And that's how I became Inagaki Ryuma, future heir of a yakuza clan in Osaka.
It's also how I ended up having to go back to school. Having to return to school surrounded by a bunch of rich kids was unbearable, but I don't want to dwell on the subject.
I'd rather talk about how I went from Inagaki Ryuma to Roronoa Zoro.
It all started in September 1992. I was in my first year of middle school and about to turn thirteen.
The day began quietly. Toji and I were dropped off in front of the school by our personal driver.
Our uniform consisted of gray pants, a red blazer, a white shirt, and a burgundy bow tie.
We wore black loafers and white socks that reached our calves.
Once out of the car, I dragged my feet like someone forced to be there (because that was the case).
As we walked toward the main building, we went through the same circus as usual.
A group of girls surrounded us and greeted us frantically—well, mostly Toji.
Since I had taken him out of the Zen'in clan's influence very early, he hadn't developed a cold personality and was very good at socializing.
I spent my time brooding in my corner or swearing, so despite our similar handsome faces, one of us was clearly more popular than the other.
"Good morning, Riichiro-kun."
"Good morning, Miko-san."
"Kya, he knows my name!"
Another girl shoved Miko aside and stood in front of Toji. "Me too, me too!"
Toji answered with his usual smile. "Good morning to you as well, Sazae-san."
It went on like that for several minutes. And unfortunately it didn't only happen to Toji.
A young girl approached me. "Good morning, Ryuma-kun."
In a monotone voice, I replied, "Good morning."
Seeing that I wasn't planning to say anything else, the girl backed off.
Another one tried her luck—this one much more energetic. She rushed toward me like a fury.
"Good morning, Ryuma-kun!"
And just like the first one, I answered, "Good morning."
The energy in her voice turned out to be only a façade, because my cold tone made her deflate too, and she melted back into the crowd.
Another girl, more timid this time, approached.
She was visibly tense and stuttering.
"G-Good m-morning, R-Ryu—"
She didn't even get to finish her sentence before she was shoved aside by another girl.
"If you have nothing to say, get out of the way." Her gaze was disdainful, as if she were looking at garbage, but her tone completely changed when she spoke to me. "Good morning, Ryuma-kun. Did you sleep well? I'm planning a birthday party at my place. I'd like to invite you and your brother. Will you come?"
Her cheeks were red and her smile deep. She held out her hand, probably expecting me to say yes without hesitation.
To that, I gave her my most diplomatic response. I completely ignored her.
I walked past her without even looking at her face. That plunged the surroundings into silence.
I bent down to help the timid girl still on the ground. Her uniform was dirty, and I could see tears welling under her eyes.
I didn't give her time to react. I grabbed her by the shoulders and helped her stand up.
"What?" Her voice was tight and she looked confused, but I had no intention of answering.
I dusted her off, and after making sure she wasn't hurt, I continued walking.
"Let's go, Riichiro."
"Okay, big brother. Sorry girls, but we have to go to class."
Taking advantage of my diversion, Toji slipped through his group of fangirls.
Once out of the crowd, he didn't join me immediately. Instead, he turned to the spoiled girl I had ignored.
She was still frozen in the same posture, her hand outstretched as if she couldn't comprehend what had happened.
"Sorry, we won't be able to come to your party. I hope everything goes well for you."
Already quite far, I was starting to get impatient with Toji's delay.
So from afar, still walking, I yelled, "HURRY UP, RIICHIRO!"
"I'M COMING, I'M COMING, HAVE A LITTLE PATIENCE PLEASE!"
At those words, he started running to catch up with me, which he did very quickly.
We were already in front of the main building when we heard someone shouting from afar:
"HOW DARE HE?! DOES HE KNOW WHO MY PARENTS ARE?!"
I couldn't help letting out an amused snort.
"Classic young master behavior."
Toji beside me seemed a bit embarrassed and murmured:
"Are you sure that was the best way to act? We might get hated by both boys and girls because of your attitude."
"First, if getting hated lets me have peace, then let them hate me. Second, the boys hate us because we're popular with the girls. And third…" a smug smile formed on my face, "I really wanted to see her reaction. It was too tempting. I couldn't help myself."
I know, I know, there's nothing amusing about humiliating a thirteen-year-old girl. But excuse me—humiliating a young master is satisfying no matter their age.
'Ahh, Naoya… I'm going to have so much fun with you.'
---
Cling! Clong!
"Ahh! This shitty day is finally over." I stretched my stiff limbs after an entire day sitting down.
I headed toward the shoe lockers to retrieve mine and finally go home.
As I approached, I heard the sound of a girl sobbing.
When I arrived, I saw a young girl crying, being comforted by her friends.
Not far away, I saw Toji staring at her with an uncomfortable and guilty expression.
It didn't take me long to understand what was happening.
I walked up to Toji and said in a detached voice, "Another confession?"
He nodded weakly.
"You're a real heartbreaker, little brother."
"Stop it, please. I did everything I could to turn her down as gently as possible, but nothing worked. She started crying as soon as I said 'sorry'."
"Ha! That's why I told you to stop being nice when you reject them. It worked great for me."
At first, I received as many confessions as Toji. I didn't really understand why.
I was cold to everyone except my brother. Despite that, I was just as popular as him.
I ended up believing manga were right—girls really do like dark, brooding Sasuke types.
At first, I tried to reject them properly without hurting their pride, but it got on my nerves quickly.
One day, when I was particularly irritated, a girl came to confess to me.
I grabbed her letter and tore it to pieces right in front of her. She cried a lot that day.
I'm not proud of what I did, and I apologized to her the next day, but from that day on, I never received another confession letter.
I opened my shoe locker and took off my slippers.
"Anyway, there's nothing you can do to help her now. Grab your stuff, we're leaving."
I grabbed my shoes, put them on, and put the slippers back in their place.
Toji did the same, and we left the building.
Our driver was already waiting outside.
We got into the car, and I slumped down, enjoying the soft leather seat of the sedan.
"Let's go."
"Very well, sir."
He started the car, and we began to drive.
After ten minutes, we got stuck in traffic.
Beep!
Beep!
The constant honking quickly irritated me, but in that traffic chaos, I detected another sound.
WIIIHOOO!
WIIIHOOO!
WIIIHOOO!
It was the sound of several police cars.
Usually, I wouldn't have cared, but this time my instinct told me it was important.
I opened the door and stepped out.
"Go on without me, I'll catch up."
The chauffeur didn't even try to stop me and simply nodded. "As you wish, sir."
I followed the sound of the sirens and arrived in front of a massive crowd.
There were five police cars and three ambulances, all parked around a house.
The area was blocked off with police tape.
I saw several bodies covered with sheets being carried away by paramedics.
I stood motionless in the crowd.
Next to me, I heard two people talking.
"It's like the other times—the adults are dead and the children are missing."
"That's the fifth time this month. It's getting worrying."
That caught my attention.
'So this isn't an isolated case.'
I was too far for my passive Observation Haki to reach the house.
So I extended its range, and just as I expected, there were traces of cursed energy.
'So these atrocities were committed by a cursed spirit or a curse user. If it's the latter, they've got some nerve doing this in MY city.'
I quietly stepped back and returned to the car, which hadn't moved much.
'I'll come back tonight. It's been a while since I've gone hunting.'