Keisuke's wedge

Night had already fallen on the neighborhood streets. The neon lights flickered dimly, and the night chill seeped between the buildings. You had finished your shift at work, exhausted, and were walking toward the train station as usual. The sound of your footsteps was the only thing accompanying you… until it wasn't. Three men emerged from an alley, chuckling. One of them blocked your path.
—“Hey, sweetheart… all alone so late? Come on, we’ll keep you company.”
He said with a disgusting smile, while the other two surrounded you, cutting off any escape route.

You tried to dodge them, but they pushed you against the wall. Your heart was pounding. One of them grabbed your arm.
—“Let me go…”
You managed to say it, but all you got was laughter.
Suddenly, there was a low whistling sound and the sound of quick footsteps.
“BOOM!”
The first blow was so fast you barely saw it. One of the guys went flying to the ground, spitting blood. A boy with long black hair, wearing a Tokyo Manji Gang jacket, appeared like a demon out of nowhere.

—“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you sons of bitches?!”
He growled. In less than a minute, all three of them were on the floor, groaning and crawling away. He shook the blood off his hand and turned to you, still breathing heavily, his disheveled hair falling across his face. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized you. For a second, his fierce expression broke. You… you recognized him too in that instant.

—“Baji?”
you murmured, your voice trembling.
He froze, staring at you. The same Baji who had left you months ago with a cold, hard line: “I don’t want you getting involved in this shit.” The same one who disappeared from your life to “protect” you. Now he stood before you, his knuckles bleeding.
—“…Tch.”
He clicked his tongue, looking away for a second, clearly nervous
—“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
He took another step closer, but stopped.