On the last night of May, Dark had planned to empty his mind, think about nothing, and leave everything until tomorrow — but it seemed someone wasn't going to let him rest easy.
He sat up in bed and glanced lazily at the Magic Guide Spirits in his room.
Sylveon, who had been quietly watching the door the whole time, immediately perked up and marched toward it, chest out.
As her master's most devoted little helper, she naturally knew exactly what needed doing at a time like this.
But when she opened the door with a ribbon-tentacle, she couldn't help letting out an unhappy little cry.
"Hey!"
Diana, standing in the doorway, waved a greeting at her.
Rose, stepping out from behind Diana, bent down and tried to scoop up the adorable Magic Guide Spirit.
Sylveon immediately hopped backward, eyeing Rose warily, then scampered back inside with a quick patter of feet.
Watching Sylveon flee, Rose couldn't hide a flicker of disappointment.
Diana, as carefree as ever, asked, "Dark, can we come in?"
"Come in," Dark said with a yawn, settling back down.
Once Diana and Rose had shut the door behind them and stepped inside, Sylveon — visibly put out — didn't wait to be asked. She used her ribbon-tentacles to pull two cups from the cabinet, poured apple juice into one and pear juice into the other, and carried them to the table.
"Thanks," Rose said politely, picking the pear juice as always — good for clearing up blemishes.
Diana picked up the apple juice, took a sip, and let out a long sigh.
"What's wrong?" Dark asked idly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Diana glanced at him and said, "Only two more days until we go home."
Dark laughed. "Don't you always say you miss home?"
"I do miss it," Diana said, pouting. "But once I'm home, there'll be no one to play with."
Dark asked, curious, "Isn't the Greatbear family pretty big, though?"
Diana's pout deepened. "Sure, but whenever we get together it's all arm-wrestling and fencing. I just want to go shopping, eat sweets, and buy dolls."
Dark thought about it, rolling his eyes, and figured that family probably really was capable of exactly that.
But shopping, eating sweets, buying dolls?
Heh. Women.
"Then go play with Rose," Dark said. "Viscount Flotly's estate is in the capital too, isn't it?"
Diana shook her head. "Rose says she'll be grounded once she's home."
Dark glanced at Rose, recalling what she'd said before, and shook his head helplessly. "Viscount Flotly's front gate can't keep you out."
Diana's eyes lit up instantly, and she grinned, tapping the corner of her mouth. "Right! If he won't open the door, I'll just tear it off its hinges!"
Rose, torn between exasperation and amusement, said quickly, "Please don't. That would get my uncle in so much trouble."
Diana gave her a sidelong look. "Of course I wouldn't. I'm just joking."
But Rose already felt a faint sense of foreboding.
Watching the two of them, Dark thought for a moment and said, "If you need to, you can come find me at the Duke's estate too. I don't go out much. Well — it'd be best to give some notice ahead of time, so I can have extra sweets prepared."
"Now that you mention sweets, I'm not sleepy anymore!" Diana's eyes lit up, clearly excited.
Dark, of course, knew perfectly well that this was exactly what tonight's visit had been leading up to.
Setting aside Rose's family situation for now, Diana probably wouldn't be free to go out on her own once she got home either.
But if their destination was the Duke's estate, no parent would object.
The only problem was that there wasn't much at home to entertain them with…
"Well, we'll see when the time comes."
Dark shook his head. That wasn't his job to sort out right now.
…
The three of them chatted a while longer.
Diana and Rose's eyes kept drifting toward the Vampire Young Lady, who sat swaying her head as she recited vocabulary words.
Even though they'd met her a few times before, on earlier visits, they still seemed unable to stop staring.
Dark chalked it up to the Vampire Young Lady simply being too cute, and after about half an hour, he deliberately started acting drowsy.
Diana kept chattering away nonstop, until Rose finally dragged her off, and only then did Room 201 fall quiet again.
"Now I can finally sleep in peace, right?"
Dark checked the time — it was already past ten.
So he laid out his pajamas and treated himself to a nice, relaxing bath.
But partway through, there was another knock at the door. Who was it this time?
Dark hurried to finish up, put on his pajamas, and stepped out of the bathroom, only to find Eudora sitting timidly at the table, cradling a cup of warm milk in both small hands, taking little sips.
Dark couldn't help rubbing his brow, and greeted her first. "Good evening, Eudora."
"Good evening!" Eudora's voice rose brightly. "Sorry to intrude."
"It's fine," Dark said, toweling the water from his hair. "What brings you here so late?"
Eudora said quietly, "I saw Diana and the others…"
So you saw them come in and just waited the whole time, and came over the moment they left?
Dark rubbed his brow again and asked, "How did the exam go this time?"
Eudora pressed her lips together, her eyes dimming a little. "Not very well."
Dark comforted her on reflex. "It's fine. Exams are really just a way to check where you stand — wherever you're weak, you work on it. But it's a three-month break, so don't just sit around doing nothing."
