"Watch this, he'll probably break a finger nail. This is going to be embarrassing." Renjiro stood straight and watched attentively.
"I wouldn't be so sure Renjiro, look at his stance." Seri spoke while pointing at Yuki.
Yuki stepped into the center of the circle, the eyes of every elite student in Class 2-A boring into him. He took a breath, trying to summon that flicker of frost he usually felt. A tiny, pathetic dusting of ice gathered around his knuckles—barely enough to keep a soda cold.
All I have to do is punch it, just like I always punched the wall in that room I was locked in. This shouldn't be too hard, I've done it a billion times.
Yuki had always practiced punching against a wall, he was sure he could do it but still nervous as well.
Yuki didn't make use of any ki at all. Instead, he dropped his weight, his back foot anchoring into the floor with so much pressure that the tiles cracked. He twisted his waist funneling every ounce of his strength into his shoulder.
BOOM
That was the sound of Yuki's fist colliding with the power output pillar, it sent vibrations throughout the floor into the teeth of every student that was watching.
The steel pillar didn't just register a hit, it jolted back a few inches. The digital display on top the pillar flickered wildly, it's internal sensors struggled to categorize an impact that contained zero ki but the force of a high speed collision. The screen finally displayed a red: ERROR CAPACITY EXCEEDED .
The silence that followed was absolute. Yuki blinked, shaking his stinging hand and looking sheepishly at the damage.
"Oh man... I broke it, didn't I?" Yuki rubbed the back of his head, looking at Sato-sensei. "I'm so sorry! I'll get a part-time job to pay for the repairs!"
Sato-sensei stared at the dented steel. "You... you didn't use any Ki. The sensor didn't detect a single joule of Kizo. That was... pure physics."
Renjiro's face went pale. He stood frozen, his eyes darting between the dent in the pillar and the "Acolyte" who had just made it.
"Maybe having an Acolyte in Class 2-A won't be as boring as I thought," Seri whispered, a genuine, predatory spark of interest finally lighting up her green eyes. She walked towards the teacher and whispered something to him before walking out of the class. No one noticed this as their eyes were fixated on Yuki.
The dust from the shattered tiles hadn't even settled when Renjiro stepped forward, his fists clenched so hard they were trembling. Small embers began to drift from his hair, singeing the air with the smell of woodsmoke.
"That was a fluke!" Renjiro spat out, his voice echoing through the silent class room. "Maybe the sensors weren't calibrated or you might've hit a structural weak point. There is no way an Acolyte like you, a nobody like you can have that kind of force."
Yuki wasn't even paying attention to Renjiro, he was busy apologizing to the teacher for the tiles. This fueled Renjiro's fury even more.
"Shut up!" Renjiro stepped into the center of the circle, his orange aura flaring. "If you're so 'solid,' then prove it against a real opponent. Let's have a duel. Right now. Unless you're as cowardly as your Ki is weak."
"I'm sorry but I don't want to duel anyone other than Renjiro Kurosawa." Yuki informed with an indifferent expression on his face. "I hear he's the star pupil, I'd really like to face him."
"Are you an idiot?" Renjiro was confused and angered. "I'm Renjiro Kurosawa you moron! How can you be so dense?"
Yuki had a dumbfounded expression on his face when he heard this. But soon his lips curled and reaveled a wicked smile. "Oh! So you are the Star Pupil? I thought you were just the guy who handles the heaters! Then let's do this."
"Hold on!" Sato-sensei ordered. He too was curious to see what would happen when raw power like Yuki meets a strong kizo user like Renjiro. "I'll allow your duel as it will also help you both hone your skills, but your duel will take place in the training hall during your after school hours." He turned towards Yuki. "Go to the President's office, she wanted a follow-up on your induction. Class dismissed."
Yuki knocked on the student council's office. He wondered why she wanted to see him, she was present during his assessment so why would she want a follow-up.
"Come on in wrecking ball." Seri's voice called out, she sounded much more relaxed than before.
When Yuki entered Seri wasn't sitting at desk this time. She was leaning against the front of it. She really was a beauty, her short skirt gave an alluring aura to her, while her face provided an angelic pure and innocent look. Her ample chest was a sight that would give any man fantasies.
"You certainly know how to make an entrance," she said, her voice dropping to a lower, silkier tone. She walked toward him, her footsteps silent on the thick carpet. "Now everyone else will be curious about you."
Yuki laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I think I made a mess, and Kurosawa-kun challenged me to a duel. I'm excited." When Yuki said Kurosawa-kun he was referring to Renjiro. The only people you call by their first name are those who are close to you, and Renjiro wasn't close to Yuki.
"Renjiro is a child," she dismissed, stopping just inches from Yuki. She was tall for a girl, but she still had to look up slightly to meet his eyes. She reached out, her fingers tracing the gold embroidery on his new uniform before moving up to adjust his glasses for him. "But you... you're a mystery. I've never seen a 'monster' disguised as a golden retriever before."
She leaned in closer, her bright green eyes scanning his face with an intensity that made Yuki's face heat up.
"I'm the daughter of the Kyorin family, Yuki. I get whatever I want," she whispered, a bold, playful smirk playing on her lips. "And right now? I think I want to be the one who figures out exactly what you're made of. Are you going to let me?"
Yuki's brain seemed to short-circuit. "I... uh... Kyorin-san I'm made of blood, flesh and ice?"
Seri laughed, a rich, genuine sound, and patted his chest—lingering just a moment on the solid muscle there. "We'll work on your wit later. For now, you're mine and I'll keep you under special observation. Don't be late tomorrow."