The four of them stayed up all night, completely focused on preparing for underwater combat.
"Ugh, I’m really feeling the agony of creation," Dick groaned, rubbing his face as he stared at a diagram. "But what if we go through all this trouble to develop a new magic circle, and then the professors just teach us a different one? Wouldn’t all our effort be for nothing?"
irin shot him a look of pity. "There’s no way that’ll happen, you moron."
They had learned a great deal from the second BMAT exam. The key to that test had been how quickly one could clear Stage 3, where weapons fell endlessly. In other words, defense and endurance were paramount. But while the professors had taught them a few spells for trap detection, none had taught them how to survive the endless barrage. Ultimately, the students had been guided to find the most important ‘key’ to passing the exam on their own. The students who had been complacent, assuming the professors would handle everything, had all been in for a rude awakening.
"It’s always better to be prepared than not," was irin’s personal motto. "Hey, and be honest," she growled, glaring at Dick. "You just want to slack off, don’t you?"
"Uh, you got ."
"I swear! If I see you slacking off, I’ll gouge your eyes out, you hear?"
Dick waved his hand dismissively. "Phew, I’m tired. The team leader is too much of a perfectionist. It’s tough, right, Kami?"
Kamibarez, who was stroking the kittens on her lap, offered a sweet smile. "I’m always cheering for you from the bottom of my heart, Dick!"
"...Just curse at instead."
A smile touched Simon’s lips as he watched his bickering teammates. irin, who was scribbling on a diagram, looked up and flinched when her eyes t his.
"...Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you grinning at my face like a creep?"
"It’s nothing. I’m just..."
Happy. The fact that he could stay up all night, completely absorbed in a single goal with his friends. That he was spending good tis with good people. It was simply a joy. Just yesterday, he had been caught between the fierce power struggle of Serne and Lorraine, which only made this mont feel more precious. Today, the atmosphere was completely different.
"I’m starting to get a sugar crash," Simon said, changing the subject and stretching. "Shouldn’t we eat sothing sweet and then continue?"
"I’d love to!" Kamibarez agreed, and Dick chid in as if he’d been waiting.
"We’re pulling an all-nighter, right? Let’s go buy so late-night snacks while we’re at it! You know Kinu’s general store? It’s open until dawn during the mission evaluation period."
"Wait! What’s this about late-night snacks? Are you trying to get sidetracked again?" irin imdiately protested, but Simon just smiled.
"When we actually buy them, you’re the one who eats the most."
That one comnt left irin speechless, her face turning bright red as laughter erupted from all around. Dick high-fived Simon, looking utterly refreshed.
"Alright, let’s pick one person to go as a penalty!" Dick imdiately took four wooden chopsticks, marked one of them black, and held them out.
Simon and irin drew in turn, and Kamibarez drew the third.
"Kami’s it!" the survivors cheered.
She stood up hesitantly. "I-I’ll be back."
"I’ll go with you," Simon said, grabbing his coat.
Dick cut in. "Aww, that’s no fun! Going alone is part of the penalty!"
"Still, it’s not right to send a girl out alone this late."
Kamibarez clasped her hands, her expression one of pure gratitude. Dick let out a silent, dry laugh. ’Wow, he gets away with such a cheesy line just because he’s handso.’
irin, also seemingly worried about sending Kamibarez alone, nodded. "Then escort her properly, and don’t dawdle. We have a mountain of work to do."
"Okay!"
"We’ll be back."
The two of them put on their coats and stepped outside. The air was chilly, a stark contrast to the warmth inside.
"Thank you for coming with ," Kamibarez whispered, her cheeks flushed.
Simon smiled back. She was always more energetic at night. Ti seed to fly as he listened to her cheerful chatter.
"When the four of us have fun like this, I feel like we grow even more determined."
Simon tilted his head. "Determined?"
"I hate to even imagine it, but if one of us fails the exam and only three are left... I think that would be a real burden on the rest of us."
Simon realized she was talking about herself.
"The happier I am each day, the more I worry that this life might soday be shattered. But at the sa ti, it makes think I need to work even harder. ...Ah, am I rambling?"
Simon smiled gently and shook his head. "I feel the sa way. Let’s make sure we all survive together."
"Okay!"
---
In the end, the four of them stayed up all night. They prepared an air-storage magic circle for breathing, a Jet-Black Torpedo, and a pair of mana-powered flippers invented by Dick. The mont they finished, they all collapsed onto their beds and fell into a sleep so deep it was like passing out. By the ti Simon woke up, the sun was high in the sky. It was noon.
It was the fourth and final day of the Mission Evaluation. Tomorrow, regular classes would resu.
’ow!’
Simon’s eyes fluttered open to the soft insistence of two kittens. A white one was kneading his face with its paws while its black companion batted playfully at his hair.
"Alright, alright," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. His tiny companions had succeeded in waking him. Beside him, Dick was snoring soundly, his arms and legs splayed out in a bizarre, crane-like pose.
"Sorry, were you two hungry?"
Swinging his legs out of bed, Simon was imdiately followed by the scampering kittens. He poured so treats into the food bowl Kamibarez had brought, and they began to gobble them down. After setting a water bowl neatly beside it, he yawned repeatedly while cleaning up the little sses the kittens had made during the night.
