To the Exam Hall
Midterms.
An exam held in the middle of the semester.
The first semester's took place from late April into early May, and the second semester's came around early-to-mid October.
The season when warm breezes drift in and gorgeous flowers of every color burst into bloom. Spring. Perfect weather for an outing.
And we were supposed to go on a picnic.
"Joo-Joo, you mean the midterms?"
"Yeah, the midterms. Is everyone ready for them?"
Chloe was running a check. She wanted to know whether the companions gathered here had actually been paying attention in class. We already had our abilities assessed every month, covering both written work and practicals, but apparently that hadn't done anything to ease her worries.
Unlike those routine assessments, this exam — administered to the entire student body — was recorded with the Academy's Grade Evaluation Committee and served as the benchmark for measuring each student's current ability. How well you did on your midterms and finals determined how wide a range of careers you could choose from, and once you became a Guardian, you'd receive generous support on top of that.
And for Chloe, who had her eye on the student council presidency, this was the most important stretch of all. To run in the election held at the start of the second year, when Part 2 begins, she needed to bank as strong an academic record as possible. That was why she was saying all this.
"..."
"Eva. Don't tell me."
"Wh-why-would-you-say-th-at, khh, Chloe?"
Eva threw a fit at Chloe's words — flailing at every single one. It was painfully obvious she hadn't studied. If she'd just answered calmly without the stuttering, Chloe probably would've let it slide with an eh, that's just how she is.
"Question on the Blue Rake Wolf. The gene for fur color and the gene for the rake are linked on the same autosome. Assuming no recombination occurs when you test-cross an individual with opposing linkage, tell me the phenotypic ratio."
"Uhhh, uhh, uhm..."
A question that was absolutely impossible to answer without studying. Caught by the ambush, Eva turned into a mute who'd swallowed honey.
"The correct answer is blue fur with soft rakes to red fur with sharp rakes, at a one-to-one ratio. Our Eva needs to hit the books."
"Uuuu..."
At Chloe's rebuke, Eva spewed out gloom. The burden on her shoulders must have been crushing — she secretly retched, looking like she was about to throw up the cake she'd just eaten.
Look at this girl, living at the mercy of her girlfriend. If it were me, I'd have hit back with a nice what are you, a degenerate? and then finished her off with a low kick to the shins.
"Urgh!"
"Marin, Marin. Why are you getting worked up when you're not even the one being quizzed?"
"Hate problems. Me, want to quit Academy."
"Don't give up over something like that, come on. I'll teach you nice and easy like I always do."
There had been countless ability assessments before the midterms. Every one of them had been a crisis, yet under my meticulous tutelage, she'd always managed to score above average.
"Trust in me, the one-and-only elite tutor. I'll stay right beside you and make sure you graduate in one piece."
"Mm."
I gave her head my usual pat, and only then did Marin stop retching. Was I imagining it? Was it just me, or did her expression look softer than usual? Compared to when we first met, she seemed a lot more... human.
Nah, I must be seeing things.
The point where she started showing natural expressions was midway through Part 3 — after she'd met Eva, her master, and begun receiving proper mana from her. There was no way her faint emotions would sharpen this early, back when she hadn't even chosen a master, let alone formed a contract.
"Eva, I've decided. Special training with me starting tomorrow. No breaks until you score at least an eighty!"
"Ehh! That's— that's too mean, Chloe!"
Speaking of which, Chloe was coming down awfully hard on Eva. Sure, she was a perfectionist by nature, but forcing that onto someone else? As a lover, she was committing the cardinal sin.
Not that I minded.
In fact, if this went well, the relationship might just fall apart on its own while I sat back and did nothing.
"Hey, Chloe. Nothing wrong with quizzing her, but shouldn't you at least mention that the wolf's fur color genes are blue and red, and its rake genes are sharp and soft?"
"That's a fixed fact. Not knowing it just means you slept through class."
"Can't blame her. Eva spent every single class hour playing games with me — how would she know?"
"It was YOU?! You're the one who made Eva like this!"
"Yikes, lol."
Chloe grabbed me by the collar and shook me. She was mad, all right. But so what? What exactly could you do about it? Hahaha.
"So what if you couldn't be bothered to listen while the instructor was diligently explaining everything. What's the problem here?"
