While Knox was lost in thought, someone called out to him.
"Knox! Over here!"
He looked up to see Cindy waving enthusiastically. Beside her, Claudia also waved with a gentle smile. Merida, meanwhile, was still slumped over the table, her head firmly glued to it.
Knox walked over and took a seat beside them.
"Hm," he said lightly, glancing around the chaotic classroom. "Being able to sit down and relax in the middle of all this… we're pretty fortunate."
Cindy nodded vigorously. "Right? Thank goodness we formed our group before the results were posted!"
Claudia adjusted her posture and added, "Honestly, if you hadn't joined a group yet, Knox, I can already imagine you getting completely surrounded."
Knox smiled. "Well, I do have experience being surrounded." He shrugged casually. "Compared to being swarmed by my readers, I'd still rather be surrounded by students trying to recruit me."
Cindy blinked. "…Just how many readers are we talking about, for you to prefer this?"
Knox tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Hm… at least twice the size of this classroom."
Cindy and Claudia froze.
Then they slowly turned to look at Knox—
Not with admiration. But with pity.
While Knox, Claudia, Cindy, and a still-sleeping Merida chatted leisurely, Simon and Rick were still struggling to recruit members and form their group.
The plan is simple, Simon thought.
Rick goes straight for our top pick. Meanwhile, Simon himself moved to secure their second priority target.
Unfortunately, she was already deep in conversation with two other students. Judging by her animated expression, she had most likely been swayed already.
The third priority—a Katarology student named Rosental—was actively recruiting others as a team leader.
The fourth, a Haematology student named Katherine, was currently being persuaded by Rosental as well.
Teams were forming left and right in the blink of an eye.
This won't do.
Rick, who had gone to recruit their top pick, was clearly struggling as well.
Thanks to the test results, students with good grades had suddenly acquired a form of power. They wanted to build teams centered around themselves.
And because everyone was prioritizing the Big Three Majors—Katarology, Darkness Dynamics, and Summonology—the Katarology students were being snatched up at an alarming pace.
This was a crisis.
Failing to secure a Katarology student would leave a massive gap, especially given its heavy grading weight.
Stay calm.
Simon forced down the anxiety creeping up his spine and began analyzing the situation rationally.
It's still early.
This isn't the phase of careful evaluation yet. Because of the time limit, everyone's rushing. As long as someone's from a different major or has similar scores, they're grouping up without much thought.
Average scorers are forming teams the fastest. Top scorers—aside from Knox's group—are still observing.
In that case… what I need to do now is—
Suddenly, a conversation from the dorm replayed in Simon's mind.
Knox had been leaning back in his chair, speaking as if it were nothing.
"Simon, if you're still struggling to find a good member…"
"Why not seriously consider recruiting Meilyn?"
At the time, Simon had thought it was absurd.
And yet—
"If you're going to gamble," Knox had added with a light smile,
"gamble all the way."
Simon stopped. Then, he made up his mind.
Amidst dozens of students engaged in noisy negotiations, Simon walked forward with steady steps.
A few people tried to talk to him, but he politely declined, promising to speak later.
He had only one target.
Found her.
She finally came into view.
Unlike the others rushing around, she looked as though she belonged to a different world.
Arms crossed. Legs neatly folded. Seated calmly, observing the chaos with detached eyes.
Students kept glancing her way, yet none dared approach.
Naturally. Trying to convince her to join a team with an average score of sixty to seventy was practically suicide.
Simon broke through that hesitation.
At last, he stood before her.
"Meilyn Villenne."
Class A's top student.
First place in the written entrance exam across the entire academy.
And the only student to score above ninety in every subject on this test.
"I want you to join my group."
From the very start, Simon aimed for the very top.
Murmurs spread among the nearby students as they noticed who he was approaching.
"Hey—hey, Simon!" Rick forced his way through the crowd, silently mouthing the word reckless.
The reason Meilyn hadn't been their first target was simple:
Rick had deemed her impossible to recruit—despite Knox's recommendation.
Simon subtly raised a hand.
Leave this to me.
"…Ridiculous." Her glacier-cold eyes swept over Simon.
"Do you think being a special entry makes you someone?"
Her voice was sharp, like a freezing wind. "Special entry just means connections, doesn't it?" she continued coolly.
"I only believe in what I can see—clear, measurable numbers."
She didn't stop there. "Especially when you compare yourself to the other Special Entry No.1—Knox Aznable."
Her gaze hardened. "The difference between you and him is like heaven and earth. What gives you the right to speak to me like this?"
A firm, defensive stance.
"And sorry," she concluded flatly, "but someone with a thirty-point average just isn't it."
A final blow of cold, merciless reality.
Simon endured it in silence. Because the real negotiation had only just begun.
First, he threw out the bait.
"You're weak in Summonology," he said calmly. "Eighty-five."
Her eyebrow twitched. Summonology was Meilyn's only subject in the eighties—and her sore spot.
