Part I: The Challenge
The courtyard of Shinkou High was never quiet. During lunch, the wide stone square between the gymnasium and the lecture halls was a place of chatter, laughter, and the occasional sparring match. Today, however, the air felt different. There was a current of anticipation running through the crowd as whispers spread like wildfire.
"Kai's fighting Riku today.""No way. That new kid?""Yeah, the one who beat Sora by accident in the cafeteria.""By accident? Dude, he knocked him flat."
The murmurs stacked on top of one another until the courtyard buzzed with excitement. Students spilled out of classrooms, sandwiches half-eaten, rice balls forgotten. Even a few teachers stood by the railings of the upper floors, pretending not to watch but keeping their eyes fixed on the courtyard below.
Kai stood in the middle of it all, feeling like an ant surrounded by magnifying glasses. His palms were sweaty, his heart thumping like a faulty engine. He tugged at his school uniform, which suddenly felt a size too small.
"This is insane," Kai muttered. "Absolutely insane."
Beside him, Haru grinned ear to ear, as if this whole situation was the greatest form of entertainment ever invented. "No, no, this is perfect. You get to prove yourself in front of everyone. Just don't die. Easy."
Kai shot him a glare. "Not funny."
"It wasn't a joke." Haru chuckled, clapping him on the back hard enough to nearly make him stumble forward. "Relax, Kai. You got this. Use that weird brain of yours. Think of it like… fixing a broken bicycle. Riku's the chain, you're the wrench."
Kai groaned. "Chains break wrenches."
Before Haru could reply, a ripple went through the crowd. The students began parting, as though an invisible force cut through them. Riku was walking into the courtyard.
Riku Tanaka, second-year, captain of the school's karate club, undefeated in official duels. His reputation loomed larger than his actual frame, though he was broad-shouldered and stood with the easy confidence of someone who knew his fists could do the talking. His uniform jacket was slung over his shoulder, revealing a body sculpted from years of disciplined training. He wasn't just a martial artist; he was the martial artist.
"Here he comes…" someone whispered, almost reverent.
Riku's eyes scanned the courtyard, the crowd parting around him like a tide. Then his gaze landed on Kai. It was a heavy look, calm yet sharp enough to pin him in place. Riku's lips curled into the faintest hint of a smirk.
"So," he said, his voice carrying without effort. "You're the one causing the noise."
Kai swallowed hard. "Noise is a strong word. I prefer… misunderstanding."
The crowd laughed, though whether they were with Kai or laughing at him, he couldn't tell. Haru gave him a discreet thumbs-up. "Good, keep talking. Comedy buys time."
Riku stepped closer, stopping just two paces away. He wasn't towering over Kai, but the weight of his presence made Kai feel as though the courtyard had shrunk.
"I don't like accidents," Riku said. "They disrupt order. So today, I'll see if your so-called accident was luck… or if you actually have something."
Kai raised his hands defensively. "Look, I'm not really—"
"Afraid?" Riku cut him off smoothly.
"—interested."
The crowd erupted in laughter again. Some clapped, some whistled. Kai wasn't sure whether to feel proud or terrified. Probably both.
Riku's smirk deepened. "Then it'll be quick."
The teachers hadn't stepped in yet. Shinkou High had its own rules. Duels, as long as both parties agreed, were fair game in the courtyard. No weapons, no outside interference. First to yield, lose footing for ten seconds, or be knocked out.
Kai sighed, his shoulders slumping. "If I say no, I lose face. If I say yes, I lose teeth."
Haru leaned in. "Go for the teeth. They grow back."
"That's not how biology works!"
Too late. The crowd was already circling in tighter, chanting, jeering, and pushing them toward the center. Kai found himself standing opposite Riku, the ring of students acting as a wall he couldn't climb.
Riku dropped his jacket onto the ground, rolling his shoulders. He slipped into his stance effortlessly, balanced and focused, every movement honed by years of practice. His body looked like a coiled spring waiting to explode.
Kai, on the other hand, had no stance. He awkwardly raised his fists in what he thought looked like a guard, but to the crowd, it resembled someone shielding themselves from a bee.
"Is he serious?""That's not even a stance.""Maybe he's baiting Riku.""No way, he's just clueless."
The voices bled together into a wave of judgment. Kai felt each word pressing down on him.
He took a deep breath. Okay, think. You've studied gears, pulleys, mechanical leverage. Riku is a system. Systems have weaknesses. Don't fight strength with strength. Find the flaw.
Riku tilted his head slightly, almost as if curious what Kai would do. "Ready?"
"No," Kai admitted honestly.
"Good enough."