"It's just boring. I already know all that stuff, so why bother listening hard?"
"Then at least don't drag other people down with you! What are you going to do if Eva's scores tank because she hangs around you?"
"Oh please, she'll get by somehow. Even if Eva gets expelled from the Academy, she'll still eat well and live well."
This was, after all, the eldest daughter of House Amethyst — a name guaranteed to come up if you asked anyone to name the greatest nobles in the world. Playing a few games wasn't about to ruin her life. And you kept giving her such a hard time.
"For the record, I never forced Eva into anything. I only asked if she wanted to play — the choice was hers."
"Unbelievable. If your grades weren't the only thing keeping you afloat, I'd sock you one!"
"If you're that mad, challenge me to a match. You'll never win, though."
Heh heh heh.
When I let out a snicker, Chloe clenched her fist tight. The punch never actually flew, of course. She knew better. Your life is yours to live. Eva, too, had the right to decide things about her own life — so what could anyone do when she wanted to play games? Interfering where it wasn't needed just became coercion.
Chloe was only pressing so hard because she wanted it that badly, because she could see the possibility. Honestly, she probably never meant to sour the mood this badly — but what could she do? The girl who dreamed of surpassing even a Sword Saint wanted to become student council president, just like her father, and build achievements greater than that man's own.
"Ugh."
Chloe ran out of words. All she could do was glare at me furiously and offer no further reply. So I spoke to the tight-lipped Chloe.
"Aka."
"M-Murasaki! Is that right?"
"...Do you two seriously intend to hold an actual conversation?"
Wow, she knows her meme rotations!
My stupid joke made Chloe's brow twitch — and in the middle of it all, Eva read the room perfectly and supplied the punchline. All that time teaching her the assorted rules of social play(?) that only insiders knew while gaming together had paid off.
"Anyway, what you're trying to say is, let's all do our best so everyone scores well on the midterms — something like that?"
"W-well, yes?"
"For the written exam, one group study session before the test is enough. If we study together, everyone will score just fine on their own."
"I know that. We've cruised through the ability assessments that way all along. But this time, the practical..."
Chloe trailed off. It lasted only an instant, but I caught it clearly — her gaze flicking toward Eva.
Ah. So that's what this is.
With that one glance, all of her earlier behavior finally made sense. Unlike the ability assessments, the midterms consisted of only two parts: written and practical. The written part was manageable with a last-minute cram — Eva wasn't stupid, she'd catch on quickly enough — but the practical was a different beast.
For Purity Academy, the midterms and finals weren't merely exams. They were an event in their own right — a grand spectacle, not just a student league, but one the entire world watched and enjoyed together.
The midterms wouldn't be held on Dilmun. They'd take place in Zerta Kingdom, Eva's homeland — or rather, in the capital of its bordering neighbor, the Max Republic, at the central arena there. Crowds would pour in like clouds, and the arena would boil over with heat and excitement.
There was no worse environment for Eva. Standing before all those eyes, she would fail to even hold her stance, repeating mistake after mistake until it was over — that much was certain.
Squeezing out as many points as possible on the written exam was the best option for her. Not some grandiose goal like beating the average — just enough that Eva could give it her all without giving up. It was Chloe's own brand of consideration for the girl she'd chosen.
"Chloe."
"What, you calling me?"
"You're worried about Eva, aren't you? Afraid she'll fail the exam — worse, humiliate herself in front of thousands. That's why you're trying to help her score well on the written part at least."
"...You're annoyingly sharp. Though I can't say I understand why you'd act like THAT."
"No need to play to the crowd, that's all. Anyway."
I patted Chloe on the shoulder. Leaving her wearing a puzzled look, I rose from the sofa.
"Your problem is that you worry too much. Learn to trust people a little."
At my breezy attitude, Chloe's brow furrowed.
"More cryptic nonsense."
"It's not complicated. Just try trusting Eva for once."
Eva was the protagonist of the web novel Academy Yuri Princess — the one who'd proven her worth as a heroine, someone who might waver in a crisis but never fall. Because I knew exactly how that novel ended, I'd decided to watch, from beside her, the story she would write this time around too.
...
And so the unremarkable days slipped past. A few days later, when the curtain finally rose on the midterms, we boarded a ship bound for the Max Republic, following our instructor's lead.