Chapter 142

End-of-semester evaluation (6)

“You are that student assistant, Anise Heylan. It is rumored that you are much faster than most assistant professors.”

Anise plugged her nose at the heavy smell of alcohol.

It was a habitual behavior, but when I thought about it, it was rude in front of a senior professor. Anis herself thought it was a mistake, but Professor Kalide didn’t seem to care at all.

Kalide, who entered the lab in a drunken state, glanced sideways at Assistant Professor Claire, who was in a corpse state.

Now, looking like a corpse like that is the usual Assistant Professor Claire. I can’t remember the last time I saw Claire when she wasn’t tired.

In addition to the intense workload, I also conducted personal research, so I would have been short of even 10 bodies.

“Ah, hello. Professor Kalide.”

“There’s no need to make that bug-bitten face.”

“Did I make that kind of face?”

Professor Kalide scratched his head and glanced around the lab.

A week has passed since the end-of-semester exams were completed. After this weekend, it will be vacation season.

“Well... it’s time for the lab to be free now. Are you the only student assistant who went to work? In fact, it’s time to prepare for vacation.”

Professor Kalide took out a crumpled document envelope from his pocket and threw it on the central teaching assistant table.

“What is this?”

“This is a letter from the academic affairs central headquarters this morning. I heard that the calculation of grades for this semester’s end-of-semester exams has been completed.”

“Is this the sexual material?”

“Yes. Among them, there was a list of the top 20 students by grade.”

Basically, the policy is not to announce students’ grades, but as a motivational measure, the top 20 scorers in each grade are posted on the outside wall of the student center every semester.

He came to take care of organizing the data. Normally, the senior professor would organize it himself, but Kaleid was not a very quick person.

“Check the list appropriately, organize it nicely, and then post it in the student center.”

“I understand.”

Anyway, Anise’s hands were empty.

As the semester came to an end, the amount of work assigned to Assistant Professor Claire’s lab was greatly reduced.

It’s a long-awaited break. Assistant Professor Claire was sleeping soundly at her desk, so there was no one to give her work instructions. As a result, I was doing odd jobs, such as organizing materials that were past their storage period.

“Hmm...”

Anise picked up the envelope that Professor Kaleid had thrown away and swallowed dryly.

Thanks to her meticulous personality, Anis boasts outstanding written scores, but her practical scores still left a lot to be desired.

I wanted to get high scores and get a scholarship, but I couldn’t do that because my grades were always a little low.

This time, I thought I would have some hope, but...

“Oh, that’s right. Your name wasn’t there, Anis.”

Anis, who was trying to open the document with her heart pounding, was hit with the death sentence first.

When Anise looked at Kaleid with wide eyes, he shrugged his shoulders and rolled up the tobacco.

“What should I do? It’ll only break your heart to see it with your own eyes.”

“Profit... Ugh...”

Anise shook her head and sighed. Actually, I didn’t have that many expectations.

If this happens, the most curious part is Ed Rosstaylor’s performance.

Ed Rosstaylor rose rapidly after performing well in the recent practical exam. This is because he did not simply have a reputation as a sincere hard worker, but actually achieved many practical achievements.

She is considered to be the only student who can emerge as the new 3rd grade valedictorian, defeating Yenica Palover, who was the undisputed 1st place winner.

Other grades may not be very interested, but it is drawing quite a bit of interest among third graders... Anis was also quite curious.

One of the best things about being a student assistant is having access to this information first.

“Whew...”

Even though it wasn’t her grade, Anis started to feel nervous again.

In the first place, Anis is someone who has feelings for both Yenika and Ed.

When I think about the fact that one of the two will not be able to rise to the top position, I feel a pang of regret in my heart.

Still, the scales in Anise’s mind were tilting slightly more toward Ed.

Jenica is kind and sincere, and is the best friend of best friends with whom I have a deep connection. It was a very precious relationship, but Anise found herself in Ed’s efforts to break his bones.

Anis is also aware. This is a kind of self-identity.

The path of the man who survived by grinding his teeth without any background or talent must have never been smooth. You can see your own life overlapping with that life.

Anis knows well the value of a life that has endured like that. So the effort must be rewarded.

