Chapter 39: Chapter 39:Midterms[1]
Irene's laughter died down instantly, replaced with an unreadable expression. Irene knew it was unreasonable for her to be angry at the student council president or Lily for not getting chosen, but she still couldn't stop the anger from forming and taking root in her heart.
Ignoring the frozen Lily and the awkward atmosphere, Astrid walked out of the room without saying anything further.
After a moment, Lily seemed to regain her composure, so she turned to Irene and said.
"Ah, maybe a spot will open up eventually..."
Lily was going to make a spot if not. Throughout the entire book, Irene's transformation into an antagonist was the most tragic, and Lily was willing to do anything to stop it.
Ignoring Lily's words, Irene glanced around the room. Everyone besides her was on the student council...
Was she not good enough? What made her different from the others? Ever since she was young, she was renowned as a prodigy and top of the magical world, yet she wasn't good enough for some stupid student council?
Worst of all, the first people she could confidently call her friends were all chosen while she was left out.
Kevin and Lily would be together... and Liam and Alya... and she would just be alone.
Liam was oblivious to the whole situation as he had no idea Irene was the person Lily was going to refer to the council, and Alya kept silent as she had figured out the situation.
Saying anything further to Irene would just make the situation worse.
In contrast to her normal cocky and arrogant attitude, Irene had her head down as she waved goodbye before leaving the room.
...
...
...
After taking a shower, I changed into the only clothes I had left, a suit that the original Ren had worn to the academy entrance ceremony.
Adorned with a red tie, a black blazer with the academy emblem, and a white collared shit, I headed out of my room.
Outside the dorm building, I met up with Jin and Han, who were uncharacteristically serious. Their postures were perfect, and this was the first time I had seen them in formal clothes.
Leading the two, I headed into the forest where Alya's kidnapping had originally taken place and walked forward for 2 minutes before abruptly turning right.
Next, I continued walking right until I spotted a trunk with a circle drawn on it, and then I abruptly made another right.
After walking in that direction for a few more minutes, I stopped in front of a tree trunk with a checkmark on it.
Behind me, Jin and Han, who were silent the entire journey, finally spoke.
"Are we here?"
After giving them a nod, the two stepped up beside me and waited patiently.
*WHISH*
As the breeze suddenly came in harder than usual, pushing back my hair, I blinked for a second from the sudden wind.
When I reopened my eyes, I saw a figure standing with a black robe that stretched all the way down to the floor and covered their face.
A 3rd Year at the academy.
"Did you come here for THAT?"
Nodding my head, I gestured to Han and Jin, who each pulled out a pouch half filled with gold coins.
I didn't have to pay anything as I was the one who referred Han and Jin as customers to this person.
One of Liam's friends suggested this person to Liam later in the book when he was having trouble with his studies, but he, of course, refused due to his righteous personality.
As Han and Jin stepped forward to hand over the pouches, I used my eyes to peer through the robe to see the unknown person's face.
I don't recognize him... so he's not a named character.
Only the method of contacting him was mentioned in the book, so his identity and other stuff were unknown to me.
While I scrutinized his face, the robed figure pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Han.
Then, the breeze once again hit harder than usual, causing me to shut my eyes involuntarily. When I reopened them, the robed figure had disappeared.
As soon as Han and Jin returned to my side, I grabbed the paper. A wide smile appeared across my face as I read the first line on the paper.
[Midterm Exam 05/23/22]
The exam answers from last year.
Although this year's midterm exam will surely differ from last year's, the concept remains the same.
Stepping away from Han and Jin, I flipped through the 10-page packet of paper, using my enhanced eyesight to memorize every concept, formula, and pattern from each problem.
Would this be enough to pass the midterm? Hopefully!
During exams, we are all put into separate mini-rooms, so I can't even cheat by using my eyes to see others' papers.
After completing my memorization, I handed the paper back to the confused Han and Jin before departing.
Next week was the first set of Exams, so everyone was studying right now. The academy was relatively silent, so I enjoyed the serenity while I walked back to my dorm room.
The next morning, I woke up begrudgingly. Despite midterms being next week, the school still held classes, but at least most of the professors had decided to give students free time to study during class.
Opening the sliding door to the class, I noticed that Alya was all patched up from yesterday's fight before heading to my usual seat where Han and Jin stood.
Han and Jin were in quite a precarious situation. Their parents had told them that if they didn't receive above a 60 on all the midterm exams, they would be financially cut off.
Maybe they could be Raven's assistants..?
Nah, they're too stupid.
Ignoring the two desperately cramming notes beside me, I pulled out my smartwatch and awaited the bell.
After the bell rang, the sliding door opened, and our homeroom teacher, Zia, walked up to the podium with a briefcase, causing murmurs to spring out across the room.
"Is she actually teaching today???"
"Really, we have exams next week, and she's still trying to teach us new things???"
