The Survey
"Today I have a meeting with someone from the foundation, so fourth period will be free time instead. But I'll pass out these questionnaires, so make sure to answer every single question without skipping any and stack them face down on my desk. And don't forget to write your names! No leaving your seats until you're done, got it?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, one more thing—the last page must be done alone, so no showing it to friends even if they beg. Alright, enjoy a tasty lunch after you're finished!"
Jacqueline Carol handed the stack of papers to Hangeol, who was in the front row, then hurriedly left the classroom.
"Whoa, free time! Free time!"
The questionnaires passed from hand to hand were about three double-sided A4 sheets each. They didn't look too long, so the kids were buzzing with excitement, eager to finish quick and play.
Yuna poked my back, so I turned around.
"Let's fill them out together while chatting!"
"Sure, why not. Gets boring doing it solo, right?"
"Yeah!"
Si-hu shot us a displeased glance from the side, but what could we do if Yuna wanted to? Wait, was I the oblivious one here? Just in case, I invited him too.
"Si-hu, wanna join us?"
"No thanks. And surveys are meant to be done alone anyway."
"Everyone else is doing it in groups though? What, you only hate it 'cause it's not just me and Yuna?"
"Uh... n-no...!"
"Why Si-hu and me?"
Si-hu stammered in panic as Yuna asked innocently.
"I won't bother you, so you two have fun!"
"Was gonna anyway."
I spun my chair around completely to face Yuna.
"Wanna switch seats?"
Yo-han from the next desk offered shyly.
"Nah. Teacher said no leaving seats till we're done. Gotta follow the rules."
She was all about law and order. Adults had to set an example for kids, after all.
"Looks like a lot of essay questions... might take longer than I thought."
"Yeah. Probably fifteen minutes at least."
"Totally. Let's hurry and finish so we can play together."
We wrote our names on the first page, flipped it, and checked the first question.
[1. Favorite subject?]
I checked Mana Injection without a second thought.
"Whoa, picked already?"
"You? Isn't this an easy one?"
Why wouldn't she pick magic? These kids had never lived in a world without it—they couldn't grasp how miraculous it was. Sure, magic followed universal physical laws on a grand scale, but that was just theorists' talk. To me, it was still some unknown phenomenon. In a world without mana, launching one missile took hordes of scholars scratching their heads over equations and thousands of tests. Otherwise, it'd just blow up on the spot. But magic? Stick to the basics, and it bent to the caster's will. Refine it with solid math and science for more power and precision, sure—but even this was a godsend.
Unable to resist my nudge, Yuna circled Mana Injection too. What choice did she have? I'd make her love it.
"Next question quick."
"Least favorite? Gym for me."
I hated wasting energy on dumb stuff like dodgeball. This frail body didn't help, and honestly, I just loathed running around by nature.
"Knew it—you always skip PE. Art for me."
"Art? That's surprising. Everyone usually loves it."
"My big bro draws amazing, but he teases me every time mine looks weird... so I hate it."
"Haha... yeah, fair."
Crushing a kid's pure heart—brutal. Sibling stuff, I guess. Living under one roof with a peer? Tempting to mess with 'em.
[4. Introduce your family?]
For family intro, I almost wrote Professor Cheon's full name but kept it simple: Dad. Felt weirdly nice, like I finally had a real family.
[5. Describe your personality?]
Never pondered it before—pen paused.
[...You're really like this to the end. How can someone be so selfish?]
"Hmm... Yuna, what do you think my personality's like?"
"You're like an angel!"
"Writing that myself would be too embarrassing."
"But it's true! You're a total angel."
Angel? Overkill. Kind felt too lazy. I glanced at the girls chattering next door.
"Hey kids, what do you think my personality's like?"
I was curious how others saw me now. Kid stress over this stuff made me stop caring eventually. Kinda fun to check.
"Uh... not sure? Haru, you?"
"W-well... um..."
Nur-i shrugged, Haru hemmed and hawed.
"Fine, I'll wing it solo."
"Like a mom!"
"...?"
Haru's out-of-left-field answer floored me.
"N-no, I mean... kind and cool like a mom...!"
She flailed in late defense.
"Love the fresh phrasing. I'll use it."
"Why not angel...!"
Yuna puffed her cheeks in protest. Nope, still too much.
The rest were easier: habits, hobbies, free time stuff, fave books/movies, recent happy/sad events. I answered each carefully.
Paused at biggest influence, then wrote my dear mentor's name.
[Maria Euphrasia Terarubi]
Last page was solo-only—figured it was big. Nah, tame: suggestions for friends, private words for teacher, academy feedback. Breezed through and done.
"Still going?"
Yuna wrestled the last page for minutes.
"But... but... too hard..."
"Why?"
"Third from bottom..."
[Name your 3 closest friends in class?]
Yuna sighed deeply and faceplanted on her desk.
* * *
Jacqueline Carol's work stretched long after dismissal. She'd just graded a mountain of Mana Injection reports over three hours. Could've been two without VTube breaks.
New term meant parent consultations nonstop. Finish one, next waited.
Next up... Yuna and Yo-han.
Scheduling was hell. Academy-mandated, so drag busy parents in anyway. Explain aptitude test strengths, share teacher observations on academy life.
Plus, Jacqueline ran a class survey to gauge overall vibe and kids' thoughts.
Day two of consults, no survey summary yet—she vowed to crunch it today, stacking papers on her desk.
Questions varied: close friends? Current worries? Basics first.
She inputted responses into cells, grumbling about analog in this era.
Top worry: grades (65%). Then friends, free time shortage, family.
Closest friends tallies got messy. But graphs showed arrows clustering on hubs.
Han Se-ri topped, naturally. I Ha-ru and Kim Hangeol followed.
Words for parents (wanted/unwanted), study hours, academy suggestions—all checked.
Last: Any classmate whose behavior you'd change? Why?
Popular same-sex kids often irked opposite sex. Proved by Hangeol (3 girls: too prankish) and Haru (4 boys: naggy).
No biggie, but one stood out.
Yuna got just two arrows—hated by over half the class. Show-off, selfish, mean words, no homework help. Isolated in Class A for myriad reasons.
Finally grasping severity, Jacqueline rechecked Yuna's sheet.
Indeed, for closest three friends: same name in all boxes.
[NoName / NoName / NoName]
Topped "best student" over Yoon Si-hu. Also "most wanna befriend."
Jacqueline found NoName's sheet for comparison.
[Seo Yu-na / Han Se-ri / Yoon Si-hu]
"Good thing Nami's been looking out for her. But... who's the third?"