Renegades: Battlegrounds.-Chapter 44: Waiting Room II

"I was a first-year then when I joined very hot-headed. " he said quietly. "So I was jumped by these five guys, you should’ve seen how he beat them down like it was nothing."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"He told me I had potential that I was wasting it and said Sakuratei needed people who wouldn’t back down from a fight. "

Ren leaned forward. "What was he like? Back then?"

"A good man," he replied without hesitation. "The best leader we ever had."

"He actually believed in his Five Virtues. Righteousness. Courage. Benevolence. Respect. Sincerity. They weren’t just words to him. They were everything to him. "

Ren leaned forward, listening intently.

"He protected everyone. Every member of Sakuratei. Every civilian in the Hanasakura District. Every kid getting bullied at school."

His voice dropped, quieter now. "But he carried everything alone. Every fight we lost. Every member who got hurt. Every mistake the gang made—he took it all on himself. "

"Why?" Ren asked.

"Because that’s what leaders do," he said. "At least, that’s what he thought."

He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

"One day, he just... broke. Couldn’t handle it anymore. All that weight. All that responsibility. All those people depending on him."

Ren swallowed. "The civil war."

"Yeah. The civil war. When we needed him most, he walked away. Left us to tear each other apart."

His gaze shifted back to Ren.

"I don’t blame him. Not anymore. Nobody could’ve carried what he was carrying."

Silence settled between them.

"But you’re making the same mistakes he did."

"I’m not—" Ren started, defensive.

"Tonight," Matsuno cut in. "Fourteen bikers. You fought them alone. Tried to protect that girl by yourself. Nearly got both of you killed."

He leaned forward. "That’s exactly what Kaito would’ve done. Take everything on his own shoulders. Fight alone. Refuse help."

"I didn’t have help," Ren shot back. "There was no one—"

"Because you haven’t joined us yet. Because you’re trying to do this solo."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a business card. "When you’re ready to fight smart instead of reckless, call me."

Matsuno held it out. Ren took it without a word and read it slowly.

MATSUNO KENJI

SAKURATEI - THIRD DIVISION CAPTAIN

"Hasegawa’s been watching you," he continued. "Since the cafeteria fight. Had people following you, keeping you safe during the three-day period."

"I know," Ren said. "You told me."

"But do you understand why?" Matsuno stood.

"He wanted to see what kind of man you’d become. Whether you’d run when things got hard. Whether you’d protect people even when it cost you."

He looked down at Ren. "You passed his test. You’ve got the heart. The courage. The willingness to bleed for others."

"Then why do I feel like I failed?"

"Because you’re looking at the wrong metric. " Matsuno said. "You think success is ’nobody gets hurt.’ But that’s impossible in this life."

"Real success is when you stand when others run. You fight when others hide. You protect people even when you can’t protect everyone."

He started walking toward the exit, stopped and turned back. "The question now is what will you do next? Will you keep fighting alone? Or will you join us?"

"I don’t know."

He nodded. "Fair. Take your time. But decide soon."

Matsuno’s voice dropped, more serious now. "Oh and kid? Those Kotekai bikers?"

Ren looked up.

"Consider them handled. They won’t bother you or Aoi ever again."

The way he said it flat, absolute, something cold lurking behind his eyes sent a chill down Ren’s spine.

"What does that mean?" Ren sounded concerned.

"It means Sakuratei protects its own. And as of tonight, you’re one of ours. Whether you’ve officially joined or not."

"Get your ankle looked at. And call me when you’re ready to talk."

He turned and walked out. The automatic doors slid shut behind him.

The waiting room felt bigger now. Emptier.

Just Ren and the humming fluorescent lights and the muted TV playing commercials for products he’d never buy.

He stared down at the card in his hand. "Kaito carried everything alone. And it broke him. Am I doing the same? "

His hands still bloody, still shaking turned the card over and over.

"I thought I could find answers without joining. "

"Thought I could protect people without getting involved. "

"But Aoi’s in surgery because I wasn’t strong enough because I was alone... "

He looked at his reflection in the darkened window across from him.

A bruised face. Split lip. Bandaged eyebrow. Bloodstained clothes.

A stranger stared back. "Who am I becoming? "

The door to the surgery wing opened. A middle-aged doctor stepped out, a mask pulled down around her neck, fatigue etched into her eyes. "Family of Aoi Kanzaki?"

Ren shot to his feet, ignoring the pain shooting through his ankle. "I—I’m with her. How is she?"

The doctor studied him for a moment. Saw the blood. The injuries. Put pieces together. "You were there when it happened?"

"Yes. " Ren answered quickly.

"She’s stable. Surgery went well. We inserted two pins and a plate to stabilize the radius fracture. The head wound required twelve stitches, but there’s no skull fracture or internal bleeding."

Ren exhaled shakily. "So she’s okay?"

"She’ll recover but she’ll need physical therapy for the arm and we will have to monitor for concussion symptoms."

She paused. "She’s lucky you were there. The pressure you applied likely prevented more serious blood loss."

"Can I see her?"

"She’s still sedated. No visitors until morning." Her voice softened. "Come back tomorrow. She’ll want to thank you."

"I don’t deserve thanks."

"Why not?" Doctor asked, curious.

"Because it’s my fault she got hurt."

The doctor looked at him for a long moment.

"Young man I’ve been an ER doctor for twenty years," She said. "I’ve seen a lot of violence. A lot of victims."

She met his eyes. "The people who say ’it’s my fault’? They’re never the ones actually at fault. They’re the ones who tried to help."

She walked away before he could respond leaving him alone with his bloody hands, Matsuno’s card and a choice he still hadn’t made.

"Tomorrow, Hasegawa will want an answer. "

"The three days are up. "

"Join Sakuratei... or walk away. But after tonight— Can I still walk away? "

He looked at the card one last time, then slipped it into his pocket. "Matsuno said Kaito broke because he carried everything alone. "

"Maybe... "

"Maybe I don’t have to. "