[318] One Third (4)
"Sorry. I'm just so upset. I know it's wrong for me—the one who passed—to say this to you…."
"It's fine. I'd feel the same. It's not the only exam, after all. I should be the one apologizing. And I don't think I'll be going to the party."
After the graduation exam, it was the school's tradition for those who passed to gather for a graduation party. Anyone could attend, but failed students had never shown up. There was no reason to appear and dampen the mood of the successful.
"What's the point of some stupid party now? I'm not going either!"
Amy looked at Seriel with fond eyes. Even though she'd been knocked out early, she admired her friend for fighting to the end amid all the chaos and achieving her dream.
"Promise me, Seriel. Go to the party. If you can't enjoy this moment, I won't be happy even if I pass next year. I don't want to steal this once-in-a-lifetime joy from you. Smile proudly for me."
Seriel pressed her lips together and nodded.
For Amy, who had to fight another year, this was everything. She could swallow a little self-reproach for her friend.
"All right. I won't think about anything. I'll enjoy it like there's no tomorrow. So you have to pass next year, okay?"
"Good, that's the spirit. Thanks, Seriel."
A teacher called out from the dim end of the grounds.
"All successful candidates, gather now! There will be a briefing! Hurry! We don't have much time!"
The reality of having passed would sink in only when the morning sun rose. And with the graduation party going on late into the night, there was no better time to get the briefing over with.
"Go on. See you at the graduation."
"All right. You get inside and rest."
Before leaving, Seriel glanced back at Shirone.
She knew Amy was deliberately avoiding Shirone's eyes. So the one who could look after her until the end was Shirone.
Shirone gave a reassuring nod. Only then did Seriel relax, bow to Amy's parents, and hurry to the cluster of successful candidates.
Amy watched her friend's receding figure with a contented look, then let out a long breath.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted. Come on, Mom and Dad, go on home."
"Will you be all right? Want to go out for a bit? I can tell the school it's fine."
"No, it's okay. I'm not the only one who failed—why make such a fuss? It's vacation soon anyway; we'll see each other at home."
Shakora read his daughter's mood and spoke.
"Then we'll be going back. We'll send a carriage on the day of graduation, so rest well today."
"All right. Father, be careful on the way back."
Isis turned away first. She could no longer hold back the tears she'd been holding in.
Shakora, following his wife, looked over at Shirone.
"Shirone."
"Yes. Don't worry. Go on inside."
Shakora sent thanks with his eyes and left. In this situation, parental consolation wouldn't help. It was fortunate Shirone was there.
Left alone with Amy, Shirone said nothing. If she asked, he would answer. If she stayed silent, he would respect that silence.
"Ah! This is driving me insane! I failed again!"
"Damn it! What rotten luck! How many graduation exams do we have to take, anyway!"
Raucous footsteps and loud voices spilled out from the Colosseum. From the sound alone, Shirone knew it was Fermi and his gang.
Seeing Amy, Fermi swung around and strolled over. Even after being eliminated seven times—including this one—he showed no sign of disappointment.
"Well, it's awkward meeting another loser. Don't be too down, little miss. That's life. Same for me. How about—"
Shirone stepped aside and blocked Fermi's path. When a cold look met him, Fermi scratched his head and put on an act.
"You've got a face I'd love to punch. But cut me some slack today. My bones ache because of that little miss there. When the top ranks clash early, it's always like this. My life's a mess, too."
Fermi had prepared an excuse in advance and watched Shirone's reaction. But Shirone said nothing.
So Fermi turned back to Amy.
"Ha! Anyway, Amy, what are you going to—"
Shirone moved to block him again.
This time Fermi didn't back down. For a moment his eyes went ice-cold as he looked down at Shirone with disdain.
Shirone met that gaze with calm indifference. Any words would only hurt Amy. He only hoped Fermi would stay away from her.
"Having a lover sure has its perks. Fine—go enjoy your time together."
Fermi turned and left without hesitation. Rejoining his group, he slung his arm around a comrade and shouted as if the world were ending.
"Let's go! Drink! You miserable lives!"
"Puhahaha! Yeah! Let's drink ourselves to death tonight!"
Shirone glanced at Amy. As if he'd never cared to begin with, Fermi turned his back and stared off into the distance.
"Come on, Amy. I'll walk you back."
"...Okay."
A heavy silence fell between them as they made their way to the graduating dormitory.
Amy, eyes fixed on the ground, frowned and looked up at Shirone.
"Sigh, you're hopeless. Hey!"
"Hm?"
"Why've you been so down since earlier? You're making me feel weird too. If you've got something to say, say it. What are you so annoyed about?"
"I don't really have anything to say."
"Exactly. I just failed the graduation exam. I'm not the only one in the world who failed, and even if it were just me, my life isn't over. So why do you have to be so gloomy?"
