Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 251: Decisions were made

Silence settled over the hall once again, but this time, for an entirely different reason.

Hades wasn’t defending Kyle.

He was simply stating the truth.

"Father, Kyle’s awakening is unlike anything we’ve seen before. He was introduced to the Aether World barely a month ago, yet he’s already defeated multiple Ghouls and even brought down a Special Grade assassin. You can’t keep holding a grudge against someone who has already contributed so much to society, especially when he’s someone your granddaughter cares about deeply."

Kyle was just as stunned as everyone else.

Not only had Hades spoken against his own father, the one person he respected and feared the most in the family, but he had also gone out of his way to justify Kyle’s actions.

Armond remained silent for a few moments before turning to Kyle.

"Did you truly not see that Nightmare?"

Kyle stepped forward and answered without hesitation.

"No, sir. If I had seen it, I would’ve stayed there to shield you from being seen instead of stopping you. And... now that I think about it, the girl did look unusually pale. That was a clear sign she was suffering from Absence."

Armond let out a sharp huff.

"Didn’t you look at her nails? They had already lost their color. And the way she was trembling from head to toe? Those are the most basic signs that something unnatural is weighing on a person."

Armond shook his head.

"But how could you have noticed? Right now, you’re practically a toddler in the Aether World."

Kyle gave an embarrassed smile.

"I’ll learn from now on."

Armond studied him in silence for a long moment before speaking again.

"Don’t get your hopes up. Until I make my own inquiries about you from different sources, you can forget about receiving my approval for this relationship."

This time, Kyle smiled genuinely.

"Then I’ll wait for that day."

He looked toward Hades, who gave him a small nod before saying,

"Come. Join us."

Kyle nodded and walked over, taking the empty seat beside Hades.

He stole a glance at Amanda.

At last, she was smiling.

Thankfully, everything had turned out far better than he had expected.

....

"Amanda, could you call your mother for me?" Hades asked after some time.

They had been discussing the new alliance, with Kyle occasionally sharing his thoughts, when Hades suddenly turned to his daughter.

Amanda nodded.

Just then, Tyler rose from his seat.

"Would you mind showing me where the washroom is?"

"Of course." Armond immediately looked at Amanda. "Go on, Amy. Show Tyler the way."

Amanda gave a small nod.

Before leaving, she glanced at Kyle, silently telling him she’d only be gone for a moment.

Kyle met her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know he was perfectly fine.

Only then did Amanda return a faint smile before leading Tyler out of the reception hall, with him walking quietly beside her.

She had hoped for a silent walk.

Unfortunately, Tyler had other plans.

"You really don’t remember me, do you?"

Amanda let out a quiet sigh.

"Not really."

Tyler chuckled softly.

"But we used to build sandcastles together all the time. I still remember how we tried so hard to protect one from the waves until our parents finally came and dragged us home."

Amanda frowned for a moment before her expression brightened with recognition.

"Ah, right."

She finally remembered.

"Weren’t you the one who looked like a girl back then?"

Tyler laughed.

"Yeah, that was me. My mom loved dressing me up because she thought I looked adorable."

He flashed her an easy smile.

"But now, I hope I look manly enough in your eyes."

Amanda simply stared at him without replying.

What was this guy trying to do?

She pointed toward a door across the short hallway.

"You can use that washroom."

Instead of moving, Tyler remained where he was.

"Amanda, there’s something I want to tell you."

She looked at him curiously.

"What is it?"

Tyler shook his head.

"Not here. Can you come near the station around ten tonight?"

Amanda frowned.

Before she could refuse, Tyler quietly added,

"It’s about Kyle."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

Tyler continued in a lower voice.

"Some decisions were made during the officers’ meeting. I think you deserve to know about them. But... I’d rather tell only you."

Amanda folded her arms across her chest.

"How do I know you’re not lying?"

Tyler gave a small shrug.

"You can ignore me if you want. But after yesterday’s incident, the CPV officers have been pretty worked up. Kyle almost exposed hundreds of civilians to a Ghoul. If you’ve read the complete report, then you know exactly what I’m talking about."

Amanda fell silent.

As much as she wanted to dismiss his words, she couldn’t deny that it wouldn’t be surprising if the higher-ups decided to take action after what had happened the previous day.

As a Nightwalker, one of the foremost responsibilities was reporting a Rift breach to the base. The government valued the secrecy of the Aether World above almost everything else.

And Kyle had failed to do exactly that.

Then again, it wasn’t entirely unexpected from someone who had been officially involved in the Nightwalker system for barely eight days.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how the higher-ups saw it.

With his extraordinary accomplishments and unprecedented growth in such a short time, Kyle had already become a person of great interest. Because of that, many overlooked his lack of experience and judged his mistake far more harshly than they would have for an ordinary rookie.

"I understand," Amanda said after a brief silence. "I’ll contact you."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Tyler standing alone in the hallway.

He watched her retreating figure for a few moments before a faint smile spread across his face.

Perhaps this was his chance to rekindle the friendship they had once shared.

He hadn’t lied about the officers’ meeting.

But it would be dishonest to claim that inviting Amanda had been entirely without personal motives.

’Haah... what should I wear tonight?’

Thinking that, Tyler turned and headed back toward the reception hall.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.