Rain feels his chest instinctively tighten upon hearing Ronin declare her intentions, but before he can think of any intervention, she continues speaking to the dean with a sad demeanor. The dean just watches her and listens with a curious expression.
"Dean Felt, the truth is that Rain's Quirk makes him lose control...of his abilities. When he gets too emotional, his Quirk triggers and his strength becomes erratic. Most of the time, it weakens him, but on rare occasions it can also lead to significant bursts in strength. As any seasoned warrior could tell you, that can be just as much of a setback in combat. In all likelihood, that's what happened during his match...we saw his Quirk multiply his full strength unexpectedly while he was in an especially emotional state. Unfortunate, yes, but not misconduct."
Realization dawns on Rain at the same time that relief floods his body. He looks over at Ronin, who is ignoring him to maintain her polite gaze on the dean, and he feels a pang of gratitude...and guilt. She's outright lying to protect him, on top of the trouble he already stirred up with that Legacy on her behalf.
The dean's eyes widen in surprise following Ronin's explanation, and his expression becomes thoughtful...conflicted. Eventually, he glances at the female Paragon, Chosen Kara, and his voice becomes uncertain.
"What do you think of this?"
Chosen Kara's expression becomes conflicted as well, her eyes uncertain. She glances between Rain and Ronin in silence for several moments, before returning her attention to the dean and responding hesitantly.
"It's...not unheard of for Nature attributes to affect a Marked's strength or abilities, and such an effect wouldn't trigger the monitor. I also agree with Lady Ronin's assessment about such a Nature attribute's drawbacks making it a Quirk. So, it's technically possible that the boy's Quirk could be the cause of what I witnessed. However..."
Chosen Kara moves her gaze past Ronin to land on Rain, a hint of skepticism in her eyes.
"Lady Ronin said that your Quirk is activated by you being too emotional, and I'm sure that these matches can be stressful. But I saw no evidence of your strength being erratic in your two prior matches, and your opponent in your last match never even attacked. If your Quirk is to blame, why did it trigger?"
Rain sees Ronin glance at him subtly, a trace of nervousness in her eyes. Since Chosen Kara is addressing him directly, it'd be suspicious for her to interject. However, he's not worried...now that he knows what game Ronin is playing, he can play along, too. After all, his Legacy opponent gave him the perfect alibi for this situation.
He directs a fearful gaze at Chosen Kara, emulating a nervous, timid tone as he responds.
"Well...before the match that guy said something quite derogatory about Lady Ronin being an embarrassment to her father. It seems he heard the rumors about us, and thought that interacting with me reflected poorly on her. She's helped me a lot, you know, and I admire her. So, I...uhm...called the guy a dumb asshole. After that, he got...angry.
"He said I should be careful how I address my betters, because nobody cares if little mice go missing in Asphodel. Hearing a Legacy threaten to murder me so blatantly was more than a little...terrifying, so I was pretty rattled when the match started. I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner, but I didn't think you'd believe me. That guy was a Legacy, and I'm just an orphan."
As Rain finishes his explanation, cutting his eyes away as though he's nervous. Inside, though, he's trying not to chuckle. From what he's seen so far, everyone in this room basically worships the ground Ronin walks on...they'll be hard-pressed to fault him for insulting the guy after that story. Plus, Rain threw in his orphan status, and revealed the guy's homicidal threats.
Sure enough, he sees Chosen Kara's and the other male Paragon's faces go pale at the mention of what the Legacy said about mice going missing. The dean...well, he just looks angry about the comment about Ronin being a disappointment to her father. Meanwhile, Rain sees Ronin widen her eyes involuntarily in surprise after his statement. She quickly recovers her calm expression, but he sees amusement lingering in her eyes.
Eventually, the tense silence is broken by the dean. He lets out an exasperated sigh and makes his way back to his desk, collapsing into his chair heavily. His eyes seem to look through Rain, as though he's focused on something far away, and his expression looks conflicted. The dean glances back at Ronin with an apprehensive gaze.
