Helmut and Alea exited the examination hall side by side. Asuka was still sitting in the same spot as before, and Sian had also arrived at some point. There were a few students gathered around, curious about what had happened, but they were in the minority.
It was the exam period. The competition within the academy was fierce. With exams currently underway, there was no time to be a spectator.
"What's this? Did you blow up the building?"
Asuka narrowed his eyes at Alea, who passed by without a response.
"Hey, you ignoring me? Look at that."
Asuka grimaced and stood up abruptly. If it had been someone from the Swordsman Department, he might have grabbed and thrashed them right away.
But Alea was not someone Asuka could afford to ignore. The top student of the Magic Department's second year. Sian quickly grabbed Asuka. It was his role to manage situations like this.
"Asuka, let it go. It's not the first or second day like this. Even I've been ignored these days."
Asuka burst out again today.
"Is that supposed to be normal? Idiot!"
"Guess I'm a friend since you're not calling me a moron."
"Oh, cut it out with that friend talk! It makes me want to strangle you."
"Embarrassed, are we? Why are there so many people around me who can't be honest?"
Helmut let their bickering slide and approached Alea, who had stopped. Alea usually acted alone. He was waiting to say goodbye.
"See you at the dorm later. Good luck with the rest of your exams."
"You too."
Alea gestured towards Asuka.
"Take care of that noisy guy, will you?"
"…Sure."
It seemed impossible for any warmth to grow between these two. Alea turned and left first.
Helmut watched his back for a moment before returning to his two friends. They had switched topics by then. Specifically, Asuka was pressing Sian about his performance. Sian shrugged.
"I made it through to Stage 7."
"Made it through?"
"Yeah, after finishing Stage 7, it seemed like... I shouldn't attempt Stage 8."
Sian had a good intuition. Asuka looked skeptical.
"Did you have your spirits cheat for you?"
"No! Who knew who would make it to Stage 8 anyway. Ah, Helmut maybe?"
"I made it to Stage 8 too!"
"What was in Stage 8?"
"…Let's not talk about it. I'd rather not remember."
Helmut answered for him.
"A giant centipede."
Sian grimaced at the mention. He nodded in understanding soon after.
"I've heard about the dean's hobbies. Hmm, he likes some weird stuff. I heard that last year, they had really disgusting demons like worms or sea cucumbers. Seems like there was a change this year."
"Is the dean a pervert? I wish he'd just drop dead."
"Hey, watch your mouth! That's a dangerous thing to say. You could get in big trouble."
Sian looked around nervously and covered Asuka's mouth.
The dean was a powerful magician known to occasionally inspect the academy. It wouldn't be surprising for him to appear at any time, anywhere.
"But you did well not to bet. With Helmut passing Stage 10, it's over, right? I told you, you have a good sense."
"Shut up! If it hadn't been for that weird practical exam, I could have won."
"Yeah, yeah."
'I must catch up during the holiday.'
Asuka resolved.
After the exams, all four were together. It was rare for such a unique combination to gather. They were an elite group by academic standards, though the content was somewhat different.
From tonight, everyone would leave Greta Academy to return to their homes. With three academies starting their holidays simultaneously, there would be a procession of departures from Baden.
This would be the end of their gatherings for this semester. The holiday lasted almost two months.
Knowing this, Alea didn't rush to leave either. Sian suggested,
"How about we have a blast tonight for one last time? It'll be hard to see each other during the holiday."
"Sure!"
For once, Alea didn't object.