Hearing Amy say that, Shirone found a little courage.
"Haha, you're right. Anyway, I get another chance, don't I?"
"Hmph. You should be grateful. I'm never making the same mistake again."
"One mistake is the foundation of growth, two mistakes are the family's shame?"
"Obviously. And tell your dumb friends that clearly. Next year's graduating class is going to be brutal. I'll crush them from the start."
To Shirone, Amy's words sounded like this: tell them you're sorry for disappointing them.
But she needn't worry. Naid and Iruki were sure Amy would make a comeback.
They fell back into their usual chatter and reached the dorm. Even though she'd failed, the year's pressure lifting felt freeing.
"Haah, I'm beat. I'm going to wash up and sleep."
"Yeah, don't think about anything today and rest."
"Okay. See you tomorrow. Thanks for walking me back."
Tired, Amy said goodbye to Shirone and went inside. The hallway air felt different from that morning—there was a strange chill.
As soon as Amy shut her door, she sighed. No matter how tired she was, she'd sweated a lot and needed to wash.
But her steps to the shower stalled. Clear tears slid down her cheeks.
"Sniff! Huh…!"
She was furious.
So furious she could die.
Why me? A third of the class passed, ten people I studied with became mages—so why was I the only one who didn't?
My condition was perfect—so why am I still stuck at school? Why do I have to go through this hellish year again?
Amy collapsed on the bed and clutched the blanket. She couldn't stop her face from crumpling.
"Waaah… waaahhh!"
Shirone loosened his grip on the doorknob and leaned his back against the wall. It seemed he wouldn't be able to see her again tonight.
"Waaah… waaahhh…"
Amy's sobs were ragged, as if she might stop breathing.
"...."
Shirone simply stared at the ceiling with deep eyes and stayed there for a long time.
* * *
Long after lights-out, a lamp still burned in the Alpheas annex. Olivia's angry voice leaked out the window.
"Does this make any sense? How were the students managed at all?"
Olivia, who'd overseen Alpheas School of Magic's graduation exam for the first time, was in shock. As soon as the exam ended she'd scoured the records room, checking each student's profile in detail.
"These kids here!"
Olivia shook the profiles and threw them onto the table where Alpheas sat.
The papers fanned out and a few students' names were revealed.
Fermi's clique.
Alpheas glanced at the profiles, then spoke as if unconcerned.
"Calm down. The exam's over. It's final, and there's no reason to overturn it."
"Why is there no reason? The participants colluded!"
"Collusion can be part of a tactic. Situational judgment is also an important combat factor."
"Who doesn't know that? The issue is collusion that has nothing to do with tactical flow. They formed teams before the exam even began. Why? What could they possibly gain from that?"
Alpheas had no answer. This had happened every year since Fermi entered the graduating class.
In a battle-royale format, there's no clear advantage to taking out a specific target. Stranger still, they themselves eventually end up eliminated.
"The graduation exam isn't just the school's affair. It's a state certification. Tactical flow aside, a teacher's personal judgment can't be used to change the passing criteria."
Olivia scoffed.
"Do you think I'm blind? Fermi didn't show half his skill in this exam. He's the sort who could already be a pro. Is it believable that someone who could graduate instantly from the Royal School of Magic has failed to pass for six years?"
"So we just graduate Fermi? Then what's the point of the graduation exam? That would only provoke the students."
Olivia paced in frustration and collapsed onto the sofa.
"I don't understand. Why won't he graduate? What's so great about staying at the school?"
"They said it's profitable," Alpheas replied.
Olivia shot up.
"That's a diploma broker! If you take money to grant graduation, that's not just a school-level punishment. That's a crime against the state."
"I ran a background check. There's nothing. No money trail at all."
Olivia rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought.
If there's no record of bribery, it's a non-case—but the suspicion suggests something else might be going on.
"Fermi is… an irregular, right?"
Alpheas nodded.
"Probably. I don't know exactly how it's profitable, but if he's outside the regulations, it's hard to probe. Unless Fermi himself casts something. But I've never seen him do that in seven graduation exams."
"Then shouldn't we start there? Whether it's taking money or getting payment through magic, it's the same. No one knows, but honestly, Sanuel didn't look good today either. But he passed. That seat should have gone to Amy."
"I had the same thought. But it's only speculation without anyone to back it up. Without solid evidence, we can't act. If we open an investigation and it turns out otherwise—what noble family would stand by if their child were accused of a crime?"
Olivia leaned back on the sofa and pressed the heat from her head with her palm.
"So what are we going to do? Do you have any plan?"
"No. As every year, we held the graduation exam, and the successful candidates become mages. Whether there was bribery or not, that fact doesn't change."
"But we can't say the skills were measured accurately."
"Do you really think that?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"