"In all honesty Lady Ronin...while I'm inclined to agree that this is not a case of misconduct, and I sympathize with Champion Rain's circumstances, I'm not sure that I can disregard this incident either. At the end of the day, he did almost kill a boy...one whose status, as embarrassed as I am to admit it, can't be ignored. I fear how that clan may react if the Academy fails to take any action against Champion Rain over this incident."
Rain feels his body tense again.
'Shit...are you kidding me? He's not even pretending anymore...he basically just admitted that it doesn't matter if I'm guilty or not, he'll sacrifice me to appease the clans.'
Before apprehension can fully set in, however, he sees Ronin addressing the dean with a calm expression.
"If that is your only concern, Dean Felt, then I believe there's no need to act rashly. It is true that the Legacy in question ultimately serves the major clan of Veyron, but not directly...he belongs to a very minor clan. More importantly, as callous as it may seem to you, a clan is unlikely to fault the Academy over a Legacy being severely wounded in a combat match. They just consider it the risk of necessarily hard training. All you need to do is be sure that the match in question was fair, and state that you concluded as much after a thorough investigation."
The dean's eyes widen slightly, then his expression once again becomes thoughtful as Ronin watches him patiently. Eventually, he directs an apologetic look at her and Rain.
"I suppose that may work, but...I'd need to make a public announcement to the Academy about the details of this inquiry. Simply offering my assurances isn't good enough. That would include revealing Champion Rain's Quirk, and your involvement in advocating for him. I confess that it's not exactly fair, but...it's better than the alternatives. Don't you think?"
Rain feels a hint of relief. He's not exactly happy about how much attention that would draw to him, but he considers there to be upsides, as well. He'd have an Academy-endorsed fake Quirk that could be used to excuse future demonstrations of strength, and there'd also be official testimony that his already rumored relationship with Ronin is not romantic.
He glances at the dean and Ronin, preparing to endorse the idea, but he sees a concerned look on Ronin's face. She responds before he can.
"If possible, I'd like to refrain from being implicated in this incident. As you've heard from Rain, his association with me via rumors has already made him the subject of one person's hostility, and this would only exacerbate this issue. I have an alternative suggestion.
"Simply say that, after a thorough investigation, you found Rain didn't break any tournament rules, and any anomalous strength was the temporary result of a Nature attribute that you've decided to keep confidential. However, emphasize that you think it's important for all Marked to be mindful of the abilities they've been blessed with, and the safety of those around them.
"Then, make an example out of Rain by disqualifying him from the tournament due to excessive use of force. That should placate anyone who wants you to take action against him. You can even have Rain make a statement saying that he supports the decision, if you think it's necessary."
Everyone's eyes widen in shock, including Rain's. Almost immediately, the dean voices their shared opinion, his tone incredulous as he glances between the calm Ronin and the bewildered Rain.
"Lady Ronin, is your suggestion not even more harsh to Champion Rain than what I proposed?"
Ronin doesn't bat an eye, she just maintains a polite smile. Then, she responds to the dean in an even voice as she turns to face Rain.
"I suppose that's for him to decide."
Following Ronin's gaze, the dean looks at Rain as well, his eyebrows raising inquisitively as he speaks.
"Well, Champion Rain, Lady Ronin's advocacy has convinced me that there's no need to harshly punish you. So, I am willing to settle this matter either of the alternative ways that have been discussed. Which would you prefer?"
Rain watches as Dean Felt and Ronin both stare at him expectantly. He studies Ronin's expression in particular, her expression relatively calm, but her pale blue eyes holding a bit of...hopefulness, he thinks. At first her reaction and her suggestion itself confuse him. He can't really see any benefit to him choosing Ronin's proposal over Dean Felt's. However, then he realizes...
'Of course, it's not about only me...or even the short-term...'
His eyebrows raise in surprise as he pieces it together. The only thing Ronin cares about is making sure the nature of their alliance stays hidden...she's protecting her only ally. People knowing that she has tea with him regularly, or assuming they're sexually involved, is one thing. But if it were to come out how much trouble she went through to advocate for him in this situation...well.
He'd become a person of interest...the people targeting Ronin might consider him an asset they need to deprive her of. Even if they didn't jump to that conclusion, she'd lose the advantage of having an ally who can move without attracting the clans' scrutiny. In other words, her suggestion is at least as much to protect her own interests as it is for his benefit.
