"I'm leaving."
Locke had finished his business at the student council office and now needed to prepare for upcoming exams.
He was no exemplary student but he did what was necessary.
"Locke, wait."
Astina called out to Locke.
He pivoted to face her, brow arched in question.
"What's up?"
Astina seemed to hesitate for a moment, her gaze fixed on him.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she opened her mouth.
"Um... can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"What's a guy's reaction when an upperclassman asks him out for a meal?"
"On what day? What kind of meal?"
A sense of déjà vu washed over Locke.
He had seen this scene play out before - with Rie.
Whenever she asked such questions, the typically decisive Rie would transform into a timid girl.
It was similar with Astina now, though she seemed to manage better than Rie.
"Suppose it's on a birthday... at a restaurant. No specific reason, just thought of treating him on his birthday."
Locke's suspicions were confirmed.
His detective work, under Rie's orders, had pointed to one conclusion: the only upcoming birthday was Rudy Astria's.
The situation was complicated, however.
Recently, Rie had been trying to figure out the perfect gift for Rudy Astria.
The issue was the timing of the gift - was it during a birthday dinner or just a casual handover in the evening?
If Rie intended to also have dinner with Rudy, things could become complicated.
After some thought, Locke came up with a reply.
"That sounds fine."
He decided to let Rudy Astria make the choice.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Locke didn't want to meddle in someone else's romantic affairs.
Besides, he was hardly qualified to give advice in such matters.
He figured it was best they resolved their issues on their own.
The day of the final exams arrived.
Final exams didn't bring the same stress as midterms, but I couldn't shake a sense of unease.
Before the hospitalization, I'd spent much of my study time practicing dark magic.
I couldn't avoid feeling a bit anxious, knowing I hadn't prepared as thoroughly as before.
However, with the answer sheets I received from Astina and a post-hospital cramming session, I was hopeful about earning a decent grade.
"Evan must have been studying hard, right?"
While I'd been struggling, he'd been focused on his studies.
It would be a real injustice if he wasn't the top student after that.
Evan was in a far better study environment than in the game.
I did all the hard work and gave the rewards, like Andrei's sword, to him.
The nobles hadn't troubled him, and he could focus purely on his studies.
The only difference from the game was he didn't resent me since I hadn't done anything wrong.
I don't think the protagonist would dramatically change just because there was no one to hate.
Evan was not a character fueled by hatred, and it didn't align with his personality.
"Still, I should check on him later."
This semester had been busy, and I hadn't paid much attention to Evan.
He was doing well independently, but as time passed, I needed to involve myself a bit more.
Being a fair rival would help stimulate his growth.
"Haah... let's stop thinking about other things and start focusing on the final exam..."
I shook my head and whispered to myself.
I quickly glanced over my notes, recollecting what I had committed to memory.
"Rudy Astria."
It was Astina's voice. I looked around.
This was definitely the location for the first-year exams.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The second-year exam hall was some distance away.
"Senior Astina, shouldn't you be heading to your exam?"
"Ah, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"To me?"
Astina hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
"How about dinner together tonight?"
Dinner?
"There's a restaurant I've been wanting to try. Maybe we could talk over dinner..."
"Sure, I don't mind."
With exams ending today, I didn't see a problem.
"Great! Let's meet at the dormitory around 5 in the afternoon."
"Got it."
I nodded and headed towards the examination hall.
I entered the room where the exam would be held and took my seat.
I hadn't been studying much lately, but I'd put in significant time before that.
My routine had been relentless — training, studying, managing the story without a break.
There's no way my efforts would betray me.
I'm anxious, but I know I'll be fine once I have the test questions in front of me.
Even during the last exam, I was extremely anxious until the test paper was in front of me.
Despite that, I managed to solve all the problems smoothly.
Success breeds a unique kind of confidence, an assurance that you won't fail.
A smirk playing on my lips, I muttered to myself, "I'll prove it through the results."
"Ughh...."
The exam hit me harder than expected.
It didn't just break me; it trampled me.
The malicious professors had outdone themselves.
"What, what? Isn't this extreme?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The exam had surpassed the difficulty level of the midterms and exceeded any I had ever taken.
What grudges did these professors hold against us to set such brutal exam questions?
Still, the struggling students around me offered some relief.
But I couldn't be sure if the top students felt the same.
The top tier is, quite literally, a different world.
As soon as the exam was over, I rushed to find Luna.
Luna was a prodigy who'd placed fifth in the last exam.
Her reaction would be a good indicator of how the top students found the exam.
"Luna....!"
I flung open the door to Luna's exam room and rushed in.
I knew instantly how difficult it was.
"Luna, it's okay... you'll do better next time."
"Luna... I know the exam was tough. But it's okay."
Ena and Riku were near Luna, trying to comfort her.
The usually animated Luna was in her seat, her face blank.
Her vibrancy was gone, her color faded to gray.
She was pale, white as a sheet.
Even Luna wasn't immune to the professors' tyranny....
Seeing Luna's distraught state left me at a loss for words.
I didn't need to ask about her exam.
As I was about to close the classroom door, a familiar voice rang out.
"I must be insane.... I should've studied more...."
I turned to find Rie.
Rie was pacing the hallway, murmuring to herself with a wild look in her eyes.
"Rie."
She jerked as I called her name.
"......"
Rie stared at me. Then...
"You! This is all your fault!"
She seized my collar, shaking me vehemently.
"Hey! What! Why me!"
Rie was shaking me around, her grip tight on my collar.
Rie wasn't particularly strong, so it didn't hurt, but it was a bizarre experience being shaken so vigorously.
Her loud exclamations began drawing attention.
I hastily tapped Rie's shoulder.
"Hey, people are watching."
"Aaaaah!"
She ignored my words, continuing her howling.
"Huh? Rudy? Rie?"
Luna noticed us as Rie continued to cause a commotion.
"Lu... Luna, help--."
"Aaaaahhh!!!"
Rie wouldn't stop shaking me.
"Why is she doing this...?"
"I-I have no id-id-idea."
I didn't intend to stutter, but due to the constant shaking, my words came out jumbled.
Watching us, Luna let out an awkward chuckle.
Then, with caution, she spoke.
"Ah, Rudy... Are you free tonight?"
"...!"
Rie abruptly stopped shaking me at Luna's words.
"Tonight?"
"Yes! How about dinner together?"
Rie swiftly raised her head, locking eyes with Luna.
Feeling a tension crackle between them, I grew even more perplexed.
"What's happening...?"
Bewildered, my gaze darted between them.