Still, she fired back without hesitation. "And are you in any position to say that?" she retorted.
"No matter what, my Summonology score is still higher than yours."
Simon inhaled slowly. "I know," he replied.
"Honestly… the reason I approached you is because Knox suggested I do so—long before this class even started."
Meilyn froze. She looked genuinely surprised.
In truth, she had felt sour—annoyed—when she saw Knox already settled into a group. A mess of emotions had churned in her chest.
But hearing that Knox had recommended her from the beginning eased that bitterness, even if only slightly.
Hmph. Even if you praise me…
I'll still write this grudge down, Knox Aznable.
If Eula Lawrence had been there, she would've given Meilyn a firm thumbs-up—
followed immediately by a correction and a lecture on how to properly hold a grudge.
Simon took a deep breath.
"I promise you."
"…?"
"In one month," Simon said calmly, "I'll surpass you in Summonology."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. Meilyn's pupils dilated sharply.
From a short distance away, Knox watched the unfolding drama with clear interest. Then—
"HAHAHA!"
His laughter rang out without restraint.
Beside him, Claudia and Cindy could only stare at Simon's audacity in stunned silence.
"Are you insane?" Meilyn snapped. "Anyone can talk big like that—!"
"If I don't surpass you," Simon cut her off, his voice steady.
"I'll leave Kizen."
The declaration hit like a thunderbolt. Gasps erupted from every corner of the room.
A Special Entry No.1—voluntarily withdrawing?
Such a thing had never happened in Kizen's history.
Meilyn let out a scoffing laugh, but the corner of her lips trembled ever so slightly.
"You're completely crazy," she said. "Cancel that promise now, unless you want to humiliate yourself."
"I'm only saying what I know I can do," Simon replied.
Calm. Certain.
"…."
Meilyn bit her lower lip.
Somewhere along the way, Simon had seized control of the conversation.
"You'll surpass me?" she muttered. "How arrogant."
Her gaze drifted briefly to Hector among the watching students—
Then to Knox.
But beneath the tension, Meilyn was calculating.
She had to keep up with Knox—
while also maintaining her position at the top of Class A throughout the first semester.
Her greatest obstacle?
Excluding Knox—the devil himself.
Strong in practice. Now proven to be monstrous on paper as well. Strength and intellect combined.
When the gap between people was reachable, jealousy brewed. But when the gap became abnormal, jealousy faded into resignation.
Setting Knox aside, the next threat was Hector.
He had scored well on the written test—and more importantly, he excelled even more in practice. With practical evaluations and duels approaching, he could very well overtake her.
Then I have to dominate the group project phase completely.
That was when another issue surfaced.
Hector had scored 88 in Summonology. Out of all eight subjects, it was the only one Meilyn had ever lost to him—even on paper.
That was precisely why she had intended to secure a Summonology ace for her group.
But Hector had already moved first.
He had successfully recruited another top Summonology student, Pierre Buckley, someone who scored in the 90s.
Everyone else in Summonology?
Average.
Not far ahead of Meilyn. Not far behind either.
In that case…
…Simon Polentia.
Despite having no preparatory study, Simon had clearly outperformed Hector during their first Summonology class.
Like many others in Class A, Meilyn had been quietly impressed.
She stood at a crossroads.
Play it safe—
or gamble on the joker who had already beaten Hector head-on?
Viewed from that angle, Simon's declaration wasn't mere bravado.
It was a calculated strike.
"…Haa."
After a long moment, Meilyn uncrossed her legs and stood.
"That promise," she said quietly. "You'll really keep it?"
Simon smiled gently and extended his hand. "I will. No matter what."
After a brief hesitation, she took it.
Then—
"Wow. Congratulations~"
Knox appeared out of nowhere.
Both Simon and Meilyn flinched.
Meilyn turned sharply. "What are you doing here?"
"Hiss, what a cold response~" Knox sighed theatrically. "I'm hurt."
Simon watched him warily, already bracing himself for whatever nonsense would follow.
"Relax," Knox continued. "I'm just here to help my stupid, reckless, summoning-obsessed friend."
Simon stared at him. You could've stopped at one insult...
"Help?" Meilyn asked. "Are you here to make me cancel his promise?"
Knox shook his head. "Nope. I'm here to make sure you won't regret joining his group."
Meilyn was about to ask—
But Knox spoke first.
"How about I help you get stronger?"
"Specifically… by developing your real specialty magic, instead of the one you're forcing yourself to use right now~?"
Meilyn froze. She understood exactly what he meant.
"…Are you serious?" she asked quietly.
Knox nodded with a smile. "One hundred percent."
She exhaled slowly.
"I don't know how you know that," she said. "I'll ask later. But… I accept."
This time, it was Meilyn who extended her hand. To Knox.
He took it without hesitation and shook it.
At that moment—
The most coveted student in Class A, second only to Knox himself—
The only student to score over ninety in every subject—
Meilyn Villenne—
Officially joined Simon's group.