kscans

Chapter 460 - The Trial Before the Event

An official announcement from AFO revealed that a new event would begin in two weeks, stirring excitement not only within the virtual world but in the real one as well.

With the event so close, many people had already started to guess what it might be about, and the Tamer Guild in Azuma was bustling with activity. That said, no one knew exactly what they should be doing, so many players had simply come to see the newly added counters. It wasn't just sightseeing, however, as the number of players taking on tamer-related quests had increased.

Some players were buying up pet food and equipment, but everyone, including them, was cheerfully speculating about the upcoming event.

But while AFO was buzzing with excitement, there was one player who wasn't. That would be Parfait, who had tests in the real world next week.

Perhaps it was by Diite's arrangement that the event was scheduled to start after her real-world exams. But even without that circumstance, Parfait simply hated tests.

"I wish tests would just die."

"My friend. One shouldn't say such clichéd things. How about something like, 'May all tests be swallowed by the abyss'?"

"Tests are probably a piece of cake for you, Nacchan, but they're a huge deal for me. You don't need to memorize history, you can just look at a timeline, right? Why do we have to use mnemonics just to remember stuff?"

"Shouldn't you first have something to say about my dark side comment? I'm a little hurt."

Parfait grumbled at their base in AFO, with Natsu keeping her company. And as usual, Trachiyo was lying on the table with maximum cuteness. Parfait was stroking him unconsciously.

"My friend, I understand how you feel, but I'll help you study again, so how about you just log out already? My friend Chris asked me to make you log out since you're in AFO."

"...I'd rather get a failing grade if it means I can't see Trachiyo."

"That resolve is admirable, but if you fail, you'll have remedial classes, and your time in AFO will be cut even shorter. Besides, if we teach you, we get to eat your father Hayato-dono's sweets for free. We wouldn't want to miss that."

"Dad never tells me to study, but maybe he's a strategist who uses my friends...?"

"I think your train of thought is so off-kilter it's broken through the galaxy. Oh, is that my friend Wilnel?"

"Hello, Natsu-san, Parfait-san."

Parfait and Natsu greeted Wilnel, who had just logged in. Unlike before, Wilnel's expression was often cheerful, but right now she looked puzzled.

"I thought I heard something about Hayato-sama's sweets just now. Did something happen?"

"Actually, we get free sweets if we have a study session at my friend's house, but she's saying she doesn't want to log out."

"A study session?"

"My friend Wilnel, since you go to the same school, you must have tests starting next week too, right?"

"I believe that was the schedule... You're holding a study session for the tests?"

"Yep, it's a regular thing. We gather at my friend's coffee shop, and Hayato-dono always provides us with sweets. To put it nicely, it's friendship. To put it badly, it's a transaction!"

"I think just 'friendship' would have been fine, don't you?"

Parfait said as she straightened her posture. Then she placed Trachiyo on her lap and began stroking him. This, too, was unconscious.

"Well, that's the situation. They always help me study. If I get a failing grade, I'll have remedial classes after school, so I want to avoid that... It's a tough world..."

"I see. But a study session for tests? Couldn't you just not get a failing grade in the first place?"

"Wilnel-chan, let's calm down. This study session is to avoid failing. If I don't do anything, I'm on a one-way course to failing math. I can manage the others, but it'll be bad if I let my guard down."

"But aren't the tests easy enough if you just pay attention in class?"

"Wilnel-chan, you know, sometimes words can be weapons that hurt people..."

According to Parfait, some people just can't use their memory for things they aren't interested in. Sure, she might have heard it in class. But since she doesn't remember it, there's no way she can get a good score on the test.

It's impossible to solve a problem without knowing the formula, she can't write a kanji character she doesn't remember on the spot, and she wants to scream about how pointless it is to remember calendar years with mnemonics.

"I understand your heartfelt cry, Parfait-san... I've had a suspicion for a while, but have you, how should I put this, put all of your stat points into stamina and agility?"

"I appreciate you trying to choose your words carefully so as not to hurt my feelings, but please don't put it in game terms. I mean, I am pretty athletic, though."