"Right!" Eudora nodded firmly. "After the break, I'm going to the Star Tower to study with Professor Medea. I won't embarrass myself again next term."
"When have you ever embarrassed yourself…" Dark said helplessly. "By the way, will Professor Medea still be teaching next term?"
Eudora thought about it and said, "I think so? She seems to be planning to open a course focused on astrology or divination."
"That's good," Dark said, glancing at Little Eevee, who had been sneaking peeks over this whole time, and smiled. "That means my Eevee can keep studying astrology too."
Watching Eevee visibly light up with excitement, Eudora couldn't help saying, "So cute…"
Dark waved her over, and Eevee-chan trotted over eagerly.
He picked up Little Eevee and sat down on the edge of the bed with her, chatting a little more with Eudora.
Eudora didn't linger too long, and left after about ten minutes.
The two said goodnight to each other, and the door closed between them.
…
Dark went back into his room, dried his hair, and thought about finally getting to lie down and enjoy some reading in bed.
But he'd barely lain down when the Vampire Young Lady came clinging up beside him.
He couldn't help a faint, helpless smile, doting as he stroked her little head, then picked up a storybook and started telling her a tale.
"Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain stood a shrine…"
The night was gentle, brushing softly against his cheek.
One by one, the Magic Guide Spirits gathered around the bed to listen to the story of times gone by.
…
As the morning light kissed the earth once more, June had arrived.
Dark Demon woke from his sleep and immediately searched the morning paper for news related to the Holy Church.
But these past few days, the paper had been going in circles, still talking about that Holy Church scholar, Abel Yerkes.
It gave the impression that even within the Holy Church, there was some dispute over this reckless decision, which was why it wasn't proceeding smoothly.
Of course, the reality was surely more complicated than what showed on the surface.
Dark set the paper down, pulled back the curtains, and looked outside, feeling a little buoyant.
After all, he'd soon be heading home for the break — of course that made him happy.
But after breathing in a bit of the morning air, he sat back down and got started on today's task.
Just two hours later, he'd drafted a simple test paper, then handed it to the "Magic Guide Scribe" to scan and display question by question.
Then the Magic Guide Spirits all sat up properly at their own seats, copying down each question from the test one by one before starting to answer.
Since some of the Magic Guide Spirits had trouble writing quickly, Dark gave them generous time to finish, making sure every single one could complete the test.
He graded Gatomon's paper first, confirmed it was a perfect score, then handed her the answer key and had her grade the rest of the Magic Guide Spirits' work.
After that, he ranked them by score and handed out generous little red flower rewards to the top three, further stoking everyone's enthusiasm for studying.
And with that, the exam for the Magic Guide Spirits was over.
Unexpectedly, the top three turned out to be Gatomon, Sylveon, and Eevee.
Dark had assumed DemiDevimon would surely be near the top, but instead Sylveon had pulled ahead, coming in just behind Gatomon.
Eevee-chan's long effort had paid off too, landing her in third place.
As for Leomon, Meowth, the Vampire Young Lady, and the rest — they simply hadn't had as much time to study, unable to match Gatomon and Sylveon, who were both older and quick-witted.
Finally, Dark posted the ranked results on the wall and left the dormitory.
The moment he stepped out the door, the room erupted into noise behind him.
Gatomon, having taken first place, sat in her usual spot reading a book with an air of complete entitlement.
Sylveon, in second, strutted back and forth across the room with her chest puffed out, a little red flower stuck to her ear, meowing nonstop, utterly pleased with herself.
Little Eevee, after watching for a while, quietly fell in line behind big sister Sylveon, sneaking along in a mock catwalk, secretly delighted.
Watching the two Eevees so full of themselves, DemiDevimon — who'd only placed sixth — could only glare with a sullen face, practically choking on his own frustration.
But really, whose fault was that?
The Magic Guide Spirits' quiet rivalries didn't slow Dark down in the least.
With only two days left before break, he needed to buy all the basic supplies for the three-month vacation.
St. Marian's Academy was far more lenient about what students could take with them; most things could leave the campus freely.
On top of that, he also needed to stock up on three months' worth of "Cat Juice" and the potion for raising the Insect Tree, plus various crates for packing everything up.
In short, there was a lot to buy.
Once he'd bought it all, he'd still need to spend a great deal of time packing everything properly.
The Academy's decision to allow these two extra days on campus had this in mind as well —
because the young Magic Guide Masters had so much luggage to bring home.
Walking down Traveler Street, Dark noticed an unusually large crowd of people buying luggage, and one particular kind of case was selling especially well.
This special container, called a "fluid case," would, once closed, gradually fill with a magically-infused fluid that fixed the contents in place, so nothing shifted around during transport, and it came with cushioning that made it ideal for storing fragile experimental supplies.
Beyond that, there were plenty of basic experiment material kits available; students only had to buy the kit for their appropriate level, which made things very convenient.
Although the summer assignments hadn't been given out yet, there would surely be no shortage of experiment-related homework.
