Standing inside his room, Kiernan looked out of the window at the street in case police cars would come rolling in.
'I think I am alright.' He thought and sat down on his bed.
'I went to the Fighting Octagon just for an alibi. That place has immense traffic, even during the later hours of the day, so even though that place has cameras, it's really hard to pinpoint one person among thousands.
'I only remember that place because the former Kiernan had wanted to visit that place for a holiday for training, as it is the best training place in the entire New Rakuya.
'After I acquired my alibi, I ran all the way to Irio. It took me half the night, but it was worth it. Because of my injuries, I sneaked inside the train to take me back to Tiamut, so I was able to arrive before everyone woke up at the training village.
'However, before I went to the training village, I went to sign off in the Fighting Octagon, so if that detective digs deeper, he will find out about that.
'That should be enough for him to get off my back. However, if he keeps digging, I am sure he will talk to other members at the training village, such as Jonathan.
'Jonathan had the video and knows that I became angry after seeing the video—the video that could work against me since it had that referee.
'So, Felix might come to the conclusion that I wanted to kill him for something happening in the video. I think he can figure out that the referee did try to kill me during that match.
'However, since it is so discreet, I can win that in court if it comes down to that. I can just say that I am still angry at Jonathan for losing, and I left to calm myself down, which is why I went to the Fighting Octagon.
'I hope it doesn't come down to that. If I am suspected to be a murderer, my reputation will be ruined.
'While I don't really care about my reputation, I don't want my father to think badly of me. I guess that's the deep feelings of previous Kiernan, who wants to make our father proud.'
Kiernan took a deep breath and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
'This is bad, though. I underestimated this world. This is not Earth. This place is special as everyone has weird physiques and superpowers.
'If I have to kill somebody in the future, I can't do it half-assed like I did now. There are Animalistic Instincts, and I've read that some people in the world have mind-reading powers.
'And I am sure the World Detective Association has monsters like them as well. I don't know how to fool the mind-reading powers yet, but I will learn to adapt.'
To make sure he didn't end up being nearly caught like now, he made a mental note to be extremely careful.
If he needed to kill someone, he needed to be absolutely sure the plan for it was extremely perfect.
'Before I know all about this world, I won't kill, no matter what. I can't risk it. I am not some person who is thirsty for blood. I only kill if I absolutely need to.'
Kiernan jumped to his feet, and plopped down on his chair, then immediately turned on the computer.
"Alright." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's learn more about this world."
The months flew by, and the heavy blanket of snow filled Irio's streets.
The cars, adorned with winter tires, moved along the snowy roads with caution while more snow continued to fall from the gray sky above.
It was the last day of the year and also the last day of the school before a much-needed two-month holiday from school.
At the current moment, inside the graduation hall of Karuza High.
The thousands of seats were filled with students and their parents, listening to their teachers making speeches at the stage.
At the front, third-year students sat wearing their graduation gowns and caps. They were graduating today and moving onto another chapter in their lives.
Then, Azer Karuza took the stage and smiled.
"That was the last of the speeches. However, I must still say something. I will thank the four young men who helped the team to reach new heights in the nationals.
"Ryan, Nathaniel, Klaus, and Timothy—second, third, fourth, and fifth ranked students of our beloved school.
"Those ranks will open up following their graduation, but I must say, thank you for all your hard work."
The graduation hall filled with applause.
In the front seats, Ryan, Nathaniel, Timothy, and Klaus sat next to each other. They were also sitting next to Kang Moon, Leon Silvers, and Shura Young, who were also graduating.
Since they got kicked out of Irio High, they were luckily allowed to join Karuza High and graduate normally.
Thus, their lives didn't get ruined.
However, they weren't included in the ranking lists due to their late enrollment. Nevertheless, they were just happy to have a chance to finish high school and move on with their lives.
After the amazing success of the nationals, the school was in a very festive mood.
Being in the top eight in the nation gave them some perks, such as some nice talents wanting to join Karuza High for the following years.
It was because of Kiernan Hunter, and since he was only first-year, about to become second-year, Karuza High would definitely be a top contender for the championship title.
The graduation ended, and some teary-eyed third-years went to hug their parents and their friends, whom they were most likely never going to see again.
Most of them will move out of Irio to join some other colleges around New Rakuya.
With their great nationals performance, Ryan and Nathaniel were already invited to join pretty powerful schools.
"Whew." Kiernan stood up from his chair now that the graduation was over.
"Hey, Kiernan, you leaving?" Julia came over to him and asked.
"Umm…" Kiernan looked over to his father and saw him wryly smiling. "No, what's up?"
"Some first-years were planning to visit the Party Hall to celebrate the end of the school year." Julia said, and looked behind at the nervous-looking first-years.
They asked Julia to ask whether Kiernan wanted to come as they were too nervous to ask the new superstar of New Rakuya.
"Do you want to come?" Julia asked.
"Sur—" Kiernan was about to reply, but then a voice came from behind him.
"?" Kiernan turned around and saw Ryan walk over to him. "Ryan?"
"I never happened to challenge you…" Ryan smiled and took off his cap. "I'd like to challenge you in the ranked matches."
When others heard that, everyone turned their heads around in shock. Immediately, everyone started whispering.
Kiernan and Ryan were about to fight!
[School Power Rankings]
[3. Nathaniel Waters]