The signal was given by a student referee—an eager third-year who lived for this sort of spectacle.
"Begin!"
The courtyard erupted in cheers.
Part II: The Clash
The air was sharp with silence. The courtyard, moments ago filled with chatter, now held only one collective breath as Kai and Riku faced each other.
Riku moved first. A simple step forward, not rushed, not showy—just the kind of controlled advance that said I know exactly what I'm doing. His body radiated calm danger, the kind of presence only someone who had lived in combat for years could exude.
Kai's instinct screamed at him to backpedal, so he did. He shuffled two steps away, fists still raised in his ridiculous bee-guard. The crowd booed immediately.
"Fight!""Don't run!""Show some guts!"
Kai shot them a glare. "Easy for you to say when you're not about to be flattened!"
The laughter broke some tension, but Riku didn't so much as blink. His gaze was steady, his stance unshaken. Then, without warning, he lunged.
It wasn't reckless. It wasn't theatrical. It was precise. His front foot glided across the stone as his fist shot forward in a clean, textbook punch aimed at Kai's chest.
Kai's eyes widened. Momentum… angle… impact force. His brain, wired for mechanics, calculated without his permission. The punch was a piston, fast and efficient. Trying to block would be like jamming a wrench into a running engine. Bad idea.
So he ducked.
The fist whistled over his head, grazing a strand of his hair. Kai stumbled forward awkwardly, nearly tripping over his own feet, and collided shoulder-first into Riku's side. The crowd gasped.
For a brief second, it looked like Kai had actually countered. But Riku didn't even flinch. He pivoted, letting Kai's weight carry him forward, and brought up his knee.
Kai's instincts screamed. He twisted at the last second, narrowly avoiding a knee to the ribs, but his sleeve caught on Riku's leg. With a sharp jerk, he tumbled to the ground, rolling across the courtyard like a dropped backpack.
The crowd roared with laughter. Some clapped. Others jeered.
Kai groaned, pushing himself up on shaky elbows. "Yep. Definitely dying today."
Haru cupped his hands around his mouth. "Beautiful roll, Kai! Ten out of ten on style!"
"Shut up, Haru!"
Riku didn't attack right away. He stood still, watching, as if trying to measure the worth of the boy in front of him. "You can dodge. Barely. But running won't save you."
Kai coughed, brushing dust from his shirt. "Running's underrated. Saves lives. Whole species evolved around it, you know."
The students laughed again, though Riku remained unfazed. He stepped forward once more, his shadow falling over Kai. This time, he didn't throw a punch. He swept his leg in a wide, fast arc aimed at Kai's ankles.
Kai barely saw it in time. His eyes tracked the motion, brain firing calculations. Horizontal arc. Momentum carried low. If I jump, I'll lose balance. If I take it, I'll fall. But if I—
He let himself drop backward.
It wasn't graceful. It looked like someone fainting in a soap opera. But Riku's sweep cut harmlessly through the space where his legs had been.
Kai hit the ground flat on his back, breath rushing out of him. Pain shot through his spine, but he had avoided the sweep. The crowd didn't know whether to laugh or applaud.
"Is… he fighting, or is he just trying to survive?" someone muttered.
"Both," Haru answered proudly.
Riku narrowed his eyes. He wasn't angry yet, but there was a flicker of curiosity. He stepped forward, aiming to pin Kai before he could recover. His shadow loomed again.
Kai's brain screamed leverage. He braced his palms against the ground and kicked upward—not at Riku's chest or head, but at his shin.
It connected with a dull thud. Riku didn't even flinch. But the unexpected angle made him hesitate just a fraction of a second, his stance shifting to absorb it.
Kai scrambled to his feet during that heartbeat of space.
The crowd cheered. "He's still standing!""Go new kid!""Kick him again!"
Kai staggered, panting, sweat dripping down his neck. His body screamed that it wasn't built for this. But his brain kept buzzing, analyzing every move.
He's too strong. Too fast. But strength has patterns. Power follows efficiency. Efficiency can be broken. Machines stall if you interrupt the system at the right point. I just have to find it.
Riku raised his guard again, expression neutral. But his eyes… they were sharper now. As though Kai had just moved from irrelevant nuisance to mild puzzle.
"Not bad," Riku said calmly. "But survival isn't victory."
Kai forced a grin, though his lips trembled. "Tell that… to evolution."
The courtyard exploded with laughter again, but beneath it, the tension coiled tighter. Riku was done testing. The next exchange would be serious.
Kai adjusted his guard—still ridiculous, still awkward, but his eyes were locked in, scanning every inch of Riku's frame.
