Fighting maniac

Kai's eyes fluttered open to the blinding white ceiling of a hospital room. His head throbbed, his body ached, and the dull beeping of a heart monitor irritated his ears.

He exhaled slowly.

Hospital? Damn. That's gonna cost me.

Kai sat up, glancing around. The room was empty. No doctors, no nurses, no family. Just the steady hum of medical equipment.

His mind immediately shifted to one priority—getting out before they slapped him with a bill.

He swung his legs off the bed, testing his strength. A little sore, but nothing serious. He could move. He was not about to let them rob him blind with hospital fees.

Just as he stood up, a voice spoke from the doorway.

"You shouldn't leave."

Kai turned his head.

A man leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. He wore a black leather jacket over a button-up shirt and slacks. Short, dark hair, sharp eyes, and a badge clipped to his belt.

A cop.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "And why does that matter to you?"

The man smirked, then casually pulled out his badge. "Detective Tony Hoshino. And you're under investigation for beating up eight high school students."

Kai blinked. Then he sighed and sat back down. "Great."

Tony stepped inside, hands in his pockets. "So, mind explaining why you went all action hero on a bunch of kids?"

Kai scoffed. "First off, weren't they the ones harassing a student? Pretty sure that's the real problem here."

Tony's smirk faded. "Doesn't matter. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

Kai leaned back. "Yeah? And what about the kid who was getting bullied? He's a student too. Why wasn't anyone rescuing him?"

Tony's jaw tightened. "That's not how this works."

Kai chuckled dryly. "Right. Guess I should've just sat there and let them keep shaking him down. What a great system."

Tony's eye twitched. "Listen, you're not a damn hero. You don't get to go around dishing out justice like some vigilante."

Kai tilted his head. "Who said I wanted to be a hero?"

Tony frowned.

"I was annoyed." Kai stretched his arms. "I was trying to think of ways to make money, and those idiots were making too much noise. So, I shut them up."

Tony stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled. "You've got a real attitude, kid."

Kai smirked. "Thanks."

Before Tony could say anything else, the door swung open.

Another officer stepped inside—a middle-aged man with short graying hair and a calm, authoritative presence.

"Detective Hoshino," the officer said firmly. "I'll be handling this case from here."

Tony frowned. "What? Since when?"

"Since now." The older officer looked at Kai. "Come with me."

Kai raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Sure."

—

In a small office inside the hospital, the officer sat across from Kai, flipping through a thin folder.

"I'll keep this short," he said. "You're getting off with a warning."

Kai blinked. "Huh?"

The officer leaned back. "We reviewed the case. The students you fought aren't pressing charges—probably because they don't want to admit they got beaten up. And the school doesn't want this to get any bigger than it already is."

Kai smirked. "Guess that works out for me."

The officer sighed. "Look, kid. I get it. I know what happened. Those guys were bullies, and you took them down. But you went too far."

Kai shrugged. "I was efficient."

"Efficient doesn't mean smashing kids' heads with water bottles and desks."

Kai crossed his arms. "Would you rather I let them keep picking on that kid?"

The officer sighed again, rubbing his temples. "I'm not saying you shouldn't have helped. Just… next time, don't be so ruthless."

Kai stood up, stretching. "No promises."

The officer gave him a tired look. "Just don't make this a habit."

Kai grinned. "I'll try."

As he turned to leave, he casually raised a hand. "Thanks for the talk, officer."

—

Kai stepped outside the hospital, breathing in the fresh air.

He pulled out his phone to check the time—and immediately noticed the notifications flooding his screen.

[VIDEO: "High School Student Wrecks 8 Bullies!"][Trending: "Who is the Desk-Fighter?"][Comments: "Bro turned a classroom into a battlefield."][Over 2 MILLION views?!]

Kai stared at his screen, dumbfounded.

"…What the hell?"

Then, slowly, a smirk crept onto his face.

Can I make money off this?