A Delightful Misunderstanding
"I'm... second?" Kasha muttered blankly, her eyes hollow.
"Indeed! And not just that! You aren't just second in our group, but second in the entire second exam so far!"
The squinty-eyed man chimed in with exaggerated, frivolous energy, responding as if Kasha had been speaking directly to him.
"..."
Naturally ignoring the man, Kasha stiffly turned her head to stare at Drin's spot. Drin wasn't there. She hadn't emerged from the barrier yet.
It was strange. As far as Kasha knew, the only person in the swordsmanship department who could surpass her in this entrance exam was Drin Libringer.
Ah. Could it be? Did Drin finish the exam much faster than her and already leave?
"Examiner...?"
"Yes, Participant 344. Speak."
"Where did Participant 347, Drin Libringer, go?"
"Hmm?" Sinia tilted her head, looking at the spot where Drin had been standing. "If you're asking where she went... wouldn't she still be inside the barrier? She's still taking her exam, after all."
"She's still taking the exam...? Drin Libringer is...?"
"That's... correct?"
"Then..."
"Then...?"
"Who on earth is in first place...?"
"Ah! If it's that—prepare to be amazed! The participant who finished their battle in the shortest time and currently holds first place in the second exam! It is none other than Participant 348! Whew~~~!"
Sinia clapped enthusiastically like a seal toward the man.
The man scratched the back of his head, offering a goofy grin.
"Ahahaha. I'm glad you're hyping me up so much, Examiner, but it's a bit embarrassing."
"Oh, come on~ What's there to be embarrassed about? It's something to be proud of! Did you know? This examiner actually expected Participant 348 to be the very first one to emerge from the barrier!"
"Oh, really? I had no idea you thought so highly of me."
"I thought you'd be the first to take a fatal blow from your opponent, get kicked out of the barrier, and fail the exam first~!"
"Gasp! So what you thought highly of was my probability of failing...!"
"Sorry~ But I couldn't help it! Participant 348 looked just like a shivering little kitten caught in the rain!"
Recalling the man's terrified, pathetic appearance from earlier, Sinia let out a cute chuckle, her face bright and friendly.
"This examiner was only thinking about how to comfort Participant 348 once he claimed the honor of being the fastest to fail. But what do you know! Instead of the fastest failure, you're a passer! I'm so shocked that my heart still hasn't settled down! Thump, thump! No, boom, boom! Can you hear it?"
It was no exaggeration; Sinia was genuinely shocked. That was why her resolve to 'act dignified as an exam examiner' had completely shattered, unleashing her inner chatterbox.
Yet, even Sinia's dramatic reaction was tame compared to Kasha's. Kasha was so utterly dazed that she couldn't even process her panic.
This guy is really first place?
Just as Kasha grit her teeth, trying to face the reality she desperately wanted to deny—
"Ah, there she is! I was wondering when she'd come out!"
The third person—either a passer or a failure—emerged from the barrier. It was Drin Libringer. Naturally, she had passed.
"Participant 347, one minute and forty seconds! By becoming the second person to finish under two minutes, you are currently in third place among all participants! Congratulations! Whew~ Round of applause~!"
"Clap, clap~!"
Sinia and the man boisterously welcomed Drin back. Drin looked bewildered, wondering what on earth was going on, but she still gave them a polite bow.
Drin Libringer.
Kasha immediately shifted her gaze from the man to Drin.
One minute and forty seconds, third place...
Kasha turned Drin's record over in her mind, comparing it to her own.
Drin's record: 1 minute 40 seconds, 3rd place.
Her own record: 1 minute 15 seconds, 2nd place.
I won. I actually beat her.
She had surpassed the legendary Drin. And by a clear, undeniable margin.
She knew, of course, that this was just one part of the exam. Winning here didn't mean she had truly surpassed Drin as a whole. It was no guarantee that she would beat Drin in the final rankings and claim the top spot.
And yet. A win was a win.
A victory against Drin. The lifelong wish Kasha had dreamed of for so many years, yet had never once achieved, had finally been realized. It was a monumental moment for her.
"..."
But Kasha felt absolutely nothing.
Why...?
Why wasn't she happy at all?
