The arena was silent.
The King of Nova High stood on one side.
The Queen stood on the other.
And between them was Kai.
Kai sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You guys are really overthinking this," he said.
Axel's lightning crackled slightly in the air.
"Then prove it," the King replied.
Kai shrugged.
"If you want proof…"
Before anyone could react—
Kai suddenly stepped forward and fell to the ground.
THUD.
Students in the stands gasped.
Kai slowly sat up, wincing and touching his side like he was in pain.
"See?" he said weakly. "I'm already bruised from earlier."
He lifted his sleeve slightly.
Dark bruises covered his arm from the arena fight with Marcus.
Kai forced a small laugh.
"If I fought either of you, I'd probably end up in the hospital."
Some students watching began whispering.
"Yeah… look at those bruises."
"He really got beaten badly earlier."
Axel narrowed his eyes.
Kai looked completely exhausted.
Slow movements.
Bruised body.
No sign of power.
Zara crossed her arms, still watching carefully.
Kai slowly stood up and brushed dust off his uniform.
"Look," he said casually, "I just want to survive school like everyone else."
The arena was quiet.
Axel finally shrugged.
"Hmph. Looks like we wasted time."
The lightning around his hands disappeared.
"Come on, Zara. He's just a weak student."
The King turned and walked away.
Students in the stands slowly began leaving as well.
Soon the arena was almost empty.
Only Zara and Kai remained.
Zara stared at him for a long moment.
Kai smiled awkwardly.
"Told you… powerless."
She said nothing.
Then she turned and walked away.
But as she left, Zara whispered quietly—
"Interesting…"
Kai watched her disappear.
After the arena was completely empty, he sighed.
Then his expression changed.
His eyes became calm again.
"Acting weak is harder than fighting," he muttered.
Because if he had actually fought the King of Nova High…
The entire school would have discovered the truth.
And Kai wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.