"This concludes the exam. Congratulations on those who passed!"
As soon as those words were heard, everyone jumped for joy and happiness. The overlapping cries of happiness echoed throughout the venue as each one celebrated.
Ryo, upon hearing this, lies down on the ground, exhausted. He spreads his arms out and lets out an exhausted sigh.
He was defeated by the natural tiring of the human body over time. However, in a battle against him head-on, I would have lost. He's on another level.
He thought to himself, as he stared at the sky.
The dark clouds surrounding the venue dispersed, revealing the bright sunlight.
Magic is... Quite fun.
Ryo smiled, as he remembered a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, Kyouko was at the side, standing, while looking at her palms. Her palms were rough due to the nature of her magic. However, she smiled proudly as she closed them, satisfied with the exam's result.
Then all of a sudden, her vision suddenly darkened and her head suddenly spun.
She stumbled and lost her balance. As she was going to fall, someone behind caught her in their arms.
"Now, now, Kyouko-chan. You must be really tired, aren't you?" A happy-going, female voice spoke.
She gently placed Kyouko's head on her chest and began rubbing it, as if she were playing with a dog.
Kyouko slowly looked up to see who it was. Her eyes widened instantly as she saw the face of the woman.
It was none other than her Senpai, the third seat, Stella.
"S-Stella-Senpai?!" She blurted out in surprise.
"Yes, it's me, your favorite Senpai!" She yelled out as she then began pinching Kyouko's cheeks.
"You're really~ cute!" She added, exclaiming.
The others around looked at them confused, and wondering, especially Arata.
"S-She's very pretty. W-Who is she?" He mumbled, with his eyes fixated on her, his cheeks blushing and heart pounding nervously.
"To all students here," Stella looked at them one by one as she yelled out their names.
"Haruto Sora, Takahashi Arata, Akamine Airi, Ayane Hina, Kyosuke Ryo, and finally, you, Fujimoto Kyouko. I congratulate each and every one of you! I, the third seat, am extremely proud of what you all did!"
It took them a while to process, however, once the reality of the third seat, speaking to them kicked in,
"T-T-Third seat?!?! T-Thank you very much!" Arata got on the ground and bowed with extreme enthusiasm.
"So enthusiastic, aren't we? Hahaha!" Stella laughed gently.
The others, Haruto, Hina, and Airi, also politely bowed their heads, thanking Stella for the compliment.
"Well, no worries. Anyway, time is ticking, and chit-chat is quite over. I need to look for the hunter. I'll see you all next week!"
Stella quickly left. Kyouko regained her composure and stood up straight.
"S-So that's the third seat..." Arata whispered under his breath, still mesmerized.
"Don't worry, Takahashi-san, I'll formally introduce you to her," Kyouko said as she wiped some dust off her clothes.
"R-Really?!" Arata excitedly replied with gleaming eyes.
"Yes. Once the day that you can beat Ryujin comes, I'll keep my promise."
"Ehh?!"
She then began to walk in Ryo's direction.
There, just a few distance away, was Ryo, who is lying down on the ground, with his eyes closed.
"The venue will close in a few minutes. I suggest you stand up."
Ryo promptly opened his eyes, and sat up, but not without a groan.
Suddenly,
"As the vice-president of the council, it is my pleasure to congratulate each of you on your success. Whether it is by luck or skill that you have passed, you've earned your place here, and for that, I congratulate all of you! For those who didn't make it through, your belongings will be sent to you, and it will be a goodbye from now on. Indeed, this exam seems harder than the previous one, for it is the real entrance exam, for qualifying as a true student of the Seiei Academy. For those who've succeeded, please return to your respective rooms, where a special surprise from the council awaits you."
A voice spoke through the speaker.
Ryo stood up and stretched like he had just woken up. With tired eyes, he placed his hands in his pocket and began walking away.
...
Meanwhile, the familiar figure of the girl, Aoki Reina, with her long, wavey, dark blue hair, with his partner, the boy, with his white hair, and his face, expressionless and stoic, walks through the forest.
"Say..." The boy uttered in a light, soft voice. "Did you get what you wanted?"
Reina, with her carefree and playful voice, responded, "Yeah, I got more than I expected, this is honestly a blessing."
She smiles happily as she twirls around and she walks while looking at the life of nature around her.
"That's good... What do you plan do you? Immediately challenge the council?" He asked.
"No, no, no! Don't be so hasty and impatient!" She responded, her voice changing to playful, yet reprimanding.
"Then... What?" The boy asked again,
"Let's enjoy ourselves! Or maybe... not." The playfulness in her voice disappeared as it was replaced by a serious tone.
"The council is strong... Kajiyashaki Ryujin is exceptional." She added.
Though her voice changed, her face remained the same. Smiling... Calmly, yet Playful, and her expression is... Dark... and intimidating.
It looks normal... However, at the same time, it doesn't.
It's eerily unsettling that anyone would feel uncomfortable.
However, his boy partner was unbothered.
"He is. Yeah."
"Or, is it just because the students were weak that he looked so strong?"
"Maybe. Students were simultaneously being eliminated, so maybe it's partly true."
"Yes. However, in the case of their group,"
"They fought against him and won."
"Yes, they did. Hehe. I'd like to know more about them."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Stella walks, traversing the terrain without knowing where Ryujin is.
"Ryujin?" She yells out every now and then as she looks all around for him.
At one point, she finally came across him. Ryujin was lying on the ground, fast asleep.
"There you are." She quickly ran up to him and noticed that he was asleep.
She pulled out her phone, went to her camera, and took a picture of him.
"This is going to be in your birthday album."
She mumbled with a giggle, before proceeding to place her phone back and wake Ryujin up.
She summoned a small twig with a leaf and proceeded to gently rub the leaf on his face.
Not long after, he opened his eyes.
"Stella...Senpai?" He mumbled, seeing a glimpse of Stella.
"Oh, you're awake now. That's good, that's good. I'll heal you."
She gently crouched down, and in a single tap of her point finger, all of Ryujin's pain and wounds all simultaneously healed.
Ryujin promptly sat up, and unexpectedly, the wounds he was expecting weren't there anymore. "That feels so... Warm..." Ryujin said as he looked around his body. His eyes were filled with amazement, staring surprised.
Stella warmly smiled, and stood up.
"Well, the meeting will commence in a few minutes, and I'm sure the other council members have something to say, so let's get going."
She said as she extends out her hand. Ryujin also smiled in response, as he grabbed Stella's hand, and pulled himself up.
...