Chương 38: Aftermath

Ch 38 - Aftermath When Hiroto woke, he found the infirmary shrouded in darkness. Glancing to the side, he saw Evan fast asleep in the neighboring bed, one arm dangling over the edge. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he wondered how long he had been unconscious. Judging by the darkness beyond the windows, night had already fallen. He sat up and reached for the phone resting on the bedside table to check the time, only to find an unexpected message from his father waiting for him. [Call me when you wake up.] Hiroto stared at the words for a long time before finally climbing out of bed. Quietly leaving the infirmary, he wandered outside and stopped beneath a lone tree. The academy had long since fallen silent. The campus was nearly deserted, and from where he stood, he could still make out the arena and the stage silhouetted against the night. He fidgeted with his phone, opening and closing his contacts list over and over. His thumb hovered over his father's name until he accidentally tapped the call button.

"Eep!" Hiroto bit his nails as panic set in. It was already late. His father was probably asleep by now. Maybe he should just hang up and call tomorrow instead. Just as he made up his mind, the call connected.

"Hiroto," his father said.

"... Fa-Father," Hiroto replied. Silence stretched between them.

"I..."

"Tell me," his father said, "why did you challenge your sister?" Hiroto bit his lip. His mind drifted back to one of their early training sessions in the private training room.

"I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think I've finally figured out your biggest problem." Evan tapped a finger against Hiroto's forehead.

"It's all in here."

"What do you mean?" Hiroto asked. He was sprawled on the training room floor, breathing heavily after they had finally finished the day's training.

"It's your mindset." Evan crossed his arms.

"You've been bullied for so long that you've developed a mental block." Reid walked over and handed each of them a bottle of water before sitting down nearby.

"But Hiroto has been making good progress," Reid said.

"His mana flow has become much smoother, and he can open a much larger portal than before."

"No, no, no!" Evan protested, waving his hands.

"He can do so much better than this!" Hiroto wasn't sure whether he should feel touched that Evan thought so highly of him or guilty for failing to live up to those expectations.

"I think what Hiroto needs most is to get Reika to stop bullying him," Evan continued.

"Imagine if I started pushing you around, Brother. I know that's basically impossible, but just pretend for a second. If I treated you like that every day, how would you feel?" Reid tilted his head thoughtfully.

"I honestly can't picture you acting that way, Evan, considering how kind and sweet you are. But... I suppose I'd be deeply hurt if you ever said or did those things to me."

"Exactly." Evan snapped his fingers.

"Hiroto has been conditioned to believe he's nothing more than an F-rank. That he's weak. That he'll never be able to stand up to his sister. But none of that is true."

"Umm... thanks?" Hiroto said awkwardly. Evan clicked his tongue.

"Look at your face. You can't fool me. You don't believe a single word I just said." To be honest, Hiroto didn't. He knew he had improved after the cleansing ritual and Reid's brutal training. His control had become better, and he was much stronger than before. But A-rank? Not even close.

"Listen," Evan said, suddenly pointing at him.

"I think what we need is for you to beat your sister." Hiroto blinked.

"It's time to rearrange the pecking order and establish your dominance as the big brother!"

"I don't want to beat up my sister," Hiroto said.

"Not literally." Evan rolled his eyes.

"I mean beat her in a match. Specifically during the upcoming Academy Festival." Reid's eyebrows rose.

"You're planning to have Hiroto challenge her?"

"Yup." Evan grinned.

"And since I doubt he'll have the courage to do it himself, I'll challenge her alongside him. Two F-ranks challenging an A-rank." His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Can you imagine everyone's reaction when they hear about it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Hiroto said with a frown.

"Reika... she won't hold back when her pride is on the line."

"That's exactly why challenging her is our best option." Evan leaned forward.

"She's an A-rank facing two F-ranks. Everyone will expect her to win without trying. Her pride will make sure she underestimates us, and that's the weakness we'll exploit." He held up a finger.

