. Going to places, and seeing new things is fun y'know? So yeah, that's pretty much it,"

By now, it had become an unspoken rule to clap whenever someone had finished their introductions. You ought to love how nonchalant she was with her introduction. It kinda hyped me up for Takeomi's turn since they seem quite similar.

Harumi's love for traveling might have been due to her family often going on vacation overseas. I'm a little jealous of her, but I don't see myself really going to such high places. Though I love the idea of going around the world, I haven't had the time to go around exploring the whole of Japan just yet.

Maybe… one day.

….That is if I have the money, of course.

Next was Takeomi. He was quite a mystery to me compared to the rest of Black Dragon. I've seen him around multiple times here and there at several gang hangout spots. But then… How do I say this? He was quite plain. I've tried digging up some information on him but it's always lacking. It's like he doesn't really do anything noteworthy aside from being by Shinichiro's side. Still, there must be something more to him aside from that since he is trusted by Shinichiro and is the second-in-command of Black Dragon.

I also believe that Shinichiro wasn't a bad judge on character, so there must be something about Takeomi for him to remain by Shinichiro's side.

"Akashi Takeomi. I have two younger siblings though sometimes I wonder if they were the spawn of Satan. Anyways, if I'm not taking care of them, then I would spend most of my time hanging out with the guys, going on rides and stuff like that. I'm just going with the flow but I have no idea what I want to do in the future. That's about it,"

Cue the applause.

Surprisingly, I find Takeomi to be quite a responsible older brother although he didn't seem like the type. A quality in which I lacked. No matter, his introduction gave more depth about what kind of person he was. I would have been very disappointed if he were as boring as I thought he would have been.

Following them, it was Shinichiro and me.

Their eyes— more specifically, my girls— were gleaming dangerously.

I dreaded this.

Maybe I should stall for time, I haven't thought about what I wanted to say yet.

I rested my chin above my palm as I gave Shinichiro a pointed look. "Maybe you should go first," I muttered.

"Me, isn't it normally ladies first?" He retaliated.

I gave him a devious smirk. "Hmm, you may not know this but that saying originally had an inappropriate meaning. Unless you're clueless, I may have though you were-"

"OKAY I GET IT!" Shinichiro interjected before I could continue.

"Thank you!" I immediately chimed.

Shinichiro sighed but he nevertheless went on with his introduction. "I've been played…"He said to himself. "My name is Sano Shinichiro. I like motorbikes and lately I've been working part-time at an automobile bike shop. If you guys have any queries for your bikes, I'm your guy. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to open a bike shop of my own, but for now I'll be learning from the best!"

Shinichiro's introduction was somewhat what I expected. I've been at his warehouse

/personal workshop, so I knew that he was very dedicated to his craft. His tools were proudly displayed on the wall while there were plenty of opened boxes with motorcycle parts. I imagined he was such a motorcycle enthusiast so he kept purchasing accessories to customize his bike. In a way, he reminded me of my father although my old man was not much of a die-hard fan like him.

Out of everyone that has done their sharing so far, I felt that Shinichiro had thought about his work a bunch of times. He seems to know what he wants and is working towards it.

That makes him an even more remarkable person to me.

The clapping broke me out from my train of thoughts.

It was time for my part of the introduction. "I'm Hinode Araya, but please call me Arai for short. I like to do art as a pastime, which I don't really have the time for these days. My dream is to finish school and sleep as much as I want…. I don't really know what I want to really do," I sighed. "But I tell myself, if I can't decide, I'll just go volunteer in the JSDF(Japan Self-Defence Force),"

And like that I casually dropped a bomb on them.

Aoi's jaw dropped while Nagumo and Harumi's expressions turned pallid. As for the guys, they were stunned with disbelief. What else was new?

"Seriously the JSDF? You have got to be kidding me, Arai?" Harumi spoke first. "I know you like being full of surprises but you need to know that you can't just say things like that," She stressed.

Well, their reactions were something I expected when I pulled that last bit.

There was an awkward silence after that but they clapped nevertheless.

No one likes talking about the Military even though we're not supposed to have one, and it's for good reason. Japan essentially had a bloody history of war with the recent one being over a couple of decades ago which ended in quite an explosive manner. Japan didn't have a forced conscription, people were allowed to volunteer their service but not many people would of course. Since nobody wanted to be associated with anything war-related, the JSDF and other military branches in Japan were often looked down on by many people as it was seen as not being anti military.

Then there was me who nonchalantly said she wanted to join the JSDF. It wasn't something decided on a whim by the way, I just don't know what to do after high school. Going to the military seemed like a secure route to me and plus there were a lot of benefits for volunteering(like financially). That being said, I should've known better that it was quite a taboo topic for me to suddenly bring up.

"Maybe… Nevermind me, it's time for our prized couple!" I said enthusiastically.

Finally, we have the most anticipated people, Wakasa and Nagumo.

Afterall, this whole get-together started because of them.

"By the way, Umo-chan, you wouldn't mind sharing the specifics of how and where the both of you met? Wouldn't it be even more interesting that way?" Aoi suggested as she wiggled her brows, and she knew what she was doing once she brought that up.

It definitely hooked everybody's attention.

At this Nagumo was reduced to a blushing mess—a rare sight for the girl as she normally held up her composure fairly well—as she covered her face she tried to muster a cohesive sentence. "Well, w-we met by chance as I was meeting up with my friend from cram school, and he was also there, and it turns out they were cousins. He immediately caught my eyes and things happen,"

I erupted into a fit of laughter at Nagumo's recount while Aoi giggled along with me. Wakasa, on the other hand, was receiving jabbings and teasing from his buddies.

"So, Wakasa, what about your side of the story? Come on, Nagumo can't be the only one that was interested, right?" Takeomi mused which immediately switched over the spotlight to Wakasa, who was still with his lazy expression.