Dark didn't return to the dormitory until eight in the evening, laden with a mountain of purchases, thoroughly worn out.
After that he started packing, sorting everything into its proper crate.
The Magic Guide Spirits followed suit, tidying up their own little belongings as well.
By ten o'clock, the dormitory had gradually filled with several fat, overstuffed crates.
Dark took a slow breath, washed up, and began the night's round of extracting "Major Sin."
Back in May, he'd only used his initial allotment to forge one "Blue-Eyes Baby Dragon" and two "Lust III - Moon," and had simply stored away whatever "Pride" and "Greed" he'd extracted since.
By now, the Insect Tree held 6.5 points each of "Pride" and "Greed" in reserve.
The change in his "Major Sin" index had also been relatively limited.
"System, display the readings."
He pulled up the list with a casual gesture, comparing it to May's figures.
[Pride: 95→92]
[Envy: 39→38]
[Wrath: 82→80]
[Sloth: 69→70]
[Greed: 95→93]
[Gluttony: 73→75]
[Lust: 80→82]
Last month, after drawing out his full allotment of fifteen points, both "Pride" and "Greed" had dropped to only 90, but they'd since crept back up a bit to their current levels.
"'Pride' at 92, 'Greed' at 93 — only those two meet the threshold. Let's go with Pride, then."
Dark rubbed his brow. To break through to "Major Sin III" and forge "Major Sin IV," thirty points of "Major Sin" was the first requirement — and with a three-month break ahead, he really ought to try at least once.
Since his research into "Pride" was the most thorough, if possible, he'd prioritize "Pride IV."
In any case, he spent some time calming himself down before carefully drawing out 1.5 points of "Pride" using the "Soul-Sucker Spell" and the "[Nether God Art]."
With that, his reserve of "Pride" reached 8 points.
But to keep building up his "Pride" reserve, he'd need to find a way to nudge "Pride" a little higher first.
"Better think of something."
Dark focused his thoughts and began to consider carefully.
…
With only two days left before summer break, most of the first-years spent their time packing.
Most of them were about to leave their parents' sight for the first time in nearly a year, and to varying degrees felt a pull of homesickness, itching to get home.
Of course, there were also those who'd made great progress at the Academy and were eager to show their parents what they'd learned.
It might be hard to imagine, but Emma Metis was exactly that sort of student.
The main reason she studied so hard had little to do with this, but as the only daughter of a scholarly family raised under strict discipline since childhood, she did feel this particular need.
It was just that, thinking of her first-year results, she probably wouldn't come out on top this time — and that thought left her with an indescribable ache.
…
On a pitch-black night, a sudden downpour broke out, but the surge of moisture in the air didn't dispel the summer heat at all — if anything, it only added an unpleasant clamminess.
Virt Gold hadn't packed a single thing; he'd spent every spare moment playing Magic Guide Chess with Robert Broheim, as if trying to cram in three months' worth of games all at once.
Robert had been playing with him since morning, and finally couldn't help but say, "Virt, something's up with you."
Virt blinked. "What could possibly be up with me?"
Robert pressed on. "You're hiding something from me! Is it about summer break?"
Virt gave a wry laugh and didn't bother denying it further. "You caught me. I wanted to stay at school with Mom, but Professor Silf says I have to go home."
Robert raised an eyebrow, trying to recall. "I remember you mentioning your home is in…"
"Angela Orphanage," Virt said. "That's where Lady Natasha and Sister Chris raised me, along with a bunch of brothers and sisters who never much liked playing with me."
Robert asked, curious, "Why didn't they want to play with you?"
Virt thought it over. "Probably because Lady Natasha and Sister Chris were too good to me. Thinking about it, I was probably the villain in their eyes — the one who stole all the love that should've been theirs."
Robert's eyes widened. "That's so strange! Shouldn't you all be in the same boat, though?"
Virt said, "Orphanage life isn't as nice as you're imagining, Robert. Sometimes we'd even scheme against each other over a piece of bread. Though, of course, I always ended up with the biggest slice."
Robert said, "I think it's because everyone at the orphanage knew from the start that you're the Hero's child."
Virt nodded. "Seems that way now, yeah."
Robert offered some comfort. "It's not so bad going back, really. They're your family too, in a way. And besides, it keeps Aunt Ophelia Brad's business at the Academy from getting exposed. I still don't really know what happened that day, but it sounds like she did something not so great."
Virt shook his head. "I don't know either. There's a lot they won't tell me."
Robert said, "Well, we're still young, I guess."
"That's not really the point, Robert," Virt said. "It's like how Professor Silf always goes to Dark to talk things over. If I understood everything the way he does, I wouldn't be left out of things."
Robert sighed. "Ah, well — that's Dark for you."
Virt said, "Yeah… that's Dark."
The two of them went back to their game of Magic Guide Chess.
…
A night passed, and the rain cleared.
Sooner than expected — right at noon that very day — the first-year results were posted on the announcement wall outside the Castle.
____
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