Replay

3-6 Derivative

A/N: I am tweaking the battle slightly to give it more organization. You'll see what I mean shortly.

This applies to any chapter, but If I ever do anything insensitive, please inform me so that I can try to fix it.

"Hayato, Frank!"

"Yo," Hayato returned to the 2nd Division member as we strode up to the crowd of black tokko-fuku clad boys. I gave a small wave.

It was strange to see the gang in uniform in broad daylight—on the meet-ups I'd been invited to, we'd all wear casual clothes. The only times I'd seen them in tokko-fuku were during meetings and at the festival fight, both of which happened at night. In fact, this would be my first time fighting in uniform. I pushed my sleeves back up to my wrists and readjusted my collar. I stared down at my tokko-fuku with a frown, the black fabric loosely draping over my chest, pinching in at the smallest size the accompanying belt offered, and flaring back out into clunky, white boots. A size too big was better than too small, but I should've at least tried actively moving around in it beforehand.

It was too late now, but I'd get plenty of practice soon.

The towering heads of the gang blocked my view of the car lot, but above the encompassing fence, I could see weathered warehouses lining the right side and tall heaps of haphazardly balanced cars pushed to the corners of the abandoned property. But most obvious was the restless chatter and yelling from within, like a concert hall waiting for the main spectacle.

Everything would be decided within an hour or two. Who won, who lost; who lived, who died.

"Do you know when it'll start?" I asked after Hayato's conversation with the boy who'd greeted us paused.

"I think there'll be at least a few more minutes. I hear the 1st Division Vice-Captain's not here yet." I didn't bother joining Hayato in craning my neck to see if that was true. Chifuyu and Takemichi should have entered the lot early to observe the battlefield.

"Oh yeah, this is your first fight, right?"

"I was at the Moebius fight," I corrected.

He scratched his gelled hair. "Huh, it doesn't feel like you'd been here for that long already. Probably 'cause we didn't really talk before then. But anyways, that fight was kinda an exception," he said with a flick of his wrist. "Usually it's more structured than that. There's generally some proceedings before the battle, especially since we've got an overseer today. And during the battle, you're still free to go ham, but try to not stray too far from the Division. The Captains might give orders in the middle of the fight."

"Kinda like when before Toman arrived at the Moebius fight, when it was just you, me, Takemitchy, and Mitsuya, and we were about to clash with Moebius," Hayato added. "Although, Mitsuya normally doesn't have us join the vanguard. Usually that's the 1st Division's job."

I nodded as I took in the information. "I see. Thanks."

The Division would be moving together, huh. There were definite advantages to that—if I had trouble fighting, I could receive assistance from a nearby member. I could also follow the Division to navigate through the battle instead of charging in solo. But the problem lay in the fact that it depended on where the Division went. The most important events would likely occur at the forefront of the battle, and if the 2nd Division stayed back, I really might have to fight my way through on my own, depending on if my plan went awry...

A sneering face inches above mine flashed through my mind, and the sensation of cold, wet stone against my back sent a shiver up my spine.

"—!" I shook my head and peered at the gate after a rough voice bellowed from inside. The chattering softened, and near the front of the gang, a dark flag unfurled over the heads of the members, the flagpole dragged through the air in an oscillating motion to proudly display Toman's logo on the dark fabric.