April.
Leaning against the driver's door of his AE86, the young man faced the sea, feeling the breeze coming off the waves.
His name was Kazuma Kiryuu, 19 years old. He graduated from the private Shuchiin Academy and chose to drive himself out to Izu for university. With his consistent excellent grades in high school, it would have been easy for him to enroll in Todai. Instead, he chose a university in the remote Izu area.
The reason? Kazuma Kiryuu was a playboy navigating multiple relationships, and neither of his "girls" was ordinary. Should things have gone south, Kazuma Kiryuu might have found himself cemented in a concrete pillar by a set of black-clad construction workers, only for another faction of bodyguards to toss him into Tokyo Bay right after. Luckily, between his charm and quick thinking, Kiryuu managed to survive high school unscathed, peacefully breaking things off with both girlfriends after graduation.
"Dream big, and live your own dazzling life."
Looking at a fabricated photo on his phone—a montage of him alongside both girlfriends—Kiryuu sighed with mixed feelings. The photo wasn't real. It was a composite he'd made from separate pictures with each girl. After all, upon learning the truth about his second girlfriend identity, even Kiryuu wasn't brazen enough to sit between them as they each clung to his arms and kissed his cheeks.
Regardless, after experiencing relationships with individuals of that caliber, Kiryuu doubted he'd fall in love again …
As this thought crossed his mind, Kiryuu noticed someone emerging from the water and walking onto the beach. A woman. Flowing brunette hair, an impeccable figure highlighted by her wetsuit—enough to make his exes green with envy.
[Let's set the wedding for the end of this month.]
[If it's a boy, we'll call him Kiryuu Kazama. If it's a girl, Kiryuu Chisato. And if they're twins, the girl can take her grandfather surname.]
As the woman removed her diving mask and let her hair fall loose, revealing an exquisite face, Kiryuu had his future meticulously planned in an instant.
"Help me! Kiryuu-san!"
A desperate cry for help shattered Kiryuu thoughts. He turned his head instinctively, spotting a panicked boy running toward him. Iori Kitahara—if Kiryuu recalled correctly, that was his name. They had met on the road earlier when Kitahara, hoping for a hitchhike, caught a ride with Kiryuu to the destination of a diving gear shop.
"Give it up, freshman! You can't outrun us! Stay where you are!"
Before Kiryuu could even process Kitahara terror-stricken face, two wild, burly figures stormed into view behind him.
"What the… rampaging beasts?!"
His pupils shrank as he yanked the car door open and slid into the driver's seat. Immediately, he slammed the door shut. Kitahara drastically picked up speed, managing to fling open the back door and leaping inside just as Kiryuu start the engine.
"Start the car!"
"I'm on it! By the way, weren't you headed straight to your uncle shop?! How the hell did you bring those two along?!"
Amid his panicked complaints and attempts to shift gears, Kiryuu stole glances at the giant naked men rapidly closing in through his rearview mirror.
And without question, the AE86 promptly… stalled with an ominous cough!
Kitahara: "..."
Kiryuu: "..."
Kitahara clutched his face in despair, terror radiating from him as he roared, "What in the world is even happening?! Didn't you brag about being a student of the legendary Akina drift god?! Why the hell did your car stall out?!"
"Use your brain! Look at our situation, dammit!" Kiryuu shouted back.
Key turned. Ignition again. Kiryuu was barely about to retry when two colossal figures closed in on either side of the back window.
"Well, freshman… you're caught now."
The golden-haired brute yanked the door open, his muscular grin dripping with menace. Smoke practically oozed from his mouth.
"Hurry, Kiryuu!"
Even with his arm trapped, Kitahara was still flailing for his last escape. In response, the shorts-wearing behemoth shot Kiryuu a wicked glare, baring his teeth like a predator.
"Are you two acquainted?"
Kiryuu hesitated. "… Whether we are or not, were you after him?"
"Damn straight."
After a beat, Kiryuu broke into a radiant smile. "Well, then, I don't know him at all."
Hearing this, Kitahara struggles ceased as he stared at Kiryuu through the rearview mirror with incredulous dismay.
"Didn't you give me a ride here, Kiryuu?! We met on the road! Don't play dumb!"
Feigning ignorance, Kiryuu smiled at the two burly men. "Well then, gentlemen, he's all yours. I've got pressing business to attend to!"
"Damn it, Kiryuu!" Kitahara's face throbbed with frustration. "You can't ditch me after everything! How low can you go?!"
Before this absurd back-and-forth reached any sort of resolution, a calming, familiar voice interrupted.
"Tokita-san, what are you guys doing here?"