The answer came quickly. To Kasha, Drin was a symbol. A symbol of the absolute best. Kasha had wanted to surpass Drin because Drin was the peak. Surpassing the peak was the only way to become the peak herself. At the same time, she believed it was the only way to be recognized by the people whose validation she craved.
But now, having briefly but clearly surpassed Drin, what was the reality?
Someone was still standing above her.
"Oh, wait. Examiner. Participant 347's record is one minute and forty seconds? Has it really not even been two minutes since I came out of the barrier?"
"Time flows differently inside the barrier. The records are calculated based on the time experienced within the barrier itself~"
"Ah~ I see! I was starting to think time was just passing slowly because I was having so much fun talking to you, Examiner!"
"Isn't it the opposite? Usually, they say time flies when you're having fun. Well, whatever. By the way, Participant 348, why do you have such a sweet tongue? You're already in first place, so there's no need to butter me up, is there?"
"Haha, when else would I get the chance to chat with someone as wonderful as you, Examiner~?"
"Hahaha, you're ridiculous."
That absurd, frivolous man was standing above her.
"Hmm?"
Sensing Kasha's sharp gaze, Sillon looked back at her.
"Do you need something from me? Participant Three Hundred and... uh, I forgot..."
After pondering with his trademark goofy smile, he decided on a title for her.
"Second Place?"
"Second Place...?"
The title, which practically rubbed their difference in rank in her face, made Kasha's head spin.
Could a guy this incredibly light and frivolous really have surpassed both her and Drin Libringer to take first place? It was utterly unacceptable. Something was definitely wrong.
"Huh?"
Right then, Drin gasped as if suddenly remembering something and whipped her head toward the man.
"Sillon!"
"Oh, Participant 347. What is it? Why the sudden shock? Did you leave something behind in the barrier?"
"This is no time for jokes! Now that I think about it, why are you even here right now?!"
"Huh? Am I... not supposed to be here?"
Kasha watched their interaction closely.
Sillon? Is that his name? More importantly, they know each other?
Judging by their conversation, the man seemed to be close with Drin Libringer. Knowing that, she tried to look at the goofy man in a new light—but even so, he still didn't look like someone capable of standing above both her and Drin.
"Sigh..."
After catching her breath, Drin massaged her temples and let out a deep sigh. "Of course. You must be the most devastated one here. I'm sorry."
"Devastated? What on earth do you—"
Drin looked at him with a deeply sympathetic expression. "Sillon. I hope you aren't too disheartened by failing the exam. You still have plenty of time and many opportunities ahead of you."
It seemed Drin believed Sillon had failed the exam. She had concluded that the only reason he was already out of the barrier before her was because he had taken a fatal blow faster than anyone else and been ejected.
It was a logical conclusion. If Sillon hadn't claimed to be in first place himself, Kasha wouldn't have entertained the possibility of him being number one even in her wildest dreams.
"..."
Sillon stared meaningfully at Drin, who was offering her sincere condolences based on her misunderstanding.
Then, with a look of sheer frustration, his clenched fists began to tremble.
"Plenty of time, many opportunities... You can only say that because you're Lady Drin. I don't have time. I don't have other opportunities! I entered this exam treating it as my absolute last chance...!"
"Ah..."
Drin fidgeted, completely flustered by Sillon's dramatic reaction.
And Drin wasn't the only one taken aback.
What is this...?
Kasha was bewildered by the man's sudden shift in attitude. Didn't he just say he had taken first place? Why was he telling Drin that he had failed?
Was he... playing a prank?
Kasha nodded to herself. That man had taken a fatal blow and failed the exam first. And he had used that fact to play a joke. The examiner had simply played along with his prank.
What a ridiculous—
She was dumbfounded and almost angry, but her heart actually felt lighter.
Right. There's no way a guy like that could be in first place. It makes no sense.
It was infinitely better to be the butt of a joke than to have the top spot stolen by someone like him.
Then who is the real first place?
Throughout history, very few had reached the 4-Star level at Drin's age. Yet even Drin, an avatar of talent, had failed to overcome the gap in understanding the Mana Golem, resulting in a lower score than Kasha's.
Naturally, curiosity bloomed. What kind of person was this mysterious first-place holder?