Just because it’s Yenika doesn’t mean she didn’t try. It’s not that it wasn’t difficult or that I lived a rough life.

Still, the result of that effort is completely different from Ed.

“Where...”

Anise took a deep breath and quickly opened the envelope of documents given to her by Professor Kaleid.

A bunch of documents came out from inside. When she looked at the top line of the first page, Anise’s face instantly lit up.

But let’s examine the details for a moment... Anise’s gaze began to cool little by little.

* * * [ Look at these wings, Master Ed! If you spread it out like this... it can cover Master Ed’s entire upper body! Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! ]

Mug laughed loudly and then coughed as if he was choking.

It was also last week that Mug transformed into a mid-level spirit. In other words, it was like that all week.

[If you make too much of a fuss, Master Ed’s magic might come under your control. ]

[Is that so...! For now, I will refrain from starting fires. I’m so excited, stop! Thank you for your opinion, Lacia...! ]

[Why are you still using the polite term? We are now the same lieutenant spirit. ]

[ Yes? ]

On the other hand, the bachelor’s bench at sunset.

After finishing all my school work and before returning to camp, I sat on a bench and had a quick meal.

Today was the closing day, marking the end of all classes for the semester. Since there are no classes left, there is no need to come to the faculty building until vacation.

So, I wanted to finish everything I had to do in the teaching building today.

The northern forest camp where I live is quite far from the professor’s building, so I didn’t want to keep coming in and out of the distant professor’s building because of a few minor things I had to take care of.

[How can I...! That’s right. Now that I am a mid-level spirit, I am on equal footing with Lacia...! ]

[ yes. ]

[ Still, I can’t let go right now... I’m not mentally ready... Can I just... slowly let go...? ]

[ .... ]

Mug was sitting on the back of the bench, flapping his wings, and Lacia was sitting face down on the marble floor, licking the soles of her feet. As I watched the two of them bickering over polite words, I remembered myself having a strange war of nerves with Belle Maia, and for no reason I felt strange.

[You’re making such a fuss over something that isn’t a big deal. And I don’t know where Ed’s horsepower is like it used to be. You can easily handle two mid-level spirits, so don’t be too nervous. ]

Meanwhile, Merilda was flipping through a thick book in the opposite corner of the bench, reading it and snorting. It’s strangely obnoxious.

“I can handle two middle-ranking spirits, but you’re a bit too much. Now that I think about it, they’re always on my side, not on Lucy’s side.”

When I said that, Merilda, in human form, closed her eyes and shook her head.

[ He has a generous amount of magic power, but he rarely goes out to the professorial building. I want to stop by the library often, but if I follow her around, I have to walk every day to borrow books. The same goes for returns. ]

“You already read all the ten books I borrowed last week?”

[Art history studies are thick with a lot of data and pictures, but they are not very practical. ]

After saying that, he turns the pages of the book and hums. I was thinking about saying more, but decided to just leave it at that.

Yenika blurted out her words while saying that. Before long, Besi smiled and added.

“Ed doesn’t have good grades for being the top student. First of all, I thought it would be right for Ed to be the top student in his third year.”

I took a deep breath at those words.

I thought this senior position was the result of all my hard work. This is also the reason why I felt such great joy that it took my breath away.

However, in reality, everything was given over to Yenika.

Looking at the grades, even if Jenica took the notes properly, I didn’t know if she could compare them.

To that extent, my grades came out higher than expected. In reality, we don’t know what would have happened.

In fact, it is a thing of the past.

The fact that I so desperately wanted the top position was proof of my hard work, but in the end, the perks that came with the top position were the key.

They arrived completely in my hands. Thankfully, thanks to Jenica’s consideration. Actually, that’s it.

“Okay, thank you.”

He spoke quietly.

His facial expression and tone are the same as usual. Without any significant changes, I thanked Yenika with all my heart as always. In times like these, you need to be more mature.

“It’s all thanks to you, Yenika. Even if you didn’t have any special privileges, it wouldn’t have been an easy decision to give up your position as head... There would be people around you looking at you...” “

No, no...! Hard times always go to Edgar. You do it the most...!”

