The arena still smelled faintly of burned stone.
Fragments of the shattered barrier glimmered across the battlefield like broken glass beneath the stadium lights.
Medical teams rushed across the ruined stage while officials scrambled to restore order among the roaring crowd.
At the center of the chaos stood Derek Uzushi.
Dust clung to his clothes. Small cuts covered his arms and face, but compared to the devastation surrounding him, he looked almost untouched.
The giant screen above the arena displayed his face while trumpets echoed through the stadium.
"THE STRONGEST STUDENT IN THE COUNTRY…!"
"DEREK UZUSHI!"
The audience erupted into applause.
Officials approached Derek and placed a heavy medal around his neck. Gold gleamed against the stadium lights as the symbol of victory settled against his chest.
Yet Derek barely noticed it.
His gaze drifted toward the far side of the ruined battlefield.
Medical staff surrounded the unconscious body of Yuki Kinatarou.
The boy looked almost unrecognizable beneath the blood and burns covering his body. His right arm hung limp and badly damaged as nurses rushed to stabilize him.
Derek watched in silence.
The crowd cheered for him.
But strangely…
Many of those cheers were directed toward the boy being carried away.
A strange smile crept across Derek's face.
"Yeah…" he muttered under his breath.
"That sounds about right."
The event ended on a note that pleased the whole audience, they felt Derek deserved the win but they still felt bad for Yuki.
Later That Evening
The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the hospital room.
Machines hummed quietly in the background.
Moonlight spilled through the window, casting pale silver light across the bed where Yuki lay completely wrapped in bandages.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
Thick layers of gauze covered most of his body. Stitches lined his ribs and shoulders. His right arm was immobilized beneath heavy wrapping and suspended carefully to prevent movement.
Even breathing seemed to cost him effort.
Beside the bed, Seri Kyorin slept curled up on a couch.
Her posture was stiff and uncomfortable, as though she had collapsed there out of pure exhaustion rather than choosing to rest.
The room was silent.
Then Yuki's eyes slowly opened.
For several seconds he simply stared at the ceiling.
Pain greeted him immediately.
Every inch of his body throbbed.
He tried to move.
Nothing happened.
Yuki blinked.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
"…Huh?"
His eyes slowly shifted downward.
Bandages.
Bandages everywhere.
His entire torso looked like it had been wrapped by an overly enthusiastic mummy.
Even his right arm was completely covered.
"…Oh."
Memory slowly returned.
Derek.
Lightning.
The explosion.
"Right…" Yuki murmured weakly.
"That happened."
He lay there quietly for a moment.
Then his gaze drifted toward the couch beside him.
Seri was still asleep.
Her long hair spilled across her shoulders as she leaned against the armrest. Even in sleep, her expression looked tense.
Yuki watched her silently.
A faint smile touched his lips.
After a few minutes, Seri stirred.
Her eyelids slowly lifted.
The first thing she saw was Yuki staring at her.
His face was pale.
His eyes were tired.
But they still carried that same strange brightness that never seemed to disappear.
Seri froze.
Then she shot to her feet so quickly the couch nearly tipped over.
"Yuki!"
She rushed to his bedside.
"How do you feel?!" she asked urgently.
Her hand immediately pressed against his forehead.
Yuki blinked.
"…Hot," she muttered.
"You have a fever."
"I'm fine," Yuki replied weakly.
His voice sounded like it had been dragged through gravel.
Seri's eyebrows immediately slammed downward.
"Fine?" she repeated.
Her voice rose dangerously.
"Fine?!"
"You are stupid, immature, reckless, and completely insane!"
Yuki blinked again.
Seri pointed accusingly at him.
"You knew you couldn't win that fight!" she snapped.
"And yet you pushed your body past its limits over and over again!"
"You shattered the arena barrier!"
"You destroyed your arm!"
"And creating lightning with your ice Kizo?!"
Her voice climbed another octave.
"Do you even realize how reckless that is?!"
"You could have killed yourself!"
Seri inhaled sharply, clearly preparing to continue her lecture.
But Yuki quietly spoke first.
"Kyorin-san."
Seri stopped.
"…What?"
Yuki looked at her calmly.
"How about we go out again?"
Seri blinked.
"…What?"
"Like last time," Yuki continued weakly.
"When I get better."
He smiled slightly.
"Let's watch another movie before I leave to train with Lord Genji."
Seri stared at him.
For several seconds her brain simply stopped functioning.
Then her face turned bright red.
"…S-sure," she muttered.
She quickly turned her head away, pretending to examine the medical equipment beside the bed.
Yuki watched her quietly.
Then he said something incredibly stupid.
"Well, if it's a date you should dress ni—"
SMACK.
Seri slapped the side of the bed so hard the metal frame rattled.
"WHO SAID IT WAS A DATE?!" she shouted.
Yuki blinked again.
"Oh," he said.
"My mistake."
Seri looked ready to continue yelling.
But the door suddenly burst open.
"YUKI!"
Two small figures launched themselves across the room like guided missiles.
Luna and Yukari crashed onto the bed.
"WE MISSED YOU!"
Yuki's eyes bulged.
"WAI—"
CRUNCH.
Pain exploded across his entire body.
"AAGH!"
Seri immediately grabbed Luna and peeled her off the bed.
"Luna, stop! You'll kill him!"
But Yukari was still hugging Yuki with alarming enthusiasm.
"Yuki! You idiot!" she shouted.
"You almost died!"
Yuki wheezed helplessly.
"Suffocating…"
The door burst open again.
Derek and Mika stepped inside.
They froze.
Yukari was currently squeezing the injured Yuki like a stuffed toy.
Derek immediately sprinted forward.
"This is the SECOND TIME you're doing this!" he shouted.
He grabbed Yukari and yanked her away from the bed.
Mika helped him drag her backward.
Yuki collapsed weakly into the mattress.
"…Thank you," he whispered.
A few seconds later another person entered the room.
Hana stepped inside carrying a fruit basket.
She stopped.
Everyone was already there.
"…Wow," she muttered.
She walked over and placed the basket beside Yuki's bed.
Yuki smiled at her.
Hana punched him in the stomach.
THUMP.
Yuki wheezed like a dying accordion.
"You idiot!" Hana yelled.
"What kind of person fights like that?!"
"You almost died!"
Mika immediately grabbed Hana before she could punch him again.
"Hana, stop!"
Sophia entered the room a moment later.
She calmly walked past the chaos and sat on the edge of
Yuki's bed.
Now everyone was there.
Yukari.
Seri.
Sophia.
Derek.
Mika.
Hana.
Luna.
The entire group stood around the bed.
Derek finally stepped forward.
He looked down at Yuki.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Derek exhaled slowly.
"…You were impressive," he said honestly.
Yuki smiled faintly.
He opened his mouth to reply.
But exhaustion suddenly crashed over him like a tidal wave.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Before he could finish speaking…
Yuki fell asleep.
The room grew quiet.
Everyone stared at him.
After a moment, they quietly stepped outside.
Later, Yukari, Luna, and Seri met with the doctor.
The man adjusted his glasses as he reviewed Yuki's chart.
"He pushed his body far beyond safe limits," the doctor explained.
"Multiple times."
"His injuries are severe, and his Ki reserves are completely depleted."
He paused.
"He will likely remain asleep for about a week while his body recovers."
Seri's expression tightened.
"And after that?"
The doctor sighed.
"Even when he wakes up, he won't be able to use his Kizo for a while."
"He needs time to recover."
He closed the chart.
"You can take him home tomorrow if you'd like."
"He'll simply be sleeping."
The three girls exchanged glances.
Then they nodded.