’I wonder if the girls are up,’ he mused. Today was the day they planned to test their new black magic at the sea. He padded over to their room and knocked gently on the door.
No response. Not even the sound of breathing. Wary of walking in on sothing awkward, he shielded his eyes with one hand and pushed the door open.
The room was empty. The blankets on the beds were folded with crisp precision.
"Where could they have gone so early?"
Puzzled, Simon stepped out of the room just as he heard footsteps ascending the stairs. A mont later, the door swung open to reveal Kamibarez and irin.
"Simon! Good morning!" Kamibarez chirped.
"What, you’re already up?" irin asked, a little surprised.
Simon returned their greetings. "Where have you been?"
"Just a little shopping," irin replied. "We’re going to the sea today, right?"
"...Is there sothing special we need to buy for that?" he asked, genuinely curious. Having spent his life in the mountain valley of Leshill, the very concept of a trip to the beach was foreign to him.
"There is," irin said with a sly wink, striding into the room. Her eyes scanned the beds, and her expression faltered when she noticed soone was still missing. "Ugh, co on! Get up! You’ve done the least work of all of us!"
The muffled thuds of irin pumling Dick with a pillow followed. Simon simply shrugged and headed for the kitchen to prepare lunch.
’The sea,’ he thought, a hint of anticipation bubbling within him.
---
The currents near Roc Island were notoriously strong, deliberately manipulated by Kizen Headquarters to make it impossible for any unauthorized vessel to approach. Any ship foolish enough to venture too close would be swiftly wrecked and sent to the bottom of the sea. Only a few special undead, like the Nether Whale or the Ancient Undead Talaje, could brave these waters.
However, the eastern coast boasted a calm beach where one could freely enjoy the ocean. The waves and water temperature were perfect, and its sandy shores were packed with students and locals every weekend. Today marked the final day of the Mission Evaluation—what amounted to the students’ only vacation.
"Whoa...!"
Simon’s eyes widened as he took in the beach. It was teeming with people. He saw students swimming and surfing, while others chatted under parasols or tossed balls back and forth.
’But what in the world...’
His eyes darted around, his mind reeling. Boys and girls alike were running about in attire so scant it covered only the bare essentials. For Simon, who had spent his entire life in the mountains, it was a profound culture shock. He felt his face flush just from watching.
"...Simon. This is heaven," Dick declared with the utmost gravity.
"Dick?"
Dick’s expression was more serious than Simon had ever seen it. His gaze was locked on a group of girls in swimsuits.
"We’re coming back after the evaluation is over," he vowed. "And next weekend, too. And the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after the week after that."
"...Get a grip," Simon muttered, though he was just as bewildered. Was this kind of attire normal for a beach? Students his own age were laughing and playing without a hint of sha.
"...I have a question, Dick."
"What is it?" Dick replied, his eyes still fixed straight ahead, only his mouth moving.
"Umm..." Simon hesitated, unable to voice the question. He swallowed, but his curiosity was too strong to contain. "They... they wear underwear under those, right?"
"Of course not, you idiot!" irin shrieked.
’Thwack!’
He was suddenly struck on the back of the head. Clutching the spot, Simon spun around to see irin, her face beet-red, brandishing a parasol pole.
Simon’s face burned even hotter. He had never imagined irin, of all people, would wear one of those swimsuits. At least she had a thin cardigan covering her top.
"Ugh, hey! It’s embarrassing, so stop staring!" irin threatened, swinging the pole like a weapon. Simon quickly leaned back, dodging the clumsy attack.
"...Ahaha, hello." Hiding shyly behind irin, Kamibarez peeked out and gave a little wave. She wore a one-piece swimsuit that suited her so perfectly it was almost breathtaking. In one hand, she held a basket containing the kittens.
’So that’s where they went this morning. They went to buy swimsuits.’
"Oh," Dick said, his eyes raking irin up and down. "You’re actually quite..."
"You utter one more word," irin cut in, her voice dangerously low, "and I’ll report you to the school’s sexual harassnt committee and have you thrown in a cell."
Overwheld by her nacing aura, Dick flinched. "Hey! That’s so harsh. I was actually going to complint you for once..."
"I told you to shut up!"
With a wild swing of the parasol pole, she smacked him on the arm. Dick cried out and collapsed to the sand.
"I’ll take this," Simon said, quickly confiscating the weapon before she could turn Dick into a pulp.
Once she had cald down, irin cleared her throat and addressed her teammates. "Anyway, we’re here today for field practice in black magic! We are ’ab-solutely’ not here to have fun!"
"That’s not very convincing coming from the person who spent her morning buying a bikini..." Dick muttered from the ground.
Without warning, irin fired a blast of ice, freezing Dick’s lower body solid. He thrashed about on the sand, wailing dramatically.
"Whatever. Look over there," she huffed, sweeping her hair back and pointing toward the sea. While so students were there to relax, most were like them, training in the water. Now that the exam’s naval the was public knowledge, everyone was scrambling to prepare for the BMAT. "There are people already ahead of us. Keep that in mind. No one knows if the BMAT is this week or next. This might be our last chance to test our black magic in the sea."
The three of them nodded grimly.
"Then let’s start testing our new magic right now!"
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