“Anyway, thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”

After saying that, Yenika’s expression doesn’t look very good.

He seemed to sense something strange and just tilted his head.

“Eh ed...?”

It was a moment when Yenika, who had been thinking for a while, was about to ask a question.

―Sasashak.

“You two were here.”

A haughty yet soft voice. It was the voice I heard so many times in Assistant Professor Claire’s lab.

Anise came out from behind the bench, brushing away her thick gray hair. It looked like he had been looking for us for a while now.

“Oh, Anise...? What’s going on here...?”

“We were supposed to go to Laplace Bakery today. The three of us with Clara to celebrate the closing ceremony. I heard Jenica always forgets.”

“Today? Was it like that?”

Anis came striding forward, passed me by, and squeezed Jenica’s arm. However, I did not forget to say hello.

“Hi Ed.”

“Have you finished your lab work...?”

“Yeah, okay. I’m sorry, but I’ll borrow Yenica. I had a prior appointment, but I guess I forgot.”

Anis pulled Jenica, who was tilting her head.

No matter how much she thought about it, Jenica mumbled that she didn’t think she had made that promise, but Anis told her to remember and dragged her away like she was half kidnapping her.

“Oh right.”

However, before disappearing with Yenika in tow, he turned his head and spoke to me, leaving the sunset behind him.

“Congratulations on becoming senior.”

“Okay, thank you.”

And just like that, Anis... quickly disappeared, taking Yenika with her.

“....”

The sun is setting in the western sky. It was early evening just now, but now it feels like it’s really getting close to night.

I sat down on a nearby bench, put both hands on the backrest, and looked at the sky.

Afterwards, I had to go back to camp and check what I had to do.

Now that it’s almost summer vacation, I realize that there’s still a lot of work left to do.

Eventually, an inexplicable sigh came out.

The red sky was very beautiful.

* * *

“Why did you do that?”

“...Yes?”

“Yenika, you made a mistake.”

Anise was walking away with a striding stride, holding her arm tightly. The arm that was being held strangely hard felt sore, but Jenica could not bear to say that it hurt.

So Anis dragged Yenika for a while... and only after she was far away from Ed did she sit down on the flower bed.

Anise lowered her head and took a moment to choose her words.

Although I hadn’t seen Ed Rothtaylor for a long time, I was aware of the fact that I identified with him at some point. Self-objectification is Anise’s specialty.

Therefore, I thought that his efforts that he gritted his teeth and continued to do should be rewarded.

And looking at the calculated results, even if Jenica had not conceded, he might have been able to take the top position. Although it now remains an unknown possibility.

After learning that fact, Anise sighed helplessly.

“Actually, it’s not that serious. Yenika, you probably did it with some bad intentions. I guess it’s just because you like Ed and want him to do well.”

“Well... when you say it so bluntly, I feel... a little...”

“But Yenika. Don’t you remember the times when she gritted her teeth and worked hard to get the top position?”

Anis pressed the forehead of Jenica, who was blushing, and stopped talking.

Yenika just kept her head pressed down and made eye contact with Anise.

Eventually, Yenika imagines Ed’s position.

Days where I saved even my sleeping time and tried not to waste even the slightest bit of time.

The moment he was informed that he had worked hard to achieve the top position, but that the result was nothing more than a ‘concession’. What Ed felt at that time.

Just because your intentions are good, there is no way that the results will be good.

However, Ed responded to Yenika’s awkwardness with a mature expression of gratitude.

After assessing that far, Yenika’s breath suddenly stopped.

“....”

“Yes, Yenika. You should know by now.”

On one side of the bachelor pad where the sun was setting, Anis sat next to the flower bed where Jenica was sitting.

“Just because you’re nice doesn’t mean you’re good if your standing position is high.”

Summer nights come a little early.

Now that summer is in full swing, the darkness is deeper than usual.

Sitting in the flower bed and quietly watching the setting sun... Yenika lowered her head.

Anis didn’t add any unnecessary words and just sat quietly next to him.

“....”

“....”

And just like that, the semester exams are coming to an end.

Ed Rosstaylor, senior third grader.

Because the weight of that name felt heavier than usual....

The two girls sat side by side like that, just looking at the setting sun.