Martial Arts Worlds

With the school's bell reverberating throughout the blue sky, leaves of myriad colors rustled in the wind and fell to the floor.

Through the gates of Karuza High, excited-looking people entered the freshly built school building.

It didn't have any sign that it had ever been burned down.

"This is it… the nationals winning school!"

An excited-looking young man stood at the entrance with his parents, who looked at the beautiful school building with pride.

It was very hard to get anyone enrolled in Karuza High anymore, as the traffic was always backed up due to the popularity of the school.

After all, it was the championship-winning school, and everyone wanted their child to be a part of the winning team.

While they were admiring the school building, they suddenly heard screams of excitement, and when they looked over, they also became excited.

"Oh my god!"

"It's Kiernan in the flesh!"

"I never thought I would be seeing him outside the television screen!"

"And that's Julian Noah beside him! It is the duo aces of Karuza High that carried the team all the way to the national championship!"

"I can't believe they are right in front of us!"

Kiernan and Julian made their way down the crowded schoolyard, but luckily, everyone made way for them as they walked through.

"It's Kiernan! Holy shit!"

The excited young man shouted in excitement and looked at his parents, who were also taken aback.

They remember watching him on television only like seven months ago, and now he was walking right by them in the flesh.

"I'll also join the martial arts club and follow in his footsteps. I'll lead the school to the nationals and will win it all! Just like him!"

Within his small mind, imaginations of grandeur and glory ran wild, but it only fueled him further to make it true.

…

Karuza High, Class 3-A.

"Hey, Kiernan!"

"Julian! How was the holiday?"

Their classmates greeted them as soon as they entered the classroom, and while Julian went to mingle with others, Kiernan found his seat in the back corner next to the window.

He put his schoolbooks on the table and tapped his ring-donning finger against the wood absentmindedly.

When the classmates of his saw the ring, they started whispering among themselves.

"Did you hear that Kiernan got engaged?"

"I did!"

"Who did he marry? Do we know that person, perhaps? Is he from our school?"

"I heard some foreigner. That's all I know. I am dying to know who she might be who was able to capture Kiernan's heart!"

While they whispered, Julia looked over from her desk and looked at Kiernan with a sad frown.

When she heard the news about his engagement, she thought she was in a bad dream, as she also had feelings towards him, but of course, it was too late to make those feelings public.

'I took too long to tell him…'

Julia looked away, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes, and felt a stabbing pain in her heart as if there were some needles piercing through it.

A short while later, the teacher arrived at the class, and everyone quieted down.

…

Ding! Ding!

The first bell of the school day resounded throughout the school's hallways, and everyone started stuffing their books in their bags.

"Yo, Kiernan."

Dominic walked over to him with a backpack slung over his left shoulder and asked.

"We're going to the field to play a game of Punch Ball. Want to join?"

"Hmm, sure."

Kiernan nodded, but at that moment, the classroom's door slid open, and a nervous-looking first-year student looked around.

Her eyes were darting around, and when everyone looked at her, she felt like she might be caught on fire from the intensity of all their stares.

"I-Is Kiernan here, perhaps?"

She asked.

"Who is asking? You think you can just meet Kiernan because you want to? If he met everyone that wanted to see him, he would never be able to leave the classroom!"

A third-year student shouted.

"U-uhm…"

She struggled to speak and shrank under the heaviness of the gaze, as they didn't take lightly that some first-year student thought that she could just meet Kiernan by coming to their classroom.

They didn't like if anyone bothered Kiernan, the star of their school, unless it was something very important.

"It's alright. I am Kiernan. What do you want?"

Kiernan walked over with his backpack in hand, and another hand slipped inside his pocket.

"I-I am the new Interim Manager of the Martial Arts Club… Coach Jin wants to ask whether you want to come to the gymnasium to check the new recruits and maybe help test them…"

Melia said nervously.

"Hmm…"

Kiernan looked around back to Dominic and said.

"Sorry, I think I'll pass on punch ball this time around. Let's play later, alright?"

"Sure, do what you have to do."

Dominic said, and tipped his chin towards Julian and the rest. They left the classroom to go to the field to play a game of Punch Ball.

"Shall we go?"

Kiernan asked the timid girl.

"S-sure!"

With a shy smile, she led him out of the classroom and started heading over to the gymnasium, but while they were walking there, she felt her face turn red.

She didn't expect there to be so many eyes following them, but it was obvious that everyone was just looking at Kiernan while she was invisible in their eyes.

However, there were also a few that wondered who the hell she was and why she was walking with Kiernan.

After the rebuilding of the school, the school buildings themselves became longer and bigger, with more rooms for more students.

It also now had an inside entrance to the gymnasium, as they were connected with a new hallway.

After going down the new hallway, Melia opened the door to the gymnasium and heard rowdy sounds of chatter.

Inside, there were easily over two hundred students—they all came in an attempt to join the martial arts club.

"That's a lot of people."

Kiernan said behind her and saw that she wasn't entering the gymnasium for some reason.

"Why aren't you entering?"

"I-I am not good with so many people. I get anxious in large crowds."

She said.

"Has the coach arrived yet?"

Kiernan asked.

"N-not yet."

"Alright. Follow me then."

"Ah?"

Kiernan said and stepped through the doors, and after a while of being stunned, Melia shrunk in size and ran after him.