Rumors

Late that night, under the quiet canopy of stars above Stellar Academy, Adonis lay flat on his bed like a man who had just run over his own dreams.

He stared at the ceiling with dead eyes. "How… how did my peaceful new life turn into this mess?" he whispered to no one in particular.

The memories of the day flashed through his mind like a badly edited highlight reel:— Getting blackmailed into fake dating Mia.— Being emotionally betrayed by his own robe.— Getting gifted a duck.— Accidentally bodying the fifth-ranked student in front of the entire school.

"I shouldn't have gone that hard on Tyrant," Adonis muttered, rubbing his forehead. "He was just being proud, not malicious. I'll apologize tomorrow."

"Uwuuu uuuu." Eclipse robe fluttered lightly on the chair beside the bed, clearly judging him.

"…You're saying he was cocky and deserved it?"

The robe twirled smugly in the air.

Adonis sighed, "Cocky or not, I used him as a stress-relief target. That's not right.

"He turned his gaze toward Quackner, who was currently perched on the windowsill, eating snacks he definitely didn't buy.

"Oh right." Adonis sat up. "I can't take him to class. You'll have to babysit him tomorrow."

"Uwuuwu." Eclipse flapped in indignation.

"I know, I know. You're an ancient artifact, not a nanny. But students are only allowed to assign one butler or maid for daily chores. I don't know anyone trustworthy yet. I'll sort it out later, just… don't let him sneak into someone else's dorm again."

Quackner turned his head, then belched.

Adonis groaned, collapsed back into the bed, and pulled the blanket over his face. Unaware. Completely unaware…

…that the entire academy was currently exploding in rumor-fueled chaos.

In Dorms across Stellar Academy:

"Did you hear? Mia and Adonis are dating!"

"Nooo… I had just written a confession letter for Mia…"

"Adonis? No. 1 on Bloom ranking?!"

"One with the Duck Familiar"

"That's no ordinary duck! It's Royalty! Has an ancient bloodline! I heard it kicked a rock into someone's skull!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes! They say it has divine judgment powers!"

—

In a Bloom's dorm:

"Tyrant got taken out in a single move. Just one."

"Sword Rain, bro. Raining blades from the sky."

"I heard he destroyed the arena! Tyrant couldn't even move!"

"Top bloom ain't no joke."

"I heard he didn't even go full power."

"And he's dating Mia. God hates us."

—

At the faculty lounge:

Headmistress drinking tea,

"So the Divine Swan egg ended up in his hands, he just like Evan in younger days" headmistress smiled thinking of a past memory.

—

And while rumors bloomed like wildflowers in spring…Adonis finally drifted to sleep. Totally unaware that when he woke up, his world — and his reputation — would never be the same again.