Ch.260260 – Fooled Again

<260 – Fooled Again>

[You performed the minimum conscientious rescue operation to preserve lives without stopping first-year students who voluntarily entered life’s hard mode.]

[You have completed the sudden event <Rescue First-Year Students in Danger!>]

[1000 points awarded as achievement bonus.]

[Bargaining experience +3]

[Bad Kid experience +1]

[You have completed the weekly event <Sports Festival>.]

[10,000 points awarded as survival bonus.]

[Mana Control technique experience +50]

[Throwing experience +50]

[Action Prediction experience +40]

[…]

[…]

[Hiding experience +10]

[Good Kid experience +10]

The long sports festival finally came to an end.

First-year lower class students eagerly participated in cleaning duties with dustpans and brooms, earning 10 points per bag of trash.

Of course, students who had earned plenty of points during the competition focused on their studies instead of wasting time on manual labor, especially after witnessing the shocking skill level of the upperclassmen.

“At this rate, I’m not confident I can advance to second year even if I attend all lectures during the second semester.”

“We need to build our skills, not just attend lectures.”

“Did you hear? There’s a third-year senior who took five years off to earn points before barely advancing.”

“Seriously? Then how old will someone without talent be when they graduate from the Academy?”

“I don’t know. 20 years? …Maybe?”

“But we’ve never seen anyone that old.”

“Maybe because we’ve never been to the upperclassmen’s area? We’re prohibited from entering in the first place.”

First-year students who used to chat about how difficult certain lectures were, how delicious lunch was, or how much they disliked certain professors had significantly changed their topics after the sports festival.

Everyone was seriously contemplating their future, specifically about advancing grades and graduation.

Titosoga and Zhang were no exception.

“How about you, Zhang? Did you earn a lot of points this time?”

“About 90,000 points?”

“Hieek! How did you earn so many points? Did you participate in the rumored underground chess gambling where people bet points?”

“Nothing like that. The Academy gives bonuses for completing hidden challenges in each event. Like eliminating everyone else with a dagger.”

“Eww. You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like someone who jokes a lot, Tito?”

“…Is it too late to start practicing stabbing at vital points with this lighting stand?”

“That’s not a weapon, it’ll break.”

After the brief banter, their attention turned to Oknodie.

“Oknodie seems really busy these days. Did she get motivated too?”

“Probably. She ended up conceding to the third-years after all.”

For safety reasons, the first-years who competed against the third-years (who had been defeated by the fourth-years) for second and third place predictably secured third place without any surprises.

Perhaps because of this, Oknodie, who disappeared without a trace after lectures ended, attracted attention not only from the two of them but from many students.

Everyone was diligently training to strengthen their advantages, compensate for weaknesses, or look for opportunities to earn points after realizing their own inadequacies.

But Oknodie was completely different from other students.

“Oknodie, want to go to the forest with me to find magic items with concentrated natural mana for the <Basics and Understanding of Mana Usage> lecture assignment?”

“Sorry, I already found them!”

“What about the <Ranged Weapon Mastery> assignment to hunt prey for a sturdier bow?”

“Did that too, while I was at it?”

“What about Professor Sadaco’s assignment to retrieve attendance certificates hidden in the cemetery at night?”

“Of course I’ve already finished that!”

Oknodie completed every assignment from any lecture as if she’d been waiting for them.

“…You already found them? It hasn’t even been three hours since the magic item search assignment was given.”

“The ranged weapon mastery one ended 15 minutes ago.”

“And the attendance certificate just came as a substitute assignment notice on the magic clock…”

Oknodie suspiciously seemed to know what assignments would be given and completed them all!

“I can understand the magic items and hunting, but how did you collect the attendance certificate that was just hidden?”

“I stole it from Professor Sadaco’s grave on my way back from hunting! The professor isn’t in her grave at night because she’s nocturnal!”

“Wow… so Professor Sadaco lives in a grave…”

Titosoga and Zhang were shocked for different reasons!

Anyway, despite being this diligent, Oknodie was strangely investing a lot of time in just one lecture.

The problematic lecture was Professor Bronze De Estra’s <Developing an Eye for Quality> held every Monday and Wednesday during second period (11 AM – 1 PM).

“Tito, I think there must be something about the Developing an Eye for Quality lecture.”

“Whyyy?”

“Think about it. The professor of that lecture is called the world’s greatest noble thief, right?”

“Wow, really?”

