122 – Final Exam
I stared at Sharon for a moment.
A subtle expressionless expression. I also have no idea what you’re thinking.
It must have been a small whisper in my ear, but you heard it all?
No, if I overheard it, I would just quietly move on. Or would she rather be honest from the start and then ask?
Belatedly mentioning it after pretending not to know anything.
It’s very vicious. It seems like he is being threatened because his appearance is weak.
“Did you hear?”
“By chance.”
I let out a sigh and Sharon talked casually.
“If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I was just asking out of curiosity.”
Whew. How many people would say it’s really okay to say that?
It was after I became very uncomfortable at the point you already mentioned.
“Just because Yulia is worried… Because it is never like that.”
“What is that?”
When she stopped and looked at Sharon, she tilted her head, not avoiding her gaze.
Are you asking because you really don’t know?
It’s embarrassing to explain with my own words, but honestly, if a man and a woman in the middle of their youth secretly promise to meet just the two of them, it’s because of that reason 99% of the time. Of course, it’s not me and Yulia.
“That… Hey. It’s not like that.”
“Oh, I understand.”
Fortunately, Sharon nodded as if she finally understood.
“I know. That you’re not dating Yulia.”
“···Yes. I’m glad you know.”
But isn’t that being said too emphatically?
Why are you speaking so confidently? Of course it’s not, but it’s ridiculous that I can go out with Yulia. That possibility is not 0%.
Are you saying I don’t get along with Yulia that much…?
Of course, I have no intention of dating either, but I wonder if it’s too much to say so sternly.
[How pitiful.]
‘…I’m sorry for being pathetic.’
[How many times have I not said that? You are my most precious child, so have a bigger distribution. With the mindset to capture all the women in the world.]
‘I never intended to be that kind of prostitute, right?’
[Whoops. Everyone says that at first.]
It makes you wonder why this goddess is really into that kind of side.
She’s not dating herself, does she have a fetish that makes people date multiple people?
Anyway, as the misunderstanding was safely resolved, we naturally left the academy together.
The atmosphere was quite awkward.
Come to think of it, it feels like it’s been quite a while since I’ve been alone with Sharon.
When was the very last time? Was it when she was being judged for a scholarship?
For reference, Sharon’s scholarship screening was eliminated.
However, this screening process was so ambiguous, not because the conditions were not met, but because of the lack of information.
Sharon Horncia. According to her full name, Hon Shiara researched her family, but the information she could find was extremely limited.
So she had no choice but to request additional documents from her. For a fair review, it was necessary to understand the income quintile of the Honsia family.
However, her reply in the mail was a roundabout refusal. In the end, she was finally eliminated from the scholarship screening for the reason of lack of information.
‘What the hell is your true identity…?’
The more you open it, the more suspicious things are. Apart from whether he is simply detective Sherlock or not, I must say that he seems to have quite a lot of things to hide.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Uh, huh?”
Sharon calmly asks if he noticed my gaze.
She was taken aback for a moment, then threw a topic that came to her hastily.
“Tomorrow’s cooperative exam. What exactly is it?”
“Okay. They change the exam every time, so you’ll only find out on the same day.”
“hahahaha, that’s right…?”
I’m glad. It looks like you got through it safely.
“I have to go here.”
At the fork in the road, Sharon pointed in the other direction and said.
“Oh, goodbye.”
“Yes. You also.”
We parted ways with a concise greeting that would make you want to be plain.
As I headed home alone, I kept thinking about Sharon.
In the end, if I were to say that the reason I’m so interested in it, it would be because of Sharon’s true identity.
Detective Sherlock, who gets in the way of my phantom thief activities in many ways and at the same time takes care of exciting romance.
I want to find out the identity, so I keep looking at Sharon, the most likely candidate.
But what if she really is Sherlock?
What am I going to do after checking that?
It is absolutely not a gruesome plan to deal with it once.
As I said earlier, Sherlock is more than just an obstruction, he is a romantic rival who must exist without him.