"Leave it to Professor Zia to pull some stupid shit like this..."
Noticing the murmurs antagonizing her, Zia immediately cleared her throat before clarifying.
"Today will be a free-study session."
Sighs of relief sprung out all across the room, especially from my sides.
Why are these idiots acting like they're going to study? Within 10 minutes, they'll be on their phones, completely forgetting about the midterms next week.
Ignoring them, I turned back to the teacher as she was waiting for the murmurs to die down once again.
" *ahem,* Although it is unorthodox for the middle of the school year, we have a transfer student."
Jerking back in shock, I almost fell out of my chair but managed to stabilize myself at the last second.
Both Jin and Han were busy taking notes, so they didn't even notice the teacher's words of a transfer student, let alone me almost falling out of my chair.
What?
Did something like this happen in the book? It has over 1,000 chapters, so give me a break if I can't remember a simple transfer student.
Glancing at Lily, she seemed just as shocked as I was. So, then, Lily didn't cause the transfer of this student? Then, did she just forget it from the book as well, or did I cause it?
Also, transferring right before midterms...? They must have aced the entrance test and impressed the recruiters for the academy to be allowed in now. Maybe, with the academy's reputation declining due to the Alya kidnapping, they wanted to recruit a prestigious student?
Adjusting my slumping posture into an upright one, I curiously awaited the teacher's next words.
"Everyone, please welcome her kindly and respectfully. Scarlett, you may come in."
In walked a girl with elegant black hair tied up in a ponytail that went all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were also black, complimentary to her jet-black hair; however, something seemed off about them.
Maybe she's wearing contacts?
Adorned in a red skirt and a black blazer, the girl named Scarlett walked to the podium where the teacher was before turning to us and bowing down.
Despite midterms being next week, the boys in the classroom now seemed more focused on Scarlett, who was a mysterious transfer student who also rivaled Lily, Alya, and Irene in the looks department.
"Nice to meet you all; I'm Scarlett! I hope you'll take care of me for the rest of our time at the academy, and I look forward to having fun!"
At her words, Jin and Han rose from the notebooks and directed their gazes at Scarlett, who was walking to an empty seat in the center of the classroom.
Nudging my shoulder, Jin quietly asked.
"Oi Ren, who is she? A visitor or something? Wait, you think she has a boyfriend?"
Sighing, I responded.
"What about that girl you were talking about yesterday? Did you forget about her already? You specifically said, 'O-oh, she was the girl of my dreams!' "
Beside me, I heard Han chuckling, but Jin seemed unperturbed by my taunt and still pressed for an answer, so I continued.
"The teacher just announced she's a transfer student named Scarlett. No idea about the last part."
Following Jin's gaze, I also stared at Scarlett, who was taking her pencil out of her backpack. Her slender white arm reached into her backpack and came back out with a pencil, revealing her hands.
Feeling an odd sensation, I stared at her hands, which were holding a pencil for a bit longer, confirming the feeling.
... A feeling of familiarity.
Similar to how I can memorize concepts and formulas with my eyes, I can also recall people's faces and their body parts, even through disguises. For some reason, I could recall Scarlett's hands...
I don't just memorize or keep anything stored in my eyes, so for Scarlett's hands to be familiar, I must have at least touched them before, or they must have been memorable.
Contacts, oh right, she was wearing contacts!
Realizing that her contacts might be a clue, I tried to get a closer look at her face, but since she sat in front of me, only part of her face was visible.
Well, I can wait.
After watching Scarlett sit down, the teacher continued while pointing at Lily, who was sitting right in front of Scarlett.
"Scarlett, since you're new, I'll have someone show you around. Lily, here, is on the student council, so she can answer your questions and guide you through the school."
Turning around to face Scarlett, Lily extended her hand for a handshake; however, Scarlett completely ignored her and spoke directly to the teacher.
"Ah would it ok if I have someone more familiar show me around?"
It would make sense for her to know people in the academy; she definitely had to pull some strings to transfer in at this time.
Maybe Alya, Irene, or Kevin? Those 3 have the political power to make the academy accept a transfer student.
Shushing the murmurs around the classroom, Zia curiously spoke directly to Scarlett.
"Oh, you know someone in the class? I'll need their name if they're going to show you around."
At this point, the curiosity of everyone in the classroom, including me, was at its peak, so the classroom went silent and stared at Scarlett.
As Scarlett turned around, I immediately used the opportunity and activated my eyes to peer through her contact lenses.
Her eyes weren't black; they were red, blood-red...
Blood-red eyes, glossy black hair, a multitude of connections, and finally, a familiar set of hands.
...It couldn't be right...?
Suddenly, I recalled a memory of someone with those exact features telling me something.
"I'll see around a lot more often now, Ren...!"
...Ruby.
A mortified expression appeared on my face as Ruby turned directly in my direction before saying with a smile.
"Ren, you'll show me around, won't you?"
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com