Chapter 09 Just You, Me, and Some Dusty Books

Cedric was polishing the conclusion of his second paragraph when Molly slid her test paper from her desk. Before he could even react, she was out of her seat, playfully skipping to Hemsley’s desk.

“Here you go, Professor!” She placed her paper with a cheerful tap. “All done! That was, like, super interesting!”

She gave Hemsley a sunny smile and a little wave before turning and floating back to her seat, her skirt swaying. 

Cedric’s pen froze mid-word. 

"She’s… done? DONE? I’m not even finished with the second section!"

He stared at her as she sat down, now idly twirling a strand of her blonde hair, looking out the window with a bored expression.

"Impossible. She must have just… written nonsense. Scribbled her cat drawings all over the answer lines. Filled the essay portion with, I don’t know, lyrics to a song. That’s the only explanation."

He glanced at her doodle-covered notebook.

"Yes. That had to be it. She hadn’t taken the test seriously at all. She’d treated it like another one of her games. She just wanted to be the first one done. To make another scene. To get a reaction. Probably my reaction. Well, I won’t give her the satisfaction."

He took a deep breath and forced his eyes back to his paper. 

"No one who actually comprehends this material could finish that quickly. Not even me. Therefore, she does not comprehend it. Her paper will be a joke. Hemsley will take one look and see right through her. This is perfect! This will be the proof. Just a little longer and we will see who you really are, Miss Molly Moriana from Sunny Beach."

Ten minutes later he finished his final sentence just as the professor called time. As Cedric walked with his paper to the front, he couldn’t help but glance at the stack. Her paper was buried now, but he could still see the corner of it, where she’d dotted an ‘I’ with a tiny, infuriatingly perfect heart.

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One hour later Professor Hemsley stood before the class, the stack of graded tests in his hands. Cedric sat perfectly straight, this was the moment of truth.

“Alright,” Hemsley began. “The results of surprise evaluation are in. I am pleased to announce that everyone has passed. Just as I said.”

A collective wave of relief swept the room. 

“I will now announce the top three scores,” Hemsley continued, adjusting his glasses. “These individuals demonstrated a particularly firm grasp of the complex material under unexpected circumstances.”

“In first place, with a remarkable score of 99 across all sections… Cedric Valmont. Well done!”

Polite applause rippled out. Cedric gave a modest nod. Inside, a flame of triumph burned clean and bright. "Take that! 99. Nearly perfect. As it should be. I studied for the entrance exam day and night unlike someone who only draws scribbles of cute animals during class!

 Well, at least her cats look nice."

“In second place, with a score of 95… Ellie Vance.” A girl with braids near the front smiled shyly.

"Now that is solid. Respectable. That is how a lady should be! Unlike Molly!"

Hemsley cleared his throat. He looked down at the last paper in his hand. “And in third place…”

Cedric’s mind was already moving ahead. "Third will be Ren. Or perhaps Theon. Both are consistently—"

“…with a score of 90… Molly Moriana.”

The applause stuttered and died into a stunned silence. A few students turned in their seats to stare.

Cedric’s modest smile vanished. His mind short-circuited.

"Ninety. What? Third place. Who, Molly? Ninety. Impossible! She finished first. She drew sheep. She winked. She dotted her ‘I’ with a heart. She was messing around the whole time and she scored a ninety. Without even trying?!"

His eyes snapped to Molly. She was looking back at him with that same, infuriatingly playful sparkle. She brought her hand up, mimed a tiny, slow clap for him, and mouthed the words, "Congrats, honor student, first place."

Then she winked, teasing him again. He slowly turned to face the front.

 "Well, no matter. I had won. But why this victory feels like ash in my mouth. I had definitively proven I was the best in the class. So why do I feel like I’d just been completely schooled? 

Molly Moriana, who are you!?"

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The moment Professor Hemsley stepped out the door, a wave of curious students surged toward Molly’s desk.

“Lady Moriana! How did you score so high?!”
“Is it true you’re from the southern island nobles?”
“Your hair is so pretty! What gloss do you use?”
“You really sparred with Champion Leon?! What’s he like up close?!”
“Is your ankle okay? He carried you, right? That’s so romantic!”
“They say you can’t do a Holy Slash, is that true? Then how are you so good at theory?!”
“What’s your secret?!”

