us waved back and made his way over to his friends. As he got closer, he noticed the same smile he saw on Anna''s face still tugging her lips as they made eye contact. us knew something was not right. Considering the talk they had the night before, she is supposed to be solemn, but with this new look, he just doesn''t get it.


    "Congrattions, big sister. You did well," us said proudly. Hanna had ranked fourth, a surprising achievement that amazed many around them. No one had expected her to rise so high.


    In the City Selection Trial, she had only ced 195th out of the 200 selected. But now, with 12 cities and over 12,000 young warriors, Hanna had fought her way to the top four. It was nothing short of shocking.


    "Thanks, little bro," Hanna replied, her smile beaming with pride. "Mom''s going to be over the moon when she hears what I ced."


    us rolled his eyes yfully. "Just don''t let her spoil you rotten."


    "Oh, I might take her up on that," Hanna teased, her confidence clearly restored. After all the struggles and doubts she''d faced, seeing her like this made us happy. She had found her footing again, and he was d she had reimed her strength.


    "Everyone, I''ll be back in a jiffy," Danny suddenly said, walking toward a certain blonde across the room. Mark and the others exchanged nces and sighed. It was clear they were all falling short in the women''s department.


    us ignored Anna for a moment and turned to Lily. "Fairy Lily, you did well," he said with a genuine smile, making Anna pout in mock annoyance.


    Lily nced at Anna, then smiled back at us. "Thank you, us."


    "Anna dear, congrattions on ranking second. I''m really proud of you," us added. He didn''t want to tease her, especially after the awkward conversation they''d had the night before. But seeing the mischievous smile she''d been shing him all morning, he knew she was up to no good.


    "Thank you, Brother us," Anna replied with a teasing grin.


    us raised an eyebrow. "Brother us, huh? Too bad I''m just a brother. I was nning to take you two somewhere specialter, but it seems I''ll only be taking Lily now," he said, moving to stand beside Lily and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.


    Lily blushed deeply, while Anna''s smile faltered for just a second. She knew us was joking, but a small pang hit her heart seeing his arm around Lily. With so many people watching, she couldn''t shake the feeling of being the third wheel.


    Luckily for her, at that exact moment, a door opened, and the officials entered to make the final announcements. Thest to enter was the War Goddess herself. Her eyes immediately found us and a smile tugged at her lips.


    "Congrattions, everyone. You''ve taken another step toward bing disciples of Celestial Mountain Academy," the War Goddess announced.


    "Though two more Trials remain to decide who will officially enter the academy''s books, passing this one proves that you are among the finest warriors of your generation. You should be proud."


    The room lit up with smiles as everyone soaked in her words. At least for today. the War Goddess has finally said something encouraging. She stepped aside, allowing the academy''s representative to deliver her speech.


    "As the War Goddess said, you should feel proud of your aplishments," the academy rep continued. "However, in four months, you will gather again in Union City to face the Union Trial. This time, you''llpete against 4,000 others. By the end, only 2,000 of the 5,000 will advance to the next trial."


    Her gaze swept over the crowd, making sure her words sunk in. "Use these four months wisely. Train. Prepare. Like before, each of you will be given three vials of Mountain Dew. Use it to reach the Peak Master stage before the Union Trial.


    I know many of you are already close, so bridge that remaining gap."


    "And to those who are still far from reaching the Peak Of Master Stage, work extra hard to bridge that gap before the Union Trial."


    "Additionally, the academy will award each of you three passes to Tier 3 Forbidden Zones and one pass to a Tier 4 Forbidden Zone. These are your opportunities to hone yourbat skills and grow stronger. The next trial will be more grueling and dangerous than what you''ve faced so far."


    The academy rep paused, letting her words hang in the air for a moment.


    "Lastly, three months from now, the academy will hold a gathering at Sinji Valley. Some seniors from the academy will be present. Use this event to learn more about what lies ahead, and find the motivation you need to seed in the Union Trial."


    The room quieted as everyone processed the weight of the trials toe. The doors opened on the sides of the building signally for them to enter and go for the Mountain Dew. us looked at his friend and gestured for them to go.


    He looked back and nodded at the War Goddess before leaving. After receiving the three vials of Mountain Dew, he and his friends headed back to their hotel. Once they arrived, us handed his share of the Mountain Dew to Anna, Lily, and Hanna.


    They all knew he had no use for them, so they epted it without hesitation. After that, us retreated to his room to take a bath. Once refreshed, he tried to call Ohema again, but like thest ten times, the call didn''t go through. Frustrated, he sat down and entered his soul sea to study the Pentaface Bead more closely.


    A few hourster, there was a knock on his door. He paused and opened it to find Anna and Lily standing there.


    "Can wee in?" Lily asked, her voice soft.


    "Sure," us replied, stepping aside to let them in. As they walked past him, he felt his heart quicken, though he couldn''t quite understand why. ''There is something different about these two''


    "So, what brings you two here?" us asked, trying to sound casual. The two exchanged nces before Lily spoke up.


    "us, do you hate us?" The question was simple yetplicated. us swallowed hard, feeling the weight of it. He understood the deeper implications behind her words.


    He didn''t answer right away, taking a moment to consider his response. Saying the wrong thing could have serious consequences. He could tell them he didn''t hate them, but what evidence did he have to back that up? In truth, he didn''t harbor any hatred; he simply didn''t want to get thisplicated for now. His mind is still not straight from knowing about his past, so he wants to rx for a while.


    But the tension was palpable. He knew it would be difficult, especially since he often flirted with other girls. If they remained in the friend zone for too long, it could create issues in their rtionship. Anna knew us liked them—she could sense it, and so could Lily. But he rarely showed it intimately to them.


    Though they weren''t as old as Lucy, he felt he should at least make them feel appreciated. He recognized that he had been distant, even yful with Anna when he should have been closer. Now, standing before the two beautiful faces, he realized he needed to do something.


    With a sigh, he walked toward them without overthinking. He stepped in front of Anna, gently pulling her closer and nting a soft kiss on her lips. Anna froze in surprise, but us didn''t linger. He turned to Lily and nted another kiss on her lips, then stepped back, a smile forming on his face.


    "Does this answer your question?" he asked, his tone light yet sincere.