"Great," Kaito replied, a nod of approval.
"By the way, did you prepare to bring anything inside while you're on your own?"
Catherina's answer was immediate.
She reached into a small, sturdy bag hanging at her side and pulled out several glistening bottles of water, holding them up for Kaito to see.
Her face remained blank, but her eyes held a distinct sparkle, as if she were waiting for praise for her groundbreaking contribution.
Kaito was genuinely speechless for a moment.
He just stared at the bottles, then at her face.
"Water bottles? For days of camping and monster hunting? Is she serious right now?"
His jaw went slightly slack, unsure how to react to the sheer inadequacy of her preparation, or perhaps her deadpan sarcasm.
Catherina, seemingly pleased with his speechless reaction, took one of the bottles and handed it to him.
"Here," she said, her voice softer than usual.
"I know you might not have the money to prepare for this exam, so here."
"Don't lose until we meet, okay?"
"We can hunt monsters to cook once we've found each other."
Kaito didn't answer at first, his eyes still wide at the single bottle.
But then, he saw Gwen, Eric, and Darius approaching.
He quickly took the bottle of water Catherina offered, forcing a bright smile.
"Thank you, Catherina," he said, his voice sincere.
"I really appreciate it, but you might want to hide it from Gwen and the others."
Catherina tilted her head, confusion clouding her eyes.
"Why?" she asked.
A small sweat drop seemed to appear on Kaito's cheek.
"Well," he started, trying to sound casual, "she might take one for each of them too."
"You won't have any left for your survival in the exam if that happens.
"We should just keep this our little secret as part of our plan to pass this exam, ha ha ha..."
Catherina's eyes widened as understanding dawned.
"Ahhh, you are completely right, Kaito! Good thinking!" she exclaimed, nodding vigorously.
I can't have you feeling defeated before the exam, Catherina, Kaito thought, relief washing over him that she bought his excuse.
"Who has good thinking?" Gwen cut in, her voice sudden, making Catherina jump.
"Wha—what good thinking?" Catherina stammered, looking flustered.
Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"You said it, don't ask me."
"Did I? Ha ha ha," Catherina giggled nervously, glancing at Kaito.
Kaito sighed inwardly, seeing Gwen's suspicion building. He quickly jumped in.
"Professor Aurora has good thinking advices on how to pass the exam, right?"
Catherina immediately caught on, her eyes flicking to Kaito with gratitude.
"Ahh, you are right!" she agreed loudly.
Gwen watched both of them closely, her gaze suspicious.
Just as she was about to push for a clearer answer, Professor Aurora's voice boomed across the assembly.
"Attention, students! The warp gates are ready! It's time to start the exam!"
---
The first-year students from each class began to fall into orderly lines in front of their designated warp gates, the shimmering portals ready to swallow them whole.
High above them, floating effortlessly in the air, Grand Master Magnus observed the scene with keen eyes.
His gaze swept over every student, trying to judge each one, looking for potential, every future hero, knight, magician, and even villain among them.
"Hmm, how many would bloom and grow as the most beautiful flowers with the sharpest thorns in this year students?" he mused aloud, a faint smile touching his lips.
"I see a lot of potential in some of them."
Meanwhile, below, at the back of the student lines, professors kept a watchful eye, checking and monitoring every student's belongings.
They inspected bags with subspace, every water bottle, piece of firewood, lamp, and all the food students planned to bring into the exam.
Some illegal items were confiscated, but they hadn't seen anything truly suspicious that could go wrong during the exam.
Professor Aurora, however, was clearly worried.
She stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot, a deep frown on her face.
The professor next to her, a kind-faced woman, noticed her distress.
"Is something wrong, Aurora?" she asked gently.
"Are you still worried about something?"
Aurora sighed.
"I just have a very bad feeling that something will go wrong."
Another professor, a man with a dismissive smirk, had been listening nearby.
"Ahh, is this about the note you submitted to the faculty earlier?" he scoffed, walking closer.
"The paper saying the exam area will be breached and a lot of high-level monsters will enter and stuff?"
"Hahah, come on now, Aurora, you don't think that's actually possible, right?"
"It's definitely just a student who wants to postpone the exam by scaring us with that note."
