After finishing his shopping, Alexander passed the badge Lucas had given him to Diana's father—so they wouldn't have problems anywhere in the city.

  As he had already arranged with his family, he returned to the academy with Ocean a little earlier.

  When he arrived at the academy, he noticed that the party was already starting, but he didn't rush.

  First, he went to take a shower and clean Ocean up as well.

  Having no more preparations to make, Alexander went to the director's office.

  Lucas was already waiting for him to deliver a new uniform and the potions he had requested.

  "Are you going dressed like that?" asked Lucas, who was surprisingly well-dressed for the occasion.

  In response to Lucas's question, Alexander took out the [Twin Dragons Cloak] from his new storage item and put it on.

  Surprised by the beauty of the piece, Lucas pondered that Alexander didn't look so bad anymore—even though the cloak was a bit big for him. "Let's go."

  The moment Alexander arrived at the party hall, everyone turned to him.

  Not only because he was the current Imperial Tournament champion, but also because of his [Twin Dragons Cloak] and the courage to enter with Ocean by his side.

  If it were any other day or place, Lucas would have stopped him. But as he was one of the main figures of that night, an exception was made.

  At first, Ocean's presence drew a lot of attention.

  However, when things calmed down, most people just wanted to see her up close.

  After all, Ocean was beautiful, and there probably weren't other wolves like her.

  Noticing the headache this could cause, Director Robert waved his hands and used his magic power.

  He skillfully moved Alexander’s table so Ocean could stay with her back to the wall—thus preventing anyone from stepping on her and creating a mess.

  Happy to be away from the center of the party—and using Ocean as a convenient way to keep random people at bay—Alexander began eating what was served to him.

  Unfortunately for him, it didn’t take long for the not-so-random people to interrupt his peace.

  "Interesting choice of clothes," commented the man leading the group that approached Alexander.

  "It's the [Twin Dragons Cloak]," said Alexander, basically acting as the academy's spokesperson. "Just something I bought to remind me where at least part of my gratitude lies."

  "Speaking of which…" said Alexander, excusing himself while picking up the full glass of wine.

  "For Twin City!" proclaimed Alexander, drawing everyone's attention, before drinking the entire contents of the glass.

  "For Twin City!" also proclaimed Lucas before downing two drinks in sequence.

  "I'll drink to that too," said the director as he raised his goblet with a wide smile on his face—understanding Alexander's intentions. "For Twin City!"

  Like a domino effect—where one thing leads to another—everyone at the party raised their glasses and goblets and drank their contents in honor of Twin City.

  However, anyone there could say the toast was actually made in honor of the Twin Combats Academy.

  That night, it was Twin City.

  Once everyone had downed at least one glass of wine, the party quickly grew livelier.

  The director couldn’t have been more pleased.

  No sooner had Alexander sat down than another group approached. But, this time, he was saved by a trio of acquaintances.

  "Come. Sit with me," invited Alexander, happy to find familiar faces.

  The trio was obviously Jason, Mark, and Stella—who didn't refuse his invitation.

  "It's been a while… How are you?" asked Alexander.

  "Apparently, not as well as you, champion sir," joked Stella.

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  She wore a red dress that highlighted her beautiful blue eyes and hair.

  "This is just something minor," said Alexander, as if it were nothing.

  "Just like you in that cloak?" provoked Mark.

  He wore an outfit that seemed to be the luxurious and social version of a knight's clothes.

  "..." Alexander.

  United by a certain sense of camaraderie after the integration event, the group felt comfortable making small jokes among themselves.

  As there was no way to argue about the cloak's size, Alexander just accepted it.

  Jason—who didn't have the same rapport as the group that was together at the integration event—was more reserved in his slightly bluish white garments. He merely congratulated Alexander: "Congratulations on the victory."

  "Thank you," said Alexander. "But I honestly think you could have done the same thing if you had the right weapon some time ago."

  "It's hard to say," replied Jason, neither agreeing nor denying. "But you did very well in the last fight."

  While Alexander was talking with the trio, Diana's group arrived at the party. It was already filled with instrumental music, whispers, and conversations.

  However, the instant they took a few steps, another group—led by a young woman—stopped them.

  "I told you I didn’t want you showing up here!" the woman basically snarled at the young woman Alexander had found crying on the street. "I want to know who gave you the courage to face me… I already said he's mine!"

