Chapter 49: Chapter 8 - Midterm Examination (3)

"What's this supposed to mean?" Shredica glared at me, eyes filled with coldness. "What do you mean, what's this supposed to mean? Can't you see it for yourself?" I gestured towards Titania, currently placing an order at the cashier. "She's going to help us." "That's why I asked, what exactly is this supposed to mean? Why Titania?" she questioned, skepticism evident. It made sense; Titania didn't exactly scream academic prowess. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. We had no choice but to rely on her. "Why her, you ask? Isn't her rank the answer? She's 70th in the gold class. She's gotta have something useful, right? I mean, she wouldn't be in the gold class if she wasn't, well, academically gifted." "You do realize the school hasn't evaluated us academically, right? How could you know?" Well, that was a valid concern. Titania, a student from the gold class, excelled in combat, showcasing remarkable proficiency in both sorcery and arcane magic. However, her academic prowess remained a mystery to me. The school predominantly evaluated us based on our combat abilities, occasionally considering our etiquette and adaptability in various situations. Yet, the primary focus remained on our fighting skills and how adeptly we employed them. In simpler terms, I had no clue if Titania was academically inclined. If that's the case, why not just approach someone I know excels in studying, like Raymond? Well, there's a reason for that. -- Name: Titania Bethlan Race: Human Requirements to dominate Titania: 1. Expand her circle to 5 people (0/5) 2. Unlock 3. Unlock 4. Unlock .... -- I aimed to encourage Titania to broaden her social connections, and I contemplated making Shredica the first one on that list. I was well aware Shredica would never consider Titania a friend, nor would she view anyone around her as such. However, Shredica's feelings were inconsequential in this matter; Titania's feelings were what mattered. If Titania regarded Shredica as a friend, even if Shredica didn't reciprocate, it would still count. The same applied in the reverse direction. It didn't matter if you fulfilled a requirement; if the person you aimed to conquer didn't feel that way, the condition would not be met. She excels in swordsmanship and magic! She's a top performer in those areas!" I added. Shredica's bite lessened a bit at my praise. Goodness. Any more, and she might chew through to the bone. "I-I see..." said Titania, blushing. "Uhm, what could be the areas that she's lacking?" she said. I locked eyes with Shredica, silently conveying that unnecessary comments were off the table once I released her mouth. She shot me a glare, leaving me unsure if she agreed or not. Regardless, I pleaded with my eyes, and she responded with an eye roll, a gesture that seemed exasperated. Taking that as a reluctant agreement, I let go of her mouth. "I'm not going to—" I covered her mouth once again. This time, she bit down as if it were the norm. Suppressing the urge to scream in pain, I soldiered on. "Let me excuse us for a second," I said to Titania. "Oh... Okay." With that, I stepped outside, still covering Shredica's mouth while her teeth gnawed at my hand. Once we were outside, I finally released her mouth. "Can you please cooperate?" I sighed, frustration evident in my tone. "I'm cooperating as best as I can," she retorted, her eyes narrowing. "That's not how it seems to me, though." "Do you really expect me to admit I'm not good at anything? Do you not know how embarrassing that is?" Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Huh? Embarrassed? That's a word I never thought would come out of your mouth. I always figured you were incapable of such emotions." She raised her brows, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "What do you think of me, some kind of robot?" "Well, yeah. I mean, you even asked me out on a date with a composed face, after all..." "I was embarrassed," she confessed. "Of course, I would be embarrassed. Even though I might look like this, I am still a woman. A woman asking a man out to go somewhere is a pretty embarrassing thing." I never imagined she'd be so flustered about the situation, even though it wasn't an actual date. It seemed, as she herself had pointed out before, she's only human. "...Look, this is the only option we have. Just bear with it and swallow your pride; otherwise, you're genuinely risking failing a year. I'm sure that's something you wouldn't want to happen, no matter what." Shredica's gaze bore into me for a moment before she sighed, "Fine. But I'm not going to tell her that I'm not proficient in every subject. You tell her yourself that you're not up to par." "I suppose that's fine..." Shredica seemed to waver, having second thoughts about the whole arrangement. However, there was nothing she could do but endure it. With only a few hours left before the midterm week, she needed to put aside her pride to at least pass the exams. After that conversation, we returned inside. I informed Titania that I wasn't quite adept at everything and that I'd be relying on her for assistance. Titania assured us she'd do her best. We proceeded with her guiding us, and to my surprise, Titania turned out to be an excellent teacher.