Thought: I Do Genuinely Believe That If Drayton Didn't Vouch So Hard For The Protag, They Probably Wouldn't

Thought: I do genuinely believe that if Drayton didn't vouch so hard for the protag, they probably wouldn't have ever joined the League Club. Think about it.

As soon as Kieran sees them for the first time since the Kitakami drama, he's not immediately itching to battle them again. He's shocked, but then just...doesn't really care about them? Which I assume is because of how strong he's gotten already; it's given him the security he's desperately craved (and ofc is still craving deep down), and it seems like he believes he is truly stronger than the protag at that point. So, why care so much about battling them again?

This is further backed up by how Kieran, based on his remarks as the protag goes through the E4 challenges, that he didn't even believe at first that they would make it through. He's happy to know they haven't gotten weaker, in fact they've gotten stronger. THAT'S what makes him start to care again. He suspects the protag would be a worthy challenge, and they could finally get even as a result. Nothing before then makes Kieran believe that.

So...if it wasn't for Drayton, it's very plausible that the protag wouldn't have joined the club via being voted in. Kieran likely wouldn't have forced them to join. They'd be like a nobody to him. And, there's probably nothing the protag could've done to change his mind on their own at that point. Kieran and them wouldn't have ever battled, Kieran wouldn't have ever lost, and he would've continued rotting on his self-destructive path until who knows what happened.

If you interpret it like this, Drayton is the biggest reason why Kieran even gets the opportunity for redemption when he did. The Drayster's plan ended up working in the end.