The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium.
"Takeru Inoue versus Seiji Kisaragi!"
Takeru took a deep breath. He could feel the weight of Akari and Rin's stares behind him. He stepped forward, nerves buzzing.
Ding!
A notification popped up in front of him, flashing erratically. The text was distorted and glitched.
[System Alert]
Defeat Seiji Kisaragi.
Reward: ??????
The text flickered violently before another message forced its way onto the screen.
[WARNING: Seiji Kisaragi is a Major Threat.]
Takeru's heart pounded. A major threat? The system had never given him a warning like that before.
Then, he saw him.
Seiji Kisaragi strolled onto the battlefield with a lazy gait, a lollipop tucked between his lips. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his hoodie, his expression unreadable.
Takeru clenched his fists as they stood a few feet apart.
Seiji tilted his head slightly. "Huh. So you're the guy."
Takeru frowned. "The guy?"
Seiji exhaled through his nose, taking the lollipop out of his mouth and twirling it between his fingers. "Yeah. The one they warned me about."
Takeru's blood ran cold.
Seiji wasn't just some opponent. He maybe connected to the same people who had warned Takeru before.
Takeru's mind raced. He had to ask. "Who are you working with?"
Seiji smirked. "Now, why would I tell you that?"
Takeru took a step forward. "Are you here to kill me?"
Seiji rolled the lollipop in his fingers before flicking it away. His smirk widened slightly, but his eyes, dark, calculating, never wavered.
"You ask too many questions."
Before Takeru could react, the buzzer blared. The fight had begun.
Seiji moved. Fast.
Takeru barely dodged as a fist cut through the air where his head had been. Seiji's casual stance was gone now, his movements were sharp, precise, and relentless.
Takeru leaped back and activated his ability.
Seiji predicted it.
The instant Takeru tried to alter the battlefield, Seiji was already in his space, slamming an elbow into his gut.
The impact stole the air from Takeru's lungs, sending him skidding backward.
Takeru barely regained his footing when Seiji was on him again. His attacks weren't just strong, they were calculated. Every move Takeru made was countered before he even fully committed to it.
Takeru gritted his teeth. "He's predicting my ability."
Seiji wasn't just reacting, he knew exactly what Takeru was going to do before he did it.
It was almost like he had a script of the entire fight already written in his head.
Takeru barely dodged a spinning kick, but before he could counter, Seiji had already shifted his weight and drove a knee into Takeru's ribs.
The pain exploded in his side. Takeru staggered, gasping for air.
From the stands, Akari's voice rang out. "Takeru! Get it together!"
Takeru clenched his fists. "How is he doing this?" he thought to himself.
Seiji stepped back, rolling his shoulders. "Y'know, you're not terrible," he said, his voice still relaxed, almost bored. "But you fight like someone who's used to being the only one who can change the battle."
Takeru's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Seiji's smirk deepened.
Then he moved, before Takeru could even process the words.
A devastating roundhouse came for his head. Takeru barely managed to block, but the force rattled his bones.
He had no time to think. No time to rewrite anything.
Seiji pressed forward, launching another flurry of strikes, each one perfectly placed to cut off Takeru's movements. It was surgical. Merciless.
It wasn't raw strength or speed that made Seiji terrifying, it was his ability to always be one step ahead.
Takeru tried rewriting again, anything to break the flow of battle.
Seiji's fist crashed into his jaw before the ability could even take effect.
Takeru stumbled back, dazed. "How?!"
He looked up, and Seiji was just standing there. Hands back in his hoodie pockets, head tilted slightly.
"Give up yet?" Seiji asked.
Takeru spat blood onto the arena floor. His heart pounded. His instincts screamed. He had to figure this out. Fast.
Because if he didn't, Seiji was going to end him.
Takeru grit his teeth. " I have to break that rhythm."
He lunged forward, throwing a feint, but Seiji didn't even twitch. Instead, the moment Takeru actually committed to a strike.
BAM!!
A fist slammed into his ribs, knocking the air out of him. Takeru staggered back, clutching his side.
Seiji exhaled through his nose. "You're readable."
Takeru's eyes narrowed. "Readable?"
Then it hit him. Seiji wasn't reacting to his attacks. He was reacting to his intentions.
"He knows what I'm going to do before I do it." Thought to himself.
It wasn't just instinct, it was something deeper. Something more calculated.
Seiji sighed, stretching his neck. "I was expecting a little more from you, honestly. But you're a measly E-Rank…how are you even still here?"
Takeru's fingers curled into a fist. "You're talking like the fight's already over."
Seiji tilted his head. "Isn't it?"
Takeru scowled. "Fine. Let's see how you handle this."
Instead of attacking, Takeru delayed his thoughts.
For a split second, he shut off his mind, moved on pure instinct, reacting on the fly instead of thinking ahead.
His body twisted.
Seiji's reaction stuttered.
Takeru saw the break, the tiny hesitation and took it.
His fist rocketed forward, only for Seiji's arm to catch it mid-air.
Takeru's eyes widened.
Seiji's smirk was mocking. "Better. But still not enough."
Then Seiji pulled him forward, slamming his knee into Takeru's stomach.
Takeru choked, doubling over. Pain exploded through his core, his vision going white for a second.
His knees nearly hit the ground, but he forced himself upright, glaring at Seiji through the pain.
Seiji exhaled, letting go of his wrist. "Look, I get it. You're trying to figure me out. But you're still so slow..."
Takeru coughed, wiping his mouth. "And you're a real arrogant bastard, huh?"
Seiji chuckled. "I prefer 'efficient.'"
An idea struck. Seiji was predicting his next move.
But what if there was no next move?
Takeru forced himself to relax. To stop fighting like a fighter.
Instead, he thought like a hacker.
A glitch could only occur when something didn't follow the expected script.
So he'd stop playing by the script.
Takeru exhaled, letting his body go limp. His stance weakened, his breathing slowed, his expression turned vacant.
Seiji's brows furrowed slightly. "What are you doing?"
Takeru didn't respond.
Because there was nothing to respond to.
No killing intent. No attack formation. No move planned.
Just noise.
Seiji hesitated for a fraction of a second, and that was all Takeru needed.
Takeru moved in a blur, but not toward Seiji.
He twisted his body in the opposite direction, mid-motion, completely abandoning every natural combat instinct.
Seiji's eyes widened, he hadn't seen that coming.
And in that gap, that tiny window of uncertainty, Takeru struck.
His foot slammed into Seiji's side.
For the first time, Seiji staggered.
His body skidded across the ground, his hoodie ruffling from the force.
The arena went silent. Takeru's chest heaved.
It worked.
Watching from the stands, Akari's eyes had widened.
Rin replied to the attack. "Your friend's got some heart."
Seiji… hadn't seen it.
He wasn't invincible.
Takeru wiped the sweat from his forehead, his lips curling into a smirk. "Guess I'm not so predictable after all."
Seiji slowly pushed himself back up.
His expression? No more amusement.
No more casual arrogance.
Just cold, sharp anger.
His lollipop snapped between his teeth. "…You little shit."