After Gray was carried off, things progressed smoothly.

Principal Ophelia hinted to Rain that he should stop by her office later to discuss the reward. Wallace also hinted to him that he should go to his office later to discuss the 'reward'.

On top of that, public opinion was divided. If before the finals, the majority blindly supported Gray, now their opinion is tilted towards Rain.

There was a long-lost respect in their looks at him, and their words began to drift more and more about him.

...There was even a separate group of people, all of whom were his opponents, whom he had defeated during this tournament.

Unlike their indignant, annoyed voices after the defeat at his hand, their voices were now full of a certain pride.

"You know, when I first saw him, I immediately thought, 'There's something special about this guy.' Didn't know what it was then, just a feeling, but I knew he was capable of going far..."

There was a girl whose brazenness was second only to her bust.

"..."

Lamel, a lover of hugging men, silently nodding his head in affirmation.

And even his first opponent in this tournament, a guy named Izumi, who was telling others his success story.

"You know, I had the opportunity of being his first opponent in this tournament. Right from the starting bell, I recognized the remarkable potential within him..."

Thanks to his superior senses, Rain could hear all of them clearly. That made him chuckle.

"I just hope Ael captured that fight well."

As Rain had promised her, he had won. Which means they won. As a team.

Of course, there were those who considered his methods despicable and unworthy of a student of the Eldorin Academy, which was renowned for its long history and traditions, but Rain cared less about their opinions than anything else in the world.

He did not seek public recognition.

In the end, he was able to accomplish his goal, and that was what mattered.

Many doors were now open before him – including the door to Gray's home, to his hospitable and loving mother.

Rain hadn't forgotten about the note with her address that she'd handed him when he'd walked her out this morning.

Accompanied by Ophelia's happily waving hand and Wallace's angry look as if he had killed his own son, Rain left the arena grounds.

Taking a leisurely stroll around the academy grounds, Rain glanced at his titles out of curiosity, wondering if the tournament finals might have changed them.

As the system once said, titles were formed based on achievement, that is, special extraordinary and unique actions, or public opinion.

__________________________

[Name: Rain Winderline]

[Titles: Alice's licking dog, Sword Empress' disciple, Family lover, Hero Crusher]

__________________________

"So being proactive can really change them."

His titles have changed. The title 'Fallen prodigy' that had been there since his very first day in this world was now gone, and in its place was the new 'Hero Crusher'.

"Anything will be better than Mountain Crusher."

Rain smiled crookedly, remembering his fight in the semifinals. At the same moment he noticed the problem.

When his status improved once again, his first title was even more annoying to him.

"Alice's licking dog… I need to change that as soon as possible."

He was willing to take very 'proactive' action to change and completely overturn the hierarchy in their relationship with his fiancée.

***

While Rain checked on the changes after finals, the two twin sisters, Liana and Eliana, walked together.

While her sister remained silent, Liana thought about what had happened during the finals.

'That was... my bloodline, wasn't it?'

She had definitely felt her Brother activating a power very similar to her own at a certain point in the battle. Her bloodline instantly reacted to it, drawing her attention.

But she still had a question.

How did he do it? Could it have been because of the bond they shared?

Her heart beat faster.

She tried to find the answer herself, using what she knew only to eventually exhale with a wry smile.

'Brother is truly unfathomable. Even I don't know how exactly he managed it, so it would be best to ask him directly.'

Her smile grew even wider as she looked at her unusually quiet sister walking beside her. Liana suddenly snuggled up to her and hugged her sideways, while asking in a cheerful voice.

"Huhu~ Don't make that face. Isn't today a great day?"

Eliana didn't answer.

"I told you. You just need to have more faith in Big Bro."

Despite her sister's silence, Liana continued.

"This guy... what was his name? Greg? Never mind, that-guy-in-weird-armor couldn't do anything against Brother~"

At the mention of Gray, Eliana's face darkened even more.

"Eliana, don't think about the lost bet or his wish that you will have to fulfill. All you have to do is sincerely open up to Big Brother! He will definitely understand you and won't treat you badly!"

'Probably.'

Liana added quietly to herself, remembering all the crazy things that had happened between them when it was just the two of them. Priceless moments that she kept in her heart forever.

While Liana was convincing her sister, she herself recognized that she sounded like a fanatical cult leader.

Well, it's not that she's against it. She'd create a cult around her Brother if she had to.

"How about celebrating my victory by calling me Big Sister?"

"...No."

Eliana mumbled inarticulately.

Although she hated defeat because of her innate pride, she wasn't usually so shameless as to refuse a bet she had made.

But right now, she couldn't accept defeat. Not against her brother.

For in that case, everything she had said and felt up to that point, as well as her view of the world, would be shaken.

"There's something wrong here… yeah, there's definitely something wrong here."

Gradually Eliana regained her former composure, and her eyes sparkled with cold confidence.

"I don't know how he did it, but I'll find out."

***

In one of the capital's wealthy estates.

The room was in semi-darkness, hiding all its luxurious decoration.

There sat a girl with hair the color of the first snow. Her cold face with perfect features was distorted by a slight frown. She was still incredibly beautiful, though.

The crystal record in her hands was the only thing that illuminated the pale skin of her face.

Right now it was projecting a recording of the fight between the two young men, with all its unexpected twists and turns and even more unexpected and tragic ending.

Her blue eyes were fixed on one of the young men and as the record came to an end, her finger moved and rewound the record back to the very beginning, starting a new cycle of viewing.

It went on like this for an unknown amount of time before she turned off the record crystal, immersing herself in her thoughts.

tap tap tap

In a dark room devoid of any light, her finger tapped on the table as she watched the spot where the record had just been projected.

"Interesting..."

Along with her melodious voice, a trace of emotion flashed in her icy eyes for the first time since she started watching.

knock knock

"Lady Alice, just as you wanted, your bathroom is ready."

The voice of one of the servants outside her room sounded. The girl remained deaf to it, however, completely immersed in her own thoughts.