  "And I want to know who gave you the courage to mistreat my honored guests for this party," said Alexander.

  Approaching them with the group from his table, he spoke in a frighteningly sober tone.

  As soon as the woman turned to see who dared to defend her rival, her heart sank.

  She didn't expect that the tournament champion, accompanied by descendants of the IronShield and Azurre families—with the latter even being one of the branches of the Vermillion lineage—would intercede.

  Overwhelmed by their status, the young woman was forced to swallow her pride, lower her head, and retreat.

  No matter her ancestry or reasons, that night and in that place, anyone from the younger generation of Twin City was destined to lose face if they were in her place.

  Feeling that the atmosphere had become a bit heavy, Alexander asked permission from the occupants of a nearby table to place a small crystal.

  They readily recognized the object and immediately allowed it.

  "Would the three young ladies give us the honor of a few dances?" asked Alexander—extending his hand to the young woman he found crying, but who was now smiling.

  She wore a beautiful and dazzling yellow dress, while he pulled his companions into the dance as well.

  The young woman seemed reluctant at first, but ended up accepting the request. She wanted to talk to him "in private."

  "I don't know how to dance very well," warned the young woman just before Alexander pressed the crystal until it cracked slightly and began to release music.

  "No problem," assured Alexander. "Just step on the tips of my feet, raise your heels off the ground, and hold my hand and shoulder."

  The young woman followed his instructions and they began to waltz to the closed, rigid, and "cold" sound of a ballet piece he had asked a group of artists to "record" in waltz rhythm.

  Alexander, moving in a 3/4 time and always being careful not to bump into anyone, made his partner float across the hall.

  "Why did you do all this for me?" asked the young woman. "We don't know each other and I can tell you're not interested in me."

  "Your smile… Among other things," replied Alexander, without interrupting the dance. "I saw your smile this morning before the tournament… There was so much truth in it that it reminded me of another person's smile."

  "True smiles… smiles like yours… shouldn't lose their essence because of other people," said Alexander softly. "You deserve to be happy."

  As soon as she heard him, the young woman began to cry and hugged his neck as they danced until the crystal broke and the music stopped.

  When the music stopped, Alexander gave her a handkerchief to wipe away the tears and extended his hand to Stella—placing another crystal on the table.

  This time the music was based on the four seasons: it started slow and cold like winter, gradually accelerated until reaching its peak in summer, and gently slowed down in autumn.

  This music proved to be a perfect choice.

  It gave Stella, who danced it on her own feet, time to get used to Alexander's rhythm and begin to shine more and more with the fast pace of summer's arrival.

  The moment the second crystal broke, Alexander handed Stella to Jason and extended his hand to Diana, who had danced with Mark.

  As soon as he saw Diana, Alexander knew Black Moon had outdone themselves. But looking closely, he was even more amazed by such beauty.

  Her long strapless green dress already made her incredible—but the blue jewelry and gold adornments made her hair and eyes sparkle like the night sea.

  The moment the young demi-canid held his hand, she squeezed it tightly, as if she didn't want to let it go anymore; making him smile.

  This kind of feeling was perfect for the rhythm of the last piece he chose: the tango.

  "You can dance on my feet if you want," said Alexander calmly.

  "No need," replied Diana, surprisingly calm. "I'll try to follow you on my own."

  As soon as they began to dance, Alexander was startled.

  Diana, who wasn't supposed to know how to dance very well, wasn’t far behind him—despite him having every move memorized and the agility to execute them.

  Surprised, Alexander began to increase the speed and complexity of his steps, but Diana continued to follow him and improve as she danced.

  At one point, feeling that this would work, Alexander released Diana and used |Ascending Flow| to move away from her in an illusory flash.

  When she saw him release her and "flee" from her, she also used |Ascending Flow| and advanced towards him in another flash.

  Upon feeling her coming towards him, Alexander suddenly stopped, which should have caused a collision between the two, but Diana, who seemed to know he would stop to "receive" her, fit perfectly against him, without bumping, as a sort of hug, and they returned to dancing.

  As Diana didn't know, or didn't want to, do the separation part, Alexander threw her into an arc and "turned his back on her."

  When she began to fall, he "regretted it" and, in another illusory flash, went to "save her."

  Pressed against Alexander, Diana only realized that everyone at the party was watching them in absolute silence when the crystal broke and the music ceased.