The sound of footsteps echoed through the long school hallway, still buzzing with the remnants of the commotion in the courtyard. Kaido walked beside Asuka, hands in his pockets and a faint smile on his face, as if nothing had happened. Asuka, however, with furrowed brows and a clenched jaw, looked ready to tear a piece out of him.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" she muttered without even looking at him. "You shouldn't have gone up against someone like Lili. Martial artists at our level can be far crueler than you imagine."
Kaido let out a light laugh, trying to ease the tension.
"Come on, Asu… it was just a friendly match."
Asuka stopped abruptly, spun toward him, and pointed a firm finger at his chest.
"No, Kaido. It was 'just' a match because it was Lili. As annoying as she is, Lili doesn't cross the line… but if it had been someone like my cousin… or the one who attacked the dojo… things would've been very different."
Kaido's smile faltered, and for a brief moment the hallway grew quieter. Asuka's tone carried too much weight to ignore.
"Asuka…" he murmured, more subdued now.
She took a deep breath, averted her eyes, and resumed walking — her steps heavier this time.
"You don't get it, Kaido. This isn't just about pride or teasing… there are things you haven't seen yet."
Kaido stood there for a second before silently following her. The lightness from before was gone.
When they entered the classroom, they were met with a full-on crowd at the back. Students were perched on desks and leaning against tables, everyone talking at once — it looked more like a marketplace than a classroom.
"What the …?" Kaido muttered, trying to peek through the bodies.
"What's going on here?" Asuka frowned, already irritated just by the noise.
Before they could move forward, a classmate rushed over to Kaido, almost tripping on the way.
"Dude… you won't believe who's sitting over there!"
"What?" he raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
Before the boy could finish, a clear voice with a strong French accent rose above the noise:
"Allez, éloignez-vous un peu…[1]" she said calmly but with authority. "You're being a nuisance with this behavior."
The crowd dispersed immediately, as if obeying by reflex. Kaido let out a quiet,
"Oh crap…"
Beside him, Asuka clenched her fists and huffed.
"What the hell is she doing here?"
As if the scene wasn't dramatic enough, the door opened and Ms. Miho entered, lightly tapping her folder on the teacher's desk.
"Miss Lili's right. Everyone to your seats — and behave."
No one needed to be told twice. The desks creaked in near-military unison, and finally Kaido and Asuka could see the center of attention clearly. Sitting with crossed legs, perfect posture, and the smile of someone who knew she was in control… was Lili Rochefort.
"As some of you may have noticed," Ms. Miho began, adjusting her glasses, "we have a new classmate. I'm sure you all know Lili Rochefort."
With a graceful, rehearsed movement, Lili stood up. Her golden hair fell over her shoulders like a shampoo commercial, and her uniform looked tailor-made. She gave a slight bow — too elegant to be casual — then fixed her eyes on Asuka with a provocative smile.
"Tsk…" Asuka looked away, irritated.
A girl nearby didn't waste any time:
"But why did she change classes?"
Miho answered before Lili could even open her mouth.
"There was a small administrative error during the transfer. That's why, for the first two weeks, she was in a different class. But everything's been fixed now."
While the teacher spoke, Lili tilted her chin up slightly and gave Asuka a victorious look — like someone who'd scored a goal without even touching the ball.
Kaido let out a quiet sigh, already sensing the headaches to come.
"This is going to be fun…" he muttered.
"Shut up," Asuka shot back with a serious look.
Miho adjusted her glasses again, this time with the look of someone on the brink of losing patience. She stared directly at Asuka and Lili — and the tension between them was so thick it could've been sliced with a katana.
"I expect," she began firmly, "you two can keep this little rivalry out of my classroom."
Some students snickered. Others held their breath.
"I won't allow you to turn this place into a ring," Miho continued, looking intensely from one to the other. "It's bad enough the principal insists on that absurd idea of allowing martial arts activities on school grounds. This is a school, not a dojo."
Lili kept her polite smile, as if the words weren't meant for her. Asuka crossed her arms and muttered something no one understood — but it clearly wasn't a prayer.
Then Miho slowly turned to Kaido, who was already sinking into his chair, feeling the storm approaching.
"And you two…" she pointed first at Asuka, then at him. "We'll have a little talk after class."
The way she said "talk" made a few classmates let out a teasing "ooh."
Kaido sighed, already imagining the trouble.
"Damn it…" he muttered.
Asuka shot him a sideways glance — not exactly angry at him, but clearly blaming him for half the situation.
Meanwhile, Lili leaned back in her chair like a princess on a throne, savoring every second.
. . .
The cafeteria buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the clatter of metal trays on tables. Kaido ate calmly, surrounded by a bunch of classmates who sounded more like sports commentators than students.
"Man, you're insane," one of them said, mouth full. "Challenging Rochefort on the first few weeks of school? You're just asking to get crushed!"
"Or maybe he's just crazy lucky," another added with a sly grin. "You're caught between the two of hottest girls in school… Lili and Asuka."
"Lucky?" a third burst out laughing. "More like doomed! Hot, yeah. But those two? Wild beasts. No normal guy survives between them."
Laughter erupted around the table. Kaido sighed but couldn't suppress a crooked smile.
"And that moment when you grabbed Lili's elegant leg?" one of the guys said, shaking his head in mock envy. "Bro… the guts on you."
Another chimed in immediately,
"Tsk… I prefer Asuka. Those training muscles… hnnn. Too sexy."
"You guys are sick," Kaido muttered, though clearly fighting back laughter.
