33

"Are you done?"

Lena's voice snapped me out of my focus just as I finished writing the last sentence of my notes.

"Yeah, finished up. You know, Annie's notebook was surprisingly organized for once. Now I see why—it's basically a copy of your notes," I said with a smirk.

"Wha—hey! That's not fair!" Annie protested, clearly offended by my remark. But I wasn't trying to insult her; I was just stating the obvious. A quick comparison between her textbook and her notebook showed a vast difference. Her textbook was a mess, full of chaotic notes and doodles. But her notebook? Clean, color-coded, and focused on all the key points. It didn't take a genius to figure out she had copied Lena's notes word for word.

"Annie, instead of worrying about what Elysia says, have you memorized everything I went over?" Lena cut in, effectively silencing Annie's protests. Without waiting for an answer, she pulled out a makeshift test and handed it to both of us.

"Finish this, and we'll call today's study session done."

Annie, who had been sulking, immediately brightened at the thought of finishing early. But whether she could actually solve the questions was another story. I didn't say anything, though. I just accepted the test.

The test had ten questions—nothing too complicated, as long as you'd done the required memorization.

"You've got ten minutes. Ready, go!"

As soon as she gave the signal, I dove into answering the questions. They were straightforward, so I filled in my answers without much trouble. But unlike me, I could tell Annie wasn't making much progress. Her pen barely moved as she sat there, eyes darting back and forth.

It was obvious she was sneaking glances at my paper, trying to copy my answers without getting caught. I debated whether I should let it slide or subtly cover my paper, but before I could decide, Lena's voice interrupted.

"Oh, and just so you know, you two have different questions. No point in cheating," Lena said, her tone casual but sharp.

Annie froze. Realizing her efforts had been futile, she quickly erased the few answers she had copied and started scribbling new ones.

"Done," I said, handing my paper over. Lena glanced at my answers, quickly skimming through without marking anything.

"Perfect score, as expected. I should've made it harder," she commented, handing the paper back.

Meanwhile, Annie was still struggling to finish.

"...And time's up. Hand it over," Lena said, reaching for Annie's paper. In a panic, Annie quickly jotted down her last answer before reluctantly handing it over.

Lena went over Annie's paper more thoroughly, pen in hand this time, marking wrong answers with a quick stroke.

After what felt like an eternity for Annie, Lena finished grading and handed the paper back.

"Six out of ten. Usually, I'd expect better, but I'll let it slide for today," Lena said.

Relief washed over Annie's face. She immediately downed the rest of her strawberry smoothie in one gulp, looking like she had just survived a major ordeal.

"Well, that's it for today! Close your books! Let's pack up!" Annie cheered, moving quickly to put her books and notes away. She even helped me pack up my things, as if she was trying to escape before Lena could assign more work.

"You're right. It's getting late. Let's grab some food; I'm starving," I said, realizing how much time had passed.

Annie's eyes lit up. "Meat! Let's go eat meat!"

Neither Lena nor I had any objections, so dinner plans were easily settled.

* * * *

"So, what about tomorrow? Do you want to join us for more studying?" I asked Annie as we ate dinner. Technically, today was supposed to be her turn to tutor me, but Lena had stepped in. Since Lena was scheduled to help me tomorrow, I thought it might be a good idea for Annie to join us again.

Annie shook her head vigorously, even though her mouth was full of food. The way she refused was almost comical, but I didn't push it. Before I could drop the subject, though, Lena's voice cut through the air.

"Annie, that was a pretty strong reaction. Is my tutoring really that bad?" Lena asked, her tone calm but carrying an underlying edge. Annie froze, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. She slowly stopped shaking her head and forced a nervous smile.

"N-No! I mean, your explanations are always so clear! I just... uh..." she stammered, clearly flustered.

Lena stared at her for a moment before smirking. "Good. I'll make sure you get even more 'clear explanations' during our next study session."

