"How was work?"
"Great. I'm a bit nervous though."
"With work?"
"No... Heavensward... Will I really be able to get in?"
"You know if you can't get in, then I have no hope of getting in."
"Haha, I know that's not the truth."
No, but like, it seriously was. You have the 'Weapon Master' talent. All I had was a 'Music' talent, if they didn't accept you there was no way in hell they'd accept me.
"Rio, I don't lie to family."
"..."
I could see his eyes get teary.
Even though we've only been together for 2 months, I've seriously thought of Rio as my younger brother. In my previous life I was alone and look what became of me, a worthless human being. The only reason I'm not completely scum is because of 'that' person. And I hope I can be 'that' person to my younger brother too.
"Hey Rio."
"If you reject this than I might just run away."
"...Huh?"
"I got you a gift."
I took Spellbreak out of my pocket and put it on the table.
"It's pretty valuable and it matches your eyes."
"This is my gift to my precious younger brother."
Rio couldn't contain his tears
"Leo..."
"Thank you..."
He was still crying, but he was also smiling.
---
It was now time to apply. Rio and I got up early in the morning and dressed in comfy clothes.
Rio was wearing Spellbreak.
"Today's the day."
"I'm nervous..."
"Do you remember that magic spell I taught you before?"
He nodded his head
"Then you'll be fine."
Ms. Cloudsly gave us 2 premium meals for free and wished us luck.
We headed to the Heavensward entrance, there was a long line but that was fine. We could wait.
It seemed like a lot of applicants came with their parents; I could also see the desperation in some of the parents' faces.
There were some people who cried after getting rejected in full view of everyone there. That reaction was understandable, you'd pay 10 gold just to attempt to get in and for some families that was all they had.
"Leo... We'll be fine right?"
"Of course."
I could see Rio was shaking so I put my hand on his head.
"Don't worry about it."
I smiled.
After a few hours it was finally our turn. I gave Rio his 10 gold and he went first, I made sure to sing him a song to calm his heart. They quickly called me in a few minutes after he went in, so I had no idea of his results.
I was practically going in on this blind. The only thing I knew was that they had some device that could measure your skills and talents. I really should've described it more in depth but who could've known I was going to be transmigrated.
After entering a room, I there were 3 people sitting down. What was this an interview?
"Mr. Leo Vondheart, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Please put your hand on this device."
A person came from the side and gave me some little gadget. After holding it for a few minutes the gadget lit up green.
What the fuck did this mean?
The person from before carefully grabbed the device with gloves and put it on the table for the judges to see.
"Oh... Interesting."
I could hear one of them say. Couldn't they tell me what was going on? What the hell was this?
"Mr. Leo, we'll be asking you a few questions."
"Okay."
They each had a clipboard and pencil in hand
I don't think even trying to understand what was happening would help so I just ignored any question I had and would just follow directions.
The person on the far left asked the first question
"First question. Why did you apply?"
Was this a fucking job interview?
"This is the most prestigious school in Plough. No other reason."
"Interesting."
He wrote something on his clipboard.
The person on the far right asked the next question
"Second question. What matters most in your life?"
"Family."
"Interesting."
What the fuck was so interesting?
The person in the middle asked the next question
"Third question. How would you describe yourself?"
"Almost scum but not."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Based on the way I grew up."
"How did you grow up?"
"With luck."
"I see."
The order repeated itself.
"Fourth question. Do you know your skills and talents?"
"I do."
"Fifth question. What would you do if your life was in danger?"
"Run away."
"If you couldn't?"
"Fight."
"Sixth question. If you had to choose your life or Rio's life, which life would you save?"
What the fuck?
Why was she asking such a question? Was she trying to determine my personality?
"Rio."
"Selfless, aren't you?"
"No. I'm not."
"But you would rather save Rio's life than your own?"
Rio still hasn't even matured fully. He can still live and grow up to be a decent person. I'm already way past that...
"Is it a problem that I'd save my family?"
"No, it isn't."
They kept asking questions until we reached the final question. The person in the middle asked this.
"Last question. What did you think of this test?"
What did I think of this test? Was this even a fucking test or was it a job interview? What could they possibly learn from this? How was this the thing that decided whether or not someone would get into the school?
"It was fucking worthless."