𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐍' 𝐈𝐂𝐄, kai hiwatari

──three;

Aanya boarded the plane and was greeted by Max's cheerful presence.

"Hey, Aanya!" Max cheered, and she responded in kind. She didn't notice Kai sitting beside her, facing Max. As Max and she started talking, Kai couldn't help but feel a bit surprised and maybe even a touch of jealousy at her friendly interaction with Max.

However, soon after, Aanya turned around and realized Kai was sitting right next to her.

"Shit! My bad...sorry, I didn't see you," she apologized sincerely.

Kai, though initially taken aback by her presence, responded calmly, "No need, there's no problem."

"Thanks?" Aanya said, somewhat puzzled by his composed demeanor. Kai merely nodded in response.

"Of course, I'm your teammate," she murmured softly, a bit flustered by his presence.

"What?" Kai inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Uh? Nothing," she replied, scrunching her brows. He looked away, and she shrugged her shoulders, deciding not to dwell on it.

Kenny joined them on the plane, and the conversation turned to Tyson's tardiness.

"He must've overslept, I am sure," Kenny suggested.

"We'll take off any minute now," Max worried aloud.

"I have made it on time!" Tyson yelled, entering the plane.

"Huh...You did not?" Aanya responded, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"You most certainly did not!" Max chimed in with a giggle.

"I was so excited last night, I couldn't sleep!" Tyson grinned as he sat down beside Max.

"I knew it!" Kenny said, agreeing with Tyson.

"You were excited?" Kai asked with a hint of mockery in his tone, drawing everyone's attention. "You are what, a grade-schooler?" he added, though his expression remained aloof. "Apologize for being late."

"What did you say, you jerk!" Tyson retorted, not one to take teasing lightly.

"He's right. Kai was the first one to get here and waited all the time," Max pointed out.

"Oh, I see... You were the first to get here...?" Tyson teased Kai. "Does it mean you were the one who was too excited and woke up early?"

"I admit I look forward to fighting against the world, yes," Kai replied, his tone more serious this time.

"Where's Ray, did he oversleep like I did?" Tyson inquired.

"Not everyone is like you, Tyson," Aanya chimed in, shaking her head in amusement as Tyson grinned widely and rested his hands behind his head.

"He said he'll be waiting for us there," Kenny informed.

Tyson nodded, taking his place beside Max. "Wait, why are you here, Kenny?!" Tyson asked.

"Chief will participate in the championship as the BBA team's exclusive mechanic," Mr. Dickenson explained.

"YAY!" Tyson cheered enthusiastically.

Aanya found herself seated beside Kai, but there was no conversation between them. They remained in silence until now, following the earlier exchange.

"We're about to take off, get to your seat now," Mr. Dickenson instructed Tyson.

"Alright! At last, we're going against the world!" Tyson exclaimed. "First stop, China!" The others cheered, except for Kai, who maintained his stoic demeanor while Mr. Dickenson smiled at the enthusiasm of the teenage bladers.

After the plane took off, everyone on board was lively, laughing, and talking. Tyson was creating his usual chaos, Max was laughing, Kenny was trying to maintain order, and Mr. Dickenson was smiling. However, a noticeable silence prevailed in the area where Kai and Aanya were seated.

Aanya struggled with the prolonged silence and decided to initiate a conversation with her team leader.

"I liked your skills," she started, playing with her hand gloves while avoiding eye contact with Kai.

"I mean, your Bit-Beast, it's insanely amazing," she continued, genuinely impressed by his prowess.

"It's hard work," Kai replied, looking at his own hands.

"I've worked hard, training day and night..." he trailed off, speaking more to himself than to Aanya.

"Oh," she responded, genuinely interested. "This," Kai pointed towards the red arm accessory on his forearms, "this is for training."

"I was about to ask the same..." Aanya nodded, finally meeting Kai's eyes.

"I saw you staring at this lately," Kai remarked, clearing his throat. "I'll have to increase its weight," he added, referring to the silver ovals on the red accessory.

"That's so... impressive," Aanya complimented him.

"I mean, you see, this is good. Controlling your hand movements while shooting your blade is important, and... I liked your way..." she explained, nodding appreciatively.

"T-Thank you," Kai replied, suddenly flustered. Aanya chuckled at his reaction, and they both found themselves falling into a more relaxed conversation, breaking the ice between them.

As the plane continued its journey, the atmosphere between Aanya and Kai seemed to have warmed up, and they found themselves connecting in a way they hadn't expected.