After the thirty-second match ended, the academy gave the students a two-hour break.
Arien stood up quickly from his seat.
—Perfect, I was already hungry. Let's go get something to eat!
The other Promises followed him. All the other students also stood up from their seats and left the combat arena.
Floch and Terrmomix arrived at the cafeteria, but all the tables were occupied, so they went outside to sit at one of the picnic tables.
They managed to get a table. Floch looked up to look around.
—Ah, look Terrmomix, the Marks and the Promises are here too.
Terrmomix looked up to see them; the two groups were sitting at tables quite far apart from each other.
At the Promises' table, Kaien placed a large lunchbox on the wood, then opened it and distributed some sandwiches among the four of them.
—Thanks for the food and bon appétit—The four of them said.
Arien grabbed a sandwich and took a huge bite.
—Mmm!—He moaned in satisfaction—Kaien, your dad makes the best sandwiches in the world!
Haruki nodded with his cheeks full. Rika was the only one taking small bites, but she also agreed.
Kaien felt proud of the compliments towards his father.
—Of course he does, he always makes the most delicious food in the world.
At the Marks' table, they were eating the dishes from the academy cafeteria calmly.
—Oh, this is delicious—Said Liang.
Back at Floch and Terrmomix's table, the two of them were playing with a chess set that Floch had bought before arriving on the island.
—Ahh... The king orders these to advance and eat your knight—Floch moved five pawns forward.
—I don't think that's how you play it—Said Terrmomix.
Floch tilted his head to the side confused.
—Huh? It's not?.
Neither of them really knew how to play; Floch had just bought the first game he found.
At another table further away sat Kenzo, he was alone. He placed his small lunchbox on the table and began to eat slowly while looking at the other tables with curiosity.
His gaze landed on Rika, who was still with the other Promises, and Kenzo's cheeks blushed slightly without him realizing it.
After a few minutes, Rika stood up from her seat.
—I'll be right back, I'm going to the bathroom.
The other Promises, who were playing cards, nodded their heads.
—Ha, take four more, Arien—Said Kaien with a smile.
Arien dropped his cards, closed his eyes, and grabbed his hair with his hands.
—Ahhh!.
She headed to the bathroom and went inside. She came out after a while, and as she walked back to her table, her gaze drifted towards the table where Kenzo was sitting.
He looked up, and when their eyes met, he got nervous. Rika smiled and slowly approached him.
—Hello again, Kenzo—She waved her hand to greet him.
Kenzo squeezed his sandwich tightly when he saw her coming closer. He was really nervous at that moment.
—H-hello... Rika.
—Can I sit with you?.
Kenzo moved a little to the right to make space for her.
—O-of course.
She sat next to him but kept a certain distance to respect his personal space.
—Ready for your match?—She asked while resting her elbow on the table and her cheek in her palm.
—Yes... I'm just a little nervous.
—It's normal to feel nervous, but you just have to calm down and give it your all.
—For you, these matches are very easy, right?.
—I wouldn't say they are easy, it's just that I have more experience in this. I've trained a lot with Arien and the others, so I already know how to take advantage of my rivals' mistakes, find openings, and all that.
—You're amazing, Rika—His gaze shifted to look at the Marks' table and then the Promises'—You know? I've been wondering, why are the two strongest groups rivals? And why do Arien and Kael seem to hate each other?.
—We just compete against each other to show our power, and Arien doesn't hate Kael, actually he barely met him today, he just likes to provoke him because he's the only one at his level, but he has nothing against him.
—And Kael plays along?.
—Yes, I think so because he also knows that Arien is the only one who can stand up to him.
—Ohh I see. The first time I saw Arien I thought he was one of those arrogant guys who underestimate their rivals and get overconfident because of their strength... Although thinking about it, he does seem like that.
—He seems like that, but he isn't. Even though it doesn't look like it, Arien knows his limits and accepts when a rival is much stronger than him, he just would never say it out loud.
—That makes him even more amazing. You are all amazing...
At the Promises' table, Arien kept eating and playing cards until he looked up.
His gaze swept across all the tables, and his eyes stopped at the table where Rika and Kenzo were when he saw them talking together.
He opened his eyes in surprise.
—Hey—He whispered to Haruki and Kaien—Look at the table behind you discreetly.
The two of them turned their entire bodies quickly to look back.
—I said discreetly!—Exclaimed Arien—Look, Rika already has a boyfriend.
—Ahhh, is that why she rejected Fionn?—Asked Haruki in a low voice while his gaze remained on Rika's table.
—Yeah, I think so.
—Mmm... I don't think he's her boyfriend, besides she told Fionn she wasn't interested in a relationship—Said Kaien.
—Well I think he is, otherwise why would she be talking to him?.
Kaien noticed how naturally Rika was talking to Kenzo.
—Maybe because he's her friend.
—Mmm... I don't know, she looks relaxed talking to him and besides, it's really rare to see her talking to other guys.
—Until now, we were the only ones Rika talked to, but I'm glad she has new friends now—Said Haruki with a smile.
Kaien nodded his head.
—You're right.
—He is her boyfriend, but I'm still glad—Said Arien.
The two-hour break ended and the guys stood up to return to the stands for the next matches.
—Let's go Terrmomix—Said Floch as he stood up from his chair.
Terrmomix did the same. The Marks and Promises also stood up to go back to the stands.
Everyone returned to their previous seats, except now Kenzo sat in the upper rows, the ones furthest from the arena but in the same row as the Promises.
When all the students were seated again, the principal gave the order to continue with the matches. With each match that passed, Kenzo and Terrmomix's turn was getting closer and closer.
That made Kenzo nervous, while Terrmomix kept his gaze devoid of emotions or feelings.
—By the way, from your hair I can deduce that your technique is ice, right?—Asked Floch.
—Yes, my technique is ice.—Answered Terrmomix.
—Good, you know what? My technique is
FORTY-EIGHTH MATCH: FINISHED.
—Ah, it's over already—Said Floch.
FORTY-NINTH MATCH: KENZO HOLT VS HENRIK KLEIN
Kenzo tensed up upon hearing his name, he hugged his katana and stood up to head down to the arena and begin his match.