“Classmate Parenoa Kolo… from Class B, first place?”
Cass remembered now.
He had seen her during the entrance exam. To be more precise, he had admired her performance during the testing phase.
“So you know me. I’m honored,” she said.
“During the entrance exam, you manipulated a stream of water to kill the test monster in a single one-hit kill. Your movements were so elegant and light, and your control over Magic was so precise and stable… I’ve always remembered that scene.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Even though Parenoa smiled sweetly, Cass instinctively felt it was just her social etiquette.
“Do you like watching movies, Cass?”
“I’m, uh, so-so. I just come out to watch when there’s something I like.”
He mainly watched theatrical anime films.
“Movies… they’re truly wonderful,” Parenoa remarked, her tone honest and earnest.
“Without even leaving your house, you can experience all walks of life and feel the splendor of the world through a tiny screen.”
Beside her, Lorin wore a complex expression, her eyes revealing a hint of heartache and sorrow.
“Ah, I’m… I’m watching this one…”
Cass scratched his cheek and held up his movie ticket.
“Oh… Light Pretty Cure.”
“I know it’s a bit childish, but I just like watching this kind of stuff.”
“Not at all, Cass.”
Parenoa shook her head, her voice gentle and affirming.
“As long as it’s a movie you like, it’s a good movie. There’s no such thing as childish or not.”
“Really? You think so too?”
‘She really is a good girl.’
Having his own interests validated made Cass feel that Parenoa was very approachable.
“However, I didn’t expect Classmate Parenoa to like this kind of B-movie.”
“Oh? Have you seen this one?”
“No, I’ve only seen the trailer.”
“I see…”
Parenoa smiled, but Cass felt she seemed a little disappointed.
“It’s made by a director I like. His cinematography and camera work for scenes involving dismemberment and cruelty are fantastic. With his talent, a commercial film would definitely be a hit, but he’s always followed his personal tastes to make gory B-movies. If I think it’s good after watching it, I’ll recommend it to you.”
“Ah, okay.”
Hearing a sweet-looking girl like Parenoa talk about “dismemberment,” “cruelty,” and “gore” made Cass feel quite uneasy and conflicted.
Then again, he was a guy in high school here to see Light Pretty Cure as a big brother figure, so he wasn’t exactly in a position to judge…
“I originally wanted to talk to you at school, but since we happened to run into each other today and we’re having such a pleasant chat, I’ll ask you now.”
Halfway through Parenoa’s sentence, Lorin took a document envelope out of her bag and handed it to Cass.
‘For me?’
“Can I… open it and look?”
“Of course.”
Parenoa made a “please” gesture.
Cass opened the envelope and found two sheets of paper inside.
The content was — “A transfer… application?!”
It was an application to transfer to Class B.
At the bottom, the name of the Class B Homeroom Teacher, Lielman Aluzolun, was already written, along with the school’s official approval stamp.
One could say that as long as he filled in his personal information, he would be a student of Class B the very next day.
Class placement was determined by a distribution based on things like one’s Lv at enrollment, Magic capacity, simulation battle results, actual combat performance, written exams, interviews, and middle school evaluations.
Going from Class F to Class B was a three-tier jump.
Moving to a higher-tier class meant coming into contact with more powerful people, which was beneficial for improving one’s strength.
It also made it easier to be selected by a Frontline Raid Group upon graduation.
“I am inviting you. Cass Benor, I not only hope you can join Class B, but I also hope you can join my team.”
“Yours? Your personal team, Parenoa?”
“Of course. I heard about the duel that day from Lorin. The fastest duel record in history.”
“That… well…”
Cass wore a troubled expression.
If Siloque hadn’t taken him to level up and helped him get the Wraithblade, there was no way he could have one-shot his opponent.
Because of that, Cass never bragged about it, and he felt guilty whenever someone brought it up.
“With your strength, you can definitely obtain better resources and treatment,” Parenoa said in a gentle tone.
Her smile at this moment reminded Cass of Vitoris for some reason.
“Ah, speaking of which, this one is an invitation for me, so the remaining one is…”
“Don’t you have a good friend named Siloque Dasvey? Please give it to him for me. Of course, my primary invitation is for you.”
‘Siloque?’
‘As an afterthought?’
‘Why did his name suddenly come up?’
His brain was half a beat slow.
Cass couldn’t think of a reason why Siloque’s name would come out of Parenoa’s mouth.
“…My Lv isn’t suitable for your class, is it? I remember at the start of the term, rumors said the minimum Lv to enter your class was Lv 20.”
