End of the Examination

Kate slowly placed her pencil down on top of her table. She just finished answering her answer sheet and decided to double check it. Since the subject was Math, it took her ten minutes to check all her answers.

'Stella, can I hand this paper over?' Kate asked.

[Mmm, I need you to do some minor corrections,] Stella replied from inside their shared mindscape. [The answer to question number twelve is B, twenty-five is A, thirty-four is C, and forty-four is A.]

Kate did as she was told. She changed her answers and asked Stella to take a second look. Actually, Kate had already passed the exam. However, she only passed her Math exam by one point. Stella didn't want to take any chances and decided to add four more points just to be on the safe side.

[You did well. Good job Kate!] Stella wasn't stingy with her praise. She knew that Kate worked hard so a compliment was necessary.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from her seat. She handed the answer sheet to Noah with a smile.

The School Dean only nodded his head and accepted her papers. He planned to personally check her answers. If Kate passed then all was good, if she didn't then...better luck next year.

Noah was a proud person. Since he already decided to give Kate the chance to pass the exam using her own ability, he would respect her decision. He watched as the girl returned to her seat to pick up her small bag before leaving the room.

There were still a few examinees taking the exam and Noah had to stay until the duration of the test was over.

-----

When she exited the room, she found Ethan and Stephen waiting for her. Both boys were standing not far away from each other. Ethan was the first to notice her arrival and immediately went to greet her.

"What do you think? Did you pass?" Ethan asked anxiously.

Kate answered with a smile. "I did my best. I'll only know if I passed after the academy has posted the test results. How about you? Are you sure you passed the exam?"

Ethan patted his chest with confidence. "Of course."

"That's good," Kate nodded her head. She then gazed at Stephen who was standing beside her. "How about you?"

"The exam was very easy," Stephen bragged. "I could answer everything with my eyes closed."

Ethan snorted at Stephen's shameless reply, while Kate giggled at Stephen's confident answer. Since the exam was over, it was time to go home. She was about to head in Heinz's direction when Stephen suddenly asked her a question.

"Kate, do you have any plans today?"

"Plans? I don't have any."

"Since the exam had just ended, why don't we have lunch at the restaurant we went to last time?" Stephen suggested. "Don't worry. It's my treat."

"What? The two of you have dined before?" Ethan asked in shock. Deep inside he was cursing the no-good-bastard who was dead-set on getting close to Kate. "When did this happen?"

"Um, it's a long story," Kate answered. "I'll tell you later." There was a slight blush creeping on the side of her face which made Ethan's frown deepen.

Stephen saw Kate's blush and the frown forming on Ethan's face. A glint of mischief passed through his eyes. He was planning to use Kate's current expression to one-up the boy whom he considered his rival.

"You don't have to tell him anything, Kate," Stephen said. "It will be our little secret."

"I guess you're right." Kate could only agree to Stephen's words. She knew that the Dean might get into trouble if word of this came out. So she decided to listen to Stephen's words and keep their meeting a secret.

Ethan glared at Stephen who had a smug look on his face that screamed "what are you going to do about it?". Frankly he was very tempted to smack the annoying smile off Stephen's face, but he held it in. The moment his eyes landed on this annoying fly, he knew that he was going to be a pain in the butt.

The teenage boy thought of Ciel. Even though he also recognized him as his rival, Ciel was less annoying than this no-good-person in front of him.

Ethan trusted his instincts. For some reason, he felt that Stephen posed a higher threat than Ciel when it came to wooing Kate. He couldn't explain it, but his gut was telling him that this anemic boy was dangerous.

'I better stick to Kate,' Ethan thought. 'It would be better if we are in the same class. That way I can swat the flies who will dare to come her way.'

Ethan stood in front of Kate, effectively shielding her from Stephen's gaze, "We're not interested in your offer."

Stephen almost clicked his tongue in annoyance, but managed to stop himself in time. In his eyes Ethan was just a pile of horse dung that stood in his way. He was annoying, but he wasn't a big deal!

"Don't be like that." Stephen smiled. He was doing his best to look like a generous person in front of Kate. "You can also come with us. The food there is good. Isn't that right Kate?"

Kate nodded her head in affirmation. She could still remember the delicious lobster and crab that she ate for lunch at the restaurant. Her mouth almost watered remembering those sumptuous dishes in front of her eyes. "Yes. Are you really going to treat me to lunch?"

"Of course. I already made a reservation. Just think of it as a celebration for passing the exam."

"But, the results are still not out."

"It's fine," Stephen said with a smile. "With your ability, I'm sure that you passed the exam. I believe in you, Kate."

Although Ethan's teeth itched because of Stephen's strong approach, he agreed with his words. "I also believe in you, Kate."

"Thank you Stephen. Thank you, Ethan." Kate smiled back at the two of them.

Heinz had already walked up to Kate and had heard their discussion. His face remained impassive and waited for Kate's decision. Truth be told, Ciel had already anticipated that this scenario was going to happen.

He even had a smirk on his face as he told Heinz to just watch from the side. The butler's role was to accompany Kate and make sure that she returned home safely. Heinz could still vividly remember the look of schadenfreude on his young master's face. Clearly, Ciel knew that things were going to get messy.

Seeing the scene in front of him, Heinz could only shake his head helplessly. 'Young master, your foresight is truly commendable.'

Stephen waited patiently for Kate's answer. Ethan, on the other hand, decided to stick to Kate and make sure that Stephen didn't make any moves on her.

'Should we go?' Kate consulted Stella. 'The test made me hungry and that restaurant had a lot of delicious food.'

[Why not?] Stella answered casually. [The results of the exam will come out two weeks from now. We're free until then.]

'Good, let's eat to celebrate!'

That day Kate returned to the Summer's residence with a big smile on her face. She was very satisfied with the feast that Stephen had prepared for her. She was not aware that during the entirety of the meal, Stephen and Ethan were glaring at each other while she was eating.

Stella looked at this scene with an amused expression as if she was watching a telenovela. She knew that Kate would take center stage once the school term started. She was already looking forward to the drama that would unfold in the days to come.