The roar did not stop immediately.
Even after the screen froze on the word VICTORY, even after the casters lost their voices, even after the players inside the booths removed their headsets, the sound kept rolling through the arena like a wave that refused to die.
It was not cheering anymore.It was release.
Months of rivalry, weeks of pressure, hours of tension all emptying at once.
People cried without shame. Some laughed until their faces hurt. Others stood still, stunned, as if their bodies had not yet caught up with what their eyes had seen.
Wings Gaming had done the impossible.
Inside the booth, the health track boys sat frozen for several seconds longer than anyone expected.
JP leaned back first, hands shaking, his laugh breaking halfway through. "Holy shit."
TZ pressed his palms against his face. "I couldn't feel my hands at the end."
HS was breathing too fast, eyes unfocused. "I thought I was going to pass out."
NS did not speak. He stared at the screen, jaw clenched, then slowly leaned forward and rested his forehead against the desk. His shoulders trembled once, then steadied.
XH stayed seated.
His fingers were still on the mouse.
The glow from the monitor reflected faintly in his eyes, which looked strangely calm now, like the storm had passed but left wreckage behind.
Andrew finally broke the silence. "You understand what you just did, right."
XH nodded, but his voice was quiet. "Yeah."
Andrew exhaled slowly. "You made this school remember your name."
JP laughed again, louder this time. "They're never letting us forget this."
Outside the booth, the doors opened.
Sound crashed back in like a physical force.
Students surged forward, security barely holding the line. Health track students were screaming, jumping, crying, hugging anyone within reach. People who barely knew each other grabbed shoulders, shouted names, slapped backs.
"Wings Gaming!"
"Health track!"
"Did you see that Sven!"
"Three Divine Rapiers!"
"It was insane!"
Mr. Kim stood from the caster desk, his expression no longer professional. He wiped his eyes openly, laughing at himself. "I don't care. That was beautiful."
The Headmaster remained seated.
He clapped, slowly at first, then with measured rhythm.
His face held a smile, but it did not reach his eyes.
"Well played," he said into the microphone. "Very well played."
The words echoed.
But the tone felt… careful.
THKM and Lola stepped onto the stage as presenters, microphones in hand, trying to restore order.
THKM laughed. "Alright, alright, calm down before the floor collapses."
Lola raised her voice. "Wings Gaming, please exit the booth."
The boys stood.
As they stepped out, the noise surged again.
June was already moving.
She did not wait for anyone.
She pushed through the crowd, her eyes locked on XH like nothing else existed.
Kitty followed half a step behind her, heart still racing, fingers numb.
For a moment, the world narrowed.
XH saw them both at the same time.
June reached him first.
She did not speak. She simply wrapped her arms around him, tight, desperate, like she was making sure he was real.
XH stiffened for half a second, then returned the embrace instinctively.
Kitty stopped just in front of them.
For a heartbeat, something fragile hovered in the air.
Then Kitty stepped forward too, placing her hand over XH's arm, steady, warm.
Neither girl pulled away.
Neither said a word.
XH felt it then.
Two hands.
Different grips.
Different warmth.
And in his chest, something expanded and hurt at the same time.
This is the warmest thing I have ever held, he thought, stunned by the simplicity of it.
Behind them, JP wiped his face roughly. "Okay, I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that."
TZ snorted. "Too late."
NS watched silently, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.
The cheers shifted into chants again.
"Dinner! Dinner! Dinner!"
The wager.
The stakes everyone remembered too late.
The engineering team stood off to the side, faces tight, expressions dark.
KM, the engineering lead, crossed his arms slowly. His smile was gone.
Shinso leaned toward him, muttering something sharp.
Their cheerleaders stood stiffly.
Thoon's eyes burned.
HTN looked furious, humiliated.
SRM tried to keep her composure, but her jaw trembled.
June pulled back first, suddenly remembering where they were.
Her cheeks flushed.
Kitty let go more slowly, fingers lingering for half a second too long before dropping away.
THKM cleared his throat into the mic. "As officially announced, the wager stands."
Lola continued, voice neutral. "Engineering major representatives will attend the health track evening gathering tonight."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Some laughed.
Some whistled.
KM stepped forward. "We agreed."
His gaze flicked briefly to XH, sharp, measuring. "We honor it."
XH met his eyes.
Neither looked away.
Somewhere at the back of the arena, June's mother stood still.
She had not cheered.
She had not frowned.
She simply watched.
Her eyes followed XH, then Kitty, then June.
Her fingers tightened around her purse strap.
So this was him.
The boy who turned losses into legends.
The boy who made crowds roar.
The boy who stood between her daughter and certainty.
She exhaled slowly.
This changes things, she thought.
And not in the way she wanted.
That night, the campus buzzed.
News spread faster than reason.
Videos of the final push went viral within hours. Clips slowed down, replayed, dissected. Memes were already forming.
"Rat Dota."
"Eight seconds."
"Three Divine Rapier Sven."
Health track students walked taller.
Engineering students walked quieter.
The evening gathering took place in one of the campus halls, hastily decorated, food ordered last minute, energy still crackling in the air.
JP was already on his third drink, reenacting the moment Lion's ultimate hit him. "I swear I saw my life flash."
TZ laughed. "You volunteered for that."
HS sat quietly, finally eating, hands still trembling slightly.
Andrew hovered nearby, already talking strategy breakdowns with random students who asked.
The engineering cheerleaders arrived late.
Thoon walked in first, chin high.
HTN followed, arms crossed.
SRM came last, scanning the room.
Eyes followed them.
Whispers sparked.
June stood with Kitty near one of the tables.
Thoon approached them directly.
"Well," she said coolly, "you won."
Kitty smiled politely. "We did."
HTN scoffed. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
June met her gaze without flinching. "We always do."
SRM tilted her head, studying XH across the room. "Still think attraction without effort works."
Kitty's smile sharpened. "It worked today."
SRM laughed softly. "Today."
The word lingered like a challenge.
Across the room, XH watched the exchange, unease creeping in where victory should have settled.
NS appeared beside him quietly. "You good."
XH nodded. "Just… processing."
NS looked at June, then Kitty, then back at XH. "That's gonna get complicated."
XH didn't deny it.
Outside, rain began to fall.
Light at first.
Almost gentle.
No forecast had mentioned it.
XH noticed only because the sound tapped against the windows in an irregular rhythm, something just off enough to draw attention.
For a moment, he felt a strange tightness in his chest.
He inhaled slowly.
It passed.
He ignored it.
Across campus, celebration carried on.
But under the noise, under the laughter, under the warmth of shared victory, something had shifted.
Wings Gaming had won more than a tournament.
They had set a path in motion.
And paths, once chosen, did not care how bright the beginning felt.
They only cared where they ended.