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It was for the semester exams, which were quickly approaching.

“Hmm…”

Professor Rokel, with his back sunk into the chair, crossed his arms with a peculiar expression.

Although he had only caught bits and pieces of it during the previous joint combat class, he thought it was quite an interesting concept.

The examination method seemed rather drastic, and there would be many things to prepare, but it wouldn’t be enough to make a fuss on the committee…

“What do you think, Professor Rokel? It must be difficult, as expected, right?”

The assistant professor who delivered the plan asked awkwardly, with a smile.

“No, it’s not too bad. I’ll have to think about it a bit more.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“What’s the problem?”

“Oh, nothing. Then I’ll deliver it to Professor Gaon like that.”

“Fine. No need to go through the trouble. I’ll personally talk to her later.”

Clack.

The assistant professor who came out of the office let out a small sigh.

Professor Rokel was reluctant to deal with Professor Gaon, considering her somewhat peculiar, but from what he could observe, the two of them seemed to have compatible personalities. It was evident in situations like this.

Was he really planning to subject the freshmen to such a merciless examination?

“These first-year students are going to have a hard time…”

The assistant professor shook his head and walked away, his steps trembling.

***

Nearly three months had passed since I enrolled in the academy.

Time here had been slow yet fast, with no significant events taking place.

“Where have you been, Ran?”

“Just went to the library for a moment. I had a book I was looking for.”

It was late afternoon after classes had ended.

Rigon, Vaion, and I headed towards the outdoor table near the dormitory building.

Gathering there for a casual chat before dinner was our usual routine.

As we walked down the hallway, Lea was approaching from the opposite direction.

Rigon, who made eye contact with her, greeted her without hesitation.

“Hello.”

“…”

Lea simply nodded her head without any notable response and walked past us.

As we continued on our way, I felt someone’s gaze, so I subtly glanced back.

I saw Lea glanced in our direction and flinched, then quickly turn away.

Watching her retreating figure, I couldn’t help but wonder what she wanted to do.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Ever since the previous exchange class, Lea’s attitude had been peculiar whenever she happened to run into Rigon. It was clear that she was conscious of him.

I hadn’t seen her try to socialize with the other students in the class.

The reason, of course, must be the duel between her and Rigon.

At first, I thought she might be expressing her animosity over her defeat, but it didn’t seem like it.

If anything, it seems quite the opposite.

It felt like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t.

Unless she had intentions to harm Rigon, there was no need to be concerned.

When we arrived at our destination, I saw Kaen and Esca already sitting at the table.

“Hey.”

Kaen waved her hand at us. We sat across from each other.

We passed the time with various trivial conversations.

“So, I was thinking, shall we hang out together this holiday, Esca?”

“Um… Sorry. We have exams coming up soon. I want to focus on studying until then.”

“Oh, come on…”

Kaen stretched out on the table, showing her discontent.

Esca gently placed both hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

As Esca had just mentioned, lately she seemed too busy studying and didn’t spend much time with Kaen.

“How about you guys? Rigon, Vaion. Are you preparing well for the exams?”

“Me? I’m not really doing any specific preparations…”

“I’m the same.”

The end-of-semester exams.

As the name suggested, they were exams taken at the end of each semester.

Elphon’s education system was divided into two semesters per academic year, and they had a major exam at the end of each semester, similar to final exams, if you think in terms of Earth.

I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed.

There were a little over two weeks left until the end-of-semester exams.

It wasn’t just someone else’s problem; there was a part that worried me as well.

While I could manage other subjects to some extent, Magic Theory was still a daunting challenge.

Although grades might not matter much, I needed to score well enough to avoid failing or being expelled.

Magic theory is really annoying…

It’s not like I had neglected studying theory just because it was difficult.

I tried my best in my own way, but I still felt overwhelmed just trying to keep up with the class material.

This wasn’t the modern world where everything unknown could be easily searched on the internet.

The resources were scarce, and even finding them required a lot of effort, so I was frustrated in many ways.

Since I couldn’t predict how I would perform in the theoretical exams in this state, I felt a slight sense of crisis.

I wish someone could teach me one-on-one like private tutoring.

If I could at least review the parts that were blocking me before the exam, it would be great.

However, it was impossible to ask Kaen or Esca for help. They weren’t particularly strong in theory either.

While thinking about it, a person crossed my mind for a moment.

Although we didn’t have any personal connections, she was the most outstanding student in the grade in terms of ability.

“…”

Should I talk to her once?

It wasn’t completely without reason since Lea and I were in the same group for the theory class.

And…

“Huh? Why?”

When I stared at Rigon intently, he looked puzzled.

I nodded my head and said.

“Well, instead of going out on this holiday, how about studying together at the library?”

“At the library?”

“Yeah. Rigon, you also have theory subjects, right? There are common electives too.”

“Oh, then should we do that? It’s a bit different from usual, so it sounds good.”

Kaen eagerly chimed in.

Vaion and Rigon also nodded, as if they liked the idea.

***

After a day had passed, it was time for the morning magic theory class.

“…What?”

After the class had just ended, Lea and the other team members had various expressions on their faces in response to the story I brought up.

“Now, it’s almost time for the semester exams, right? So, I thought it might be a good idea for all of us to gather and study on the holidays.”

The two team members naturally turned their gaze to Lea, their expressions filled with uncertainty.

I understood why they were reacting that way.

Since she usually made it clear that she built walls around herself, it was unlikely for her to participate in a study group or anything similar.

“Why should I waste my time doing something like that?”

And Lea’s reaction was as expected.

I calmly spoke in a composed tone.