Parfait received enthusiastic invitations from various sports clubs, but she turned them all down. Her mentor, Benitsuru, had told her, "Par-cchi is dangerous." She wouldn't explain how, but she did say that it would be unfair for her to play sports with kids her own age.

"My friend Wilnel, I should mention that my friend is not particularly unintelligent. She has points allocated to her wisdom stat as well."

"What do you mean?"

"She's simply not interested. My friend possesses the special ability to not remember a single thing she has no interest in."

"That's not an ability, that's just how normal people are. In fact, it's weird that people like you, Nacchan, and Wilnel-chan can remember things you've seen and heard even if you're not interested. If everyone could do that, the whole system of tests wouldn't exist."

"Things are quite complicated, I see. I know, Parfait-san, why not try to get interested in studying? Why are you making a face like the world is about to end?"

"It's harder to get interested in something you have no interest in... I guess I have no choice but to study. Trachiyo, I'm sorry. I must now endure a trial more grueling than hell itself. Please wait quietly for my return. Let's play when I get back safely...!"

As if she were raising a huge flag, Trachiyo, whether he understood or not, simply let out a single "Nya."

"Hell? I don't think we're doing anything that drastic."

"Studying after school is something I don't even think they do in hell."

Wilnel watched Parfait and Natsu, and as if she understood the situation, she made a slightly disappointed face.

"Studying aside, does this mean you two won't be logging in for a while, Parfait-san?"

"I might log in after the study session is over, but it'll probably be late at night. Or I might be too tired and just fall asleep without logging in."

"That's a shame. Ginny-san, Rick-san, and Abel-san seem busy too, and doing tamer quests by myself is a bit—"

"My friend Wilnel, if you're free, why not come to the study session?"

"Eh?"

"You'd be in the position of teaching Parfait, but given what you said earlier, if you don't need to study for the tests, I would very much appreciate your help. To be blunt, it's a lot of work teaching my friend."

"Could you be a little more blunt?"

As if she didn't hear Parfait's remark, Wilnel's eyes widened, and then she blinked rapidly several times. Her expression turned to one of astonishment.

"A-Are you inviting me to a study session!?"

"Whoa, what a reaction. But I don't think I could have said it any other way. If I were inviting you to the dark side, I'd use different words. For example, 'When the sun is shrouded in shadow—'"

"Wh-wh..."

"'Blessed by the darkness—' Wh?"

"What should I do! Being invited to a study session, I've seen this in Dokipan! I can't believe a manga-like situation is happening to me! I thought that kind of thing was just fiction!"

Seeing the extremely excited Wilnel, Natsu was a bit taken aback, but Parfait vaguely recalled a scene like that. That was also for test prep, she thought, but she didn't have any memory of them actually studying.

"I understand! I'll head over to your house right away, Parfait-san! I'll make you number one in our grade!"

"I just need to not get a failing grade."

"Eh? But if you become number one, won't you be able to join the student council, which has more authority than the teachers?"

"Ah, that's fiction. The student council doesn't have that kind of power."

"Then what about the underground student council that has even more power...?"

"That's fiction too. Dokipan has that because the school is run by demons. Why do you look so disappointed?"

"Well, I'd always hoped to join the underground student council someday. Don't you think power is a wonderful thing?"

"What is the next head of a Foundation talking about?"

Parfait wanted to say, what's the point of seeking power in a school when you already have the highest form of power as the next head of a Foundation?

However, Parfait had a scary thought. A scary thought that Wilnel might actually be able to create such a school. Related to that, she had an even scarier thought that there was a school funded by the Pisces Foundation.

Though Wilnel's excitement had dropped a little, she maintained her high spirits about being invited to the study session, and after saying she would head to the cafe immediately, she logged out. Likewise, Natsu said she would head over right away and logged out too.

Parfait, realizing she had no choice but to accept her fate, prepared to log out, but not before scooping up Trachiyo and petting him all over. After getting her fill, she logged out.