'Ring! Ring! Ring!'
"Hey, it's almost time for THE day, right?"
"Yesss."
"I can't wait!"
"What are you getting for lunch?"
"Hmm, anything my stomach asks for." The long corridors bustled with students from different classes. Kai followed the crowd and ended up at the cafeteria. He was amazed at the vast lunchroom. There looked to be more than thirty seating areas for lunch.
'How rich,' thought Kai, his eyes wide with awe. As he looked around at the lunch areas, his gaze stopped on a certain someone.
'OH, it's her. She's just as he described,' Kai thought, his eyes softening. He then made his way over to the person who had caught his attention.
"Hey, what do you suppose I get?" Kai asked as soon as he caught up to her and grabbed a tray. Without looking at him, she continued talking to the server.
"The salmon, chicken skewers, dumplings, and seaweed salad are quite good. I think you'll like them if you try them," Saphia responded after a few moments.
She hadn't had time to look at him when the clanging of a tray suddenly pulled everyone's attention.
"Ghost! Ghost! Ahhhh!" The person whose tray had fallen screamed hysterically, pointing directly at Kai.
Saphia, who hadn't noticed what Kai looked like—either because she lacked interest or simply couldn't be bothered—finally turned to face him.
Her heart skipped a beat, if it didn't stop beating altogether. Her eyes widened, and her complexion turned ashen.
Seeing that she wasn't looking too great, Kai extended his hand, gently holding onto her arm.
"Are you okay?" Kai asked, concern evident in his voice, clear as day in his beautiful heterochromatic blue-teal eyes. The sensation of Kai's hand on Saphia's arm made her feel more shaken than she had expected.
'Thud! Clang! Clang!' The food tray slipped from Saphia's hands and crashed to the floor, causing her to stagger back.
Just as she was about to lose her balance, Kai reached out, his hands gently wrapping around her small waist.
The two of them gazed at each other as the world seemed to freeze. Eyes as luminous and bright as the waters of a woodland river clashed with captivating and mesmerizing eyes that reminded anyone of shimmering amber.
Saphia, firmly locked in Kai's arms, tried to avoid his gaze, but there was something both familiar and unfamiliar about his eyes. Emotions flickered across her face, shifting like sun-rent clouds sweeping over a calm landscape as she stared back at him.
But beautiful moments, as always, came to an end. Like a blast from a horn, a voice suddenly boomed throughout the quiet cafeteria.
"What do you think you're doing?" The cold, menacing tone echoed in the stillness that had enveloped the room during Kai's moment.
"I'm fine now, you can let me go," Saphia stated, using her hands to push gently against Kai's sturdy chest.
Seeing Khai watching them from across the room, wearing a smirk, Kai pulled Saphia closer.
"Are you sure?" Kai asked again, his voice filled with concern, his eyes clouded with worry.
The sensation of his breath against Saphia's skin made her heart skip a beat, and her face flushed crimson. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Khai was red with anger, his hands clenched into fists as he took large strides toward Kai and Saphia, his face contorted with rage.
"Y-Yes, I'm sure," Saphia responded with a stutter, pushing Kai with more strength. Realizing she wanted to be released, Kai gently let go of her. But just as she took a step back, a hand reached out and pulled her away. The person was none other than Khai.
"What do you think you're doing?" Khai asked menacingly, grabbing Kai by his collar.
"What, can't I help a beauty in need? Or do you want help?" Kai retorted with his usual small smile, unfazed by the grip on his shirt.
"Haha! Are you sure about offending me?" Khai laughed darkly, his eyes fierce as if he wanted to take Kai's life right then and there. Kai didn't flinch. He stood face-to-face with Khai, neither of them backing down.
"Stop it. What do you think you're doing?" Saphia suddenly said, stepping up behind Khai.
"What do you mean? Why would you allow him to hold you like that!?" Khai seethed, though he tried to control his anger as he spoke to Saphia.
"And what's that got to do with you? Don't you remember we—"
"Saphia!" Khai called out before Saphia could finish her words. Kai, whose shirt was still being grabbed, stood and watched as the drama unfolded.
'Interesting,' Kai thought. Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the only one enjoying the drama. The instigator of this little incident stood off to the side, still slightly shaken, wearing a satisfied grin.
She held it together even when shaken, just to watch the scene unfolding. With a smirk, her piercing, gem-like eyes were locked onto Saphia, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.
"I'm done talking with you," Saphia declared, then turned and walked away. She stopped in her tracks, slowly turning to look at Kai.
Seeing he was still being held, she shot a glance at Khai. Her eyes glinted with something sharp, and Kai was immediately released.
"See you later," Saphia said with a small smile, then turned around and walked off. Lisa followed suit, giving Kai a wink and a flirty smile. Kai shuddered at the gesture.
Just as she did, numerous gasps and whispers echoed throughout the auditorium, buzzing with excitement over the events that had just unfolded.
"Did you see that?"
"Who is he?"
" How dare he challenge the Academy's King!"
"Di-What just happened!?"
"We are dead!"
Without another word, Khai turned and walked away in the opposite direction, his entourage trailing behind him.
'I'm looking forward to playing with you all,' thought Kai, eagerly anticipating the days to come.
***
"Waah! It's so hot!"
"Right?"
"Mr. Winsomburg, when can we go in?" the voices of students complained under the scorching sun.
"After running ten laps, go! Whistle!" Mr. Winsomburg responded, blowing the whistle to signal the start of the laps. The complaints and grumbling continued, but under the hawk-like gaze of their sports teacher, they kept running—no one, not even the top bosses of the school, were spared, much less the pitiful ones.
After about an hour of everyone finishing their laps, they were allowed to rest on the bleachers.
Kai, who had just finished running his laps, walked over to the bleachers and sat down. But as he did, the classmates around him looked at him as if he had grown three eyes, ten nostrils, and five horns.
"What?" Kai voiced his concerns, genuinely confused by their stares. Suddenly, Khai and his entourage approached where he was seated.
"He didn't really just sit there, right?" Lisa asked rhetorically, her amused smile evident.
Khai, however, ignored Kai's entire existence and sat just a bleacher away from him. Seeing that Khai wasn't rushing at him, Kai figured he might as well call out to him first—but, of course, he didn't want to be the one to bother Khai.
"Hey, Khai. How was class today?" Kai asked, attempting to get a response from Khai, but was ignored, earning looks of disbelief from the others.
"The sun was a bit hot, right?" Kai tried again, earning a second look of disbelief from his classmates.
The audacity of addressing Khai, one of the most untouchable students, so casually was almost unheard of. Whispers started circulating through the crowd, and the tension in the air thickened as Kai's attempt to engage Khai seemed almost comical to everyone watching.