-515- Things often don't go as planned

Kyouko never imagined it would end up like this.

Due to the declaration she made on stage, Kyouko not only became an enemy in Rozen's eyes but hasn't been able to say a word to him properly till now.

In truth, after making that declaration, Kyouko regretted it, feeling she shouldn't have been so forceful.

Although Kyouko really wanted to honor the initial promise and have a jujutsu battle with Rozen, surprising him and acknowledging her years of effort, she never intended to treat Rozen as an opponent.

Yet, in the end, she never succeeded.

The simple reason being Natsume's presence.

"Tsuchimikado Natsume..."

Kyouko ground her teeth.

If this woman hadn't kept meddling, with Kyouko's bold personality that was not difficult to get along with and even made people feel close, she might have reconciled with Rozen a long time ago.

As a result, every time Kyouko went to find Rozen, wanting to fulfill the initial agreement and overlook the incident, Natsume always intervened halfway, preventing Kyouko. It truly made Kyouko itch with hatred.

However, whenever Kyouko resolved to deal with Natsume first and then make contact with Rozen, Natsume's displayed strength astonished Kyouko.

Not only could she use thunder magic, but she could also employ Defensive Shikigami along with it. The combination of the two made Natsume's strength comparable to a highly skilled professional onmyoji. Even onmyoji qualified with "Onmyou second class" were likely not Natsume's match. How could Kyouko possibly defeat her?

Though Kyouko was a prodigy with jujutsu skills far from low, capable of simultaneously manipulating two Defensive Shikigami and displaying a strength surpassing ordinary students, she was still weaker than Natsume when facing her.

After all, Natsume not only surpassed Kyouko in jujutsu talent but also in effort. She had been training since childhood with the goal of becoming Rozen's shikigami.

Eventually, she inherited Tsuchimikado Chizuru's jujutsu and shikigami, and with almost daily simulated battles with Rozen, she accumulated very ample real combat experience. Kyouko couldn't match Natsume, and that was only natural.

As a result, it had been nearly a year since she entered the Onmyou Academy.

Soon, the Onmyou Academy would hold the promotion exams.

Regardless of the grade, Onmyou Academy students would undergo promotion exams before the end of the school year, testing their performance.

The exam was similar to the entrance exam, divided into a written test and practical skills. Only those who passed the cutoff line could advance to the next grade.

First-year students could move on to the second grade, second-year students to the third grade. As for third-year students, it wasn't a promotion exam but a graduation exam.

After that, they would face the Onmyouji qualification test, welcoming all smoothly graduating students.

Pass, and you'd become a professional Onmyouji. Fail, and all would be lost.

Of course, only those who successfully graduate from the "Onmyou third class" qualification exam can obtain it.

As for the "Onmyou second class" qualification, it depends on each individual's achievements.

Soon, the promotion exams will begin.

Naturally, Kyouko isn't worried about not passing the exam, nor is she worried that Rozen won't pass. It's just that the promotion exam also means the first year is coming to an end, and Kyouko still hasn't repaired her relationship with Rozen or even said a kind word to him, which is disheartening.

"I just want to get along with you..."

Kyouko buried her face in her blanket, her once clear and moving voice now filled with distress.

"Why did it end up like this?"

Kyouko could only sigh and lament.

Honestly, for Kyouko, who had very advantageous conditions in all aspects, she didn't need to worry about her relationships.

If it were with someone else in a situation like this, Kyouko would have quickly resolved it and reconciled with the other person.

However, for some reason, when it came to Rozen, it became very difficult. It had been nearly a year dragging this matter.

Certainly, Natsume played a role in this, but Kyouko couldn't erase the fact that her own inability to let go of her pride and the unnamed emotions within her were issues.

"This isn't like me..."

Kyouko self-mockingly said these words.

"I can only hope for some progress in the second year."

Kyouko sighed.

This also meant that Kyouko had given up on repairing her relationship with Rozen in this year.

Unfortunately, things often don't go as planned.

...

And so, several days passed like this.

On this day, the Onmyou Academy held the promotion exams for each grade.

The promotion exams span two days, with the written test on the first day and the practical skills test on the second.

Today, the students of the Onmyou Academy were all diligently writing on their test papers in their respective classrooms under the watchful eyes of the examiners.

Rozen was no different.

It's just...

"There's basically no difficulty."

Just ten minutes after the exam started, Rozen made this assessment, put away his pen, and yawned, the sound of his yawn echoing throughout the completely quiet classroom.

In the utmost silence of the classroom, Rozen's yawn sounded so clear, causing the students to turn their heads and see Rozen's situation.

Seeing Rozen putting away his pen and yawning while leaning on the table, the students didn't feel confused. Instead, they wore expressions akin to someone who had bitten into a bitter gourd.

"He's done with all the questions in just ten minutes again?"

"Does every written exam have no difficulty for him, and he can just spend ten minutes to solve it?"

"I thought at least the promotion exam would make him spend a little more time..."

"We're still worried about failing over here, darn it..."

The students had bitter expressions, expressing such complaints while also turning back to focus on their exam papers.

"Really..."

Noticing Rozen's situation, Natsume muttered a few times, but then continued to fill out her exam paper as if it were a habit.

It took about twenty minutes, and Natsume nodded as she put away her pen.

Following closely, Kyouko, sitting a bit farther away, completed her entire exam after thirty minutes, put away her pen, and then glanced in Natsume's direction.

Seeing this, Natsume gave a look that seemed to say, "You lost again," causing Kyouko to angrily bite her lip and glare back.

The intense clash of their gazes sparked once again.

"Sigh..."

Watching this scene, Ohtomo Jin, acting as the exam proctor, sighed as if bothered.

"Is it like this again?"

Ohtomo Jin scratched his head, expressing this sentiment.

Obviously, this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

For this past year, Rozen, Natsume, and Kyouko seemed to be in constant competition, causing such scenes to happen repeatedly.

Especially during the written exams, it was usually Rozen who would finish within ten minutes, followed closely by Natsume taking an additional ten minutes. Then, Kyouko, unwilling to be outdone, would also finish after Natsume in the same ten minutes. And they all managed to score high, especially Rozen, who consistently scored full marks. It really made people unsure how to react.

"Well, being spirited is a good thing."

Ohtomo Jin could only give this long-standing evaluation.

"Hope you all perform well in tomorrow's practical exam."

With this closing remark, the written exam for this round concluded smoothly.

Next up was the practical exam tomorrow.

That would be the real focus.