As he considers that fact...he's not upset. Truthfully, his situation would have been far worse without her intervention, and more importantly, he got himself into this mess by overstepping his bounds in her business. If this is the solution she'd prefer, he kind of...owes it to her.
Rain turns his gaze back to Ronin, his mind made up, and she's still watching him with the same expectant but hopeful expression. He gives her a small, knowing smile, eliciting a look of surprise on her face, then he turns to the dean with a serious expression.
"Thank you for your understanding and consideration, Dean Felt. If it's alright with you...I'd like to do as Lady Ronin suggests."
*****
Some time later, Ronin and Rain have exited the dean's office together and are making their way towards the dormitories. Due to the still ongoing tournament matches, they're alone in the long corridors. After leaving the dean, Ronin told him about her discussion with Tess beforehand, who's waiting for them in her dorm, but since then they've been walking in silence.
He looks over at Ronin, who seems deep in thought, and he speaks in an apologetic tone.
"Thanks, Ronin...for bailing me out back there. And I'm sorry for acting so recklessly on my own. I should have kept my emotions under control and consulted you instead of nearly killing that guy."
She raises her eyebrows at him inquisitively, her tone curious but unsurprised as she responds.
"Then...I take it that your outburst was about me? I wasn't sure how much of your little story to the dean was true."
She looks at him expectantly, as though her statement is actually a question. He smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck, looking down at the ground in embarrassment.
"Uhm...yeah. Most of that was just fiction, but..."
He proceeds to recap for her everything that was said between him and his opponent, how it made him feel, and how he got triggered to do what he did.
"So, anyway...it wasn't my place to jump the gun like that, and I'm sorry. You have every right to be upset about this."
Rain hesitantly returns his gaze to Ronin's face, expecting her to look concerned or annoyed. But instead, her lips are twisted into a subtle yet clear smile, and her eyes are unnaturally warm...appreciative, even. While he's still stunned by the sight, she responds in a voice that carries traces of both surprise and amusement.
"I'm not mad, Rain."
He blinks at her in confusion.
"You're...not?"
Ronin's smile seems to become slightly more pronounced, and more amused as well. She shakes her head at him.
"No, though I agree that you really should avoided showing your hand. Still, it feels...nice...to know that you meant the things you said before, about helping me. I didn't doubt you, but words and actions really aren't equally impactful."
He breathes a sigh of relief, and gives Ronin an appreciative smile, his sliver eyes shimmering happily.
"I'm relieved to hear that...seriously. Still, I honestly feel like I owe you one...you really went out of your way to help me today, and I think I'd have been screwed without you. So, I'll come up with some way to repay the effort. Is there anything you want, by chance?"
She widens her eyes in surprise, then looks at the floor for a few moments, quietly thoughtful. He watches as several strands of her platinum blonde hair hang forward, obscuring her pale blue eyes as they dart back and forth thoughtfully. Eventually, she turns to him with a hesitant expression, her tone becoming hopeful as her eyes study his intently.
"Well...only if you're willing, but...could you tell me about your Talent?"
Rain clearly recognizes what she means...his second Talent. The one he explicitly said he wanted to keep from her. He looks away from Ronin, rubbing his lip thoughtfully.
'I mean...I was about to just show it to the dean earlier to get them off my case, and I obviously owe her. Although...I'm pretty sure that Tess would be upset if I confided something like that in Ronin before her. And from what Ronin told me, Tess was ready to brainwash the whole Academy to help me, so the least I can do is be considerate of her feelings. That said...'
He returns his gaze to the now nervous-looking Ronin, and he gives her a friendly smile as he nods, his voice warm.
"Sure, I can do that. Do you mind if I wait a couple of days so that I can tell Tess first, though? It's just that she was a little hurt that I confided in Bright before her, and I'd rather not repeat that unnecessarily."
Ronin's face is initially surprised, but after a moment she gives him a polite smile and shakes her head...though her eyes hold conflicting emotions he doesn't see.
"No, I understand...she's your girlfriend...I appreciate you trusting me as well."