A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 1: Practical Exam

In the practice room of the Gilbert Kingdom’s Crawford Academy of Magic, the instructor, Lina Lestia, intently watched the actions of a male student.

His name was Shion Kurosaki, a student of the second-year C class, which Lestia was in charge of.

He slowly raised his right hand and extended his palm straight towards a target eighteen point four meters away.

Then, a white mist-like light drifted from the palm he pointed forward. The floating light gradually became more defined, eventually forming a magic circle about thirty centimeters in diameter.

“Fireball.”

As he chanted the spell, a thirty-centimeter-sized ball of fire, shimmering in red and orange hues, was released from the magic circle towards the target.

The fireball, moving in a steady, gentle trajectory, hit the target directly. It made a ‘Bou’ sound as it dispersed around the mark, then quietly vanished.

After confirming the entire phenomenon, Lestia marked a ‘C’ on the ‘Fire Attribute Magic’ section of the paper in front of her.

Magic skill was graded from S, A, B, C to D, and the ‘C’ given to Shion Kurosaki’s fire attribute magic indicated a level of ‘basic magic proficiency.’

He then sequentially executed water, earth, wind, and thunder attribute magic.

After confirming each magic, Lestia marked C, C, C, and B, respectively.

After completing all the magic tests, Shion Kurosaki received an overall evaluation of C.

When Lestia informed him of this result, he nonchalantly nodded, saying, “Understood. Thank you,” bowed his head, and turned on his heel to head towards the exit of the practice room.

“……”

Lestia watched him leave the room with an indescribable gaze as if he was neither pleased nor disappointed, seemingly uninterested in his exam results.

— ‘There’s something about Shion Kurosaki,’ Lestia was certain of it.

His calm, serene demeanor was not typical of a boy who had just turned seventeen. His black hair and eyes, seemingly plain at first glance, revealed a well-featured, handsome face upon closer inspection. And then, there were those moments when his gaze seemed to see right through to one’s soul, hinting at an unfathomable depth within.

Throughout their two years of interaction, Lestia had felt an air about the student Shion Kurosaki that was distinctly different from the other students.

Always calm and unflappable, his mature demeanor and cool looks only added to his mysterious aura.

Above all, Lestia’s biggest reason for suspecting there was something more to Shion lay in the content of his practical exam.

Nothing about the magic he performed or his results in this exam was outwardly unusual.

However, Lestia, having seen many magicians and magic over the years, had an almost certain suspicion.

— He was holding back in the practical magic exam.

The expression on his face and the ease with which he performed the magic indicated he was not putting in his full effort.

Even someone other than Lestia, witnessing Shion Kurosaki’s expressionless face as he casually cast magic spells, might surmise he was holding back.

However, if he were holding back in the magic exam, it would be extremely unusual. In a magic academy where magical prowess is paramount, intentionally aiming for a lower evaluation is unthinkable.

In a school year divided into four classes – A, B, C, and D – higher exam scores lead to placement in higher categories and better facilities and significantly affect prospects after graduation.

Moreover, it is intense in a magic academy filled with high pride, disdain, and mockery toward lower-ranked magic students.

Given these circumstances, it’s unheard of for someone to stay in a lower class willingly.

All students strive to advance to a higher class or at least maintain their current status, applying their utmost abilities in practical exams.

Intentionally receiving a low assessment in an exam has no merit and is unnatural.

Then why, indeed, would Shion Kurosaki deliberately hold back in a practical exam?

Perhaps…

(Is it just my misconception…?)

After watching Shion leave the practice room, Lestia, looking tense, began preparing for the next student’s exam.

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“Thunder attribute is B… It’s still hard to control my power.

After leaving the practice room, Shion muttered to himself in the corridor.

His comment seemed like he had inadvertently unleashed a B-ranked magic spell, unable to save his true powerfully.

If Lestia heard this, she might think, “He is hiding his true abilities during the exam.”

But that needs to be clarified.

He was just acting to make it seem that way.

In other words, he was pretending to hide his ‘true’ abilities.

His muttering was a performance, reacting to the test result where his thunder magic was rated slightly higher, making it seem like he was struggling to hide his true strength.

There’s no special intent or reason behind his baffling actions – it’s all just a hobby.

For him, pretending to be an SSS-ranked magician, hiding his true abilities, and enjoying this fantasy during his school life is a source of immense pleasure.

His solo performance after exiting the practice room was just to bask in the joy of his act.

Simply put, he’s an eccentric.

Yet to Lestia, his teacher, and others, Shion Kurosaki, with his bizarre daydreams, appears to be a profound individual. But this is also due to his commitment to maintaining a cool demeanor.

During the practical exam, he was fully into his role. He could only perform magic at a C-class student level, but he acted as if he was holding back his true abilities, exerting all his effort while keeping a straight face to not let on his struggle.

If he truly held back in the exam, he could easily have ended up with a disastrous result, possibly dropping from C to D class.

Fortunately, or rather, due to his dedication to the act, he successfully misled his teacher, Lestia, into a misconception.

“Huff… Huff…! Huhhhh…”

Now, the evidence of his exertion was clear – he was sweating profusely and panting heavily after the exam.

Deceiving Lestia’s experienced eyes with such an embarrassing performance was indeed impressive.

A peculiar magic student, reveling in pretending to be an SSS-ranked magician while just being a C-class student.

That is Shion Kurosaki.