“Since we’ve been studying in groups so far, it’s likely that the exams will be in groups as well, so don’t you think it would be a little more beneficial for your grade to study together and exchange information and opinions?”

Lea frowned, about to retort.

However, I added something before she could.

“”My friends and I decided to meet at the library this holiday to study. But as you know, I’m not very good at theory, so I thought I’d ask if you guys would like to join us. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

As I spoke, I glanced at Lea’s reaction, and I felt her momentary hesitation.

She remained silent for a while before finally asking bluntly.

“When and for how long?”

Upon hearing her question, the team members looked at her with surprise.

I, too, was slightly taken aback.

This might actually work.

It was a story I brought up, thinking that using Rigon as bait might work.

“Starting around noon and roughly until evening. How about that?”

Lea nodded without saying anything and got up from her seat. Then she left the classroom right away.

When I shifted my gaze to the other two team members, they also nodded.

“But it’s surprising. I didn’t expect her to comply so obediently…”

“Yeah, right. Ran, are you close with Lea?”

Not really.

I shook my head.

“No, not really.”

***

The holiday arrived, and as promised, we met at the library.

I had previously obtained permission from Kaen and the others to have additional members.

“It’s surprising. I didn’t expect that we would end up studying together.”

Kaen was the first to take a seat and casually spoke to Lea, who was already sitting there.

Lea glanced at Kaen once and then turned her gaze back to the book she was reading.

The seating arrangement somehow ended up being centered around me.

On the left were the team members for theory classes, and on the right, Kaen, Esca, and Vion sat down to start studying.

“Lea, I’m having trouble understanding this part here…”

As originally planned, I quietly asked Lea about the parts that were blocking me one by one.

She displayed an annoyed expression, but she still taught me, more sincerely than I had expected.

Oh, so it’s solved like this.

And it was definitely a great help.

As I organized the things I learned from her, I made significant progress in studying the theory.

To cool down my overheated mind, I took a break for a moment.

I glanced back and forth between Rigon and Lea, who were sitting on either side.

She must have come because of Rigon for sure…

Surprisingly, Lea didn’t even look at Rigon and focused only on her studies.

The only conversation exchanged between the two was a greeting when they first met.

Watching them made me feel a bit frustrated, but at the same time, I appreciated Lea’s tutoring, so I maintained the atmosphere.

Rigon held a history book and scratched his tired face.

I casually struck up a conversation with Rigon.

“History? Is it a common knowledge study?”

“Yeah.”

“But why does your face look like that? Is there something you’re struggling with?”

“No, it’s just… The things I learned in class and the materials seem a bit different. It’s confusing.”

“Well then, why don’t you ask Lea? She probably knows history well.”

Upon hearing my words, Rigon looked at Lea.

Lea also paused her pen and looked over at us with a puzzled expression.

Rigon, who was aware of the situation, immediately smiled and asked her.

“Can you teach me a bit?”

“…What exactly is confusing?”

“I mean, it’s about the Jehak Disaster that happened in the 321st year of the Empire…”

Rigon stood up with the book and moved to sit next to her.

Lea explained to him without any apparent displeasure, unlike when she taught me.

I watched that scene for a moment and then turned off my attention and focused on my own studies.

As I concentrate on studying, before I knew it, it had become dusk.

Kaen let out a groan while stretching.

“Oh, I’m hungry. Let’s finish up and go eat dinner around this time.”

As the atmosphere started to settle, I also closed my book and organized my notes.

“You guys are going to have dinner together too, right?”

“Huh? Well, maybe.”

Kaen asked the members of our study group, including Lea.

Both of them replied that they would, but Lea ignored them and tried to leave her seat.

Kaen saw her and asked, “Hey, Lea. Where are you going? Let’s eat together.”

Lea replied in an annoyed tone, “What are you doing acting like we’re friends? I’m done here, so don’t bother me.”

“What?”

Kaen looked puzzled.

“No, we were getting along just now, so why are you acting like this?”

“I wasn’t getting along; I was just preparing for the exam. It’s because of my grades.”

“Well, isn’t that the same thing?”

Kaen hesitated and then asked, “No, but I’ve always been curious. Why do you insist on being alone all the time? It’s fun and nice to hang out together. Isn’t it boring not having anyone to be close to?”

Although Kaen probably didn’t have any ill intentions, it could be taken as an unpleasant comment. However, Lea remained expressionless.

“Getting along means being with people of the same caliber.”

“Caliber? Do you mean magical ability, or do you mean your family name, and why the hell would you care about that?”

Lea’s voice became even colder as she said this.

“Because they’re all just insignificant people. Those who harbor inferiority and jealousy towards me, those who hope for my failure, those who flatter and fawn over me, and those who are simply annoying because they’re foolish. Why should I endure and associate myself with such individuals?”

What’s with the sudden outburst?

I stared at her, wondering what was wrong with her all of a sudden.

Kaen spoke with a displeased expression on her face.

“I don’t feel inferior to you, and I have no intention of flattering you.”

“Then you must be just a stupid person. Should I stop talking to you now?”

That’s when Rigon intervened, his voice unusually cold.

“Your words are harsh. Do you have to say it like that?”

Lea glanced at Rigon in surprise.

She bit her lip, tears welling up, and turned away.

“As talented as you are, you shouldn’t waste your time playing friends. It’s all going to come down to what I say, if not now, then eventually.”

“…”

“Oh, and when I’m absolutely certain that I’ve surpassed you, I’ll challenge you to a duel again. Wait until then. I wanted to say this, but I never had the chance.”

Lea said this and left with determined steps.

Kaen looked perplexed, muttering to herself as she watched her receding figure.

“What a strange girl…”

I agreed with her.