"Besides, we don't even have to defeat her. We just need to land the first hit."

"Even so, I..." Hiroto hesitated.

"Hiroto." Evan grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Aren't you tired of your little sister treating you like this?" Hiroto fell silent.

"She's like this because of what happened back then, isn't she?" Evan continued.

"Because you stood there while she was almost killed. It wasn't your fault. You were being controlled." His grip tightened slightly.

"But from her perspective, that single moment shattered the image she had of you. She stopped seeing you as someone who could protect her. Then you awakened as an F-rank, and that only reinforced everything she already believed." Hiroto froze.

"If you want to start repairing your relationship with Reika, then the first thing you need is her respect," Evan said.

"You need to make her stop looking down on you and start seeing you as an equal. Only then will she be willing to open up again." He looked Hiroto straight in the eyes.

"So tell me. Do you understand why we have to do this?" Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Hiroto stared into Evan's burning gaze, wondering how someone like him had ended up in his life. Evan believed in him and helped him without expecting anything in return. The only thing Hiroto had ever done for him was fix his gaming console, a problem that anyone could have solved with a quick search online.

Even so, Evan had devoted so much of his time to helping him grow stronger and was now going out of his way to help him mend his broken relationship with Reika.

"... Okay," Hiroto said quietly.

"I'll do it." If Evan believed this was the right path, then Hiroto would trust him. It was the least he could do.

"All right!" Evan pumped a fist into the air.

"I'll need to prepare a few things first to make sure Reika can't refuse our challenge... but I already have the perfect idea." He chuckled, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes.

"Hold on." Reid raised a hand.

"Not that I'm against this, but you do realize how dangerous it's going to be, right? Reika is an A-rank, and thanks to inheriting her father's lightning ability, her attacks are incredibly destructive. One direct hit could end the match. On top of that, she's still young, so there's a good chance she doesn't have complete control over her powers."

"Brother!" Evan turned toward him with an exaggerated look of disbelief.

"You should trust me more! Haven't you been training us all this time? Do you really think we don't stand a chance against Reika?" Reid met Evan's eyes before answering.

"It'll be a difficult battle. If the two of you had several more months to train, I'd feel much more comfortable agreeing to this."

"We don't have that kind of time," Evan replied.

"Besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Despite those words, Reid's lips remained pressed into a thin line. Evan let out a sigh.

"Brother, you know you can't protect me forever, right? There will be times when you won't be there, and I need to learn how to stand on my own." His expression turned serious.

"So please let me do this. When you watch the match, don't interfere no matter what happens unless I collapse. I'll prove that I can fight, and that being an F-rank doesn't make me someone others can dismiss." Reid fell silent. A complicated emotion flickered across his face before softening into a gentle smile. Reaching out, he ruffled Evan's hair.

"Alright," he said.

"I'll trust you." Evan broke into a wide grin. Watching the two of them, Hiroto couldn't help but wonder if he and Reika would ever share a moment like that again. He still remembered the days when she would happily chase after him, her cheerful cries of "Big Brother!" following wherever he went. Those precious memories now felt buried beneath years of distance and unspoken resentment. Were they destined to remain nothing more than fragments of the past... or was there still a chance to rebuild what they had lost?

"On that note," Reid said with a smile that immediately put both boys on edge, "since the two of you are planning to challenge an A-rank, don't you think we should increase the intensity of your training?" Evan and Hiroto paled.

"I just... want her to stop looking down on me," Hiroto said. His father remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

"What happened today is something your sister will carry with her for a long time. There will be many who mock her, but she accepted your challenge and lost. She must bear the consequences of that defeat." He paused briefly.

"As for you, I'll have you assessed again. Don't think I failed to notice that, unlike Whitfield, you never used a mana stone during the match."

"Yes, Father," Hiroto replied. Another stretch of silence followed. Hiroto wondered whether he should end the call when his father's voice came through once more.

