The Final Score
Nagisa approached Sakai and casually struck a conversation.
"I take it, Miyuki, Ayato and May have free passes into the academy, and what is the deal with your friend, Daiki?"
The casual approach took Sakai off guard.
"Do not talk to me like we are friends, and yes, they got free passes, however Daiki insisted on meeting you early and agreed to take the exam. And you should not underestimate him, the Kanno family is the very one that took Miyuki in, and that is their third son. So your days are already numbered here at the academy, we have some fun in store to resume the good old times, just like before," Sakai smirked.
Sakai shortly walked away afterwards. He distanced himself from Nagisa with nothing but disgust in his eyes, and a hint of excitement to relive past times once classes resumed. Nagisa went to the school cafeteria and had lunch, meanwhile Daiki had reached the final stage.
"Piece of cake! Filthy commoner dares to challenge me. Even the supervisor was looking down on me, this ought to teach them!" The smirking Daiki rushed towards the final target.
Daiki swung his sword and it was in full motion when the bonus objective target appeared behind him. Unable to cancel his swing from noticing too late, Daiki had no choice but to finish and try to turn quickly to deal with the second one.
"Oh shit!" Daiki cursed and finished the target in front.
Daiki tried his hardest to panically flick his sword to an 180 degree angle to try and deflect the incoming blow from behind. The moment already passed and Daiki froze, unwilling to succumb to his newfound reality.
"Test complete! Final score, 100%!" The AI announced his score.
A pissed Daiki exited the room and immediately asked where he could find Nagisa. Upon finding him in the school cafeteria, he furiously walked up to him and grabbed Nagisa by his shirt slightly below the throat and lifted him up.
"How did you do it? There is no fucking way! I have Fire Magic awakened, I am even at Stage 2, my reactions should be bolstered and be naturally higher than yours!" Daiki demanded an answer and fussed all over the place.
Nagisa softly scoffed in response. Both of them stared intently at one another, with Daiki only being a few centimeters taller, completely looking down at Nagisa.
"Well… let's just say, I have a few tricks of my own up my sleeve?" A smug smiling Nagisa taunted Daiki in front of everyone in the school cafeteria.
The teacher from the first exam came forth and broke the two of them apart. Daiki put on a much familiar smile; "This ain't over, just you wait". It reminded Nagisa of a certain someone. Red hair, smug, overconfident. The resemblance was uncanny.
Nagisa grabbed his melon pan and decided to head towards the next examination, idly laying on his back, outside a bench on the terrace. He watched the clear blue sky with just a few clouds drifting by until everyone had assembled.
"We will now commence the final examination for today. First I would like to thank you all for undertaking this year's admissions test. Now for you to pass, you need a final score of at least 200 points out of 280 total ones," The first examiner began to explain.
In addition, there were also three hidden points that were available during the second task," she added.
"In the previous two exams, the total points you could gain was a 100, and for the final one it is 80. The final task is simple, try to feel the magic instilled in the dummy before you, and strike it accordingly with your strongest possible attack. That will be all, good luck!" The first examiner concluded the long briefing.
She then took a step back to hint there was no order to who could go first. Anyone was free to go first. Daiki immediately stepped in front, another resembling trait. He unsheathed his sword.
< Engulf Flame > & < Engulf Exterior >
An immediate coating of his body and weapon without a second's waste. People applauded in awe, Daiki was already at Stage 2, as expected of someone coming from an esteemed noble house like the Kanno household.
The sword was beautifully coated with a sparkling flame, the same for his body. Daiki tightly gripped his sword and focused for a second with his eyes closed, feeling the imbued magic into the silhouette dummy standing before him.
Daiki chose to slice diagonally through the dummy, down from its right shoulder to the bottom left of its waist. The silhouette dummy remained intact, and the slice was seen but for a second before dispersing.
"Test complete! Your final score is: 87, 100, 80, a total of 267! Congratulations, you have passed the admissions test!" The AI notified Daiki of his total score.
The other students applauded him upon the announcement of his total and final score. Afterwards they went in, one by one, however most students could only average total scores between 220-240. Some examinees even managed to fail.
At last, Nagisa was the final one who still had to slice the dummy. After witnessing most people fail, Daiki decided to take an aloof stand and put on a smirk, "Try to beat me now, all others have failed!".
"Tss… tss… tss…" Nagisa waved his index finger, approaching Daiki to respond.
"Relax, then watch and learn," Nagisa patted Daiki on the shoulder and unsheathed his sword.
