The next morning arrived differently.
There was no confusion, nor any awkward silence. There was also none of that sense of unreality that had been following me since the party. What I felt was something even stranger. Normality. A fragile, newborn normality, but real.
I woke up before the others. The room was lit by the soft light coming through the open curtains, and for a few seconds I simply observed. Elara was sleeping on her side, her face relaxed. Liriel had her back turned, breathing calmly. Vespera remained still, as if she were awake even while sleeping.
I got up slowly so as not to wake them.
I walked to the window and looked at the garden. Servants were already moving outside, organizing things I still didn't understand as necessary. The mansion seemed alive, functioning without depending on me. For some reason, that bothered me less than before.
I heard footsteps behind me.
"You always wake up early when something is on your mind," Elara said.
I smiled slightly. "I can't switch it off."
She approached and leaned against my shoulder. "Yesterday you made a big choice."
"I know."
"Do you regret it?"
I thought for a moment. "No. I'm just trying to understand what changes."
Liriel joined us shortly after. "The world changes first. We just follow."
Vespera appeared last. "And the world is not going to react well."
We went downstairs together for breakfast. The table was set as always, overly organized for someone who spent half his life eating cold leftovers. We sat together, without clear separations, and that caught the servants' attention. They said nothing. They only observed.
During the meal, we spoke little. Not out of discomfort, but out of awareness. Every word seemed to carry weight now.
After breakfast, I decided to go into the city.
"I'll go with you," Elara said immediately.
"Me too," Vespera added.
Liriel smiled. "We don't need to walk together all the time, but today it's better."
Walking through Vailor after everything that had happened felt strange. People recognized us. Some waved. Others whispered. There was no hostility, but there was too much curiosity.
A merchant approached. "Takumi, right? They say you're Rank S now."
"That's what they say."
He laughed nervously. "Good luck with that."
We moved on.
At the guild, the atmosphere was different. We were no longer just adventurers walking in to pick up missions. Conversations quieted when we passed. Some greeted us with exaggerated respect. Others avoided eye contact.
"This is going to get worse," Vespera muttered.
"I know."
The guild master called us for a quick conversation. "You've noticed, I imagine."
"Yes," I replied.
"Rank S is not just strength. It's a symbol. People will project things onto you."
"We didn't ask for that."
"I know. But the world doesn't care."
As we left, Elara took a deep breath. "I feel like we're being watched all the time."
"We are," said Liriel. "But that doesn't mean we should hide."
We returned to the mansion in the early afternoon. The silence inside felt heavier after everything we had seen outside.
I sat in the main hall and stared at nothing for a few minutes.
"You're thinking again," Vespera said.
"I'm thinking about whether we made the right choice in making this official."
Elara sat beside me. "Right choices are not always comfortable."
Liriel added, "But honest choices last longer."
At night, we had dinner together. We talked about simple things. Future missions. Remaining debts. Small plans that seemed too distant for people who had lived day by day just trying to survive.
When we went to sleep, no words were spoken. They weren't necessary.
As sleep came, I thought about everything we had achieved. The Rank. The mansion. The relationship that now existed clearly.
And I understood something with uncomfortable clarity.
The world was not prepared for what we had become.
But maybe it had never been prepared for anyone who chooses to live outside expectations.
And, for the first time, that did not scare me.
Only gave me a sense of responsibility.