Simon decided to set a trap to catch the unidentified Priest, suspected to be an Efnel 'spy'.He would release Corpse Spiders near the Forbidden Forest where the Priest was sighted and wait.If the Priest appeared, Simon would be immediately notified, and Erzebet and Pier would be dispatched. Erzebet would approach him disguised as a high-ranking Priest to extract information. "I apologize, but if the opponent is a Priest, wouldn't they quickly discover I'm an undead? I heard Priests who handle divine power are sensitive to undead." "That won't be the case. He used Jet Black." Jet Black and Divine Power are opposing, mutually exclusive powers. A Priest's unique sense for detecting undead only manifests when they possess divine power. And that traitor Priest abandoned divine power to use Jet Black. It doesn't matter if he's discovered. Pier and the entire Legion will attack the Priest in a pincer movement. Even if it's difficult to guarantee victory against someone who might truly be professor-level, at least Pier and Erzebet should have no problem escaping. "Understood, my lord. I shall begin researching the appearance and behavior of high-ranking Priests immediately." "Yes, I'm counting on you." The trap was set. The Priest would probably be cautious for a while and wouldn't enter the forest directly, but Simon could only hope he would eventually fall into it. With his undead released in the ruins, Simon returned to Kizen.***The mission period ended, and a new Kizen life began again.When Simon entered the classroom after a long time, the atmosphere was several times brighter and more lively than usual. Laughter erupted from all directions, and conversations never ceased. Everyone was busy recounting their mission experiences; it seemed even a full day wouldn't be enough to exhaust all the topics. 'Are the others not here yet?' Dick had complained of sudden diarrhea while walking to school together and rushed to the restroom, leaving Simon to arrive at the classroom alone. He was looking around for a suitable seat when he spotted a familiar face. "Mei-rin!" She was chattering with two other female students when she suddenly blushed upon seeing Simon and quickly hid something behind her back. The two girls nudged her arm, giggling, and Mei-rin angrily told them to stop. "What's wrong?" Mei-rin flinched and took a step back as Simon approached. The other girls greeted Simon warmly, then looked at Mei-rin. "Well then, we'll leave you two alone~" "Oh ho ho ho!" "Hey!! You guys are dead!" They giggled and ran off to another spot. Mei-rin glared slightly at Simon, then cleared her throat. "You're surprisingly shameless, aren't you?" "What?" "......Are you just dense or something?" She sighed softly and thrust out what she had been hiding behind her back. "Here." "Hmm...?" What she offered was a carrot cake set in pretty packaging. Simon blinked. "Is this for me?" "D-don't misunderstand! Please! It's just because we're in the same group!" She thrust the cake into Simon's arms and quickly pulled her arm back. Then, turning her flushed face away, she frantically fanned herself with her hand. "Thank you. But why the sudden gift? It's not my birthday today." "......." She looked at Simon with a 'do you really not know?' expression. "It's Cake Day today." "Cake Day?" "Yes! The day girls give cakes to boys!" Simon's brain spun rapidly. Cake Day, he'd never heard of it in his life. The only holidays in Reshill were Thanksgiving, Goat Special Treat Day, Weed Pulling Day, and so on. Perhaps it was a city-specific culture. And judging by Mei-rin's reaction, it seemed like not knowing this would make him look like a fool or a country bumpkin, so it would be wise not to make a fool of himself. Having grasped the situation through his stream of consciousness, Simon smiled brightly. "You went to so much trouble. Thank you, Mei-rin." "......." Her hand, which had been fanning herself, moved even faster. "Trouble? What trouble! I'm just giving it to you out of pity, out of pity! If you and Dick don't even get one from the girls in your group, you're just done......." "Hi~ Simon!" Just then, two other female students from Class A approached. "Here! Lemon cake!" "Mine's black tea cake! Thanks for teaching me the martial arts stance in Martial Arts class last time!" They placed their cakes one by one on top of Mei-rin's cake. Simon was a little bewildered but soon smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, girls! I'm glad I could help back then." "......Ah." Suddenly, the girls' cheeks turned red. "I'll enjoy it." "Ah, okay!" A slightly awkward yet strange atmosphere flowed. Then, they waved goodbye first and hurriedly left for another spot. "......You're, you're quite something." Mei-rin, who had been watching with her arms crossed, broke out in a sweat. "But including mine, they were all thank-you gifts, weren't they? Now those three are the last......." "Simoooooon!" Who was it this time? Simon turned around to see Kamibarez, with cream on her face, rushing towards him. In her hands was a large cake box. "Ah, Kami." She stood before Simon and took a deep breath. Then, with determination in her eyes, she held out the cake. "......Simon! Th-th-thank you so much for everything, and I'm so, so grateful! Please take good care of me for the rest of this semester!!" Then she bowed deeply, offering the large cake. 