The first thing Lena did was take Rin to the hospital.
"I'm fine now, really! Look, I can even walk without feeling any pain," Rin insisted, trying to wave off her concerns.
But one sharp glare from Lena shut him up immediately.
Without another word, she forcibly admitted him to the emergency ward and paid his bills. Only after ensuring that he was in proper care did she return to Velcrest Academy.
---
Chairman's Office.
Lena stood in front of the large mahogany desk, her arms crossed loosely, while the Chairman gazed at her with a sharp, inquisitive look.
"So," the Chairman began, her tone firm but curious, "what kind of cadet is Rin Evans?"
Lena's lips curled into a faint smile, which made the Chairman's brow furrow slightly.
"Rin Evans…" Lena started, her voice calm but oddly soft. "He's a good cadet. He has the qualities of an ideal hero."
The Chairman's frown deepened slightly. Lena's words were complimentary, but there was an informality in her tone that caught the Chairman's attention. She rarely ever spoke so casually during reports—especially not during formal debriefings. It was uncharacteristic of her.
And the smile.
It wasn't her usual polite, professional expression. It was subtle but genuine, something the Chairman hadn't seen from Lena in a long time.
More importantly, the aura Lena was emitting had changed slightly. It was denser, stronger, and carried a trace of residual power. A faint remnant of something far beyond her current rank.
"Care to explain what you mean by that?" the Chairman asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Leave him alone," Lena replied flatly.
The Chairman blinked. "…What?"
"Leave him alone," Lena repeated, firmer this time. "That's what I meant."
For the first time in a while, the Chairman was genuinely caught off guard.
Her eyes widened slightly. Leave him alone?
Very few people ever dared to speak to her like that, especially not Lena. Anyone else would have paid a heavy price for such boldness. But Lena was… different. She was one of the few people the Chairman held in genuine regard.
Still, this was unexpected.
Her curiosity toward Rin Evans only grew.
"Leave him alone? Rin Evans?" The Chairman narrowed her eyes. "Did something happen between you two?"
Lena exhaled softly. She could feel the Chairman's scrutinizing gaze piercing through her, but she had already made up her mind. It was better to be upfront before the Chairman decided to investigate on her own.
So, she told her everything—the dungeon, the sudden appearance of the anomaly, and how Rin had risked his life to save her. She left nothing out.
When she finished, the Chairman leaned back in her chair, silent for a moment.
"Aha," she finally said, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "And here I was wondering how you managed to improve your level so dramatically in just a few hours. So that's what happened."
The Chairman's sharp eyes glimmered with intrigue.
A power that could temporarily raise an A-rank hero to S-rank level? And judging by Lena's current state, even though the ability had worn off, the enlightenment it provided hadn't completely disappeared.
If such an ability could be properly utilized, it might be possible to intentionally create more S-rank heroes. The potential was immeasurable.
Her fingers tapped softly against the desk, already calculating the possible benefits.
But before she could finish her thought, Lena cut in sharply.
"No," she said coldly. "Don't even think about it."
The Chairman's eyes flicked up, surprised by the sudden hostility in Lena's voice.
"Hmm?"
Lena's eyes narrowed slightly, her jaw clenching.
"I told you," she said, her voice firm but steady, "he's a good kid. He could have escaped from the dungeon, but he came back. For me. He knew he could have died, and he still used his ability without hesitation. Then he smiled through the pain, acting like he was fine when he clearly wasn't. You can't ask a kid like that to use his remaining lifespan for others."
The Chairman's fingers, which had been rhythmically tapping the desk, stilled.
Her eyes locked onto Lena's, sharp and calculating.
"Well…" she drawled softly, tilting her head.
But despite Lena's passionate defense, the Chairman remained skeptical.
She trusted Lena—but Lena had a tendency to see people in a far brighter light than they sometimes deserved.
And the Chairman, having lived long enough to know better, had learned to be more distrustful.
The part about Rin coming back bothered her.
Why would he return?
Was it really selfless bravery? Or was it calculated?
Her instincts told her there was more to Rin Evans than what Lena had witnessed. And as much as she respected Lena, she wouldn't let sentiment cloud her judgment.
A soft, almost imperceptible smile curled on the Chairman's lips.
Yes, she would leave Rin Evans alone for now.
But not out of kindness.
Out of curiosity.
For now, Rin Evans was out of the chairman's reach.
But that didn't mean Lena was free from questions.
Despite Rin's reckless self-sacrifice to save her, the chairman couldn't quite believe that Lena had grown so attached to a complete stranger.
Sure, Rin had saved her life—but still.
There was something more to Lena's protectiveness.
And the chairman had a guess.
A quiet one.
A dangerous one.
One she couldn't ignore.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Lena, then she asked, almost too casually,
"Is he like him?"
Lena blinked.
"What?"
The chairman's gaze didn't waver.
"Your brother, I mean." She paused for a brief moment, then added softly, "Does he remind you of your dead younger brother?"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Lena's expression froze.
Her eyes, once warm and expressive, turned cold in an instant—a sharp, icy wall slamming down behind them.
The chairman regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.
She knew she shouldn't have brought it up.
Shouldn't have dredged up the past.
But the question had slipped out before she could stop herself.
And now, she could see the damage it had done.
For a long moment, Lena said nothing.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she lowered her eyes slightly, the shadows beneath them growing darker.
The chairman clenched her hands into fists beneath the desk, fighting the urge to apologize.
She had thought Lena was over the grief of her brother's death.
But clearly, she wasn't.
No... she was still living in it.
"...I haven't thought about it before," Lena finally murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "But now that you mention it..."
She trailed off, her eyes growing distant.
Her throat bobbed slightly as she swallowed, then she exhaled softly, the breath shaky.
"Yeah... he does sort of resemble him."
Her lips curled into a sad, faraway smile.
"My brother... he was always so frail, physically weak," she said softly, her eyes unfocused, as though she were gazing at something far beyond the chairman.
Something only she could see.
"But despite that, he was... kind," she continued. "Kind in a way that made you want to protect him. No matter what."
Her voice caught slightly, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, holding her breath before letting it out in a slow, quiet exhale.
"Just like Rin Evans."
The room fell into silence once more.
But this time, the chairman didn't say anything.
She simply watched as Lena stared down at her hands, her eyes clouded with memories she had buried long ago—memories that were now rising to the surface once more.