Molly’s eyes went wide. She threw her hands up in a playful defense, "Kyaaa!" leaning back in her chair as the wall of eager faces closed in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chill! Chill! Hey now! This is, like, totally bad! I love being the center of attention, but this is a bit much! It’s like being swarmed by overexcited puppies! Cute, but kinda slobbery! I wanna make friends, for sure! This is, like, prime friend-making stuff! But… right now, I gotta hunt for my main prize! My blond, hero-shaped prize! He might still be on campus!"

Putting on her best 'flustered but adorable' persona, she stood up, clutching her notebook to her chest. She offered the crowd a brilliant, apologetic smile.

“Aww, you guys! You’re, like, the sweetest! Seriously! But, oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I have, like, a super urgent thing I totally forgot about!”

She started sidestepping toward the door, using her notebook to gently part the sea of students.

“It’s, uh… my… prescribed ankle rehabilitation! Yeah! Gotta go do my… special stretches! In the… nurse office! All by myself! Doctor’s orders! Super boring, don’t wanna keep ya!”

She reached the doorway and flashed her wide smile. “Let’s totally chat some other time, ‘nnnkay~? Find me at lunch! I wanna hear all about everything! Byeeeeea!”

And with a final, sparkling giggle, she ducked out of the classroom, leaving behind a crowd of slightly disappointed but charmed students.

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Molly stroll through the academy’s grand hallways. She peeked into training yard, the cafeteria, and even near the faculty offices.

Her search finally bore fruit in Grand Library. And there sat her prize. Leon. He was leaned over ancient-looking tome, one elbow on the table, his forehead resting heavily in his hand. His long, sun-gold hair had escaped its usual tidy hold and cascaded over his shoulder and arm, veiling part of his face. He was in deep, troubled thought. 

Molly froze just inside the library entrance.

"Kyaaaaaaaaa! Found him! And he looks… he looks so… heartbreakingly handsome! Look at his hair! Like a prince in a painting! My little demonic heart can’t take this! It’s gonna do a backflip out of my chest! But I need to push forward! You can do it! He is right there, all alone! All you need to do is go out there and take him, Molly! Go! Go! Go!" 

A warm, giddy blush exploded across her cheeks, her tan skin turning a rosy pink. 

She circled around, approaching him from the side he wasn’t facing. His concentration was so absolute he didn’t notice the faint, sweet vanilla scent approaching.

She stopped right behind his chair. Up close, gathering all her courage, she leaned in. With her index finger, she gave his shoulder a gentle, careful little poke.

“Boo.”

The moment he flinched, startled, she popped around to the side of the table, leaning down so her face was level with his, now wearing her brightest, most sparkling smile. Her blonde curls framed her pretty face.

“Hiiiiii, Champion Leon! Fancy meeting you in the smart-people section! Whatcha reading? Something super serious and heroic, I bet!”

“L-Lady Moriana, we meet again. I must admit, you have startled me.” 

"That's strange, she was able to catch me of guard. I was completely absorbed, but my combat awareness should have sensed someone entering my space. Yet, I felt nothing until she spoke. That’s… unusual. Was I truly that distracted? Or..."

Molly was already leaning in. Leon glanced down at the massive tome spread before him and sighed. 

“Ah. This…” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it further. “I am attempting to study but my ancient magic language is terrible. I can hardly understand a word in this book. It is shameful to admit, but I am already close to failing this course. And it is only the first day. With the monster subjugation requests and… the clashes with the Demon Lord, I had no time to prepare for the semester. It seems I must temporarily leave the monsters alone and fight a new battle.” He gestured vaguely at the book. “Against… intermediate magical theory.”

"Ba-baaa! Chance! Golden, glittery, once-in-a-lifetime CHANCE! He needs help studying! And who could be sitting right here? ME! Who's read every boring magical theory tome in the Abyssal Library? Who speak fluent ancient language? ALSO, ME! This is, like, the perfect excuse to spend more time! Just you, me, and some dusty books! Kyaaa! Play it cool, Molly!"