Diao Kato was merely an acquaintance of Eichi, and they weren't that close yet. After that day, he had asked Eichi about his relationship with Professor Kant. Eichi didn't explicitly say he was Kant's student, but only mentioned that they were close because he frequently sought out the professor to ask questions.
After the two exchanged some pleasantries, Diao went off to chat with others nearby. They gathered just a short distance behind Eichi. Although there was some space between them, Eichi could hear everything they said clearly.
"Diao, did you finish the last two questions? They were so difficult! I didn't even know how to start writing," one person said.
Another voice chimed in, "I managed to write a little bit, but that was it. The rest was just random nonsense. I just hope the grading teachers give me some partial credit."
Diao spoke up as well, "Those last two questions were indeed very tough. I only managed the second-to-last one. For the final question, I truly had no idea what to write, so I just scribbled something down. I'm going to go ask the others later and see if they knew how to do it."
"Right, Karasawa and Akanishi are the twin stars of our grade; they probably finished them."
"Let's go ask."
Listening to them, Eichi smiled to himself. This feeling was far too familiar; it was exactly like his previous life, where everyone would compare answers immediately after an exam. After a brief chuckle, Eichi returned to his book. After a while, most people had come downstairs, and Professor Kant finally returned.
Seeing the professor's glowing face, Eichi wondered if he had encountered something pleasant. Professor Kant walked up to Eichi and asked directly, "How do you feel? Was it difficult?"
Eichi closed his book. "It was alright. It was relatively simple; the paper was designed reasonably. However, I feel like I didn't write the final question very well."
Hearing this, Diao, who was standing nearby, thought to himself: Is there really a need to act like such a show-off? Showing off in front of Professor Kant—you'll regret it once you're exposed.
Professor Kant nodded. "Mm. Are you confident in scoring a 90?"
This question left Diao stunned. My dear Professor Kant, you actually believe whatever he says!
Wait, Diao felt a bit confused. Looking at Professor Kant, it didn't seem like he was faking it. Could it be that what Eichi said was true? Diao still didn't want to believe Eichi had that kind of strength. We'll know when the results come out this afternoon, he thought secretly.
"It should be no problem," Eichi replied.
Professor Kant nodded with satisfaction. "Go back and get some good rest. The assessment continues this afternoon. Do you know the format for this afternoon's session?"
"Yes," Eichi answered. "This afternoon is the practical assessment. We'll be divided into groups and given a Pokémon to observe. Then, we have to write a health report about it."
"That's about it," Professor Kant said. "The scores should be out this afternoon as well."
As the time for the theory exam ended, Professor Kant arranged for a teacher to take attendance. Once everyone was accounted for, they headed back to the hotel for lunch and a break.
Meanwhile, in a classroom in the teaching building, piles of exam papers were stacked high. Over a dozen teachers remained inside to grade them. Having started immediately after lunch, one young teacher eventually wailed, "When will we finally be able to use multimedia for classes? If everyone had a computer, candidates could take the exam digitally. We'd know the results immediately, and we wouldn't have to suffer through grading papers like this."
An older teacher replied, "The principal proposed that idea last month, but it's difficult to implement right now. It will probably take a few more years."
Changing the subject, the young teacher asked, "Do you think anyone will be able to get an S-grade this time?"
This question piqued everyone's interest. Grading was tedious, so they welcomed the conversation as a distraction.
A female teacher wearing glasses said, "That's too difficult. The highest score I've graded so far is an 88."
"88? That high?" the young teacher exclaimed. "My highest is only an 86."
Another teacher noted, "I have a 92 over here."
"My highest is 90."
"I've got a 91."
The teachers one after another shared their highest scores. One teacher remarked, "The scores are quite high this year. I've looked at the paper; the difficulty is about the same as previous years."
The young teacher asked the older teacher, "Group Leader, what's the highest score you've graded?"
The Group Leader looked up and showed the paper in his hand to everyone. "This one right here. 97 points."
The other teachers were instantly shocked and rushed over to look at the 97-point paper.
An older female teacher sighed with regret, "What a pity. Just one point away from an S-grade."
The others shared the sentiment before returning to their seats to continue grading.
The Group Leader continued his work, speaking as he graded, "Before we started, the principal told me that several Senior Breeders brought young geniuses with them this time, so the scores this year are expected to be high. Perhaps we'll see a 98-point paper soon."
Everyone nodded and kept grading. After a while, the female teacher with glasses suddenly cried out in surprise, "I found a 98-point paper!"
In an instant, all the teachers swarmed over. They checked carefully and confirmed the score was accurate.
One teacher finished looking and said, "It seems things are going to get lively this year."
A moment later, another teacher called out, "I have a 98-point paper here too!"
This ignited everyone's passion for grading. Everyone hoped they would be the one to find an S-grade paper. The young teacher felt the same way, thinking: I hope I can grade an S-grade paper too.
With that thought, he moved to the next exam paper.
This paper, wow! The handwriting is beautiful. As he continued grading, he realized something was off—every answer was correct. He had already reached 80 points. Now grading the second-to-last question, he looked at the answer and felt a surge of excitement.
Correct again!
He then quickly looked at the final question. This was an essay question without a single "correct" answer; it required the grader's subjective judgment. After reading it, he felt excited but also a bit uncertain. He stood up and took the paper to the Group Leader. "Group Leader, could you help me look at this last question? I'm not sure how many points to give."
The Group Leader looked puzzled. "Oh? Let me see."
He took the paper, and his first reaction mirrored the young teacher's—the handwriting was indeed excellent. He began reading the final question. The room fell silent as he read. Suddenly, he looked up.