"Out of my way, scum."
The shove was sharp, direct.
Alex barely moved.
A boy with navy blue hair slicked back, a white uniform with gold trim, and a short cape flowing behind him pushed his way to the front with a firm step. In his right hand, a pyramid gleaming with electric blue light.
"That's Reiji Kisaragi," someone in the stands whispered.
"From the Kisaragi house… isn't he the direct heir?"
"His grandfather was the first to defeat a Category 3 Shinju during the Northern War. Rank S confirmed before twenty."
"And they say his pyramid was forged from the remains of that creature…"
Reiji raised his hand arrogantly, looking at Instructor Renkai.
"I request to be first in the examination."
"Granted."
Reiji turned slightly toward Alex — just enough for his voice to reach him alone.
"I'll make sure you're next, coreless commoner. Then we'll see if this was a system error… or just a joke that you're here."
Alex looked at him for a second.
"I don't know how you heard about that. But if it makes you feel better."
Reiji advanced toward the center of the field. The pyramid in his hand began to rotate, floating before him as he spoke a command that rumbled like thunder.
"Awaken, Raikoumaru!"
A wave of lightning burst from the ground. From it emerged a massive beast in the form of a wolf made of steel, gleaming metal plates and electricity crackling between its fangs.
From the forest, the Shinju approached with a hollow shriek that made bones vibrate — a creature of crystal and mist, twisted, erratic, moving like liquid shadow.
Category 1, Alex thought from the stands, arms crossed. The lowest on the scale. And still half of them are sweating.
The battle was fiercer than expected.
Raikoumaru charged, its lightning splitting air and ground. But the Shinju wasn't intimidated. It dodged with unnatural agility, releasing acid mist that melted parts of the summoned armor. Reiji stepped back twice, gritting his teeth.
"Shut up and die already!"
He activated his pyramid's secondary core. Raikoumaru unleashed a massive discharge that struck the Shinju square in the chest. The entire field shook. The creature howled — and exploded into fragments of smoke and crystal.
Silence. Then applause.
"As expected of the Kisaragi heir."
"Rank A from the entrance exam. They say he could reach S before graduating."
Reiji turned around with his cape flowing, ready to receive what he deserved. His eyes searched for Alex — expecting admiration, envy, fear, anything.
Instead, he found Alex kneeling in the grass, head tilted toward the ground.
"What the hell…?"
Alex was watching intently a tiny lizard climbing through the grass. When the animal lifted its head, he tilted his in response.
"…Is he dancing?"
The lizard gave a clumsy leap and wagged its tail in strange circles.
Alex smiled.
"That was adorable."
Reiji clenched his fists. The applause died behind him. He returned without a word, each step resonating with a rage that had nowhere to direct itself.
From the stands, Mikagami watched. Her expression remained serene, but her eyes didn't.
"Just as I thought," she murmured. "Without a doubt — it's him."
---
Instructor Renkai raised his voice. The murmurs ceased instantly.
"The test will continue individually. Each aspirant will be assigned a separate area within the simulated field, where they will face a Category 1 Shinju. Whoever defeats it will keep their pyramid and be officially admitted. Whoever fails will be rescued by an instructor — but must surrender their core and leave the academy."
Silence fell like a stone slab.
"No second chance?" someone whispered.
"That's how the system has always worked," another replied quietly. "Ranks aren't given away. F, D, C, B, A, S — each is earned with blood. Those who can't handle a Category 1 have no business being here."
Alex listened without turning his head.
Category 1 for the Shinju. Rank F for hunters fresh out of the exam. He looked at the aspirants one by one with complete unconcern. And the one who just won with his electric wolf thinks he's gone far.
Some vibrated with excitement. Others overflowed with arrogance. Several sweated in silence.
And then a girl caught his attention.
She walked slowly toward her assigned gate. The uniform was a bit big on her, sleeves partially covering her hands. Brown hair in two loose ponytails. Large eyes that avoided everyone's gaze.
She stopped just before entering the field and gripped her pyramid tightly. Swallowed.
She's terrified, Alex thought.
Then he added, in complete internal silence and without his expression changing in the slightest:
…Cute.
He sighed, peeled himself away from the tree, and walked toward his own gate with his hands in his pockets and an expression so flat he seemed to be looking for a place to take a nap.
"Let the show begin," he murmured, disappearing into the simulated forest.