That evening, in the Dream Library.
"Are you ready, Hoshimi?" Yukino, standing on the opposite side of the table, asked, her gaze shifting uneasily.
"No problem, we can start anytime," Hoshimi said, flashing a wide grin, his sharp white teeth visible as he glanced at the stack of subject test papers on the table.
"..." Yukino's breath hitched, a growing sense of unease building inside her.
Could it be that Hoshimi was already going to meet the minimum requirement for the first stage of rewards tonight?
No, no way. The minimum requirement was a score of 80 in all subjects. How could Hoshimi reach that so quickly?
Although she was confident in Hoshimi's potential, he had only been studying for two or three days. There's no way he could achieve that so easily, right? He'd surely need a few more days.
Wait! Could Hoshimi be planning to cheat?
Knowing Hoshimi's unpredictable nature, he might actually try to cheat to get the reward.
"Yukino, what are you thinking about? Why haven't you started the timer yet?" Hoshimi asked suspiciously when Yukino remained silent.
Yukino glanced at Hoshimi and responded quietly, "You haven't given me anything to time with."
"Oh… that's my bad, I got so excited I forgot." With a thought, Hoshimi conjured a small clock that synchronized with the real-world time and placed it on the table in front of Yukino.
"Are we good to start now?" Hoshimi asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Yukino checked the clock, her expression serious as she said, "We can start now. It's 7:30 p.m. The time for the language exam is 80 minutes, so I'll collect your paper at 8:50. The same rules apply for the other subjects, Hoshimi—you must submit each exam within the given time."
"The break between subjects is up to you. There's no minimum, but the maximum is twenty minutes. Any issues with that?"
Hoshimi raised his hand and made an "OK" gesture. "No issues, let's do it."
Five subjects meant a considerable amount of time. For an average student, four hours might not be enough to complete all five exams. Even for Hoshimi, four hours was a bit tight.
Plus, Yukino would need time to grade the papers. All in all, this practice test session would likely take over four hours.
Normally, Hoshimi entered the dream realm at 11 p.m., but this time, to ensure there was enough time for both the test and the fun reward session afterward, he and Yukino had agreed to move his entrance time forward to around 7:30 p.m.
As for Kotoko, she would still enter the dream realm at her usual time of 11 p.m.
Hoshimi had already set things up so that, at 11 p.m., the dream realm would automatically pull Kotoko in.
"Well then, let's begin the exam," Yukino said as she placed the clock on the table and crossed her arms, keeping a close watch on Hoshimi from across the table.
Rustle—
As Hoshimi entered "exam mode," his smile faded. His face now expressionless, he picked up the language exam paper and began by filling in his name.
Yes, writing your name first is always a good habit.
Shortly after, Hoshimi focused completely on the exam, answering the questions seriously.
Meanwhile, in the dream realm, the sky darkened as thick clouds rapidly gathered, filling the entire sky.
Noticing the change, Yukino turned her head to look out the window. Seeing the cloudy sky, a memory from Kotoko's earlier mention suddenly came to her mind.
'The dream's sky reflects Hoshimi's mood.'
Clear skies meant that Hoshimi was in a bright mood, while cloudy skies suggested...
"..." Yukino said nothing as she turned back to look at Hoshimi.
Was Hoshimi still that resistant to studying?
On the other hand, could this weather also mean that Hoshimi wasn't cheating and was instead taking the exam seriously?
Reflecting on the preparation for this practice test, Yukino realized there was little opportunity for Hoshimi to cheat.
She had personally selected the test papers, and right before entering the dream realm, she had emailed them to Hoshimi for a brief review—just enough time to load them into the dream.
From loading the test papers into the dream to entering the dream realm, only about a minute had passed, hardly enough time for any manipulation.
Once in the dream realm, the exam began immediately, and as the invigilator, Yukino stood right in front of Hoshimi. She could see his every move, leaving no room for cheating.
With no way to cheat, Hoshimi would have to rely on his own effort to complete the test.
Relieved, Yukino relaxed, pulled out a chair, and sat across from Hoshimi.
If Hoshimi reached the reward line on his own merit, she would accept it. No matter what, she'd fulfill the promise.
Besides, she felt a little guilty for even suspecting that Hoshimi might cheat.
So, even if Hoshimi didn't quite hit the target, she planned to give him a small reward regardless.
Of course, it wouldn't be the kind of reward Hoshimi hoped for, but rather a consolation prize she had already prepared in advance.
As for what it was, well, that would be revealed soon enough.
Thinking about the reward session after the practice test, Yukino's lips pressed tightly together as her slender legs, wrapped in black stockings, instinctively squeezed closer.
She glanced at Hoshimi, who was focused on the exam, and her autumn-like eyes couldn't hide her growing embarrassment.
Rustle, rustle—
Completely absorbed, Hoshimi continued to focus on his exam, unaware of Yukino's gaze. His pencil scratched softly against the paper, the only sound echoing in the library.
Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, 70 minutes had gone by.
"Yukino, I'm done!" Hoshimi handed over the finished test paper to Yukino.
Immediately, he grabbed the next subject's paper and began working on it without a break.
Faster, faster! He couldn't wait to see Yukino's shocked reaction!
Also, he had gotten some inspiration from the "Doctor" who guarded the 99th level and had a bunch of ideas he wanted to try out with Yukino.
"..." Seeing Hoshimi working non-stop, a flicker of surprise crossed Yukino's eyes.
Was Hoshimi really this motivated?
Maybe she should limit the reward time a bit as a way to keep Hoshimi on track. Dangling a reward in front of him might push him to stay focused.
That way, Hoshimi wouldn't resist, and she could also... uh... feel at ease. Yes, that was it.
Feeling her face heat up, Yukino quickly shoved those strange thoughts aside. But once a thought took root, it was hard to shake.
With her mind swimming in pink bubbles, Yukino tried to distract herself by grading Hoshimi's language exam.
As she continued, she suddenly realized something was off.
The accuracy was unbelievable! She could hardly find any mistakes! Every key point was addressed.
Her finger trembling slightly, Yukino wrote the final score at the top of the exam.
"Language: 94."
Could it be a coincidence? Maybe Hoshimi had always been good at language.
Yeah, language is a subject that relies on accumulated knowledge. If you've built up enough, your score won't be bad, even if you don't study much.
Yes, that had to be it.
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