Other students watching from the back were also waiting for Catherina to choose, and their reactions were a mix of anticipation and awe.
Aurora, observing intently, also expected Catherina to choose a rapier, as it was the signature weapon of her noble family.
The trio, Eric, Gwen, and Darius, all watched her as well.
Gwen nudged Eric, her voice laced with a pointed edge.
"You're looking at her awful intently, aren't you?"
Eric, caught off guard, stammered, "What? No, I'm not! Why would you say that, Gwen?"
Gwen's voice tightened, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh, really? Because I saw you practically jump out of your seat earlier when Professor Aurora asked who wanted to be her partner."
Eric quickly defended himself, a hint of confusion in his expression.
"Well, I just thought it would be nice if we could show her around the academy ourselves. She looked lonely and needed a friend."
Gwen crossed her arms, her gaze hardening slightly.
"Typical. You and your 'saving everyone' complex."
Darius butted into their conversation, his voice sharper.
"You don't need to do that. I could have showed her around myself."
He added, his gaze still on Catherina, "She looks interesting."
Both Eric and Gwen turned to Darius, their faces a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
Gwen, ever blunt, retorted, "Don't lie to yourself, Darius. You couldn't even handle your own temper."
"What did you say?!" Darius's face flushed, ready to explode.
Eric quickly stepped between them before it got more heated, pointing towards the stage where the duos were picking weapons.
"Guys, look! Catherina's partner is about to finalize his choice of weapon."
Aurora watched Kaito intently.
"This student," she mused.
"His data shows below average, nothing special about him, no family records, a commoner from an unknown background."
"Yet," she remembered, "But I saw it."
"He survived the Grand Master's mental assault, barely, but still."
"Even some nobles with high backgrounds couldn't finish the speech."
"How did he do it?"
Meanwhile, Kaito's inner monologue churned with anticipation.
"Hmm, let me already test something that I really wanted to do so badly."
"This is impossible in the game, but I get a feeling it's possible in this world."
He then picked it up, a wooden samurai sword, a katana.
A wave of surprise rippled through the observing students. Whispers erupted all around.
"Can he really use that?"
"Isn't it better to use a normal broadsword?"
"Isn't that how most knights or children are taught?"
"Where would he learn to use that?"
"Is his master a descendant of those past warriors?"
"Is he a descendant?"
Kaito, hearing the commotion, expected it.
"Well, the game, this world is purely fictional," he mused.
"In a world of magic and knights, humans in mansions and castles, other races and monsters, a samurai is too close to the real world to be added in the game and to make sense of it."
He continued his internal explanation, "And so even guns or explosives never got invented."
"Well, its because why would you need those if you can make projectiles and explosions with your own magic?"
Then Kaito added, "So the question now is, why is this type of weapon and arts here?"
"Well, of course, players asked for it."
He recalled forum discussions:
"We need cultural appropriation!"
"We need more types of close combat weapons!"
"Need more sword types!"
"Where's my samurai sword?"
And so it was added.
The plot attached to it was junky and rushed, a past generation of warriors or clans that used this to fight but now gone, only remnants or myths that there might still be some of them left.
"The weapon being in the options to choose was just to remember those past heroes as a sign of respect, or so the devs said."
"Well, everyone was happy, but they didn't allow the guns though."
"Devs said that was too much now."
Kaito smiled. "Well, this isn't what I was testing anyway."
He then took another wooden katana with his free hand and looked at Professor Aurora.
"This is my choice of weapons," he declared, holding up both katanas.
"In the game, of course, it was impossible to use two swords," Kaito thought, a surge of triumph building.
"It was just not allowed. You could use a shield in your free hand, or keep it free and put a magic item to boost your magic power to balance it out instead."
"And the only other two handed weapons allowed are like bow and arrow, gauntlets or spears"
Aurora, genuinely shocked at his choice, blinked.
"Are you sure, Student Kaito?" she asked, her usual composure momentarily faltering.
Kaito, sensing a crucial moment, countered, "Why? Is it not allowed?"
Aurora sighed, regaining her professional demeanor. "No," she said.
