The hallway was quieter than usual.
Most students were either revising—
Or panicking.
Chrono checked the time.
Two hours left.
"…I'll eat first."
—
The cafeteria.
Crowded.
Lively.
Noisy.
"…That's a lot of people."
His gaze swept across the room.
Clusters of students filled nearly every table.
Laughter.
Discussion.
Tension.
And—
Familiar faces.
Leon Ardent and the others sat together, talking casually.
A few students noticed Chrono.
Whispers followed immediately.
"That's him…"
"Chrono…"
"He's here…"
Chrono ignored all of it.
Completely.
He grabbed a tray—
Some bread.
A few side dishes.
Simple.
Then walked toward an empty table.
Sat down.
Sigh.
"…Alone again, huh."
He picked up the bread—
—SLAM—
A tray hit the table.
Right in front of him.
Chrono blinked.
"…?"
He looked up.
"…Yelena?"
His elder sister stood there, arms crossed, looking at him with a small smile.
"Hello, little brother."
Her tone was light.
"I thought we haven't spent much sibling time together lately…"
She pulled out a chair and sat down across from him.
"…so I decided to come here."
Chrono exhaled softly.
"Well… I can't complain, sis."
Around them—
People were staring.
The 4th years had their own cafeteria.
Seeing someone like Yelena here—
With Chrono—
Was enough to draw attention.
Still—
The two talked.
Casually.
About small things.
Their days.
Nothing serious.
For a few minutes—
It felt… normal.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Calm.
Beautiful.
"…Um."
Chrono's hand paused mid-air.
He turned slightly.
Standing behind him—
Was Vayne Desmund.
The cafeteria seemed to quiet—just a little.
Eyes shifted.
Attention gathered.
Even Yelena's gaze sharpened slightly.
Chrono blinked once.
"…Can I help you?"
Vayne looked at him directly.
Her expression unreadable.
"Can I sit here?"
Silence.
A very strange silence.
Chrono stared at her.
"…?"
Out of all people—
Her?
Now?
Yelena's eyes moved between the two.
Sharp.
Observing.
Chrono leaned back slightly.
"…Sure?"
He gestured casually.
"Go ahead."
Vayne nodded once.
And sat down.
Across from him.
Right beside Yelena.
The tension at the table—
Shifted.
Subtly.
Dangerously.
Yelena smiled.
But her eyes—
Were no longer soft.
"…And you are?"
Vayne met her gaze without hesitation.
"Vayne Desmund."
Vayne remained quiet.
Calm.
Composed.
Then—
She spoke.
Her voice soft.
Clear.
"Can we talk later after the exam just the two us alone?"
Simple.
Straightforward.
But—
The cafeteria froze.
Utterly.
Silent.
Then—
Whispers exploded.
"W-what did she just say…?"
"Talk later…?"
"Isn't that basically—"
Chrono blinked.
"…Huh?"
Yelena slowly turned her head toward him.
Very slowly.
Her smile—
Didn't reach her eyes.
"…Little brother."
A pause.
"…What exactly have you been doing behind my back?"
Chrono's eye twitched.
"I haven't done anything!"
Vayne tilted her head slightly, confused by the sudden reaction around them.
But she didn't explain herself.
If anything—
Her silence made it worse.
Across the cafeteria—
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"…Since when…"
Someone whispered loudly—
"Even Vayne Desmund is going after him?!"
"Isn't he way out of her league?!"
Chrono spoke flustered.
"Will you all calm down?!"
But no one listened.
Yelena leaned forward slightly.
Her gaze now fully locked onto Vayne.
"…And what exactly do you want to talk about?"
Vayne met her eyes.
Unfazed.
"…Something important."
A pause.
Then—
Her eyes shifted briefly toward Chrono.
"…Privately."
That was it.
The final nail.
The cafeteria erupted again.
"PRIVATE?!"
"IT'S DEFINITELY A DATE!"
Chrono buried his face in his hand.
"…Kill me."
Yelena's smile widened.
Dangerously.
"…Oh, I won't kill you."
A pause.
"…But you'll explain everything later."
Chrono groaned.
"…There's nothing to explain."
Vayne stood up calmly.
As if none of this chaos concerned her.
"I'll be waiting Chrono."
She didn't specify where.
Didn't clarify anything.
And that somehow made it even worse.
As she walked away—
Dozens of eyes followed her.
Then—
Slowly—
All of them shifted back to Chrono.
He felt it instantly.
The stares.
The judgment.
The jealousy.
The confusion.
"…Great."
He sighed deeply.
"…Now I look like some kind of playboy."
Yelena rested her chin on her hand, smiling faintly.
"…Don't worry."
A pause.
"…You'll be interrogated properly later."
Chrono stared at the table.
Defeated.
"…I knew today was going to be bad."
But a silent thought did go through his mind is the S rank charm working now?
_____
After that chaotic scene in the cafeteria—
Chrono made his way to the exam hall.
The room was vast.
Rows upon rows of desks neatly aligned.
Tension lingered in the air.
Students sat down one by one—some confident, others visibly nervous.
At the front—
Professor Maya stood with her usual bright smile.
Gentle.
Warm.
Completely out of place for what was about to happen.
"I hope you all have studied well enough~"
She spoke cheerfully.
The effect was immediate.
Students straightened up.
Some even relaxed.
Her presence alone was enough to ease their nerves.
Chrono, however—
Felt none of it.
"…Yeah… sure…"
Professor Maya clapped her hands lightly.
"The exam will be three hours long."
A pause.
Her smile widened just a bit.
"And if I catch anyone cheating…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…you'll be suspended, yay~"
Silence.
A few students stiffened.
Chrono's eye twitched.
'…How does she say that in that tone…?'
Papers were distributed.
The room went quiet.
Dead silent.
"Begin~"
—
Chrono exhaled slowly.
"Sigh… let's do this."
He flipped the paper.
And—
His face froze.
Color drained instantly.
"…N-no…"
His eyes scanned the questions.
Once.
Twice.
Faster.
More desperate.
'No no no no—'
His breathing grew uneven.
He glanced around.
Quickly.
Discreetly.
Everyone else—
Calm.
Focused.
Writing.
Even the lower-ranked students.
Confident.
'…What…?'
His hands trembled slightly.
'These aren't the same questions from the novel…'
Panic.
Sharp.
Immediate.
'I—I'm going to fail…'
His grip tightened on the pen.
'P-paradox…'
A silent plea.
Desperate.
'Just this once…'
'Please help me…'
Silence.
No blue screen.
No response.
Nothing.
Chrono's jaw clenched.
'…You useless piece of—'
He forced himself to breathe.
Think.
"…Calm down…"
One question.
Then another.
Then—
Nothing.
Blank.
Time passed.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Each minute heavier than the last.
He answered what he could.
Guessed some.
Left many blank.
The ticking in his head grew louder.
Mocking.
Relentless.
—
"Time's up~"
The voice snapped through the room.
Pens dropped.
Papers collected.
Chairs scraped.
Students began to leave.
Some relieved.
Some smiling.
Some already discussing answers.
Chrono sat still for a moment longer.
Then slowly stood up.
His steps felt heavier than before.
'I…'
His thoughts were messy.
Unclear.
'I answered… 42 out of 100…'
A dry swallow.
'That should… at least pass me…'
A pause.
Then—
A quiet, almost bitter whisper.
"…Please, God."