For the first time since the duel began, he wasn't just thinking about running.
Part III: The Accidental Victory
The courtyard was deathly quiet now, save for the scuff of shoes against stone and the faint rustle of leaves above.
Kai wiped his palms against his pants, but the sweat only made them slicker. His heart hammered so loudly he swore the whole school could hear it.
Across from him, Riku adjusted his stance. No more testing. No more measured pokes. His shoulders squared, his knees bent slightly, and the faint smirk he'd worn earlier vanished into a line of cold focus.
The audience sensed it too. Conversations stopped. Even the jeers quieted. The duel had moved into its real phase.
Kai's throat tightened. "Oh good," he muttered under his breath, "he was holding back before. Just what I needed."
Riku moved like a blade through air. His right hand slashed forward, not wild, but clean, efficient—aiming straight for Kai's collarbone.
Kai's body froze for a fraction of a second. His brain calculated trajectories, angles, escape vectors—then screamed move!
He stumbled sideways, barely dodging the strike, but the air pressure stung against his neck. Riku twisted instantly, sweeping a low kick toward his knee.
Kai hopped awkwardly—too slow, too late. Riku's foot clipped his ankle, sending him sprawling. He hit the ground hard, dust rising around him.
The crowd winced collectively. "That's it.""New kid's done."
Kai groaned, rolling onto his side. Pain flared, but his mind buzzed louder than the ache. Every attack flows into the next. No wasted motion. He's a chain of gears. Perfect precision. But if I jam the gears…
He pushed himself up, barely avoiding Riku's follow-up strike that cracked into the ground where his head had been.
"Still standing?" Riku asked calmly. "Stubborn."
Kai forced a grin, though his lip was bleeding. "Nah. Just allergic to humiliation."
The crowd chuckled nervously. Riku didn't. He surged forward again, this time launching a straight kick toward Kai's stomach.
Kai panicked. He flung his arms up, not in a real block but more like a reflexive shield. The kick connected—not with his stomach, but with the edge of his forearm and his schoolbag still hanging from his shoulder.
Thunk!
Something inside the bag cracked. The kick ricocheted awkwardly, Riku's balance shifting for just a second.
Kai's eyes widened. That… worked?
Without thinking, he lunged forward. Not a strike, not a technique—he just threw his weight into Riku like a human battering ram.
It shouldn't have worked. Riku was heavier, stronger, infinitely more skilled. But the bag still dangled awkwardly between them, caught between Kai's shoulder and Riku's leg. The collision made Riku step back half a pace—small, but visible.
The crowd gasped.
"Did he just push Riku?""No way.""That's impossible—"
Riku's eyes narrowed. Not angry. Not impressed. Just… sharper. He reset his stance instantly. But in that tiny space of hesitation, Kai scrambled.
Leverage. Use it. Machines topple when you unbalance the core.
His gaze darted to Riku's foot. He stomped—not hard, not skillfully, but directly onto Riku's shoelace.
The move was so stupid it shocked even himself. But it did what he needed. As Riku shifted forward, his foot tugged against the pin. For a split second, his stance faltered.
Kai didn't think. He shoved. Both hands, full weight, right into Riku's chest.
Riku staggered back two steps before planting firmly again. He didn't fall. He didn't even look hurt.
But the courtyard erupted.
"He moved him!""No one's ever—""Riku actually—stumbled?"
Haru jumped onto the bench, waving his arms. "Witness it, everyone! The genius of the mechanical bee stance!"
"Shut up, Haru!" Kai shouted, cheeks burning.
But it was too late. The courtyard was alive with noise now, students buzzing like bees themselves. Even teachers had gathered at the edges, some hiding grins behind their hands.
Riku raised a hand, and silence fell instantly. He looked at Kai, expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he smirked again.
"Interesting."
One word. That was all. He turned, walked away, and the duel was over.
The courtyard exploded into chaos. Cheers, laughter, wild retellings already distorting what had just happened. Some swore Kai had countered with a genius move. Others said he'd humiliated Riku on purpose. A few whispered that maybe—just maybe—the new kid was destined to shake Martial High's balance.
Kai collapsed onto the ground, trembling, lungs heaving.
Haru rushed over, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you even realize what you just did?"
"Yes," Kai gasped. "I almost died."
"No, you absolute idiot. You survived Riku. And you made him notice you."
Kai groaned, covering his face with both hands. "That's not a good thing!"
But inside, beneath the exhaustion and fear, a spark flickered. He had faced Riku. He hadn't won—not really. But he hadn't lost, either.
And that accidental, ridiculous victory had just changed everything.