Chapter 21 Exam

On the day of the exam, Aron and Seele were inside a simulation because they needed to fight a simulation of a Honkai beast to pass the physical exam. As the Honkai beast made its appearance, it howled and lunged at Aron.

Aron quickly blocked the attack by creating a giant slime wall, smashing the beast's stomach and sending it midair. Seele, expecting the Honkai beast's appearance, readied herself and unleashed a barrage of slashes, killing the beast on the spot, causing its remains to turn into a bunch of data.

Aron looked at Seele and asked, "What do you think about the others doing?"

"They probably passed the exam," Seele answered with determination in her eyes.

"Yeah, but Kiana..."

Hearing his words, Seele smiled wryly because they were aware that Kiana had already failed the written exam without needing to check her test paper.

The two walked out of the simulation side by side and arrived in the hall where the names of students who had passed the exam were posted. Many students were gathered in front of the board, some celebrating their success while others looked downcast because they had failed.

"Wow, in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place are the transfer students Bronya, Mei, and Seele," murmurs spread throughout the hall.

Aron checked the student board and noticed that Seele was in 4th place. "Seele, you're in 4th."

Seele nodded happily at her ranking. "But where's yours?" She asked, confused as she couldn't find Aron's name on any of the lists.

Aron scanned the board and saw that his name wasn't written anywhere, which puzzled him since he was sure he had excelled in both the written and physical exams.

"The one in the first place is definitely me!" Kiana boasted, but when she saw Fu Hua's name at the top, she was taken aback. "What? The first place is hers? Then where's my name?"

Kiana looked around and found her name in the "Failed Student" category. "This is impossible!" She exclaimed, tearing her exam paper into pieces.

"Hey, Kiana, can't find your name either?" Aron asked, looking around but not finding his own name either.

Kiana heard Aron's voice behind her and quickly hid the shredded paper behind her back. "Hehehe," she chuckled awkwardly and scratched her head, not wanting Aron to see her results due to embarrassment.

"Miss Kiana Kaslana, you failed all of your written exams," a male teacher named Welt Yang, who taught math and physics, informed her.

Kiana's expression darkened upon hearing the news. She looked down and walked away from the board, heading back home, disheartened.

Suddenly, Kiana brightened up upon noticing that Aron's name wasn't there either. "Did you fail too?" she asked with puppy-dog eyes.

Seele smiled wryly as she looked at Aron, who chuckled at Kiana's reaction.

Welt looked at Aron and said, "He perfected everything, including the physical examination. The reason why his name wasn't on that list is because it was posted in the knights' hall."

Aron formed an 'O' with his mouth as he realized that he had been searching in the Valkyrie section instead of the knights'.

Upon hearing Welt's response, Kiana's previous glimmer of hope faded, and she felt disheartened once again.

"And she just finished remedial exams only to face another set," Aron muttered, watching Kiana's back. He patted her head, trying to comfort her.

"Aron..." Kiana cried as she jumped onto his back, clinging to him and refusing to let go.

Aron let her be as he started walking in the direction of their home, followed by Mei, who tried to cheer up Kiana, and Seele and Bronya, who engaged in happy conversation. Bronya, however, couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as she glance at Kiana riding on Aron's back, wishing she could do the same.

_ _ _

At the dining table, Himeko couldn't help but twitch her eye upon seeing Kiana's test scores.

"So," she looked at Kiana, who avoided her gaze, "she would take supplementary exams?"

Mei smiled wryly and answered, "Yes, in one week from now."

Himeko massaged her forehead and looked at Kiana. "Really? There has to be a limit for stupidity!"

"You're really lacking at both breast and brain," she continued, pointing her chopsticks at Kiana.

Kiana was shocked by Himeko's remarks and looked down with a pout.

But not only Kiana was affected by Himeko's comments, because even Bronya and Seele looked at their chests and massaged their breasts with downcast moods.