"You fought well today." Before Hiroto could respond, the call ended. Hiroto stared at the darkened screen for a long moment as the night breeze brushed against his cheeks.

"You lost." Those words echoed relentlessly in Reika's ears as she sat on her bed with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Her room lay in near-total darkness, illuminated only by a thin sliver of moonlight spilling through the window. The events of the match replayed over and over in her mind like a never-ending carousel that refused to stop, no matter how desperately she wished it would.

Hiroto's calm, unshaken face surfaced again and again, refusing to leave her thoughts until, unable to endure it any longer, she snatched up her pillow and hurled it across the room. Even if she wanted to sleep, she couldn't. How could she after becoming the first A-rank in history to lose to F-ranks? Some might argue it wasn't a true defeat since the match had been completely stacked against her, but that excuse meant nothing to Reika. She was several ranks above them and only one step away from S-rank.

She should have crushed them as easily as swatting a bug. So why? Why had she lost? Her hand drifted to her side where Evan had left the wound that marked her defeat. It had already healed, leaving behind nothing but smooth skin, yet the burning pain remained etched into her memory. Knock. Knock. Reika didn't respond. It was probably her friends checking on her again, but she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Reika," her mother's voice called from the other side of the door. Reika stiffened. Mother? Why was she here? More knocking followed.

"Open the door, Reika." Her body moved on its own. She switched on the light before unlocking the door and pulling it open, revealing a woman in her forties. Her chestnut hair was styled in a neat half-up bun while the rest fell in soft waves down her back. She wore a cream silk blouse beneath a tailored navy blazer paired with matching slacks. A delicate diamond pendant rested against her collarbone, and a leather handbag hung from one arm.

Stepping into the room, her dark eyes swept across the space before she clicked her tongue at the mess. Reika closed the door behind her and stood still.

"Mother... why are you here?" Reika asked.

"Can I not visit my daughter? Especially after what happened not too long ago," her mother replied. Reika flinched at the mention of the match.

"I..."

"It was truly unfortunate that I couldn't attend and see it for myself. I was away on a business trip, but I heard your father actually cleared his schedule to attend."

"Yes, he did."

"To think that two F-ranks would dare challenge an A-rank like you." Her mother stepped closer and rested a hand on Reika's shoulder.

"I heard you were injured. How are you feeling?"

"It's already healed," Reika answered.

"Good," her mother said. SLAP! Reika bit her lip as her cheek erupted with stinging pain.

"Do you have any idea what people are saying about you?" her mother asked, her voice as cold as ice.

"They're calling you pathetic. A disgrace. They can't understand how an A-rank from the Konoe family could lose to two F-ranks." Her fingers tightened around Reika's shoulder.

"Do you know what this defeat tells the rest of the world? That your talent was nothing but an illusion. That everything we've invested in you amounted to this." Reika lowered her gaze, unable to meet her mother's eyes.

"You had one responsibility," her mother continued.

"To uphold this family's reputation. Instead, you've given everyone a reason to laugh at us." She let out a sigh.

"I expected better from you, Reika." Her mother grabbed Reika's chin and forced her to look up.

"How dare you lose not only to an F-rank, but to Hiroto? To that woman's spawn!"

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"You'd better be," her mother replied, releasing her chin.

"Do you have any idea how much damage control I'll have to do because of this colossal mistake? Newspapers and media outlets have been hounding us nonstop, all wanting to interview you. They all want to know how it feels to be the first A-rank in history to be so thoroughly humiliated by someone beneath you." She rubbed her forehead in frustration before glancing at Reika, who had lowered her gaze once more. Reaching into her handbag, she pulled out a vial of red potion and pressed it into Reika's hand.

"Use that. We can't have your cheek swelling."

"Yes, Mother." Then, without warning, her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Oh, my poor daughter. You must have been through so much," she murmured, gently brushing a hand through Reika's hair.

"But don't worry. I'll make sure everything will be alright." Reika stood motionless, her arms hanging at her sides, offering no response.