I Was Forced To Date A Mafia's Daughter

The Next Day

Sato strolled down the hallway, eyes glued to his phone as he watched a streamer battle through Gun & Run: Level 9. A smile tugged at his lips—then quickly faded.

"Man... I missed my chance to grab this game. And Saturday's booked. I really wanted to play..." he thought, sighing as he walked alone.

Meanwhile, outside the school gates, Hikari burst in like a gust of wind, scanning left and right with fiery determination in her eyes. Without a second thought, she sprinted inside. Students turned their heads, whispering in confusion as they watched her dash by.

"Hikari, wait up!" Sakura's voice echoed as she stumbled through the gate, bending over to catch her breath before chasing after her friend.

Back in the hall, Sato was oblivious—too engrossed in his screen to notice the rapid footsteps storming his way.

By the time he looked up in confusion, it was too late.

WHAM!

Hikari tackled him to the floor in a full-force pounce. Both of them hit the tiles hard, and Sato groaned, face smushed against the cold ground.

Hikari giggled, perched on his back like a victorious hunter. "I'm so glad to see you! A day without you feels like centuries!"

Sato tilted his head, glaring at her from the floor. "Centuries? You just met me this week!"

Before he could say more, Sakura finally caught up, panting heavily. "Wow... I finally caught up. Damn, you're fast!"

Hikari blinked at her. "Oh, Sakura! When did you get here?"

"WHAT?! I've been following you the whole time!" Sakura snapped, throwing her hands up. "You know what—forget it. Why are you two on the floor? The whole school is staring!"

Both Hikari and Sato froze, glancing around at the curious—and highly amused—onlookers. Their faces flushed red as they scrambled to their feet, brushing themselves off.

Just then, a figure trudged through the hallway.

Kaito.

His steps were slow, his face blank, eyes hollow like a soul wandering in despair.

Sakura noticed immediately. She waved with her usual cheer. "Yo! What's up, my dude?"

Kaito barely turned his head. "...Oh. Hey." His voice was flat, lifeless. He kept walking.

THUD!

Sakura's fist dropped on his head like a hammer, sending him to the floor.

Hikari and Sato stared in horror.

"I TOOK MY TIME TO GREET YOU AND ALL YOU SAY IS 'OH, HEY'?! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" Sakura roared.

Groaning, Kaito slowly stood and bowed his head. "...I'm sorry." Then he walked away, still carrying that heavy sadness.

Sato and Sakura exchanged worried glances. Hikari tilted her head, confused.

"What happened? Why is Kaito so... broken?" she asked.

Sakura exhaled hard. "He's been like that since the incident yesterday. Didn't even show up for football practice."

Sato's jaw dropped. "No way! He never misses practice."

"What incident?" Hikari asked, her voice sharp with concern.

"Oh, you know," Sakura said casually, "when that psycho chick tried to kill me yesterday."

Hikari's eyes went wide. "WHAT?! Are you okay?!"

Sakura grinned, puffing her chest out. "Girl, please. It'll take more than some high school brat to kill me."

Hikari blinked, still shocked. "But... why would Kaito be sad about that?"

"Maybe he blames himself," Sato suggested, "for not stopping her. And for the punishment the whole class got— even though we didn't do anything."

Sakura crossed her arms, frowning. "That might be part of it. But not all. If you noticed, he spent the whole day in the nurse's office yesterday... with Nozomi."

Hikari's brows furrowed. "You think he cares about her? Or... something happened?"

"Could be," Sakura shrugged.

Hikari clenched her fists, eyes burning with determination. "Then it's our job to find out! He's our friend. His sadness... is ours!"

Sato laughed nervously, backing away. "Uh, yeah, about that... I'd love to help, but I've got classes, and my schedule is totally packed, plus—"

CRACK.

Sakura cracked her knuckles with a menacing smile.

Sato instantly stepped back toward them. "On second thought, I have plenty of time!"

"Good!" Sakura grinned. "Then let's go."

The three marched down the hall, their mission clear: cheer Kaito up—or die trying.