"Himeko-sensei has gone too far," Bronya said, clearly displeased with Himeko's words. "The Bronya doesn't even know if she will grow up in the future."

Seele nodded in agreement with Bronya.

"The two of you are still growing up; you're only 15 and 14, after all," Himeko said gently to the two who perked up upon hearing her words.

"I'm 15 too," Kiana muttered, but Himeko just laughed at her, ignoring her words.

Mei looked at Kiana and said, "How will you pass the supplementary exam next week if you couldn't pass? How will you become a Valkyrie?"

Hearing Mei, Kiana became more depressed and looked at Aron with puppy eyes.

Himeko looked at Aron and asked, "How did you pass the exam and rival Fu Hua? I didn't even see you review a single time."

Because she always stayed in Aron's room, she knew that he didn't review a single time, even in the living room.

"I just remembered everything," Aron answered, because it was true that he remembered everything, and with the help of the Raphael, he aced the math.

_ _ _

In the mountains of books, a certain white-haired girl scratched her head in confusion.

"I can't remember a single thing!" Kiana shouted, reaching her limits.

Aron entered her room and noticed the scattered books on the floor. His instinct told him to pick them up and arrange them. He looked at Kiana and asked, "Can't understand a single thing?"

"Uwah!" Kiana got surprised by Aron's voice coming from behind her. "Y-yeah," she nodded her head. "I can't remember a single thing; it's so boring."

Aron chuckled upon hearing her honest thoughts. "Do you want me to teach you an ancient technique that would help you remember things much more easily?"

Kiana's eyes lit up upon hearing his words, and she eagerly replied, "Yes."

"In one condition, I will teach you."

Kiana eagerly nodded her head, accepting the condition. "But what is the condition?"

Aron's expression suddenly turned serious upon hearing Kiana's question and he answered, "Let me touch your boobs."

Kiana blushed at his reply. "Y-you can also teach me without those conditions, you know," she muttered, her face turning even redder.

Seeing her embarrassed, he couldn't help but laugh all of a sudden.

Kiana pouted when she saw him laughing, immediately realizing that he was making fun of her, and she playfully hit his shoulder with a light punch.

"Alright, alright," Aron stopped laughing, having had enough. "I'm going to teach you an ancient technique called Memory Palace."

Aron decided to proceed with teaching Kiana the Memory Palace technique. He sat down beside her in the middle of scattered books, and they began their lesson.

"Alright, Kiana," Aron began, "the Memory Palace technique is a way to help you remember things better by associating them with specific locations in your mind, like rooms in a palace."

Kiana listened intently, eager to learn. "So, how do we start?" she asked.

Aron smiled and continued, "First, we'll choose a familiar place, like your home or a place you know well. Imagine it in great detail. Now, when you want to remember something, place it in your 'Memory Palace' in a specific location. This way, when you think of that place, you'll remember what you stored there."

Kiana nodded, trying to picture her own Memory Palace. "That sounds interesting, but how can I make sure it works?"

Aron explained, "The key is to make the place more vivid and unusual. The more unique they are, the easier it is to recall. You can even create a little story within your Memory Palace to help you remember."

Kiana pondered this and then asked an important question, "What if I want to remember a lot of things? Will my Memory Palace run out of space?"

Aron reassured her, "Your Memory Palace can expand as much as you need it to. You can have many rooms, each dedicated to different subjects or topics. It's a flexible technique that adapts to your needs."

Kiana smiled, feeling more confident. "Thank you. This sounds like it could really help me with my studies."

Aron nodded, pleased that he could assist her. "I'm sure it will. Just practice and be creative with your Palace, and you'll be amazed at how much you can remember."

As they continued their lesson on the Memory Palace, Kiana began to imagine her very own palace, eager to fill its rooms with knowledge and memories.

All of a sudden, Bronya barged in, holding a certain yellow Homu helmet, and placed it upon Kiana and Aron's heads without any prior notice.

"Eh?" Kiana and Aron made confused sounds, not understanding Bronya's actions.