"We're just realists," the first said, patting his shoulder. "Maybe that's why she got so interested in you."
Meanwhile, at a slightly distant table, Asuka poked at her bentō distractedly. She barely heard her friends — her eyes were stubbornly fixed on Kaido and the pack of idiots around him.
Then she noticed: his lunchbox was exactly like hers.
"...Tsk…" she muttered, a faint blush on her cheeks. "It's just a lunch Aroma-san packed…"
Her friends exchanged knowing looks, stifling giggles, which only made Asuka even more flustered.
Across the cafeteria, Lili, surrounded by fawning classmates, kept her gaze locked on Kaido. She ignored all the chatter as if only he existed.
With one elegant, firm movement, she stood up. The echo of her heels sounded like the announcement of an approaching storm.
Asuka straightened instantly. Her friends fell silent.
Kaido's table grew quieter as Lili drew closer. He looked up at the exact moment she stopped in front of him.
"Excusez-moi," she said with that sweet, razor-sharp French accent.
Without waiting for a response, she pushed someone's tray aside.
"…Oh crap…" Kaido sighed, putting down his chopsticks.
Lili set her tray down with practiced grace and sat directly across from him, elegantly crossing her legs. Her smile was soft, but her eyes glimmered with something sharper.
"Bon appétit," she said sweetly, as if they were alone.
Kaido's friends exchanged uneasy looks — some laughed nervously, others simply widened their eyes, as if a predator had entered the room. Kaido raised an eyebrow, keeping his posture relaxed. He pretended it was nothing special, picking up his chopsticks again.
"...Azs[2]." he answered quietly, trying to ignore the spectacle forming around them.
Lili leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
"Are you really going to pretend I'm not here?" she asked melodically. "Ignore me like our dear Asuka?"
Kaido paused mid-bite — just long enough for Lili to know she'd hit the mark.
"On the contrary…" he said, slowly lifting his eyes to meet hers. "I'd actually like to hear from you why you're so interested in her."
Lili raised an eyebrow, surprised by the counter. Her smile only grew wider, intrigued. She elegantly tucked a golden strand behind her ear and leaned in slightly. Her blue eyes sparkled — the game had just gotten more interesting.
"Mon cher… bold, hm? Asking like that, no hesitation…" a soft laugh escaped, muffled behind her delicate hand. "Très bien… since you insist, I'll satisfy your curiosity."
The cafeteria started to quiet down around them, as if someone had turned down the volume. No one looked directly, but many bodies subtly leaned in to listen.
"Asuka…" Lili pronounced the name slowly, like tasting an exotic dessert. "She's rude, wild, always pretending she doesn't care… and that's exactly what makes her fascinating. A rough pearl hidden among worthless stones. Someone who entertains me… and challenges me."
She rested her chin on her hand, wearing a near-innocent smile, and winked at him as if whispering a secret.
"And of course… I love the look on her face when I lose on purpose. It's so easy to make her explode."
On the other side of the cafeteria, Asuka — pretending not to listen — squeezed her fork so hard she nearly bent the metal. A friend tried to speak, but received a death glare, followed by a sharp bang on the table. The plates trembled.
"Baka… baka-domo[3]," she grumbled, looking away — though her ears stayed tuned in.
Lili leaned in a little closer. Her voice turned into a whisper, meant only for Kaido.
"Et toi, chéri…[4] are you really that interested in why I care? Or are you afraid your precious Asuka isn't as special as you think?"
The entire cafeteria seemed to hold its breath. All attention — even the hidden kind — was fixed on Kaido's answer.
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Not really…" he said calmly, sharply. "I was just curious why someone would cross continents just to be near her rival… But I guess the feeling's not mutual, since she's knocked you down so many times."
The remark hit like a clean punch to the jaw. Lili's smile faltered for just an instant — imperceptible to most, but not to Kaido. Then she let out a crystal-clear laugh that echoed through the cafeteria, making everyone stare. Straightening her posture, she placed a hand on her chest like she'd been dramatically "wounded."
"Touché… mon cher!" she said between laughs. "Your tongue is as sharp as her kicks."
But her eyes didn't lose their fire — if anything, they gleamed brighter, thrilled by the challenge. Lili leaned forward again, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for him.
"Mais ne te trompe pas…[5] Even if Asuka's beaten me before… I always come back. A loss doesn't scare me — it just makes the victory sweeter when it comes. Et puis… who said rivalry was the only reason I came here?"
Her gaze locked onto his, measuring every reaction. For a second, the cafeteria disappeared — leaving only her blue eyes and Kaido's calm steadiness.
Across the room, Asuka couldn't take it anymore.
The chair screeched loudly as she stood up abruptly. The sound silenced the entire cafeteria in an instant. Every firm step she took toward their table sounded like a storm's prelude.
Without asking, she grabbed Kaido's tray and shoved it aside, clearing the space in front of him. Then she gave his shoulder a small shove — not enough to knock him over, but enough to make her mood very clear.
"Bakayaro…" she growled, glaring at him before turning her fiery eyes to Lili. "Stop talking to that conceited princess."
Then, with a tense half-smile, she added,
"And you, Rochefort… don't you have anything better to do than bother people at lunch?"
The cafeteria held its breath — no one dared move or even cough. Everyone knew: if these two started here… no one would dare step in.
[1] Come on, move aside a bit…
[2] Azs is short for Azassu, which is slang and an abbreviation for “thank you.”
[3] Idiot… all idiots
[4] And you, darling...
[5] But don't be mistaken…