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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The 5th-year graduation party wasn’t anything particularly grand.
It was just a gathering of friends, eating, chatting, and dancing.
I wondered where they had found the musicians, but it turned out to be the academy’s band performing as a service.
The 5th-year band members were especially enthusiastic, clapping and cheering from the front row.
It was a nice tradition, seeing the older students pass the torch to the next generation, sending them off with smiles and laughter.
Normally, I would have joined my sister, but the situation around her looked a bit overwhelming, so I stayed put in my seat.
“Di-Diana, you look stunning tonight.”
“Why haven’t I noticed you before?”
“Where did you say you were going after graduation? I’ll come visit.”
A group of 5th-year male students had swarmed around Diana, their voices buzzing with excitement.
Even some of the 4th-year students were stealing glances in her direction.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“As expected, people need to wear expensive clothes.”
Look at how radiant she was.
Diana was naturally beautiful, but after our recent shopping spree, decked out in designer clothes and accessories, she now exuded an aura of elegance she had been lacking before.
The staff at the high-end brands were truly skilled, effortlessly picking out the perfect outfits and jewelry for Diana, saving me a lot of trouble.
Thanks again, Jesant!
“Excuse me…”
A female student suddenly approached me as I was admiring my sister.
She was probably a 5th-year student since she didn’t seem to recognize me.
My face had become quite well-known in the academy after the competition.
“What year are you in?” she asked, her face slightly flushed.
“I’m a third-year.”
“Would you like to dance with me?”
Huh?
I instinctively looked towards Ares, who was casually eating cake with a fork.
He looked back at me, his expression asking why I was staring at him.
“He has a girlfriend,” I said, pointing at Ares.
The girl shook her head.
“No… I was asking you.”
She clarified, pointing directly at me despite her obvious embarrassment.
I had always assumed these things only happened to Ares, but…
Was this the legendary “getting hit on”?
Or maybe she was just trying her luck, seeing as the atmosphere was right?
Whatever her reasons, I politely declined.
She looked disappointed but didn’t seem too bothered, bowing her head slightly before walking away.
“Wow, never thought I’d experience that.”
Ares, chewing on his cake, replied,
“You’re a pretty good catch, you know? Your clothes look good, and Tana did a nice job styling your hair.”
“…What’s gotten into you?”
I shuddered at his unexpected compliment. Ares, in turn, scowled.
“Can’t I compliment you without getting a weird reaction?”
“At least May and Rin aren’t here to see this.”
“Yeah, they wouldn’t have come if they knew I was here.”
True enough.
No cat would dare approach a lion’s den, especially with two snarling lionesses guarding it.
Speaking of the two, they were currently with Talois, the 5th-year student who had invited May to the party.
Who was Talois?
He was the former “King of Fists” at Aios Academy, reigning supreme before May arrived and claimed the title for herself.
He had been thoroughly defeated by May before the Batian trip and had then gone to find May in Batian when she was being chased by the Chokugen Faction’s second-in-command, only to be beaten up alongside her.
They weren’t exactly on good terms, but as the former ruler of Aios’s underworld, Talois wanted to officially pass the torch to his successor.
Apparently, he had even begged May to attend the party, kneeling before her.
‘Why is that even important?’
From my perspective, he was just a loser who got beaten up by May and then ran away.
But it seemed Talois wanted to stage a dramatic transfer of power.
May had been annoyed by his request, but she couldn’t refuse a grown man kneeling before her.
Rin, seeing May’s reluctance, had tagged along for moral support.
‘What’s the big deal about this, anyway?’
At the far end of the hall, a group of tough-looking students were kneeling before May and Rin, shouting something.
“Hey, I think you need to go over there,” Ares nudged me with his elbow.
He was back to eating meat, a fork in his hand.
I turned my head and met Diana’s gaze.
She was smiling, but her eyes were clearly filled with anger.
“Ugh, I don’t want to see this,”
Ares muttered, burying his face in his plate and picking at his food.
He had a phobia of my sister.
Diana, still surrounded by male students, discreetly held up her hand, her fingers visible only to me.