By now, Parenoa’s Lv would surely be higher than his, not lower.
“Lv and things like that aren’t hard to raise. Our team is currently exploring the Third Floor, and we recently received a Dungeon Task for the Fourth Floor. However, the Fourth Floor is still too dangerous. I plan to prepare well and tackle that task seriously next year.”
“The Fourth Floor? That’s amazing.”
Cass was sincerely impressed.
‘Is she recruiting because she plans to challenge high difficulties?’
Her aura didn’t seem like someone who snuck resources to raise their Lv like he and Siloque did.
Her strength had to be legitimate.
Parenoa shook her head modestly.
“It was Lorin who discovered a good Scraping Point and picked up the task along the way. She’s really wonderful.”
She smiled at Lorin, who only gave a slight nod.
“After you two come over, you can go to the high-level areas with us to grind monsters. I will arrange the personnel to ensure safety while achieving a fast Upgrade.”
“Thank you, I understand that. Anyway, the reason for seeking me out is clear, but why Siloque as well?”
In his impression, Siloque didn’t like standing out at school.
His most famous trait was that outrageous nickname, “Goblin Slayer.”
Basically, everyone in school perceived Siloque as a “weird girl in men’s clothes who is very weak.”
Moreover, Siloque didn’t like being seen with him at school, so why on earth did Parenoa notice him…
‘Beiren.’
Cass thought of that name.
‘That’s right! Siloque is already two-timing, so it’s not impossible for him to get his hands on Parenoa too!’
‘44444… a 4P?’
“Oh? Cass, you’re literally steaming. How are you doing that?”
“Ah, no! It’s nothing, nothing!”
Parenoa asked jokingly while Lorin looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Cass hurried to stop his drifting thoughts.
These things hadn’t been confirmed.
Besides, Parenoa was the petite type, not the older-sister type Siloque liked.
‘Why am I putting pressure on myself?’
“Uh, so why did Classmate Parenoa seek out Siloque?”
Parenoa paused for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and gave a slight smile.
“Because—”
An announcement came over the speakers —
“Customers for the 7:50 PM screening of Human Skin Hotel in Theater 3 may now have their tickets checked. Admission begins five minutes early. The film is quite long, so you may purchase popcorn and other snacks and drinks at the front desk…”
Parenoa looked at Lorin.
As Lorin stood up, she followed suit.
“What a shame. I’m sorry, let’s chat next time.”
“Ah, about that…”
Parenoa looked directly into Cass’s eyes.
“Cass, there’s no need to rush your answer. Please think it over carefully. You can submit these forms to your Principal Priest Priss anytime before the end of the month. Well then, we’ll be going. Bye-bye.”
Leaving behind those words and a delicate smile, Parenoa left with Lorin, the scent of oleander lingering in the air.
“Lorin, you don’t like horror movies, do you? It’s okay if you don’t watch it. You don’t have to force yourself.”
“No, I really want to watch it…”
They walked away chatting.
Judging by Lorin’s conflicted, sweating profile, she was actually terrified of horror movies.
The questions came to an abrupt halt.
Cass stared silently at the two forms on the table.
He tucked them into his Ring Chart for now.
His own movie was about to start too.
***
Monday, May 17.
The curtains swayed with the spring breeze.
The flipped edges of the fabric revealed cirrocumulus clouds dyed in apricot yellow as the cool morning breeze blew through a window opened just a crack.
On the podium, the Teacher was scribbling on the whiteboard.
The slight friction of the marker, combined with his monotonous, rhythm-less lecture, created a perfect hypnotic effect.
The students below were mostly half-asleep, their heads drooping.
This made Siloque, with his clear and bright eyes, an outlier.
He had a textbook propped up on his desk for show, with a mountain of books piled at the edge.
The desk that had been carved with words last month had been replaced.
He was currently focused on taking notes on the projected screen of his Ring Chart.
Or so it seemed.
One couldn’t say the content of his notes had absolutely nothing to do with the class; one could only say they were completely unrelated.
Dense text accompanied by illustrations that others wouldn’t understand — he was currently perfecting his plan.
Just as he was writing furiously, wondering whether ‘Alchemy could directly generate delicious food,’ a voice called out.
“Siloque Dasvey.”
“?”
He looked up to see the old teacher, Godlo, who had a male-pattern baldness look, calling his name.
“Please answer this question.”
Godlo tapped the whiteboard where half of the lesson was written, while the other half remained blank.