< Enshrouding Wind > & < Enshrouding Cloak >
His weapon and body gave off a Stage 1 glow and Daiki scoffed at the sight of it in disbelief. How did he manage a 103% while he had failed on the second task? Nagisa silently whispered swiftly while closing his eyes and analyzing the silhouette dummy before him to strike right after his Arcane Coating became active.
< Arcane Awakening > & < Arcane Coating >
Immediately upon finishing his coating, Nagisa diagonally sliced it a few millimeters higher than Daiki to make almost an identical cut, which many had failed to replicate for the perfect score. However Nagisa sensed the strike should have been a tad higher than Daiki's one.
"There is no way you are beating me by copying! Attempting to replicate my strike, are we?" Daiki spoke out.
"Test complete! Your final score is: 100, 103…" The AI reported slowly.
Everyone began whispering.
"Wait, so he did get a perfect score despite leaving early?"
"And the 103, I thought they were lying about that!"
They all gulped in to hear the remaining score.
"3… Congratulations, you have passed the admissions test!" The final report came in.
There was a brief silent moment before it all happened.
"3?! 206?! You have the lowest amongst the people passing!"
A guy started laughing and others joined in.
"3? How can you be so pitiful!" Daiki sighed with utter disgust and disappointment, he did not bother joining in on the comments.
On the other hand, Sakai laughed his ass off, and by the looks of it, he could not wait to inform Miyuki on the matter.
"Ahem… Congratulations to those of you who have passed, you may enroll into the academy. You will find that your belongings have already been transported to your new dormitories that are on the right-wing outside this academy, slightly above the north-western wing." The examiner told the students who passed after the laughter quieted down a bit.
Nagisa froze and could not utter a single word. How could he only score a measly three at the end? This reminded him of when he had awakened the wind magic. Has nothing really changed since then?
His mind appeared shattered when he replayed his smug face right before the strike to Daiki. Two perfect exams, leading to a complete and utter failing one, he should have just struck it like Daiki did! But his Arcane Awakening was telling him differently and had him utmost humiliated in the end.
Everyone had already taken their leave while Nagisa repeatedly cursed and replayed the events inside his head, it was only until the teacher managed to snap him out of it by a pat on his shoulder.
"It happens! At the very least you have very fine skills you have honed to make up for your aptitude being poor. Everyone else has left. I suggest you do the same and meet up with that werebeast girl of yours," The teacher tried to consolidate Nagisa slightly.
Nagisa took his leave disappointingly and the principal arrived from the shadows.
"Greetings Principal Ito" she bowed once she realized the principal had appeared behind her.
"Spare me the greeting, and call me Ozora. Now tell me, were the crops fine this year, Chitose?"
Chitose nodded accordingly.
"And who was that last young boy, he seems promising, his technique was phenomenal, I believe he was the highest scorer?" Ozora inquired about the young boy who left last.
"Sorry to disappoint you, he was the lowest scorer of the ones that passed this year, despite scoring perfectly on the two tests, his last one only scored a low 3 at the end," she corrected the principal in a respectful manner.
This made Ozora laugh out loud for a good long second.
"Look at the dummy! One touch and it will shatter in pieces!" A still laughing principal pointed at the practice dummy.
"That can not be right…" Chitose walked up and touched the dummy which instantly shattered into pieces.
"But how… it is magically enforced to not be able to break below Stage 3 Magic?" she gasped in shock looking at the tattered pieces which used to constitute a perfectly fine practice dummy.
"He magically severed its magical bonds and hit it in on the sweet spot!" Ozora explained to the much puzzled teacher who was still in awe.
"But this has not happened since..." Chitose reacted and Ozora nodded in response.
"Not since Ren, and 'that' student. Ren's admission was similar to Nagisa, scoring slightly higher, 84, however…" Ozora got cut off.
"That one scored a perfect 85, right? And fully disintegrated the dummy,"
Chitose interrupted the principal who nodded once more.
"Make sure to not alter the test results, in reality he should have been the rank one student coming in this year amongst non-nobles, but keep him at last, for now," Ozora demanded and the teacher nodded.
"But what kind of magic did he use?" Chitose sought to inquire of Ozora a final question, who was already leaving.
"That is for him yet to reveal. I have a slight clue, although it will be more entertaining to have the young boy come forth himself and unravel his magic before us!" Ozora laughed and disappeared instantly.
It left Chitose shaking her head in disbelief at what the future might still have in store for the young boy. The one who could possibly rival Ren, and "that" one other, shrouded student.