“Hmm?”
Her fingers curled into a fist, then one by one, they unfurled.
“Oh, come on!”
She was counting down!
I quickly got up and weaved through the crowd, heading towards Diana.
Just as the last finger unfurled, I reached her. Diana slowly closed her hand and nodded.
I was safe, for now.
“Damn it, who pushed me?”
“What the hell?”
The male students surrounding Diana glared at me for interrupting their moment, but…
“Excuse me, I need to borrow my sister for a bit.”
As soon as I revealed my identity, they shut up and watched as I led Diana away.
“Why didn’t you come get me sooner?”
Diana whispered, linking her arm with mine and nudging my side.
“I thought you were having fun with your classmates since it’s your last party.”
To be honest, I just didn’t want to get involved, but I couldn’t tell her that.
If I did, her finger-countdown would start again.
“Ugh, this is tiring.”
We returned to our table.
Diana patted Ares’s leg, ordering him to move over so she could sit next to me.
Ares immediately cowered like a mouse before a cat, but he couldn’t endure the pressure for long.
He awkwardly stood up.
“I, I think I’ll go get some more food.”
How many plates had he eaten already?
I knew he was just trying to escape, but I felt a bit sorry for him.
“Hey, slacker. Bring me some food too. I don’t want to be surrounded by those guys again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ares, his posture stiff as a soldier, marched towards the food table.
He looked agonizing over which dishes to choose, probably fearing Diana’s wrath.
But Ares…
This wasn’t about picking the right food.
It was about time.
In my opinion, it didn’t matter what he brought back as long as he was fast.
If he was late, he was going to get hit.
I wanted to warn him, but he was already looking pale and indecisive, so it was probably too late.
“Why is he even bothering? Just grab something and come back.”
She already had an answer.
He might as well just come back late.
Maybe he’d get hit less if there was no time for a proper beating.
I offered a silent prayer for Ares.
Diana, fiddling with her dress, muttered,
“This dress is beautiful, but it’s so uncomfortable.”
“You’ll never wear it again after tonight. Enjoy it while you can.”
“That’s true, but…”
Diana looked at me, a warm smile on her face.
“My brother is so handsome.”
“It’s the clothes. And Tana did a good job with my hair.”
Diana chuckled and leaned her head against my shoulder.
I didn’t react, simply accepting her affectionate gesture.
“Daniel, I’m okay with being a dragon.”
“What are you talking about?”
Her small hand gently rested on mine.
It was warm, an unexpected warmth in the midst of the approaching winter.
“So please don’t do anything reckless for me. Your safety is the most important thing to me.”
“……”
“I’m just worried because I’m going to be so far away from you at Dragon’s Boundary.”
“Don’t worry too much.”
“You don’t even know what I’m worried about, do you?”
“Huh?”
We remained still, our conversation continuing in hushed tones.
Our eyes were on the people dancing to the music, but our attention was solely on each other.
“I’m scared you’ll completely forget about me. You used to come to me for everything, but you’ve grown up so much.”
“……”
I felt a pang of guilt, remembering how pathetic I had been in my past life.
I leaned closer to Diana, trying to hide my shame.
Just then, Belin Mayas approached us.
The party was nearing its end.
He glanced at me, and I nodded, gently releasing Diana from my embrace.
“Hmm?”
Diana looked at me with a slightly dissatisfied expression, wondering why I had pulled away.
But before she could say anything, Belin spoke.
“Di-Diana! Can I have a moment of your time?”
He was following Hayun’s advice, confessing his feelings in private as the party wound down.
I leaned back and gave him an encouraging fist bump, but…
Unfortunately…
“Belin, I’m sorry. You’re not my type.”
Diana seemed to have sensed his intentions and immediately linked her arm with mine again.
“I prefer men who are a little goofy and dependable.”
“……”
Wait a minute, why did that make me feel guilty?
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[He rizzed his sister dude holy hell i feel bad for belin at this point]
Nooo, Belin ;-;
I actually feel bad for him, justice for my boy!