Location: Sarayashiki Junior High Roof

---

Minato Ishida was standing on a precipice.

On the roof of the Sarayashiki Junior High School, he felt at ease. He'd come here during the day between classes, or skipping gym, in order to look down on all of his classmates from up on high. It was less lording over them and more...well, something else. It was difficult for Minato to accurately describe. When he was still an acceptable member of his student body - back when he was part of the Disciplinary Committee working for the Student Council, Minato would post up here like an eagle's nest. Now?

Now he just looked down at his turf. Standing along the barrier, leaning his head on the chain-link fence, Minato saw the progress he and the others had made in such a short time. His friendship with Ten Ton remained as strong and tight knight as ever, and his trust in people like Yonaka and Ana was only continuing to grow. If the warring factions of various delinquent games were a series of chess matches, Minato was working on establishing his pieces.

But there was growing unrest throughout the various city's. The Ikebukuro Diamonds were making stronger and stronger pushes. Not a day would pass without some punk getting their teeth knocked out in some throwdown, or other smaller gangs swearing allegiance to that psycho, Kazuma Kyoya. As they were now, the Sarayashiki Gang was not strong enough to make their claim. But in time...

Now however, there was something else pressing. The group itself has become a larger community of swelling support from within the outskirts of the school's periphery. As new as they might be, already there were members of the student body who were itching to throw their support in behind the gang. The recent mopping of various clubs throughout the school came with a groundswell of support from the lower grade students and was only steadily rising. This undoubtedly drew the attention of the Student Council - a malevolent group of corrupt students bent on keeping the school under their thumb. Their most recent tactic involved a vicious beatdown delivered to the original members of the gang. Minato tightened his fist just thinking about it. Takuya wanted to act on it right away, but Minato assured him that the right move would be to wait. But was it? Minato had grown unsure. But the gang itself, the ones with the voices...there were additional folks who were beginning to stand out to Minato and his other closest allies. His lieutenants, his closest confidants.

And that's what had brought him here, tonight.

A few hours ago, he had gotten a phonecall from Ikue. Of all the others that were in the gang, Ikue was something of a wildcard. She was an invaluable source to Minato and the others - seemingly always having her finger on the pulse of what was going on throughout the school, an information broker of gossip and secrets. And tonight, her phone-call had an edge to it unlike some of her other more playful ones. She asked Minato to gather the top members of the gang. Apparently there was something troubling her. Minato passed the message on to Ana, who dutifully did just that...

Yonaka, Akina, Yuya, Gaijin Kevin, and the newest member of the gang - Mai Li.

These were the foundations that Sarayashiki's Delinquents would be built upon.

Behind him, Minato heard the double doors to the rooftop open up. The first of the others had arrived. He looked around and saw it was -