"Frame disruption?" He said aloud, a note of disbelief in his voice, his voice edged with genuine confusion. "That wasn’t in my analysis, I'm sure I calculated his every move. How could he pull that move?" His mind raced, struggling to compute the impossible.

Kenji didn't hesitate. He surged forward, a desperate burst of adrenaline fueling him. He didn't want to give Renji enough time to process what just happened. His first punch was wild, unrefined, but unexpected, a right hook aimed at Renji’s temple. It grazed, enough to snap Renji’s head sideways, momentarily disorienting him. Then, Kenji lunged, grabbing Renji’s shoulders with desperate strength, pulling him close, and headbutting him with a sickening thud. The unexpected impact sent Renji staggering, and Kenji, fueled by a surge of pure, unadulterated rage, pushed him off balance, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Kenji pounced on him like a cornered animal, a primal ferocity in his movements. He pounded Renji with blow after blow, a flurry of desperate, unrefined strikes. Renji’s eyes widened, caught between searing pain and utter disbelief. Each hit, though lacking professional form, landed with excruciating force, the raw, furious impact echoing through the stunned arena. Kenji was fighting with a lifetime of suppressed anger, and it flowed through his fists.

Renji tried blocking all his attacks, but Kenji’s movements, though sloppy, were now unpredictable, fueled by a rage Renji couldn’t compute. He was a system encountering an error it couldn't debug.

Gasps rippled through the arena like static electricity. Everyone was in shock at how Kenji had suddenly maneuvered and tackled Renji, delivering such devastating, uncalculated blows. Rin was watching the spectacle in awe, a thrill running through him. He finally saw someone stand up against the indisputable might of a Class C combatant, someone fighting with more than just physical strength.

Renji tried to twist free—but Kenji had already predicted his desperate reaction. He slammed his knuckles into Renji’s chin with all the force his small body could muster, a punch driven by years of suppressed rage, a silent scream against his past.

Renji’s head snapped back.

His hood fell.

His expression broke completely, contorted by pain and confusion. He thought desperately: "How could someone I calculated, estimated his reaction time, his techniques, and his footing, be giving me a brutal beating?" Renji had to find a way to break free from this relentless, unpredictable assault.

Class D roared, a cacophony of shouts, cheers, and raw, visceral excitement. They were on their feet, yelling Kenji's name.

"GO KENJI!

Reiko shouted from the stands, her voice hoarse with a joyous disbelief, "LET’S GO, KENJI! YOU CAN DO THIS!" Her face was flushed with excitement, thrilled that Kenji had managed to overcome such insurmountable odds. Nanase, beside her, was jumping up and down, tears of hope in her eyes. "He's amazing! He's actually fighting back!" Even Sayaka Motegi, the usually cynical delinquent, was on her feet, fists clenched. "Hit him again, Kenji! Don't stop!"

Even Class C students leaned forward, a mixture of impressed shock and irritable disbelief on their faces. Leoric sneered, "What the hell is this?! Get up, Okabe! Don't tell me you're losing to D-class scum!" But his eyes were glued to the fight, unable to look away, a grudging admiration warring with his aristocratic disdain. One of his cronies muttered, "This kid's got some guts, though... not gonna lie. That headbutt was savage!"

Gota Shindou just smiled, a wide, genuine smile that twisted into something deeper, more analytical, as he looked at Kenji’s tenacity. "An anomaly," he murmured, his gaze sharp. "Pure will, rewriting the prediction model. Fascinating."

Kaito was amused, a rare, almost open expression of intrigue on his face, at how the boy had overcome the challenges and pressed on, defying all calculations. "Unforeseen variable," he breathed, a hint of admiration in his voice. "He found a new constant."

Rem blinked, then muttered, a hint of awe in her face, She was impressed by Kenji’s fight, even though it wasn't a display of refined skill. Yet, she couldn't hide her curiosity, a compelling urge to see how this extraordinary match would end.

Everyone’s eyes were glued on the two of them. No one wanted to miss out on this unpredictable, exhilarating battle.

Renji growled in pain, his voice raw with frustration. Then he shouted at Kenji, his controlled demeanor completely gone.

"HOWW?!"

Kenji’s eyes sharpened behind cracked lenses, a glint of defiance in their depths.

"Just rerouting your system," he said confidently, his voice surprisingly steady despite his labored breathing.

Renji, with a desperate, animalistic roar, unleashed a flurry of calculated, precise movements. He feinted left, a classic opening. Kenji, despite his battered state, followed—but Renji had already anticipated his predictable response. He used Kenji's momentum, twisting, delivering a brutal elbow to Kenji’s jaw, a strike designed to jar his brain. Before Kenji could even register the pain, Renji followed with a swift, powerful kick to his abdomen, finally breaking free from his grasps.

Kenji crumpled to the hard ground, a broken heap. His vision started to blur, the stunts he’d pulled, the furious burst of energy, had pushed his body beyond its limits. He had no ounce of strength left in his body, his muscles screaming in protest. His conscious mind struggled to keep hold, but the darkness was already encroaching. He was just a boy, exhausted, battered, his body finally giving out after one impossible surge.

Mikado, observing from above, nodded slowly, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. "Wow!… That was unexpected," he mused, a hint of genuine amusement in his voice. "I'm impressed. I thought this would end in five minutes, but this fight really did shake something within me."

Then he turned to Reika, who was still beside him, her face reflecting a complex mix of relief and exhaustion. "Why are you so worried about Class D? This kid really packed a punch. Just look at how the Class A, B, C, and D are all riled up."

Reika didn’t bother to respond. A small, weary smile touched her lips. She was just happy that the battle had turned out… well, unexpectedly, with such a display of courage.

Mikado, thoroughly amused by what he had witnessed, began to voice out the verdict, his voice ringing across the arena.

"Winner: Renji Okabe of Class C."

Kenji lay there, cheek pressed to the cold arena floor, a faint taste of blood on his tongue. His mind reeled, running simulations, trying to make sense of what had just happened, processing the raw data of his defeat.

A glitched breath escaped his lips, a broken, desperate sound. "..I thought I had won," he said aloud, the words barely a whisper. His hand twitched with pain, his body aching in several places, every muscle screaming in protest.

And then, softly, painfully, he said:

“…He outcoded me.” Kenji’s eyes closed, unable to accept the bitter taste of defeat.

Renji stood above Kenji’s body, his usual impassive expression softened by a flicker of… something akin to respect. "A system only works until someone breaks the rules," he said, his voice calmer, less analytical now. He looked down at Kenji, a strange light in his eyes. "And today, you did, Kenji Maburo." Renji, surprisingly, was happy with the fight. He stretched out his hand to Kenji, a gesture of unexpected camaraderie. "Next time we go again. I will win, though. This one was a Draw."

Kenji, though aching in every fiber of his being, still managed to grab Renji's outstretched hand, pulling himself up, a silent acknowledgment of the unexpected bond formed in the crucible of battle.

And just like that, it was done. The fight was over, the victor declared. But something profound had changed between these two boys. The lines, once clear, had blurred.

Friends or foe?

Only time would tell.