'No, what exactly is Cake Day? She's doing all this for me?' Simon felt a pang of emotion. Mei-rin, who had come closer to peek, also widened her eyes. "Wow! Handmade cake? Amazing......." At her words, Kamibarez's face turned even redder, and she shook her head frantically. "N-no! Handmade? It's not! I just bought it from Rochester......." "Kami." Simon approached and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. Then he wiped the cream from her cheek. "Wait, you have something here." "......!!!" Her face flushed to its limit. She then thrust the cake into Simon's arms and disappeared from the classroom as if fleeing. "Why is she like that?" "......Haa, you really are something." Mei-rin sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead.After that brief commotion, Simon sat down and neatly placed the gifted cakes on his desk. He took a breath and slowly looked around. The classroom was now filled with colorful cakes everywhere, and a pinkish aura flowed between the boys and girls exchanging cakes. It turned out that the lively atmosphere Simon had initially felt was a combination of the joy of meeting after the mission and the power of Cake Day. And there, in the far corner of the classroom, was Hector. He sat with his legs spread wide, looking very annoyed, but despite his fierce expression, he was wearing a ridiculous party hat. Cake boxes were piled up like a mountain on his desk. "Oh, hi, Hector!" Just then, a female student cautiously approached him. She was even from a different class. "Th-this! I prepared it......." "......Just put it anywhere and get lost." "Kyaaaaaang!" She added another cake to the cake mountain and fled out of the classroom, her face beet red. It was somehow amusing to see Hector scratching his head in annoyance, unable to get angry. 'He must be having a tough time too.' Simon was thinking that as he took out his textbook. "Hi~ Simon." Simon looked up. "Ah, Class Rep." Jamie Victoria. She was the female student who had earned the title of Class Rep from the Class A students after saluting as the class representative during Toxicology class. She had short green hair and a slender build, making it hard to tell if she was a girl or a pretty boy at a glance. "Which do you prefer? Cheese, vanilla, or cinnamon?" She rummaged through the bag on her back and asked. "I like cinnamon......." "Oh! This one wasn't popular, thank you for choosing it!" She held out a cupcake box to Simon. Simon thanked her and asked, "Are you giving them to all the boys in Class A?" "Yep! As a thank you for a good semester. Well then!" She winked and headed elsewhere. And the two male students sitting miserably right behind Simon, without a single cake, their eyes lit up as if they had seen a savior when Jamie approached. "......Simon, you know." Mei-rin, who had unpacked her things and sat down next to him, gave him a meaningful look. "You didn't know about Cake Day, did you?" Simon's shoulders twitched. Convinced by his reaction, she shook her head. "Let me tell you. This is a school, a school. If you don't want to be looked down on by your peers, you'd better keep up with basic holidays and the latest trends." She had a point. But. "Are there other holidays like this?" "Of course!" "Next time, it'll probably be the day boys give to girls. What's that day called?" Mei-rin curled the corners of her lips. "Accessory Day." Simon let out a hollow laugh. "......That's unfair." "Oh, come on, would girls, if they had any conscience, want real jewel-encrusted accessories after giving cakes? It's just about exchanging toy-like things." "Is that so?" "Yeah, yeah." She smiled brightly. "Of course, if the boys really want to give something, I wouldn't stop them~" ......Indeed, the world is unfair.***The bustling class preparation time ended, and finally, the first class at Kizen began. The first class was Jane's Beginner Dark Magic. "I've received reports that all students in Class A have safely returned to Kizen. As your professor, I am satisfied." Jane looked around at the students and continued. "First, there's an important announcement." She took a new document from her assistant and read it. "Yes. The Duel Evaluation will begin this week." Ah- Voices of burden erupted from various places. The lively atmosphere from Cake Day quickly froze. Regardless, Jane continued her explanation. "The Duel Evaluation will proceed throughout the first semester. The rules are simple. You will engage in 1v1 combat with other first-year Kizen students. Not just Class A, but all 14 classes, all the way to Class N, will be your competitors." She walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew a simple diagram. "The winner moves to the upper squad, and the loser moves to the lower squad." Upper Squad 30% Middle Squad 30% Lower Squad 30% Lowest Squad 10% "Squads will be updated weekly. And students who remain in the lowest squad until the end of the first semester will be......." She looked back at the students and said coldly, "All expelled."
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