The day after his return, the school felt… wrong.
Not louder. Not quieter. Just off. Like everyone had collectively sensed that something had shifted. Like gravity had changed direction.
The teachers couldn't explain it. The principal noticed the change in posture, the sudden politeness, the eyes that flicked toward the window every ten minutes.
Because everyone — teachers, students, janitors — was waiting.
For him.
And then, the main doors opened.
Two students walked in.
One wore a black cashmere coat over a turtleneck, his posture straight, his eyes unreadable — a young king.
The other walked like he owned the ground, one hand casually holding an energy drink, the other in his pocket — a wolf in a schoolboy's body.
Kai Nakamura.And Akira Tsukishima.
They didn't just enter.They arrived.
Scene – Class 3-B
As Kai stepped into his old class, silence fell like a curtain.
Every head turned. Every eye widened.
Even the chalk in the teacher's hand stopped mid-sentence.
Rem, seated at the back, froze. Mai instinctively tucked her hair behind her ear, then stopped when she realized how obvious that was. Sora, the one who once pantsed Kai in front of the entire cafeteria, visibly turned pale.
Kai looked at none of them.
He walked to the only empty seat — the one they used to mockingly keep open after he disappeared, saying it was "reserved for the ghost."
He sat. Calm. Composed.
But his silence was deafening.
Scene – Lunchtime
The cafeteria buzzed with whispers.
"Kai's back…""Did you see his watch?""I heard he owns his own place now…""Who's that guy with him? Mafia?"
At a center table, Akira sat with crossed legs, sipping imported tea from a thermos like it was wine.
He raised his voice just enough for half the room to hear:
"I find it fascinating… how quick people change their tone once the currency of status flips."
The people at nearby tables fell dead silent.
Then Kai entered.
Rem stood up reflexively.
"Kai, I—"
But Kai didn't stop walking.
He didn't even glance at him.
Just passed. Like Rem was invisible.
Scene – Later That Day, Student Council Hall
Kai stood before the school's president, a senior who thought he ran things.
"I'd like to start a new club," Kai said.
The president smirked. "Clubs require a sponsor, budget plan, approval from—"
Kai handed him a manila envelope.
Inside: a stamped approval from the school board, a $20,000 donation receipt in Kai's name, and a list of financial partners.
The president's smirk vanished.
"What kind of club?" he asked quietly.
Kai smiled.
"A game."
Scene – The Announcement
That evening, every student received a text message from an unknown number.
The King's Game is open.20 players.No teachers.No rules.Winners walk away with future-proof careers.Losers? You'll find out.Applications open at midnight.
Attached was a video:
It opened with a single chessboard.
A white king piece stood at the center.
One by one, black pawns approached it — and exploded into dust.
Then: "Game begins Monday."
Scene – Midnight, Online Sign-Up
By midnight, 327 students had applied.
The sign-up site required one thing: "Why should the King choose you?"
And below that:
"What are you most afraid to lose?"
Every name entered — every weakness written — went straight to Kai and Akira's private dashboard.
Akira laughed as he scrolled.
"They're feeding us ammunition."
Kai didn't smile.
He clicked one name: Rem Takeda.
His application read:
"I want redemption. I want to face what I've done."
Kai whispered:
"You'll get exactly that."
Then deleted the application.
Scene – Nakamura House
Kai's stepmother checked the door for the tenth time that night.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Then a box appeared at their front step.
Inside:A DVD.A photo album.And a folded school uniform — Kai's old one, torn and burned at the edges.
The DVD showed a single video file:
A silent montage.
Every moment of Kai's suffering.
Captured.
Projector footage from the hallway. Hidden recordings. The day they ripped his pants off and made him crawl. The time his books were thrown out the window. His bleeding nose. His begging. His tears.
No music. No edits. Just raw truth.
At the end, one sentence appeared on screen:
"You didn't stop them. You fed them."
Then:"Return the cheque if you want me gone. Keep it — and we're not done."
The father turned white.
The stepmother vomited.
The little sister stared, wide-eyed, then quietly began crying.
Scene – School, Monday Morning
Students filed into the auditorium.
On stage stood Kai and Akira.
A large screen behind them showed a countdown:"The King's Game – Round 1 Begins In: 00:03:17"
Rem tried to approach Kai before it began.
"Kai, please. Let me speak. I didn't know it would get that bad. I was—"
Kai looked at him, for the first time, and said simply:
"You didn't need to know. You needed to care."
Then he turned and walked up the stage.
Scene – The Game Begins
Kai stepped forward.
His voice echoed across the hall.
"Good morning. I'm Kai Nakamura. I was your classmate. I was your joke. Your punching bag. Your silence."
No one breathed.
"Today, I become your reminder."
He pointed to the screen.
The names of the 20 chosen players appeared.
Gasps echoed.
Mai.Sora.Two teachers.Six of the students who had laughed the hardest.Four who had stayed silent.And eight others — all connected, in some way, to that dark year.
Kai stepped back.
Akira spoke next.
"Each week, one of you will lose something. Not your life. Not your grades. Something more valuable."
"Your reputation. Your security. Your illusion of safety."
He smiled.
"Let the King's Game begin."