After several long and uneventful days in class, Wednesday finally arrived—and with it, the long-awaited practical exam.
Sara stood at the front of the class in the center of the field ,arms crossed under her chest and a sly grin on her face. "Okay, let's get this practical exam started, shall we? To be clear from the outset, this is about more than just testing your physical strength and stamina—" She suddenly paused, eyes narrowing. "Hey, Rinwell, did I just see you yawning, young lady?"
Rinwell's eyes went wide, and she quickly covered her mouth, shaking her head. "Nooooooo."
Sara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh, whatever. That completely took the wind out of my sails…" She waved it off and straightened up again. "Anyway—Rean, Elliot, Gaius, you three step forward. You'll be the first group."
The three students moved to the center of the field and dropped into combat stances, looking ready for whatever came next. With a snap of Sara's fingers, a crimson combat shell materialized from thin air, hovering ominously a few feet off the ground.
Sara began explaining the details of the test—the combat shell's design, objectives, and evaluation criteria—but Rinwell and Shionne were clearly only half-listening. The two were whispering to each other behind their hands, their curiosity on an entirely different topic.
Rinwell leaned toward her and murmured, "Really? Our skills can evolve?"
Shionne nodded slightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I was bored, so I asked the watch about it. It said that once a skill is fully mastered, constant use will evolve it into something new."
Rinwell frowned thoughtfully. "Did the watch tell you how long it'll take?"
"Nope," Shionne replied with a small shrug. "It only said constant use."
"Damn," Rinwell muttered, puffing her cheeks slightly. "I guess we'll just have to keep experimenting. But I wonder… if skills can be fused too."
Shionne tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Like," Rinwell explained, lowering her voice even more, "if we learn other fighting styles, will kickboxing eventually become mixed martial arts?"
"Huh," Shionne said, eyes lighting up a bit. "Didn't think about that. We'll have to check later—"
Their conversation was abruptly cut off by Sara's sharp voice. "Excuse me, ladies—am I boring you?"
Both girls' heads snapped forward instantly. "Sorry, Instructor!" they said in unison, their backs stiff.
Sara gave an exasperated sigh, muttering under her breath, "Every class has one of these pairs…" before clapping her hands. "Fine. Step forward. You're up next."
Rinwell and Shionne exchanged a quick glance and nodded before stepping forward. Facing the crimson combat shell, they activated their combat links, a faint glow connecting them.
Sara raised her hand dramatically. "Ready… begin!"
Rinwell immediately aimed her staff forward, a beam of pure energy bursting from its tip. The blast struck the combat shell square in the center, pushing it back several feet.
Shionne didn't miss the opening—she raised her rifle and fired a precise shot, blowing out one of the shell's shoulder joints in a burst of sparks. As it lurched and regained its balance, the hum of machinery filled the area.
Rinwell darted forward, staff in hand, while Shionne pulled out several small bombs and hurled them in the shell's path. Using her staff as a pivot, Rinwell vaulted high into the air, twisting mid-spin as the bombs clattered around the enemy.
She fired a blast from her staff setting off the bombs.The resulting chain of explosions consumed the combat shell in blinding fire and smoke.
As the smoke cleared, the shell collapsed with a metallic crash. Rinwell landed gracefully on the other side, dropping to one knee, her staff planted firmly beside her.
Everyone except Sara and Fie stared at the two, jaws dropped in disbelief. The silence hung for a moment before Sara clapped her hands sharply, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Not bad, ladies," she said, her tone carrying a mix of amusement and exasperation. "But I have a few notes—and questions."
Shionne crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow. "Such as?" she asked, her voice cautious.
Sara pointed straight at Rinwell, her smile dropping. "First of all—Rinwell. Why the hell did you rush forward toward the enemy when you're supposed to be a ranged fighter? And why in Aidios's name did you vault over an enemy when you knew they were about to be blown up?"
Rinwell scratched her cheek, a nervous laugh escaping her. "Well, I… uh…"
Sara cut her off with a sigh and turned her gaze to Shionne. "And for that matter, Shionne—how long have you been carrying around explosives?"
Shionne stiffened under Sara's stare, her confidence faltering. "Um… I…"
Sara held up a hand. "Never mind. I don't want to know." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath before continuing louder. "What I do want to complain about is the fact that you two destroyed the combat shell."
Rinwell frowned. "Weren't we supposed to?"
Sara looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "No! You weren't supposed to be able to!" She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose again. "Whatever. You two, fall back. The next group will fight the backup unit."
With a snap of her fingers, a new combat shell shimmered into existence before them. "Fie, Jusis, and Alisa—step forward."
The three stepped up without hesitation, taking their stances as the new combat unit powered up.
Meanwhile, Elliot and Emma walked over to Rinwell, both still visibly impressed.
"Rinwell," Elliot said eagerly, "you forgot to teach me how to do that!"
Emma nodded, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Yes, I wasn't aware the orbal staves could fire energy beams. How did you manage that?"
