I hurry into the research lab building at the edge of the campus and make a beeline to the lab room in search of the very short woman.
“What the hell?!” I wail.
“Why are you asking me? You could’ve just asked the headmistress to clarify.”
“Talking with her for too long might lead me to a conversation I’ll regret.”
Professor Tear cracks up in my face.
“The hell are you laughing at?”
This isn’t funny to me.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m sincerely impressed by how you’ve come to understand the headmistress’s nature on such an instinctive level. Yup, good judgment. Had you argued with her on the spot, she most certainly wouldn’t have allowed you to team up with Charlotte.”
Professor Tear starts preparing tea for us to sit down for a talk.
I flump down on the sofa, trying to regain my composure.
She sets down the cups of black tea. Smells great.
The professor begins, “First of all, let’s talk about the Four Knights Match of the Schoolwide Standardized Magic Proficiency Exam.”
She sits across from me and takes a sip of her tea.
“The official name of the match is Magic Squad Battle Simulation Exam. Four people in a team, and the teams compete in a single knockout tournament to the top. Magic attacks are limited to non-lethal spells, since the participants are all teens. The administration is very careful about safety. If you ask me, why even have a battle exam if they’re going to be coddled like that?”
I should take her opinions with a grain of salt.
“Magic spells that are tricky to maneuver or large in scale won’t be used in this game. There’s a different game specifically for those.”
She takes another sip before continuing, “What they want to see is your skill as a magic knight. Your situational judgment and ability to cooperate as a team player. For instance, which magic you choose to conjure at what moment in the game, how fast, how many shots. Is the team leader’s instruction accurate and comprehensible? Is it too vague or too detailed? Are the team members fulfilling their roles and understanding the instructions? Are they acting accordingly? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera…”
“That’s a lot.”
“All to evaluate the skills of this kingdom’s future military leaders. That’s why this game is the most popular among the exams─it’s the main attraction.”
In other words, it’s a pain in the ass.
“In other words, you’re not suited for this game,” she says.
“Rude.”
But the more I listen to her, the more I see how unfeasible a task it is for a shut-in like me.
“Not in a bad way,” the professor notes. “On an individual level, you’re already a master. Even if you were to team up with other members, you wouldn’t even see them as a burden. At best, they’re a bunch of scarecrows.”
Again, rude. This teacher is seriously missing a human soul.
I wish she’d tell me why Char and I can’t be on the same team already.
“Now,” she starts, “since you’re looking utterly bored at the preface I just presented, I will get to the point.”
Stop reading my mind.
“Team members are drafted through a random lottery. But it’s not completely random.”
The professor takes a pause before starting again.
“Among sorcerers, there are those who are proficient at things like mid- and long-range magic or assisting. There are irregulars like the ones who just want to dive headfirst to the front line. On top of that, there are people who possess one or more of these traits─the all-around skilled fighters.”
“I see, I see. So the students are sorted into categories and selected out of those to form a well-balanced team.”
“Yup. You’re quick to grasp the point when you’re presented with all the facts in order.”
So you’re saying I jump to conclusions when I’m not given the facts in order. Well, excuse me.
“Jumping to conclusions is one of your advantages, I think,” says Professor Tear.
Did I let my thoughts show on my face again?
“Now, because this is a team tournament, the leader must be decided first. Typically, it’s the all-around skilled fighter who’d be chosen for this role, but other factors are considered, so it’s not necessarily a requirement. The next to be selected are the players who are good at assisting.”
At this point, only two more to go.
“The remaining two members are purely offense. The mid- and long-range shooters and close combatants are all mixed together and then selected at random.”
There’s a chance you’ll end up with an unbalanced team, but apparently, it’s permissible because it could happen in actual combat.
I ask, “Char’s either the all-around type or the mid- or long-range type. And what about me?”
“Both you and Char are determined to be in the all-around category. You demonstrated efficiency in both the Magical Martial Arts and Shooting classes. You’re even capable at assist-specific skills like conjuring a durable defensive wall. Furthermore, your grades are exceptionally high. You’d definitely be thrown in the leader pool.”
She makes her point loud and clear.
Well, Char can do pretty much everything except healing magic. And even that can be aided with my magic items.
“So you’re saying that since we’re both sorted in the leader category, there’s no way we can be on the same team no matter how I try to cheat it. Ugh…” I let out a sigh.
Oops, I didn’t mean to be so negative.
But seriously, I’m at my wit’s end.
I figured the random lottery would be a “draw the names out of a hat” type of situation, so I was fully expecting to be able to cheat my way through.
I’ve been successfully sneaking my way around all this time, and even slipping past the challenging Ms. Zero Tolerance for Any Kind of Dishonesty.
“And there you have it,” says Professor Tear. “Had you been having this conversation with the headmistress, you would’ve given up with your tail between your legs, just like you are now.”
I don’t like the way she just said that, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel a flicker of hope.
“Are you saying there’s another way?”
“A rather easy way.”
Again, Professor Tear takes a moment to sip her tea. She’s probably trying to give me some time to think.
So I do.
…And the solution turns out to be pretty simple.
“I’m a mid- to long-range shooter type. If I absolutely have to, I’ll engage in close combat─which I’m not good at. Since I’m the self-serving lone wolf type, there’s no way I can handle giving orders to a team…”
“Ah, I’m impressed. You spew bullshit like your heart pumps blood.”
She deems me as some sort of natural born bullshitter─so natural that it’s beyond breathing; it’s an involuntary reflex. I’m not happy, but it is a proud moment.
“All right, then,” I declare. “I’ll head right over to the headmistress to advertise myself─”
“Hold it right there.”
Why are you stopping me?
“The headmistress would never change her mind just because you, a student, appeals to her directly. That’s exactly what I was telling you about.”
Was she? Maybe she was.
“Then─”
“Nope, she won’t listen to me either.”
I figured. She doesn’t like you.
“Hey, we’re just incompatible.”
Can she actually read minds?
“Then who’s going to advocate for me?” I ask.
Professor Tear stares straight at me.
I mean, I realized mid-question. But still…
“If Shiva does, wouldn’t she question our relationship?”
Then again, she might already suspect that there’s a connection between us.
If Shiva comes out now declaring, “Haruto isn’t fit for a leadership role!” wouldn’t that deepen her suspicions?
“That all depends.”
She crawls over the coffee table and leans into me. I decide to skip the humorous jab and lend her my ear.
Whisperwhisperwhisper…
“I get it. I guess that’d be a more organic way to bring it up… I guess?”
“The plan seems a bit forced, but Shiva’s been cooperative with us numerous times in the past. If the headmistress still has her guard up against him, it would be your chance to elbow your way through. Trust me!”
Should I? Really?
Professor Tear bargains, “The bottom line is for her to determine that you’re not a leader. You can leave that part to me.”
“You just said you’re incompatible with her.”
“That’s the case if she believes she’s dealing with me. If she thinks she’s facing someone she holds in high regard, I’ve got her cornered.”
So she doesn’t hold you in high regard, I decide not to say. She can probably read my mind anyway.
Welp, it looks like this is my only choice. Let’s give it a try!