We watched in silence as the victor was declared for the First Years Scholar Division.
The girl walked to her seat, still looking confused about the whole thing, though I saw a smile play on her face. Who wouldn't be happy about winning, even if they didn't understand how?
I shrugged off my annoyance and simply waited for the next round.
"Next, we have the Finals of the Second Years!" Klaus announced with his usual cheery tone.
I carefully stared at him, wondering how he could maintain such a straight and positive face after wrongly declaring someone the winner.
'He must be used to it...' My thoughts trailed.
A part of me wanted to fault him, but I couldn't do that in good conscience. He was simply following the orders of the higher-ups who, for some reason, wanted the undisputed winning streak of the Upper Class to resume.
"Haa... how troublesome..." I unconsciously whispered, looking at the big ones towering above with their floating platform and elevated seats.
Even if Damien Lawcroft resorted to this form of pettiness, and the other Senior Lecturer I didn't really know was willing to sink so low, I truly wasn't expecting the last judge to follow their decision.
'Legris Damien... is this what you really want? I didn't think you were that kind of guy.'
My eyes fell back to the stage as the contestants for the Second Year Magic Division had begun climbing the stage.
'An Upper Class against a Middle Class, eh?'
Based on what I had seen so far, was there even a reason to continue watching?
I could better spend my time practicing magic or even meditating. Plus, there was 'that' project I was working on.
It would still take a little over a week to perfect, but spending some time on it now would be very helpful.
"Hoo... na, let's just get this over with."
It wasn't compulsory to attend the Exchange—some students didn't show up, like all the members of the Elite Ten who were most likely preparing for their round on the final day.
Other than them, though, virtually everyone was present. Why?
Even though it wasn't a compulsory exercise, it would be foolish of a student to miss such a spectacular event where skills were exhibited and knowledge could be received.
And so, even if it was easy to determine the victor, the only reason I remained on my seat was to observe the matches and learn from them.
*******************
"Winner, Jesire Gulberto!"
***********************
"Winner, Alekzi Zachiel!"
*********************
"Winner, Avans Xeilong!"
*****************
The match went on and on, with victories going to none other than the Upper Class.
"That is all for today! Tomorrow—Saturday—will be the conclusion of the Finals Event, featuring the third year! Afterward, we will close early and anticipate the spectacular event on Sunday!" Klaus remarked, causing a roar of cheers and applause from the audience.
'I suppose tomorrow will be the same. I'm just going to skip it.'
Once the event was over, we met up with Edward and proceeded to exit the Hall.
"Congratulations on your victory!" Ana and I both told the big guy who seemed to nearly burst into tears thanks to the overwhelming emotion that appeared to course through him.
He thanked me a billion times, of which I told him not to bother with.
********************
"To be fair... I truly wanted to fight you! But, considering how you lost against Kuzon, I figured that would be a bit unfair on you..." Edward suddenly spoke.
Our group had already walked some distance from the auditorium and now made out way toward the Dorms. Of course, that meant Ana would soon be parting with us since her living quarters was different from ours.
However, in the meantime, we walked together.
"I see. Well, you should be glad you didn't choose me. I would have transferred my frustration and given you a beatdown!" I declared with a chuckle.
We all laughed at my joke—well, to them that was all it amounted to. But, I knew within myself what the truth actually was.
"Tomorrow is the final day of the Finals. Do you guys have any intention of going?" Ana asked.
I shrugged, and from my reaction, it was obvious what my answer was.
"Well, I think I'll go! I want to see how the Upper-Class students will fight in the Finals. Plus, it's compulsory for all winners to be present for the Finals tomorrow. There'll most likely be an award given to us." Edward gave a firm response, just as I expected.
"Oh, that makes sense!" Ana beamed.
"What about you?" I found myself asking the girl.
"Hmmn, I think I'll go. I feel something big might happen. Besides, someone has to cheer for Edward as he receives his prize, don't you think?"
I rubbed my chin and nodded slightly. What Ana said made sense. Besides, if it was to support Edward, then...
"Oh, you don't need to concern yourself about me, Jared. I know you have a lot on your plate." The boy quickly added, causing me to heave a sigh of relief.
I was happy that he didn't impose on my presence tomorrow. I had such understanding companions, did I not?
"Well, you guys had better watch everything carefully tomorrow! I'll be expecting your report on any important scenes!"
Ana and Edward laughed in response to my words. Even if I would be absent, there was no way I wanted to miss out on any of the fun.
"Sure!" They beamed.
Once we had an understanding, our group continued down the path as we made our way to the dorm.
**********************
"Oh? So that's the group, uh?" A feminine voice sounded from a distance, watching a bunch of Lower Class students chatter excitedly as they made their way to the Dorms.
The girl who spoke gave a small smile and sighed. She was atop a building, able to see a great distance from her height, but her focus was on that particular group of First Years.
"This will put some ideas in 'his' head the moment he catches wind of what happened... arh, how bothersome..."
The wind howled and caused her dark brown hair to fly, slightly covering her blue eyes as she kept them wide open and kept staring at the group—especially the one in the center.
"Jared Leonard, uh? I wonder what's so special about him..."
A slight smile appeared on her face the moment the image of someone else flashed on her mind. 'That' person and the blond-haired boy who walked with his companions had so much in common.
'I suppose I'll see you soon... during 'our' round.'
With that, the girl fell in silence and completely drifted with the wind, vanishing as though she had never been there before.
