As Kiyomasa continues to shout for someone to bring over his bat, your anxieties only spiked imagining the worst case scenario. If worse comes to worst, you were ready to jump out if his friends haven't chosen to interfere yet. You admit you're a coward, and a constant victim to the bystander effect, but there's only a certain extent you can turn a blind eye to things. Having someone die, possibly because of your careless words, was too much of a burden to carry. You won't even need to join in the fight, just fib that you've already called the police while waving your phone like a madman. They'll believe you... maybe.

But it seems you wouldn't need to carry out your flimsy plan, as something interrupts the face off. Or someone to be exact.

"Oi, Kiyomasa." They called out, "You've drawn quite the crowd."

If you thought Kiyomasa was tall for his age, the newcomer was even taller, assuming they were all mid-teens. They strolled casually into the middle, the others parting as they gawked at him.

"You sure are worked up, ain'tcha? Even though you're the host."

What did being a host had to do with anything? What, was he supposed to be calm, cool and collected? From what you're seeing, he's no less barbaric than most, excluding Takemichi and his friends, of the group who'd cheer for these brutal beat downs. There was no way you can call it a fight, you simply refuse to.

"A blond braid and a dragon tattoo on his temple..."

You took note of his... unique hairstyle after they were pointed out. If his intention was to leave an impression, he certainly picked the right hairdo. There's something odd about the combination though, something oddly familiar. Which was weird since you figured you'd remember if you met anyone who-

"That's the vice president of the Tokyo Manji Gang!!"

"Ryuuguji Ken. Also known as 'Draken'!"

...Who now?

"Hey hey? Kenchin?" Another voice piped up behind him, showing a shorter guy who looked far too lax to belong in a place like this.

"Kenchin" scowled in response, "Hah?! Don't call me by that nickname, Mikey."

Mikey merely gave a carefree smile, while showing his empty hands, "All my dorayaki is gone."

Evidence of the snack was shown with crumbs on the corner of his mouth and on his hands. He brushed off his hands and licked his lips clean.

Then, with unexpected unity, the others bowed a complete ninety degrees with hands tucked behind their backs. Well, everyone except for Kiyomasa, Takemichi and his friends.

"PRESIDENT, GOOD WORK."

Your eyes darted between the two, realization finally striking.

"GOOD WORK."

You could finally make sense of the familiarity you felt with certain people. Certain Characters.

"GOOD WORK."

Takemichi and his bizarre story.

"GOOD WORK."

Why Hinata gives you a sense of security.

"GOOD WORK,"

And these two; Draken and Mikey.

"PRESIDENT!!!"

Your breathing quickens, body rushing to get oxygen to your heart that was beating unnaturally fast. This must be some kind of joke. An elaborate act set up by the universe to give you a heart attack. It definitely was working, you'd give it that.

And they were doing a great job at keeping the gag running. The scene with one of the side characters trying to get Mikey's attention only to be ignored. The next with Draken kicking Kiyomasa right in the stomach for not bowing low enough. And the famed meeting between Mikey and Takemichi where he expressed interest in the boy's resolve.

That would be followed by Mikey turning to Kiyomasa with a question.

"Are you the one who organized this 'fighting ring'?"

Mistaking it for the leader recognizing him, he answered proudly, "Y-yes!"

Mikey smiled and then...

CRACK

The loud noise from Mikey kicking Kiyomasa right in the chin snapped you out of your daze. He could barely get out a grunt of pain before Mikey had grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head down.

"Who the fuck are you?" His words were low and threatening even without a glare to accompany it.

You shuddered though it wasn't aimed at you.

Then he began repeatedly swinging his fists into his face, all while the others stared wide eyed and too shocked to do anything. Only Draken looked unfazed by the sound from each time Mikey's fist meets Kiyomasa's face. It was a violent sight, but he was doing it all monotonously. Treating it like a tiresome chore even.

When Kiyomasa finally fell to the floor unconscious, Mikey looked up at the frozen audience.

"Now then," He turned to Draken, "Shall we go home, Kenchin?"

His mouth was smiling but you doubt it's sincere. You teared your gaze away from the speckles of blood on his face.

"'Underground fights' are stupid."

"Don't do things to ruin the name of 'Toman'." Draken added.

Just as they looked like they were going to leave as soon as they came, Mikey called out to the boy who still sat on the ground, gawking.

"Takemicchi!"

The boy jolted.

"See you later."

As they finally begin to leave, Draken addresses the crowd.

"You guys, don't stand there daydreaming," He waved a hand dismissively, "Go away."

On cue, they snapped shut their jaws, only then realizing they were gaping, and hurried to "go away" as they were told. Within moments, they've all vacated the park excluding Takemichi and his friends.

And, well, you.

This was probably the prime moment for you to get the hell out of there while no one notices. You would need the whole night to properly process all the new information and the bomb that was dropped on you just minutes ago. ...Oh, who were you kidding? One night wouldn't be enough for your brain to accept or even acknowledge the fact that you've been seemingly transported into a whole other universe, with characters and scenes you'd only see through books or on a screen.

You would go "home", go to sleep, wake up and then what? Continue to go to school everyday, greeting Hinata as if you haven't just figured out she's an anime character? Accept your new life here in Japan and live through each day, knowing that at the same time somewhere else, there's going to be fighting and deaths. That there's going to be betrayal, redemption and forgiveness. That there's going to be a boy desperately fighting against the clock to save the girl he loves. All because of "plot".

Will it really be okay to close your eyes, cover your ears and wait it out?

Too much.

There was too much for you to think about. You should really head home and sleep on the thought. The sun was already setting, and the bags of groceries hung heavily from your grip.

You stood up, forgetting about your surroundings. The rustling of the bushes immediately gave away your spot.

Blue eyes meets yours.

"Huh? You're..."

"Ah..."

You backtracked, failing to notice an empty drink can on the ground behind you. The can dented beneath your weight, but not before throwing off your balance. You slipped on it and felt yourself falling backward, grocery bags and all.

The last thing you remembered before you blacked out was thinking back to whether or not you bought eggs. You sure hoped not.

____________________

In a world so unfamiliar, I found you.