Chaos in the Gym

A powerful angelic voice rang out above the chaos.

"Let him go! He's just concerned about the vending machine!"

The crowd paused.

The prefects froze.

Even Akira stopped mid-wriggle.

Heads turned in unison toward the source, and for a moment, the entire cafeteria held its breath.

She stood with a slightly stiff posture near the cafeteria doors, as if unsure whether she should have spoken at all. But there was no mistaking the presence she carried.

Tall, athletic, and sharp-eyed, she wore the standard Academy uniform with rolled-up sleeves that clung to lean, powerful arms. Her long, dark hair was tied back in a low ponytail that swayed with her movement, and her fists were still taped from morning combat drills. 

Her curves were generous but not flaunted, her stance balanced yet guarded like a fighter used to being watched, but never knowing what to do about it.

The light from the ceiling caught her just right, highlighting a worried, awkward expression on her face. Her soft lips were slightly parted, eyes bright with concern, as if she truly couldn't understand why anyone would tackle someone who clearly just wanted to help.

"Damn it, are my eyes playing me? Is that… Is that Tifa from FF7?!" A first year boy muttered and rubbed his eyes.

"You idiot. That's Shiina Kanzaki. She is really famous for looking exactly like Tifa!"

"Holy smokes. She… She is perfect! I want to marry her!"

"Get in line, dumbass and get a number. I am number 2733." His buddy said smugly.

Akira, flat on the floor with three prefects pinning his legs, stared at her like she had just descended from heaven.

The lead prefect blinked. "Wait… you're Shiina Kanzaki, right? The second-year from Combat Division…"

"She ranked fourth in the last interschool tournament… She knocked out a third-year vice captain with a single uppercut…"

"But she's never spoken in public before! Not even in class!"

Shiina's ears had turned bright red. She looked down at her feet, fidgeted slightly, and then blurted louder than necessary, "Y-You can't arrest someone for being… trying to help other people!"

The prefects exchanged unsure glances.

Akira blinked, still pinned, and croaked. "That… That's right! Little girl, you're like an angel in this room full of demons and devils!"

She stared at him in shock, then quickly looked away, clearly regretting every life decision that led to this moment.

One of the prefects cleared his throat. "Shiina-san, with all due respect… he kicked the vending machine hard enough to trigger its emergency shutoff. That's—"

"Because he thought someone was inside it!" she insisted, hands clenching slightly. "He was just… trying to help."

The awkward silence grew thicker.

Akira slowly raised his hand. "I'm Akira. You're Shiina-san? Let's be friends!"

Shiina flushed to her neck and turned away so fast she nearly knocked over a student tray.

"I-I was just making a point!" she stammered, backing away in a panic. "W-We can't just criminalize… kindness! E-even stupid or misplaced kindness! That's all!"

And she ran full sprint out of the cafeteria, leaving behind a wide-eyed crowd, a frozen Prefect Squad… and one very moved shinobi.

"Let him go." Prefect Arai finally said to his team mates who grudgingly released Akira. "You, what's your name?"

Akira rose from the ground with deliberate poise, the cafeteria lights glinting off his wild black hair as he brushed the dust from his sleeves gracefully.

Then Akira stepped forward once, every inch of his posture radiating absurd authority, and declared with a calm, regal voice that somehow filled the entire hall.

"You little boys…"

He raised a single finger, eyes narrowing like thunderclouds about to strike.

"May call me Shinobi-sama."

A gust of wind swept through the hall, from nowhere in particular, rustling Akira's robes with perfect dramatic timing.

Prefect Arai blinked slowly.

"Damn it. He's absolutely nuts." he muttered, rubbing his temples with a long, suffering sigh. "Do we bring him in?"

"He's strong, though." one of his underlings replied, exhaling even louder. "That makes it… complicated."

"Not to mention Shiina-san already spoke up for him." another added quietly. "You really want to end up on her bad side? She... kind of loses it when she gets serious."

A visible shiver passed through the group at the memory.

"Fine. Shinobi…san. We won't bring you in this time. But make sure you stay away from the Vending Machines, you hear me? If not, we won't be polite with you anymore." Prefect Arai warned him in a serious tone. 

"Vending Machines? That is a machine?" Akira said incredulously and pointed at the broken Magic Kitchen Series. 

"Yes. A machine that cooks. There. Is. Nobody. Inside." Prefect Arai replied sternly. 

Akira swallowed his saliva with an audible gulp.

"Ah. Yes. Ehm. Of course. Why would I save a machine? They are built to do exactly what they are built to do, right? Ha ha ha! Which idiot would save a vending machine from itself? Ha ha ha!" Akira laughed loudly and then dashed off as quickly as he could.

Damn it! This new world is so full of traps and ridiculous contraptions!" Akira cursed loudly as he ran out of the cafeteria and into the Training Hall. 

Bang!

He slammed the door open and then froze in shock at the scene in front of him.

The room was spacious and brightly lit, filled with polished machines that gleamed like silent silver beasts. Rows of treadmills buzzed softly beside racks of weights and mirrors that reflected every motion like silent judges. The air smelled of sweat, metal, and antiseptic, pulsing with music and the low hum of energy.

It was a gym and Akira had never seen anything like it.

"Huh? What is this strange room? To-torture chamber?! No, it can't be. There are no torturers and they are all here doing all this painful stuff without supervision. This… This must be the room of repentance! That's right, self-disciplinary action for crimes committed! This room… Is full of sinners!" Akira immediately came to a firm and absolutely wrong conclusion. 

Akira's eyes swept across the room until they locked onto one familiar figure.

There, near the end of the line of buzzing treadmills, was Shiina Kanzaki. 

Her ponytail swayed rhythmically with each stride, and her toned arms moved with controlled precision. Sweat shimmered faintly along her brow as she ran, face calm but focused. She looked like a warrior in training… or in Akira's eyes, a noble soul paying for sins she never committed.

His heart lurched.

"No… Shiina-san?" he whispered, horrified. "You… You're punishing yourself for saving me? How could you do that to yourself…!!"

His hand clenched into a fist.

"I shall not allow you to punish yourself this way, my brave rescuer!"

Shiina, hearing her name, glanced over in confusion just in time to see Akira reach her treadmill with dangerous intent in his eyes.

Her face flushed instantly as she remembered her earlier outburst in the cafeteria.

Akira narrowed his eyes and scanned the back of the treadmill. He spotted a thick black cord coiled like a sleeping serpent. A faint flow of electrical energy tickled his senses. It was enough.

"A cursed snake powering the pain ritual. Typical."

With a swift chop of his hand, he severed the power cord.

Click.

The treadmill shuddered.

Beep beep whirrrr!

And then it stopped completely.

Shiina's eyes widened.

"Wha…?!" she gasped.

She was launched forward by the sudden stop. Her instincts kicked in at once and she twisted midair with the grace of a trained martial artist, narrowly avoiding the control panel with a sharp flip.

However her pivot hand on the treadmill was wet with sweat, and she crashed straight into Akira, knocking both of them onto the soft mat flooring behind him. Her legs tangled with his. Her hands pressed against his chest. Her wide, panicked eyes were just inches away from his completely serious expression.

Akira stared up, utterly still.

Shiina stared down, bright red and speechless.