The courtyard of Shizuoka High had never
been this quiet.
Students stood on balconies.
Others peeked from classroom windows.
Everyone was watching.
In the center stood Ren Ishikawa and Ryuji Kagami from Kurogane High.
The air between them felt heavy.
Kaito stood behind Takumi and Hiroki, barely breathing.
"Is this really happening…?" he whispered.
Hiroki nodded slowly.
"Yep. And if they fight… you're about to see something crazy."
Ryuji rolled his shoulders confidently.
"So, Ren… are we doing this or not?"
Ren looked bored.
"You came all the way here just to fight?"
"Of course."
"…Then hurry up."
That was all it took.
Ryuji rushed forward.
Fast.
Much faster than Kaito expected.
His fist cut through the air toward Ren's face—
But Ren moved first.
A small step.
A slight pivot.
Ryuji's punch missed completely.
Before anyone could react—
Ren tapped Ryuji's chest with his palm.
Just a tap.
But Ryuji slid back two steps.
Gasps spread across the courtyard.
"Did he even try…?" someone whispered.
Ryuji looked down at his chest… then laughed.
"HAHA! Okay… okay! You're actually good!"
Takumi crossed his arms.
"Told you. Ren isn't someone you test casually."
But something strange happened.
One of the Kurogane students behind Ryuji sighed loudly.
"Are you done embarrassing us?"
Everyone turned.
He had been standing there quietly the whole time.
Tall.
Lean.
Black hair covering one eye.
Hands in his pockets like he didn't care about anything happening.
Kaito hadn't even noticed him before.
But now…
Something about him felt different.
Dangerous.
Ryuji clicked his tongue.
"Relax, Shiro. I'm warming up."
The quiet boy stepped forward slowly.
His name…
Shiro Kurogane.
The moment he moved, even Ren's eyes sharpened slightly.
That didn't go unnoticed.
Hiroki whispered,
"…That guy is the real problem."
Kaito swallowed.
"What do you mean?"
Keisuke answered quietly.
"At Kurogane High, Ryuji is loud."
"But Shiro…"
"…Shiro is the one people fear."
Shiro stopped beside Ryuji and looked around the courtyard.
His eyes were calm.
Empty.
Then he looked directly at Ren.
"So you're Shizuoka's strongest."
Ren didn't respond.
Shiro tilted his head slightly.
"…You're decent."
The arrogance in his voice shocked everyone.
Even Ryuji laughed nervously.
"Hey, Shiro, don't start something yet."
But Shiro wasn't looking at Ren anymore.
He was looking at someone else.
Kaito.
Their eyes met for only a second.
But Kaito felt chills run down his spine.
Not anger.
Not intimidation.
Just pure evaluation.
Like a predator noticing something small move in the grass.
Then Shiro turned away.
"Let's go," he said.
Ryuji groaned.
"Aww man, we just got here!"
"Mission's done."
Ryuji sighed but stretched his arms again.
"Fine. Ren, I'll fight you properly next time."
Ren didn't answer.
The Kurogane students began leaving through the gate.
But as Shiro passed the courtyard exit…
He spoke one last sentence.
Without looking back.
"Shizuoka has potential."
A pause.
"But none of them interest me yet."
Then they were gone.
Silence returned to the courtyard.
Students slowly started talking again.
Takumi exhaled.
"That could've turned ugly."
Hiroki looked at Kaito.
"You okay?"
Kaito nodded slowly.
"…That guy… Shiro."
James crossed his arms.
"Yeah."
Kaito clenched his fists.
"…I felt like he was looking straight through me."
James smirked slightly.
"That's because fighters like him…"
"…can smell potential."
Kaito looked toward the gate where Kurogane students disappeared.
For the first time since starting training…
He felt something new.
Not fear.
Not embarrassment.
But a challenge waiting somewhere in the future.