Annie looked like the world was crumbling around her. Feeling a bit sorry for her, I picked up a piece of meat and fed it to her. She mechanically closed her mouth, chewed, and swallowed, all while staring into the abyss.

I couldn't help but wonder—just how tough was Lena's tutoring? From my experience, it didn't seem so bad. But seeing Annie's reaction, I had to admit I was curious about what happened during their one-on-one sessions.

But it wasn't my problem. I wasn't the one stuck in those grueling study sessions. All I could do was silently wish Annie luck.

* * * *

[Time with Lena]

"Yesterday, I didn't get to help you properly because of Annie," Lena remarked as we sat down for our study session.

"No worries. You weren't even supposed to help me yesterday. If anything, I'm thankful you stepped in."

Without Lena, I would've been stuck explaining things to Annie for the rest of the day.

"You always seem so busy, Lena. How do you manage it?" I asked. She was always working on something—whether it was helping with class matters, studying, or tutoring classmates. She even found time to help people like Annie catch up on their work.

"Well, if I didn't keep up, I'd fall behind," she said modestly. But her top-tier academic performance was proof that she wasn't just keeping up—she was excelling. Rumor had it that she planned to take magic courses in addition to her regular curriculum next year.

"Say that in front of the other students, and they might throw something at you," I joked.

Lena laughed lightly.

We were in one of the academy's study rooms today. Originally, I thought about going to a café like the day before, but I had been running late after doing an errand for one of the professors. Luckily, we found a quiet spot on campus to study.

"So, shall we get started?"

Lena was thorough in her explanations, helping me navigate through some of the more complex material with ease. As we worked, I noticed someone hovering outside the study room.

At first, I thought it was just someone passing by, but the same head of blonde hair kept peeking in, glancing at us. I could feel them watching.

When they passed by again, I opened the door.

"Eek!" a small yelp escaped as Cilly, caught by surprise, jumped back.

"Oh... hey, Elys... What a coincidence!" she said awkwardly, as if she hadn't been pacing outside for the past several minutes.

"Right... well, Lena and I were studying. What about you?" I asked, deciding to play along with her obvious lie.

"I-I was just thinking of studying too!" she said, lifting her bag slightly as proof.

"Wanna join us?" I offered.

"Can I? Thanks!" she responded eagerly, slipping into the room with a bright smile.

Lena gave her a nod, welcoming her in, and Cilly settled down beside me. After she pulled out her books, we resumed the session.

* * * *

"Well, that wraps up today. Let me know if you have any more questions later," Lena said, closing her books. I checked the time and realized we had finished quicker than expected.

Looking over at Cilly, I noticed her book and notebook were still open to the same page from when she'd first sat down. Had she even been studying?

"By the way, what are you two doing this weekend?" Lena asked.

"Nothing planned yet," I replied.

"I don't have anything either," Cilly added.

"Well, perfect! I've got tickets to a play, but I can't use them. Why don't you two go instead?" Lena said, pulling out two tickets and handing them to us.

I glanced at the ticket—'When Lilies Bloom' It was based on a book that Cilly had recommended to me.

"Oh, I read this one! Cilly recommended it to me," I said, grinning.

Lena shot a knowing look at Cilly before continuing. "Well, consider it a gift. Make sure you both go, okay? Don't give the tickets to anyone else!"

"I wouldn't do that! But I feel bad just taking these. How about we buy you dinner as thanks?" I offered.

"Sounds good! How about you two treat me together?" Lena teased.

Cilly and I agreed, promising to take her out for a meal in return for the tickets. Lena smiled in satisfaction and stood up.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it. I've got some work to finish up. You guys should grab dinner together," she suggested before waving and leaving the room.

With just me and Cilly left, I pocketed the ticket and turned to her.

"It's already dinnertime. Wanna grab something to eat and plan for the weekend?"

"Sure! Let's go," Cilly responded to my suggestion enthusiastically. She must be really hungry.