Then what should I do? Even thinking about it, it didn’t come to mind.
I just want to check right now. Is Sharon really Sherlock?
No matter how strong a candidate is, there hasn’t been enough evidence to confirm it yet.
‘Come to think of it, the number of candidates has recently increased by one.’
My name is Juliet.
A woman who exudes an aura similar to Sharon to the point of being suspicious. They even look alike to the point of being twins.
I need to check that woman properly. She was still in a sluggish state with no contact whatsoever since then.
OK.
After all, what I needed now was information.
Whether it’s Sharon or Juliet, there are still too few clues.
That’s why I can’t just skip classes and devote myself to gathering information all day long.
Academy, phantom thief, foundation director, etc. I had so many things to do that I couldn’t even make time for them.
Besides, the ability to collect information is still far from sufficient.
It was difficult in many ways to do it alone.
···Wait a minute. Do I really need to do it alone?
A thought that comes to mind suddenly. I stood still in my seat and struggled to materialize a vague idea.
To sum up what I lack right now in one word is time.
Then flip it over and what do I have in excess?
The answer is simple. That’s money.
‘Why did I try to handle everything by myself all this time?’
Furthermore, I now have a decent identity as Arsene Lupine.
The CEO of a suspiciously rich foundation. Could it be that I haven’t been using that identity too much?
Okay. Once you get home, try to plan more systematically.
***
The next morning.
I yawned involuntarily as I was bathed in the bright sunlight.
“What? What did you do last night that makes you so tired?”
“No, just…”
“Hmm. Today is practical, so there won’t be anything to study. Did you stay up all night eating salt yesterday too?”
I wondered what he was talking about at the moment, and it seemed like he was talking about an excuse that he had been making roughly the other day.
Do you still remember that?
A story like a fairy tale that night suddenly comes to mind. I don’t know if Ariel is doing well.
“It’s not like that. I’m just in a bad mood because I didn’t sleep.”
“That’s the problem. Didn’t you forget that you were on the same team as me? Why can’t I adjust my condition properly?”
“I’m sorry. Try not to become a stumbling block.”
After chatting with Rachel next to me for a while, the teacher came in through the front door and started the meeting.
“Everyone came on time today. It seems that the list was also submitted on time. Then wait until it’s your turn and move on. Everyone is working hard.”
It was a clean ordinance without any superfluities.
Today’s cooperative exam will be held at a separate test site prepared by the academy.
The contents of the test are different every time, but if there is one thing in common that does not change, the top priority factor in scoring is the fact that team play is the spirit of cooperation.
In other words, no matter what the test, the behavior that brings risk to the team for personal gain is a very serious minus factor.
Conversely, even an inconspicuous play acts as a plus if it is an act of sacrificing and supporting the team.
Of course, knowing this fact doesn’t mean you can get a high score unconditionally.
It’s just that there are people whose nature doesn’t suit team play.
For example, Granger. Or Jean Granger. Like the unpretentious Granger.
In that sense, the guy sitting next to me must be tough too.
I don’t mean to denigrate Rachel’s personality as bad. It’s just that it doesn’t match the words cooperative spirit or team play.
“What are you flirting with?”
“When will I?”
Um. Come to think of it, maybe I just have a bad personality.
“Good morning everyone! How are you feeling?”
Time to wait until your turn is over after the ordinance is over. Yulia naturally came to our seats.
“Huh? Cro’s complexion doesn’t look good.”
“hahahaha… Are you okay. No need to worry.”
“It’s okay, b*tch. My dark circles have come down enough to be able to jump rope.”
I couldn’t help it. Yesterday I stayed up all night making plans.
I thought I had to take care of my condition for today’s test, but what should I do when my head is full of plans even when I’m lying in bed?
It’s fortunate that it meant enough.
For now, I need to focus on the upcoming exam.
“Please wait for the next turn.”
As soon as the words were finished, our turn was right around the corner.