At first sight, Wakasa seemed uninterested but don't let that fool you, he's apparently a very perceptive person although he doesn't look like he's paying attention most of the time. To be honest, I think Wakasa's a neat guy. You can't disagree that the man's got style and it compliment's Nagumo's since they're both quite fashion forward people.

You don't see many qualities like that in a guy.

Still, I don't think they were suitable for each other. There was a difference when it came to someone who was similar with the kind of person you are and your compatibility with each them.

Though, the question was how long will they last?

"Umo-chan was cute. Sort of like a rabbit. She seemed like my type and the rest was history." Wakasa shared openly without hesitation yet there was kind of softness as he said it while looking at Nagumo.

This triggered a reaction from the girls as they squealed at the show of open affection. A bold move on Wakasa's part I dare say, finally here's someone that doesn't beat around the bush.

Straightforward is the way to go(sometimes), and I am here for it!

Nagumo began blushing furiously at the compliment. It was a funny scene between the two lovebirds, and I enjoy being on the sidelines of it. Aside from the overloaded cringe, it really felt as if I was watching a romance sitcom.

"Your friend really is daring," I murmured quietly only for the words to reach Shinichiro's ears.

"Oh no, are you going to fall for his charms?" He said boredly, pulling at under his eye bags.

I was aware that Wakasa was a ladies man, and truthfully, he was indeed a hundred times more charming than Shinichiro. Sure, Wakasa was charming, but not my type. I'd prefer a big and reliable guy, who tells the harsh truth rather than whispering sweet nothings.

I worry for Nagumo, sometimes her infatuation blinds her, so she forgets or ignores his reputation as a playboy. She can tell us that he's changed but it's only temporary. Nagumo's jealousy was also a dangerous thing. So after weighing it down, I don't see this relationship lasting for a long time and I know she's bound to get hurt but Nagumo knows this yet she is willing to take the risk.

Besides, we have warned her but the girl is stubborn.

I respected her deeply as one of her closest friends, so I'll give her the support she needs.

"Sorry, to disappoint, Lizard. I won't steal from my friend's. Besides, I'm not interested in this sort of thing. Dating seems overrated, don't ya think so?"

SCREECH

He immediately stood up.

Face was red and flustered while at a loss for words.

Oh fuck.

I fucked up again didn't I? WHy does this always happen?

It looked like Shinichiro wanted to say something, but he was holding back with the way he locked his jaw. He couldn't say anything, and sat back down too ashamed to face me directly. But after a while, he managed to break the silence he created.

"I can't comment on that…" Was all he said.

It was because of that, wasn't it?

We made an agreement not to call each other those awful nicknames but of course, my mouth went running faster than my mind could think through my words.

The setting of this small space had changed drastically, the focus was no longer on Nagumo and Wakasa but me and Shinichiro.

I… I have to resolve this somehow.

Yet, my pride won't allow me to apologise to him now.

"Arai, is something the matter?" Aoi's voice rings in my ear.

I snapped out of it, from staring down at my hands to looking up at the anxious and worried faces of the people around the table. They were seeing how I'll respond to this. I quickly formed my thoughts and got up and readied myself with the words I was about to spill.

I sucked in a tight breath.

"I-!" I came off strong. "needtogotothetoilet—" In between I became a mess, forcing out out the words into a single breath.

Yes, it was quite lackluster to the rest of them but I really needed to get out of that situation.

Without wasting another moment, I scampered out of there like a rabid animal. This was all an act to better enhance the severity of my predicament, so I could get away from there.

But also… it was in fact true that I urgently needed to take a piss.

Let me tell you, I have a knack for landing myself into troublesome situations. Earlier, in order to escape from having a conversation with Shinichiro, I excused myself under the false pretense that I was on my period.

I failed to remind myself that Shinichiro was… a guy.

Although he has a sister, she was still very young. He had yet to normalize the concept of the menstrual cycle in women. But I didn't care when I should've.

Thinking that it was going to be the last I saw of the fellow, I didn't put much thought on the impact it would have on him.

I was wrong. I left Shinichiro a shadow of his former self.

Then after that, I returned to my friends as if nothing had happened. Little did I know we were going to meet again. Even worse, he had to be my partner for the mixer.

I do not believe in such a thing as fate.

However, karma was something else entirely.

I guess I deserved this, feeling like utter shit…

But also, can someone tell me why I'm having a box of sanitary pads shoved into my face?

_NOTES_

Hello there fellow readers,

I'm back again after shamelessly dropping this chapter out of nowhere. LOL

Thank you for taking your time to read this fanfic even though it ain't the best and for your comments and votes. It helps me a lot, so thank you very much! It really motivates me to do my best and deliver a good story for you guys. But also for myself, as I'm fuelled with the drive to write a good story and improve my writing along the way. It's been a couple of months since my last update, but I'm finally back! (temporarily…)

I have to admit, I have been going through a lot of complications in my personal life, so I had to take some time off writing for a while. I apologize that I was unable to inform you guys who look forward to the story of my hiatus. Now I feel much better to take up writing again. Life has been rough but I have been trying my best to persevere!

Also, I had to step back and reexamine the storyline I had laid out due to the recent events in the manga. On the other hand, I will promise more frequent updates during what's left of this November until February. This is due to the fact that I'll be getting ready for my O-levels examinations. It is an important exam for me so I hope to seek your understanding. Don't worry, the ending of the story has already been planned out!

I would never leave this story incomplete! I'd have to be dead for that to happen!

With all that being said, the Q & A is still open. Feel free to drop your question about the characters( more specifically my OC's :) or even for me!

Yes, I am aware that the length of these recent chapters is short and inconsistent! But bare with me, I have finally found a comfortable pace when writing this story.

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