“I heard he once stole answer sheets for other professors’ pop quizzes and gave them as gifts to students taking his lecture. If there’s a precedent, it could happen again.”

Titosoga’s eyes widened.

“Could that be the source of Oknodie’s suspiciously thorough information and preparation?”

Zhang nodded seriously.

“Professor Bronze must be leaking other professors’ lecture contents to Oknodie in advance.”

“Why would the professor do such a thing? Other professors are also experts in their fields. Wouldn’t it cause big trouble if discovered?”

“He must be confident in his skills. Confident he’ll never be caught. Of course, I don’t think he’s just giving Oknodie special treatment for nothing.”

“Then?”

“Oknodie might be secretly taking successor lessons as the noble thief’s apprentice. If she’s a cherished disciple, he might provide that level of information.”

“Gasp! Really?”

“He’s helping his successor focus more on his class instead of wasting time on unnecessary assignments from other professors. Like what they call ‘mutual assistance’ in the East.”

“Like scratching each other’s backs when they’re itchy?”

“…Are you itchy right now?”

“A little?”

While giving her a disapproving look, Zhang scratched Titosoga’s back with the blunt end of his dagger handle.

After giggling and squirming from the ticklish sensation, Titosoga calmed down and showed interest in Zhang’s story.

“So should we go to Professor Bronze and ask him to let us take successor lessons too?”

“That wouldn’t be easy. Just as the trend is to have one smart house and one smart summon, he’d probably want to raise just one smart successor, not three.”

“That’s true!”

Every word made perfect sense.

“So let’s persuade Oknodie.”

“Oknodie? Us?”

Titosoga bit her finger thoughtfully.

Persuading that Oknodie…

“With food?”

“We’re not Isabelle. Nor Giselle. We can’t make it ourselves or afford it with points.”

“Hmm. Then what should we do?”

“There’s a way that only you can do.”

“Only me? Really?”

Titosoga tilted her head like a baby bird.

Zhang spoke with even more conviction seeing her behavior.

“Ask Oknodie to request the professor to allow us to observe the successor lessons. With your secret weapon: aegyo.”

“Secret weapon aegyo!? I don’t have anything like that…”

“Just do whatever. You’re on the cute side.”

Titosoga, who was so shy that she fell for her sister’s trick and dragged around a lighting stand, had no way of recognizing her own cuteness.

“I don’t believe it. I’m not cute at all. I’m slow-witted, have low stamina, lack strength, and also…”

“Anyway, trust me. From an assassin’s perspective, your cute hostage potential is at least A-rank.”

“What kind of brutal standard is that!?”

“Just trust me. As an assassin like Oknodie, I can feel your cute hostage potential, and there’s no way Oknodie wouldn’t feel it too. It will definitely work.”

With Zhang’s strong assertion, their adorable plan finally began.

* *

“Oknodie, if you don’t allow us to observe, Titosoga will start crying in front of you right now.”

“Show me!!”

“Why do you want to see me cry…?”

“Because it’s cute…?”

Titosoga felt embarrassed.

Am I really cute…?

“Hehe. But I can’t cry. I’m not sad.”

“Would this make you want to cry?”

Zhang held up a sharp dagger.

Seeing the keen edge of the dagger glinting in the sunlight, Titosoga made a tearful face.

“Zhang, that’s too much… You shouldn’t hurt your friend!”

“That’s right. You don’t need to go that far—I can grant your request. Though I’m not sure if this will be good for you!”

“Sorry for scaring you, Tito. But it worked, right?”

One thing was certain—it was effective.

Oknodie voluntarily took the lead.

“I was just on my way to meet the professor, so let’s go together.”

“By the way, Oknodie, what kind of successor lessons do you take when you’re alone with Professor Bronze?”

“It’s not successor lessons. This is just the result of negotiation.”

“Negotiation?”

“Listen to how cleverly I avoided the graduate student route!”

Oknodie excitedly explained.

-So you really don’t want to become my apprentice?

-No! I don’t!

-If you really want to refuse, then complete this. Then I’ll let you go for today.

-Really? Just this? You promise?

Oknodie, who escaped becoming an apprentice by completing Professor Bronze’s daily tasks!

“I do get called in outside the regular twice-weekly lecture times, but each time I complete the daily task, earn points, and get released.”

Titosoga and Zhang tilted their heads in confusion.

Diligently completing assigned tasks every week.

How is that different from being an apprentice?