Rain, fighting to not panic, nods politely at Dean Felt. His first impression is no doubt important, so he'll have to play the part of the slightly clueless, empathetic student. He definitely can't afford to tell them the truth.
"Err, I understand. Nice to meet you Dean Felt. I...uhm...obviously feel terrible about my opponent getting injured so severely. Naturally, that wasn't my intention...I didn't expect my attack to be so effective against a Legacy like him. Do you know how he's doing, by chance?"
The dean's expression remains calm, his eyes studying Rain tiredly as he responds.
"It seems he'll live...thankfully. However, the bones in his limbs were shattered severely enough that he won't be able to walk for several days. With close attention from our resident healer, he should be back to normal just in time for the Crucible, though."
He feels conflicting emotions about the guy surviving, but he thinks it's generally good news...it'd be a real hassle if the guy died. However, outwardly he sighs in exaggerated relief, and smiles gratefully at the dean, trying to make his tone sound relieved as well as he responds.
"That's good news...thank you. I feared the worst when I saw the state he was in...I'm glad he at least won't have any permanent injuries."
Dean Felt nods agreeably, his demeanor remaining difficult to read. Then, he sighs and directs a weary gaze at Rain.
"Indeed, Champion Rain. But enough of that...I'll be frank with you. You say that you didn't intend to harm your opponent so severely. But a question central to how credible the Academy considers that claim, and by extension whether it deems you to be guilty of misconduct, is whether you illegally used a Talent in the match.
"Now, your Talent monitor recorded no such violation, but the judges and several other experienced staff witnessing your match are apparently convinced that its readings must have been...wrong. They attest that you displayed strength that should not have been possible for a Champion without using a physical enhancement Talent. What do you say to this accusation?"
Rain feels his jaw clench involuntarily...he wasn't expecting to get grilled about this so quickly and directly. Truthfully, he's not sure what to say. If he leans into having performed that feat Talentless, that will raise seriously problematic questions...if they believe him at all. If he just 'admits' he cheated, then how serious will the repercussions be for him? He doesn't know.
In the end, he'd rather deal with the danger he knows than that he doesn't. Plus, he can't imagine that the consequences of trying to off another student, let alone a Legacy, are very forgiving. As dangerous as Marked are considered, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in some government hole at best. Or at worst...dead, since they can't easily contain him with the Crucible looming.
He makes a show of widening his eyes in surprise.
"Used a Talent? No...as far as I know, I didn't break any rules in my match. With all due respect to the staff, and while I'm flattered they think so highly of whatever strength I displayed, they are mistaken. Is it even possible for the Talent monitors to give false negatives like that? I confess that I don't know how they work."
A bit of uncertainty appears within the dean's eyes, and he glances at the female Paragon in the room, who has remained standing. Seeing the dean's questioning gaze, the woman glances at Rain suspiciously, and her voice comes out skeptical.
"It's true that, under normal circumstances, the monitors are 100% reliable. However, it's not impossible for them to be...tampered with."
Rain gives the woman an incredulous look. It's easy enough for him to play this act...he genuinely has no idea how that theory makes sense to her.
"Uhm...if you're suggesting that I did such a thing, I'm honestly confused how you imagine that to be the case? I only had the monitor on me for a few minutes, during which time I was under constant scrutiny from everyone in the amphitheater. In addition, you now have my monitor...can't you check and see that it's operating normally?"
The woman frowns at him disapprovingly, but the dean raises his eyebrows questioningly and looks at the woman, his tone becoming inquisitive.
"Chosen Kara?"
After a lingering glare at Rain, Chosen Kara turns to face the dean and nods politely.
"We've already checked the device...it was in perfect working order, and there were no indications of tampering. However...despite what the boy may claim, there's no chance that all of the senior Marked in the room at the time were mistaken. I was one of them, and I'm certain that no Champion, not even a Daemon Bloodline, could have exhibited that much strength without the help of a Talent."
The dean's expression becomes conflicted, glancing between Rain and Chosen Kara. After a few seconds, he rubs his face tiredly and sighs, then glances back at Rain...almost sympathetically.
"I'm sorry young man, but I can't very well disregard the professional assessments of all the Marked Academy staff in the room. In addition, you nearly killed a Legacy, and the Academy is not in the habit of getting into unnecessary altercations with the clans. Unless you can provide evidence of an alternative explanation for what my staff observed, I'll have to find you guilty of misconduct and turn you over to the authorities."
Rain feels his heart begin racing, the sound of its pounding echoing in his head as his mind frantically tries to grasp a solution to the spiraling situation.
'What do I even say to that? Do I just tell them that I have a God Bloodline? Or, maybe I can just show them my second Talent and pretend it's my only one. In that case, they'd have to assume it's impossible for me to have a physical enhancement Talent, right? As long as Nik, Ronin, and Tess don't ever mention my other Talent, and I don't publicize it before the Crucible, then that could work. But if it gets out that I have a non-enhancement Talent...then I will have a lot of explaining to do to Nik, at minimum.'
As he desperately tries to think through the best decision, his thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sound of knocking on the office door. Rain, the dean, and the two Paragons turn towards the sound in surprise. After a moment, the dean looks at Chosen Kara and gestures at the door. She nods and walks towards it, pulling the door open.
The door swings open, and Rain hears a polite but familiar voice echoing sweetly into the room from behind Chosen Kara's frame.
"Good evening. I'm Champion Ronin, daughter of Fated Blade. I'm here to speak with Dean Felt about an urgent matter."