Rinwell brightened at their interest. "Oh! Well, you do it like this…" she said, holding up her staff and demonstrating slowly and explaining each motion.
After a few minutes of practice, Elliot mimicked her movements. "Okay, so like this?" he said, planting his feet and pointing his staff forward. A focused beam of energy shot out—and struck true. His eyes went wide. "Hey! I did it!"
Emma smiled, adjusting her glasses as she studied the result. "This opens a few more options for us in combat."
Rinwell tilted her head curiously. "Really? Like what?"
Emma replied. "Are you kidding? Now we don't have to step in close to attack. We can actually keep enemies at a distance."
Rinwell tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought. "Huh— I guess it does. Oh, Emma—I think the instructor's about to call you up for your turn."
Emma's brows shot upward, and she bolted for the center of the arena. "Oh— you're right!"
Fie drifted over to Shionne, voice low and casual. "Got any more bombs? And can I have some?"
Shionne glanced around to make sure Sara wasn't watching, then offered a quiet nod. "Yes—I do. And yes, you can. Just don't let Instructor Sara find out."
Fie's lips curved into a small grin as Shionne passed over a couple of bombs. "Sweet. Was worried how I'd get more once mine ran out."
Once the practical exam concluded, Sara cleared her throat, her presence commanding attention. She announced the details of the upcoming field study and handed out group assignments.
"Rean, Alisa, Laura, Elliot, and Shionne— you'll go to Celdic. Jusis, Emma, Machias, Fie, Gaius, and Rinwell—you're going to Parm."
A few days later, on Saturday morning, the dorms bustled with activity as everyone prepared to depart. Rean and Alisa, having reconciled, shared a quiet moment before leaving. Rinwell crept down the stairs, yawning and rubbing her eyes, before hoisting her luggage and strolling out to meet Shionne in the park.
"Hey, Shionne—are you ready for this?" she asked, a tinge of nervous excitement in her voice.
Shionne adjusted her bag strap, her pale blue eyes thoughtful. "Kind of. I'm not sure whether to let things play out the way they did originally—or to step in and change things."
Rinwell frowned. "There's not a lot to interfere with in your area—just provincial army jerkiness and the Imperial Liberation Front stirring trouble. I mean, you could take out G, but then Crow might react harshly. Also… I've noticed something. Aren't we a bit too strong? Most of our stats are in the twenties. I'm pretty sure I could take down most of Class VII myself."
Shionne's lips curled in a half-smile of amusement. "That's because all of them are currently at peak human. Whereas you and I—even without our character forms—are already in the superhuman bracket."
Rinwell's eyes flicked with surprise. "Wait—how do you even know what their stats are?"
Shionne shrugged casually. "I used the watch's scan function."
"The what?" Rinwell stammered, confusion coloring her tone.
"The scan function," Shionne repeated patiently. "It works like appraisal—point your watch at someone, and you get a peek at their stats."
Rinwell's brow furrowed as she absorbed that. "What else don't I know?"
"The Master Quartz grows stronger through use," Shionne added simply.
Rinwell nodded slowly. "Got it."
Suddenly, Sara's voice echoed down the path: "Come on, you two! The train's about to leave!"
The two girls exchanged a quick glance, hoisted their luggage, and dashed for the station. Once inside, they split paths—Rinwell heading toward the Parm-bound car, and Shionne stepping onto the train with Rean, Alisa, Laura, and Elliot.
On the way there, Shionne reached into her bag and began pulling out several neatly packed lunch boxes, passing them around with her usual calm composure.
Elliot's face lit up immediately. "Awesome! I love your cooking, Shionne!" he said with a bright grin, already opening his box.
Laura gave a small nod of approval, her tone refined yet genuine. "As do I. Your attention to detail in flavor is impressive."
Rean smiled as well. "Me too. Thanks for taking the time to make these for everyone."
Alisa glanced up from her lunch, brushing a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear as a faint, smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, you're almost as good as my mai... I mean, someone else I know," she corrected quickly, looking away with a subtle flush of embarrassment.
Elliot tilted his head curiously, noticing one last box resting in her lap. "Hey, who's that one for?"
Instead of answering, Shionne said nothing. Her lips curled into a knowing smirk as she held the extra lunch box up, raising her other hand to count down. "Three... two... one..."
Before the others could react, the lunch box vanished in a blur—snatched cleanly from her grasp. Sara suddenly materialized beside them, plopping herself down in an empty seat with her trademark grin.
"Free food—don't mind if I... wait." She blinked, narrowing her eyes at Shionne in mock suspicion. "How the hell did you know I'd be here?"
Shionne crossed her arms, her tone smooth but playful. "I just had a hunch."
Sara exhaled through her nose, giving her a flat stare before chuckling under her breath. "You're way too sharp for your own good, you know that?" she said, opening the lunch box and peering inside. Her grin returned almost instantly. "But I'll let it slide since this smells amazing."
Sara smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Anyway, I'll be sticking with all of you—at least until you're checked in at your inn."