"Even if it's true, there's no way both the area's shield and all the students' watches would malfunction and break at the same time."
"So stop it, Aurora, you already caused us a lot of overtime just to keep rechecking on these useless things because of that stupid note you brought."
He chuckled, then walked away.
Aurora let out a long, weary sigh. The kind-faced professor gently patted her arm.
"Don't mind what he said, Aurora. You are right to worry about the students."
But the professors didn't know that a student was actually listening in on their conversation at the back.
Kaito, using his Aura skill to erase his presence and blend into the background, had been silently listening to Aurora and the other professors.
He sighed, a grim realization settling in.
"I knew it. Sending that note to Aurora wouldn't change the plot."
He had sent it to her during the last days of finishing the exam preparations.
"It's still the best choice I had, but I know that just sending a warning won't do anything".
"Because without a proof that it would happen in the future, the exam will still continue."
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
"Well, at least Aurora and the other professors will be on high alert for this exam."
"That's the best thing I could get, and I shouldn't complain anymore."
---
Kaito slowly walked back next to Catherina, carefully removing his Aura skill.
Catherina, startled by his sudden appearance, jumped with a small yelp.
"You scared me!" she exclaimed, pressing a hand to her chest.
Kaito, surprised by her reaction, offered a sheepish smile.
"Oops, sorry."
Catherina shot him a withering glare.
"Where did you go anyway? You suddenly disappeared! We're almost at the front of the line, you know."
Kaito chuckled, a lighthearted sound.
"I needed to take a bathroom break."
Catherina's nose wrinkled.
"You didn't just pee outside, right? Because that's disgusting."
Kaito's smile became a mischievous grin.
"Well, where else am I going to do it if not outside?"
"Yuck, Kaito!" Catherina recoiled slightly.
"You probably didn't even wash your hands! Get away from me!"
"What are you talking about?" Kaito retorted, raising an eyebrow playfully.
"May I remind you, we'll be spending days in that exam. Where do you plan to do it?"
"Is it too much for a person like you, huh, princess?" he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You!" Catherina's eyes flashed with annoyance, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"You take that back! You just called me that again!"
Kaito just smiled, then slowly raised one of his hands, palm open.
Catherina flinched, instinctively stepping back, a wary look on her face.
"Why are you walking back, princess?" Kaito asked, his smile widening.
"Catherina!" she corrected sharply.
"Get that disgusting hand away from me, or I'll cut it!"
Before Kaito could respond, a gruff voice boomed from the front.
The professor guarding their warp gate, a burly man with a stern expression shouted.
"Hey, both of you! Stop playing around and jump into the gates already!"
"The line is getting stuck because of you two!"
While Catherina and Kaito were getting scolded, Gwen, Eric, and Darius who stood a bit further back in line, watching the whole scene unfold.
Gwen chuckled, a warm smile on her face.
"Those two are always fun to watch. They're too cute together, aren't they?"
"Are they?" Eric questioned, his brow furrowed.
"All I see is that man terrorizing Catherina."
Darius turned to Eric, a hint of accusation in his voice.
"Why are you so protective of her, Eric?"
"What are you talking about?" Eric retorted, looking genuinely confused.
"It's you who's acting weird. I thought you had an interest in her."
"Why did you stop making advances on her?"
"Well, it's just an interest anyway," Darius said dismissively, shrugging.
"A lot of other women are more interesting than her."
Gwen's smile widened knowingly.
"Eric, you didn't know? He kept getting rejected and ignored by Catherina so much that he had no choice but to give up."
"What? I'm not!" Darius spluttered, his face flushing.
"I decided to stop pursuing her myself, you know!"
"Sure, buddy, sure," Gwen teased, her smile unwavering.
"Keep telling yourself that."
Darius sighed in defeat. Gwen then turned her attention to Eric, her gaze sharp.
"And you, why are you so against those two, huh? I keep noticing it."
"Do you like Catherina too? Huh, Eric?"
"What?" Eric's eyes widened in surprise.
"No, of course not! Why would I?"
Gwen narrowed her eyes, ready to push Eric further for answers, but her attention, along with everyone else's, was snatched away by the booming voice of the professor at the warp gates.
"Next! Hey, you three, come now!" he shouted, his voice impatient.