Emily was still pissed. She seemed unreasonable to him, but he didn't dare call her that today; they were both maneuvering difficult waters anyway. Instead, he cozied up to her, and in the end, she pushed a textbook in his face.
"Study this somewhere else, and let me study too. Others are looking at us. They might suspect us."
"They won't suspect anything, Emy." He looked at her and smirked. "We usually act this way. You are just a bit too sensitive today."
"And I am coming to hate you."
That made both Emily and Sol pause, and their faces somewhat pale; Sol chuckled and walked away. Then, he felt wrong about doing that, too. Would she consider him walking out like that as emotional manipulation?
He didn't mean to. He, too, was in a heightened state of excitement recently, and his own judgment of things was being skewed. He pushed his black hair back and sat on his assigned bench for the exam.
Even though Tom, Dick, and Harry were his friends, they were not that close to him. So, he didn't have anyone bothering him as he just silently read one page after the other. Soon enough, he had read half of the most important chapters for the day, but one question in particular made him frown.
He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
A soft voice asked from just beside him, "Why are we subtracting e^x from e^(2x) in the integral for the area between the curves? If you think of that, you should get the answer to your confusion."
A soft voice said from the side and he looked to the side in interest. But his gaze dimmed slightly as he saw it was not Emily but someone else. It was none other than Sana Hale, one of the most beautiful women in his class.
"It's Sana," he said, "Why are you here?"
"I am seated beside you for this exam."
"Well, I am lucky then. So, I don't get this part—"
Emily slammed a book down on his table and walked back to his seat. "Page 13. I explained that part well in there. Your monkey brain should understand."
He smiled, and Sana smiled from the side. "Emily was as sharp as ever. So, did your study go well? I see you playing soccer every time I pass by the football field. Do you even get time to study?"
"You say football field, but call the game soccer… It is football. Well, yes, I did get some time to study this time."
He didn't continue the conversation for long and began reading the book Emily gave him. It was not long before his doubt was cleared, and he felt as if he had unraveled a bind in his head. At the same time, the plus sign was no longer gray.
He eagerly pressed it.
[Standard 12th Mathematics: Low—>Medium]
[Divine Points: 2 —> 1]
He didn't feel much different, but as he took the book and began reading, there were no incomprehensible parts anymore. It just flowed as if he had been learning this since his birth.
A damning thought entered his mind, and he took a deep breath.
Only now did the 'System' actually make him feel its awe in his mind. It was something godly. Feeling somewhat nervous, he even took a compass and pinned his own hand with it—it hurt. This definitely was no dream.
So, the system forcibly made things he would need to work hard to comprehend very simple to understand. He just had to reach a certain level of understanding, and he could upgrade it then.
This really was god-like.
He was not a genius in anything particularly, but with this, becoming one wasn't impossible. He could be a genius. But once again, the plus sign had greyed out and he needed to do more reading for him to return color to it.
There was no longer enough time. Soon, the bell rang, and the examination began.
***
The teacher arrived—an old woman—and the exam began soon after. Tom, Dick, and Harry were at the far back, and they flashed Sol some small paper (cheating strips), but he didn't ask for any. The exam was… easy.
He had expected that by reaching just Medium, he would still have many questions he would find difficult. But it was just like language. After you reach a certain proficiency with it, even if you are hearing some words for the first time, you can guess their meaning.
He should pass with flying colors. Within just half an hour, Emily handed out her paper to the invigilator and got out of the class. Feeling somewhat rushed, Sol completed it in about another half an hour and handed the paper before running behind his sister.
He didn't have to run far. She was on the stairway down the School perimeters.
***
"How did the exam go?" Sol asked. Nobody had left their exam halls so soon except for him and his sister. Everyone would take at least half an hour more. They didn't wait, though; they slowly walked towards the bus stop.
They could take an early bus.
Emily sighed. "It's easy. Twelfth Standard is easy to begin with. I can't understand how someone can fail this thing."
"True."
She gave him a peculiar glare.
They were awkwardly silent from then on and soon sat at the bus stop below the stairs.
"Buy me muffin cakes."
"What?" Sol asked, surprised.
"Buy me muffin cakes, and I will not tell everything to mom."
"How many?"
"Enough to last me a couple of days."
"Sure. Will I get another kiss if I add another extra packet?"
She glared at him.
"Nevermind. I don't want your muffin cakes; I am telling Mom everything."
A bus arrived, and they entered it.
When they left the bus, her face was flushed, and she was okay with muffin cakes. Now, an extra package was also a must.