"I don't see any problem with it. Do what you want. Just don't regret it later."
Kaito's smile widened. "Thank you," he said.
"Hahah! It worked! I knew it!" he thought, practically vibrating with excitement.
"The game's restrictions don't work in here."
"The plot is loosely intact, but the more important thing is that I can bypass the game's rules by finding these glitches that happen when the real world isn't tied by codes!"
Kaito and Catherina settled back into their spots as Professor Aurora called on the next pair.
Just then, a blue interface popped out in front of Kaito's eyes, displaying a message:
Mission Complete!
Objective: Choose your weapon.
Rewards:
Stat Point +1
Coins +100
Mission Complete!
Objective: Choose your weapon.
Rewards:
Stat Point +1
Coins +100
Kaito's eyes widened in surprise at the words "Additional Bonus."
A wide smile stretched across his face, and he let out a soft chuckle.
"So choosing two weapons meant two times the reward?" he thought, genuinely amused.
"You could have said that earlier, System! This is too important to not be mentioned!"
While Kaito was engrossed in his double rewards, Catherina glanced at him, then at the two wooden katanas resting beside him.
She watched him smile widely and even giggle to himself, and she instinctively brought a hand to her forehead, sighing deeply.
"I'm gonna fail this simulation exam, aren't I?" she despaired.
"Why did I let myself partner up with this idiot?"
---
Then as other students also stepped up to choose, Kaito's gaze drifted over to the trio he knew so well.
Eric, of course, picked a classic knight's longsword.
"Figures," Kaito thought, a hint of disdain.
The balanced choice for the balanced protagonist, perfect for his fire magic.
Always the generic hero.
Then Darius strode forward, his usual arrogance in his posture, and pulled a massive greatsword from the rack.
"There it is, the brute force rival," Kaito mentally noted.
Heavy, overwhelming, fits his ice magic for that shattering impact.
"So generic and predictable, yet effective for the character archetype."
Finally, Gwen chose, and Kaito watched her retrieve a sturdy quarterstaff.
"Hmm, interesting," he mused.
"Maybe not so obvious to the others, but it makes sense for her nature green power."
"A good choice for a more versatile, grounded combat style."
"But she probably have to lose the skirt to use that properly," Kaito added.
After about an hour had passed, and all the pairs had finally chosen their weapons.
Professor Aurora announced, "Alright, class! You are dismissed for lunch."
"Be back in an hour and thirty minutes, eat and rest, then be ready for your duo training!"
Kaito immediately stood up, his mind buzzing with his new rewards.
He headed straight for the cafeteria, eager to eat and gather his thoughts on how to best utilize his newly acquired stat points and coins.
Catherina stood frozen, her jaw slightly open as she watched Kaito practically vanish out to the door, not even bothering to glance back or ask her about their afternoon training.
"What? Did he just leave me here?"
She was about to follow after him, ready to grab his collar and unleash her frustration, but her path was suddenly blocked.
A group of eager girls swarmed her, their faces alight with excitement.
Lunch, it seemed, was the perfect time to meet the new, enigmatic student.
"Oh my gosh, you're Catherina Montaigne, right?!" one girl gushed, her eyes sparkling.
"We've been so excited to finally meet you!" another chimed in, practically bouncing on her toes.
"Please, please, can we sit with you for lunch?" a third pleaded, her voice sweet.
Catherina, momentarily overwhelmed and trapped, could only manage a stiff nod.
As she was being cornered, Eric, Gwen, and Darius noticed the commotion and began to approach.
Eric, ever the considerate one, decided they should ask Catherina to join them for lunch. Gwen, though still wary, knew they had no choice.
Darius was already striding forward, determined to ask Catherina himself.
Gwen sighed dramatically and followed Eric, who was now jogging to catch up.
Eric reached Catherina just as Darius did, both of them speaking at the exact same moment.
"Catherina, would you like to—" Eric began, extending a hand slightly.
"Hey, Catherina, you wanna—" Darius cut in, equally direct.
They both stopped, eyes wide, as their voices converged, speaking the exact same words.
"—eat lunch with me/us?!"