Even Though the Gender Ratio Has Changed, My Attempts at Flirting With Women Are Unsuccessful - Chapter 31.2: The True Aim of the Pair Exam (1)

Chapter 31.2: The True Aim of the Pair Exam (1)

Above all, this was a crucial exam where expulsion hung in the balance.

Everyone had no choice but to get desperate.

“Well, yeah. It might actually be better not to meet anyone. But… how about we let go of hands now?”

Even while sitting like this, Sheffy and I were still holding hands.

It was no problem at all during combat…

But the hand sweat and the tight grip started to bother me.

We would keep the chain connected, so I did not think we would get separated…

“…Ark-sama, do you hate holding hands with me?”

Sheffy’s voice seemed to drop in tone.

“I don’t hate it… How about linking arms instead, or something like that?”

Sheffy must have suggested holding hands because she did not want to get separated from me.

The exam’s passing condition was reaching the goal as a pair, after all!

So I tried suggesting an alternative.

“…Arms, you say.”

Then Sheffy let go of my hand and clung to my arm.

“…I see. This has its own…”

Sheffy muttered something under her breath…

But she seemed somewhat satisfied, so I decided not to pursue the topic.

“Alright, let’s get moving! We’re on the third floor, and the goal is the top floor, the seventh—that much we know from the hints.”

“Yes, Ark-sama.”

And that was when Sheffy and I started walking again.

Suddenly, a large magic circle appeared under our feet.

“This is… a teleportation trap! But nothing happened earlier…?”

“It might activate after collecting a certain number of hint papers.”

“Seriously? So that’s a thing too…”

Of course, that explained why it was not easy to clear and why we had not met other students.

The teleportation had already begun preparing, so we could not force ourselves apart.

These were the times to stay calm.

“Well, we’ll be fine. The hint about defeating the green golem to lift it should work.”

“Yes. However, Ark-sama?”

“Hm?”

“Let’s keep the chain connected until the end, alright?”

“Y-yeah. Right.”

As I nodded to Sheffy’s oddly forceful words, we were enveloped in a blinding light.

◆◆

Meanwhile, in Class A.

Tiana and Crora were also steadily defeating golems.

“Hmm, that’s the tenth one. Let’s organize the info soon and head for the goal.”

“Y-yeah, Tiana-chan. Thanks, Tiana-chan. For taking down the golems…”

“No problem. Thanks to Crora’s space magic, we can move to all sorts of places and find golems efficiently. Plus, when the teleport trap triggered, we got right back to where we started.”

“I-I just did that much…”

“No. It’s not just that. It’s a huge help. So Crora should have more confidence.”

At Tiana’s words, Crora blushed a little but nodded several times.

“Tiana-chan… You’re amazing at magic and studies, but you’re so kind and driven too. I need to learn from you…”

“Hmm, I’m glad you say that. But my old self… might have been a bit like Crora.”

“L-like me? I can’t imagine that at all… Tiana-chan having a dark personality like mine…”

Tiana suddenly recalled her past.

Even recalling it, it felt so different from who she was now.

Back then, I had been timid and always hesitant.

Born into one of the four great noble houses, I grew up surrounded by expectations from those around me since childhood…

“Gifted young lady,” “Conduct befitting the next head,” “As expected from the girl who can do anything”—the adults all said the same things.

They never tried to understand anything, never offered any real help…

As the years passed, the only thing that grew was the expectations from others.

Before long, I hated peeking at those adults’ faces, grew scared of it… and developed a dark personality.

That was when it happened.

I met him.

“By the way… that boy next to you, is he Ark-kun, by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s my son, Ark-kun~”

At the end of the gaze from the mothers chatting, there was a boy.

I had happened to visit a flower shop that day for a change of pace…

That was my encounter with Ark.

It was not like he saved me from danger or anything fateful happened.

But… that day, I felt saved just from meeting Ark.

From that day, I grew fonder and fonder of Ark.

I liked how he never skimped on effort.

Ark had a gift for magic… but he never let it go to his head, not once.

Whether it was muscle training, mana enhancement, or studies, he approached them more seriously than anyone.

And every time he improved, he looked so delighted.

That drew me in.

I liked how he was considerate of everyone.

Ark never tossed out lines like “You’ve got talent” or “Genius” lightly, and he never left it at that.

“You’re such a hard worker,” “Amazing!”… He praised purely like that.

His words warmed my heart.

I liked how he was always bright and kind.

With his beaming smile, being with him was fun… and made my heart race.

At the same time, a feeling welled up that I did not want to let him go to anyone else.

Hmm… maybe it was more like an overflowing possessiveness.

Thinking of Ark naturally made my cheeks relax.

“Tiana-chan… Are you thinking about something fun?”

“Hmm, you saw through me, huh. Yeah. Something really fun.”

Tiana wore a gentle smile.

“…But enough daydreaming for now. This is exam time.”

“R-right!”

That was when Tiana and Crora walked along, searching for a spot to rest.

“Ah.”

“Hm?”

Right in front of them, they spotted a pair of two classmates.