Instantly, he feels the attitudes in the room change. The male Paragon next to him suddenly sits up a bit straighter, trying to peer around Chosen Kara, who is now visibly flustered and gawking at Ronin. Dean Felt, meanwhile, all but jumps out of his office chair, and is walking towards the door hurriedly as he smooths the nonexistent wrinkles in his clothes.
Rain, on the other hand, is just watching all the lunacy unfold with his mouth agape.
'What the hell is she doing here?'
Paying him no mind, the dean finally makes his way out from behind his desk and calls out with hushed excitement.
"Chosen Kara, if you would, please!"
After a second to regain her composure, Chosen Kara nods at the dean understandingly and steps to the side as she opens the door, revealing Ronin. The blonde Legacy gives an uncharacteristically polite smile, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes, then she steps into the office gracefully. The dean clears his throat nervously and addresses her with an expression that's fairly close to awe in Rain's mind.
"Ehem...ah, Lady Ronin! What a delightful surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Ronin spares Rain a brief glance before turning her focus to the dean, presenting him with another uncharacteristically charming smile, and her voice becomes unnervingly polite and melodic.
"Dean Felt, thank you for seeing me on such short notice, and please pardon the interruption. As it happens, I actually came to offer my assistance with the unfortunate matter of Champion Rain's recent match."
The dean's expression suddenly becomes puzzled, his voice a bit hesitant as he responds.
"Oh, I see...your assistance, you say? I...uhm...must confess, Lady Ronin, I'm a bit confused. What assistance are you referring to? Do you know this boy?"
Ronin maintains her sweet, regal demeanor, choosing to nod politely as she responds.
"That's correct. I do know him, though not as...well...as some of the rumors around the Academy may suggest. I'm sure you've heard them. In truth, our relationship is more student-teacher oriented...I've been training him with a sword. That's why I've come here today...I believe I can shed some light on your concerns surrounding the incident during his match earlier. "
Realization seems to dawn on the dean's face, and he briefly gives Rain an incredulous look before fixing his expression and looking back to Ronin. When the dean responds, his tone is a bit embarrassed.
"Ehem...err, yes...of course. I believe I may have heard some rumors about your involvement with a boy, but...naturally I don't put stock in the gossip of students. Still...teaching him the sword, you say? For someone of your status to be teaching anyone is quite generous...may I ask why? Also, what does it have to do with his earlier incident?"
Ronin makes a conciliatory gesture, her expression becoming a bit saddened...at least, that's what it looks like.
"You are no doubt aware that I've lost my parents, and Rain is an orphan as well. So, I sympathize with his situation, and wanted to help. Regardless, because I have been training him, I have some familiarity with his abilities, so I think I can help clarify this unfortunate situation. I presume that you're questioning him about the strength he exhibited in his match. Likely, your staff are convinced that it was misconduct, yet there is no supporting evidence from the Talent monitor. Can I also assume that Rain has yet to give you an explanation for this discrepancy?"
The dean's eyes widen in shock, and he glances at Rain briefly. Rain is wearing a nervous expression, both worried and cautiously hopeful about Ronin's appearance. When the dean looks back to Ronin, his voice is now laced with curiosity.
"He's an orphan...I see...I had no idea. Of course, I'm deeply sorry about your parents, Lady Ronin, and I weep as all of humanity does. I think you helping this boy is quite admirable...just the kind of thing your father would have done. At any rate...yes...you're correct on all points. Does this mean you have an explanation for his actions?"
Rain sees relief briefly flash in Ronin's eyes, then her expression grows serious, and she nods matter-of-factly.
"I do. You see, the reason for what transpired today, and for why Rain has yet to explain himself...is his Quirk. He's probably hesitant to talk about such a glaring weakness of his...as I'm sure you can understand. But I imagine that he's been slow to realize just how serious his situation is, so I came to urge him to tell the truth."
Rain's expression twists in confusion.
'My Quirk? I mean...she's not wrong, but...why is she telling them about it!?'
As far as he can see, the dean knowing about his Quirk would simultaneously fail to explain his discrepancy in strength, and incriminate him as having wanted to hurt his opponent. He feels a rush of unease as he watches Ronin and the dean continue talking, his demeanor growing apprehensive.
The dean's face becomes both surprised and curious at Ronin's words, then he turns towards Rain and his voice takes on a stern tone.
"Young man, is this true? If so, I strongly encourage you to listen to Lady Ronin's wisdom and come clean. I can sympathize with protecting your weaknesses, but you're in no position to do so under such severe circumstances."
Rain's mouth starts to gape, glancing back and forth between Ronin and the dean...he's uncertain what he's supposed to say. He genuinely has no idea how she thinks that revealing his Quirk will help the situation remotely, but he also doubts she's dumb or malicious enough to involve herself just to detriment him.
'Does she expect me to lie? Make up something about my Quirk that explains this away?'
She's clearly not above manipulating the situation. Her little story about their relationship wasn't devoid of truth, but it was wildly misleading at best. Plus, she willingly brought up her parents being gone, and stomached the sympathy from doing so...obviously intentional. He wonders if she's trying to paint her intervention as more selfless and kind-hearted than it is, though he has no idea why she'd do such a thing.
Still, none of that changes the fact that he can't go along with Ronin's outward suggestion to expose his Quirk, nor can he instantly think of a believable lie about it that would fix this situation. So, he just continues to stare at the dean and Ronin with an apprehensive expression, his voice coming out hesitant.
"I...uhm...I don't..."
As he trails off uncertainly, Ronin suddenly sighs dramatically, her face becoming outwardly sympathetic, and she turns to the dean.
"Very well, Rain. I'm sorry, but if you won't tell Dean Felt about your Quirk, then I will..."