And then, a sudden thought occurred to her.
Had that person heard of her? There was no way they hadn't heard of Drin, and if they had heard of Drin, they must have heard of Kasha as well.
If so—what did they think of Drin? And what did they think of her?
What am I even doing...?
As her thoughts spiraled, Kasha frowned, suddenly struck by a wave of self-loathing. She didn't even know why she was thinking like this.
Though Kasha herself didn't realize it, it was due to a faint, vague hope blossoming deep within her subconscious. A hope that she had been given another chance.
Her family had never acknowledged her. Drin had never acknowledged her. But maybe, just maybe, that person would? Perhaps even more than they acknowledged Drin?
It was an ignorant, shameless hope. But it wasn't entirely groundless. After all, she had surpassed Drin in this exam.
So, wasn't it worth hoping for?
"..."
Kasha resolved to put aside these idle thoughts and focus on surpassing Drin in the overall exam. Yet, her subconscious continued to dwell on the mysterious entity holding first place.
What kind of person are they?
It felt just like the moment right before she had first met Drin, filled with breathless anticipation.
"Alright, five minutes are up!"
Meanwhile, the second exam drew to a close. Sillon and Drin, who had been conversing in a mix of gloomy and playful tones, returned to their spots.
Unlike Sillon, Drin, and Kasha, who had emerged from the barrier almost as soon as the exam started, the remaining seven participants barely managed to escape right before the time limit expired.
"Everyone, great job! The exam has officially concluded!" Sinia began, wrapping up the test. "By the way, this examiner is deeply moved! Every single member of my group passed the second exam! I heard the caliber of this year's participants was exceptionally high, and it seems the rumors were true!"
As the rather talkative examiner went on with her mundane speech, a collective "Huh?" rippled through the group.
To be precise, nine of the participants tilted their heads in unison—excluding the squinty-eyed man.
Among those nine, two reacted with particular sensitivity: Drin and Kasha.
With expressions as if they had just bitten into a bug, they raised their hands at the exact same time.
"Oh? What is it, you two? Raising your hands so nicely together?"
"Examiner, you just said 'everyone passed.' Did I mishear you?"
"Hmm? No? I think you heard perfectly fine."
At Drin's question, Sinia joined in on the head-tilting exercise.
"But, Examiner. Surely Participant 348 failed—"
At Drin's follow-up question, Kasha's head, which had already been tilted to one side, snapped to the other.
"Oh my? Did I say that? Participant 348 failing? That's news to me."
The moment those words left Sinia's mouth, Drin glared at the man standing next to her with terrifying intensity. Her face practically demanded an immediate explanation.
The squinty-eyed man merely offered a confident, sly smile.
"Shall we call it a petty, cute little revenge born of my disappointment toward Participant 347, who didn't doubt for a second that I had failed?"
"..."
Drin's eyes, which looked ready to impale him just a second ago, instantly lost their fire. When he put it like that, she had absolutely nothing to say.
"Wait, so that guy passed too?"
"I'm pretty sure he came out before me?"
The other participants began to murmur in confusion.
Even before the exam started, Participant 348 had actively projected such a clueless, pathetic image that everyone was thoroughly convinced he would fail the second exam. That was why, upon exiting the barrier and seeing him already standing there, they had all assumed he had taken a fatal blow and been disqualified.
But he hadn't failed?
Then just what place did he finish in?
The participants' gazes shifted toward those who had emerged before them. Like falling dominoes, the looks passed down the line, eventually landing on Drin.
Drin looked at Kasha.
And Kasha looked at Examiner Sinia.
Suddenly saddled with the duty of putting this mystery to rest, Sinia blinked a few times before speaking in an aggrieved tone.
"Didn't I say it repeatedly? Participant 348 is currently in first place for the second exam. He passed the test first, with a record of fifty-four seconds."
Every single participant's jaw dropped as they stared at him.
The squinty-eyed man scratched the back of his head, responding to their intense focus.
"My, my... I suppose you could say I just got lucky?"
He wore a bitter smile, looking terribly embarrassed on the surface.
But in reality, he was thoroughly enjoying their reactions.
Especially those of the two girls, Kasha and Drin.