𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐍' 𝐈𝐂𝐄, kai hiwatari

──eight;

The morning sunlight streamed into the room, gently rousing Aanya from her sleep. She squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness and then closed them briefly before reopening them. With a sleepy stretch, she reached out her right arm to glance at the table clock.

7:00 am.

Her eyes widened as the realization struck her like a lightning bolt. "The flight was at seven!" Aanya exclaimed, her heart pounding with panic. She quickly sat up in bed, only to realize her mistake a moment later. "No... it's at eight," she corrected herself, sighing in relief.

Aanya's pov.

I descended the stairs, my eyes locking onto Kai, who was seated at the dining table. A mix of annoyance and determination fueled my steps as I made my way toward him.

"Oh hell no," I muttered under my breath, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table, directly in front of him. I folded my arms, sending a pointed message that I was ready to confront whatever issue was between us. Max soon joined us, his cheerful greeting contrasting sharply with the tension in the room.

"Hey there, good morning," Max chimed in with a friendly smile.

"Good morning," I replied, my gaze briefly shifting to the stairs as I anticipated the arrival of the others. Kenny arrived next, settling beside Kai, and we exchanged greetings. Now, all that was left was Tyson, who made quite an entrance with his enthusiastic announcement.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Tyson declared, his exuberance filling the room.

I couldn't help but sigh, my irritation bubbling beneath the surface. We placed our breakfast orders, deciding to leave 15 minutes later than originally planned. Outside, the presence of cameramen and reporters added to the mounting anticipation for the upcoming tournament.

"Alright, can we leave now?" Kenny whined, eager to get going. Ray nodded in agreement.

The team made their way outside, their laughter and chatter filling the air. I trailed behind them, my thoughts consumed by the impending conversation with Kai. We settled into a six-seated car for the trip to the airport. Kai occupied the passenger seat beside the driver, while Max and I sat behind him. Tyson and Kenny settled in the back, and Ray had already departed on an earlier flight.

"I am sooooo excited!!!!" Tyson exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

Max chimed in, his voice brimming with anticipation. "I will meet my mom there! I am so excited!!!!"

As they reveled in their enthusiasm, I couldn't help but think about the impending conversation with Kai. The tension between us was a heavy weight on my mind, one that needed to be addressed before we embarked on this new leg of our journey.

Once we were on the plane, the team settled into their seats. And, of course, fate had it that I ended up sitting beside Kai once again. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the cosmic joke.

We both remained quiet, mirroring the subdued atmosphere from our previous flight to China. The tension between us had yet to dissipate, and the looming conversation hung like a dark cloud over our heads.

"Okay, let's go explore—" Tyson started to say, but I quickly grabbed him by his clothes.

"No, no one is going anywhere. It's already 10 PM. Sleep right now; we'll continue tomorrow," I said firmly, with Kenny nodding in agreement.

"Aghhhh, but it's only 10! Besides, no one is sleepy!" Tyson protested, but his argument quickly crumbled when he saw Ray dozing off. I raised an eyebrow at Tyson, and he relented.