Chapter 174: Pass The News!
Regardless of whether Jay believed Max had truly gone broke or not, at the end of the day, Max was doing everything he could to earn money. And that money was helping. If anything, now Jay felt a little guilty for taking such a large sum, but he had already promised his little sister so much.
The least he could do was put in some effort of his own. That started with a few calls. And that was exactly what he had decided to do.
His first point of contact? The Konsoon boys.
The delinquents from school had left him a number, just in case he ever changed his mind. Honestly, Jay hadn’t thought he’d be calling them this soon.
As he scrolled through his phone and dialed, Jay felt a small knot form in his stomach. When the call connected, he didn’t waste time, he laid out Max’s request right then and there.
A beat of silence followed on the other end.
"That’s it... I mean, we can do that?" Mayson replied, his voice slightly surprised.
Mayson, the head of the Konsoon delinquents, had short, neatly kept blond hair. If not for the faint markings scattered across his face, he wouldn’t have looked like a delinquent at all. His uniform, like most of the kids at Konsoon, was perfectly intact.
"We’ll get on it right away, just as you asked. And we’ll make sure everyone sticks to it," Mayson continued. "As for tomorrow, a group of us will be there. Crondo and I will take part as well."
Jay nodded to himself. That covered the first part of Max’s request: the requirements laid out to officially join the Billion Bloodline.
The second part? That was about the bout scheduled for tomorrow.
Max wanted to ensure that the Bloodline wasn’t just some title people threw around. He wanted it to be a group where everyone pulled their weight and took equal part.
He couldn’t just have himself and a handful of close allies fighting. Sure, they had paid the joining fee, but Max needed to make sure that if the day ever came where he had to call on them, they’d actually show up.
That was the point of all this.
Equally, if anyone so much as touched a member of the Bloodline group, Max would step in without hesitation. That was what it meant to be part of the Bloodline, loyalty in, loyalty out.
"Are you sure about this?" Crondo asked, eyeing Mayson with uncertainty. "I mean, I heard about this Bloodline group, and it sounded like a good idea at first, pay a bit of money here and there, maybe get some benefits... but fighting tomorrow? That’s a whole different thing."
Crondo was second-in-command. He looked similar to Mayson, short hair, though his was a lighter brown. His build was a bit bulkier, thanks to all the rugby he played in his spare time.
"I mean, Clapton’s got Rick. He’s strong, you know that. Probably the strongest in all of Brinhurst."
"That’s why the other schools were so quick to align with him," Crondo added, his voice growing quieter.
"Do we really have another choice?" Mayson asked back, firm and steady. "Once Berkert joined under Clapton’s alliance, it was clear, we were never going to be invited in. You heard about the Billion group attacking Clapton already. And you’ve seen how they’ve been spreading around. I know you’ve heard the rumors."
"Right," Crondo replied with a slow nod. "Anyone wearing their uniform is untouchable."
"So far, even Clapton haven’t dared touch them. But we all know that’s going to change eventually," Mayson said, his eyes narrowing. "I don’t know how strong the Bloodline group really is. But depending on how the fight’s structured, we can win this thing ourselves, and maybe even put an end to all of this nonsense."
A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Who knows," he added, "maybe after all this, we’ll be the ones leading the Bloodline group."
Not long after, Jay had made another call, this time to a different aligned school.
Although, unlike most alliances, the Bloodline alliance wasn’t your typical setup.
Max had been clear about that from the start. Alliances were fragile. They fell apart when it mattered most. That wasn’t what he wanted.
These schools weren’t simply allying with them. They were becoming part of the Bloodline group . A true member, bound by loyalty, not by convenience.
As for the school Jay had just reached out to, it was Seaton Academy.
"Right, right, right! No problem at all. I’ll be there tomorrow," Kai said brightly, hanging up the phone with a soft click.
At that very moment, she was in the girls’ restroom, her call having been overheard by a few other students who were also freshening up.
"Seriously? They’re planning to go up against Clapton? Are they crazy ?" one of the girls blurted out.
"From what it sounded like, Konsoon joined the Bloodline group too," another chimed in. "Maybe that’s why they decided to move now."
"Still! Clapton’s got an alliance of five schools, and those schools aren’t a joke. Even with us on board, what are they thinking? Shouldn’t they try getting some schools from West Brinhurst or something? And Aki, how could you just agree to this without thinking it through?"
Aki turned, her reflection staring back at her from the mirror. A smirk tugged at her lips.
"Do you girls have the memory of a goldfish?" she shot back. "It wasn’t that long ago that we were saved, just because we were part of this group."
She let her words hang there, letting the truth of it sink in.
"We have to do our part now. We need to prove we’re useful to Max. He’s already done so much for us. And if there’s ever someone that Max can’t punch, kick, or isn’t willing to scam," she added with a knowing grin, "then we’ll be the ones backing him up."
She flicked her hair back and began fixing it in the mirror, her voice firm with conviction.
"We’ll help him from the shadows, whether he likes it or not."
Just then, one of the girls gasped, her eyes widening.
"You... you... you like him! " one of the girls suddenly shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at Aki.
Aki’s eyes widened for half a second before narrowing. "W-What are you even talking about?" she replied, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
The girls around her burst into a mix of gasps and giggles, but Aki quickly turned back to the mirror, trying to regain her composure.
At the same time, it wasn’t just the aligned schools receiving calls and messages. Word was spreading fast.
All across East and West Brinhurst, invitations to the upcoming event were going out.
For many, this would be their very first time seeing the Bloodline group in action.
Whispers filled classrooms, cafeterias, and hallways. Students were buzzing with curiosity, unsure of what to expect, but one thing was clear: something big was about to happen.