Chapter 97: Test Begins
The next day, after school.
Surrounded by Reina and her three companions, Haruto headed toward the Inner Academy's testing ground.
After hearing about the test yesterday, he had originally planned to participate with Koneko and then return to the clubroom together afterward.
But this suggestion was rejected as soon as he proposed it, for reasons that saddened Haruto.
Those who reached A-rank no longer needed to participate in tests. A-rank powerhouses were highly sought-after recruitment targets anywhere, and the academy's resources were practically meaningless to A-rank supernaturals.
The white-haired loli who was always munching on snacks usually didn't stand out much, but she was actually an A-rank powerhouse as well.
Eating was just her hobby.
The same went for Yuuto, whose strength seemed to be slightly higher than Koneko's.
The holy sword experiments had given her tragic experiences, but they had also granted her power that ordinary people could never hope to achieve.
Abandoned by his clubmates, Haruto could only participate in the test with Yukina and the other three.
Arriving at the club building, Haruto felt somewhat emotional seeing the two familiar student council members at the staircase entrance.
The last time he came here, these same two people were guarding the entrance. Back then, he had secretly followed Reina and the others here, only to be stopped.
One of them had even used hypnosis magic on him. To avoid complications, he had put on quite an act at the time.
Now, nearly half a year later, meeting these two seniors again, their positions had completely reversed.
"Junior Haruto, good afternoon."
Though they addressed him as junior, their attitude was that of facing a superior - gentle smiles and friendly tones.
They were practically ready to bow to Haruto.
"Well, if it weren't for Haruto being surrounded by Yukina and the others, they might have actually bowed."
As student council members, the two of them had gossiped plenty about Haruto's dealings with their vice president and president.
Especially during the period when Sona was absent, when Tsubaki had dragged Haruto around as free labor, they had even worked under Haruto's direction.
"Hello, seniors. Sorry to trouble you again today."
Haruto had quite a favorable impression of these two as well—they were both emotionally intelligent and capable, not to mention quite attractive with good figures.
"It's no trouble at all. This is much more comfortable than field work. Rather, you should do your best on today's test, Haruto-kun."
The more lively bespectacled girl winked at Haruto and teased, "Don't let the juniors around you drain you so much that you can't even pass the test."
"If I fail the test, I hope you'll come to my place to comfort me, senior."
Facing the girls, Haruto flirted with her without changing his expression, leaving the bespectacled girl utterly bewildered.
She glanced at Reina and the other three who showed no reaction, then looked back at Haruto, finally thinking of her own vice-captain...
The bespectacled girl blinked her eyes and said dryly, "Ah... but if the junior fails the test, we won't be people of the same world..."
While there might be final punishments, if someone's ability is too lacking to even pass the most basic test, the academy would try to persuade them to withdraw through reason.
If reasoning doesn't work, then they would resort to persuasion through physical means - the physics of force.
"Well then, it seems I need to work hard this time to continue being in the same world as my senior."
After saying this, Haruto wrapped his arm around Ruri's slender waist and leisurely headed towards the testing ground on the top floor.
"Ugh, what a player..."
Watching Haruto's retreating figure, the bespectacled girl blushed and quietly spat out these words.
Her companion beside her covered her mouth and chuckled, "Who told you to tease him for no reason? Isn't Haruto's reputation as a playboy well known to everyone?"
After one semester, Haruto had single-handedly surpassed the infamous trio of perverts to become a legendary figure at Kuoh Academy.
If the pervert trio was notorious among female students, then Haruto was infamous among male students.
Kuoh Academy had more girls than boys, but no matter how many girls there were, they couldn't withstand Haruto's antics.
Many boys, like the pervert trio, came hoping to find girlfriends, but ended up without any, only to watch Haruto frequently getting close with beautiful girls above average.
Getting close was one thing, but the academy's top goddesses also had ambiguous relationships with Haruto, making any man feel resentful.
Although Yuuto Kiba was popular among girls, he was like an aloof prince - no one had ever seen him intimately talking with any girl, let alone getting close to them.
But Haruto was different - when girls came to him, he actually took action.
The girls who often stayed with him seemed blind, completely ignoring their man flirting with other women.
They still casually bantered and flirted with Haruto, getting close in various ways.
This made the male students so jealous their eyes were nearly red, wishing they could replace Haruto every time they saw him.
When Haruto entered the testing ground with girls on both arms, various strange glances immediately turned toward him.
"Tch, who's that guy? Bringing girls along for the test?"
Some isolated training fanatics who weren't well-informed looked at Haruto disdainfully, "Does he think the test is for playing? I'll definitely teach him a lesson later."
"You're just jealous he has girls with him, aren't you? Four of them at that."
Someone teased, "But I do support you teaching him a lesson - moral support, that is."
"Hey, why are you so cowardly? That pretty boy obviously doesn't have much skill. No one can say anything if we teach him a lesson during the practical test."
"Don't, if you want to die don't drag me along. That pretty boy might not be skilled, but his women are strong."
"Those four gyaru?"
The person observed for a while before shaking his head, "Their skills are indeed decent. I remember that red-haired one made it into the top 20 in the last test, but she's still a bit below my level."
"Heh." The person beside him also shook his head. "I'm not talking about those women, but the one from the Gremory family."
"The one from the Gremory family?!"
"Yes, that pretty boy joined the Occult Research Club."
The face of the person who had been testing Haruto stiffened. "Injuries during practical tests are unavoidable. That one probably wouldn't..."
"You can try. I'm rooting for you."
After saying this, he walked away, no longer willing to continue speaking with someone whose only tough part was their mouth.
"..."
Similar conversations occurred in several places. Every grade had a few individuals who buried themselves in training and paid no attention to worldly affairs.
However, under the 'moral support' of those around them, they all eventually abandoned their plans to target Haruto.
They thought they were sparing Haruto out of consideration for Rias, unaware that they were actually sparing themselves.
Given Haruto's current strength, there wasn't any supernatural practitioner below A-rank that he couldn't defeat. Even if all the students present attacked together, Haruto was confident he could fight his way out, then fight his way back in.
If anyone dared target him, Haruto wouldn't hesitate to beat them within an inch of their lives.
Having reached the peak of B-rank in martial arts, he hadn't yet had a real fight with anyone.
If someone voluntarily offered themselves today, Haruto might even mentally thank them properly.
The people around him were either A-rank or lower in strength - he couldn't find anyone of similar ability to spar with.
He couldn't very well use his women as punching bags.
What? Have Rias and the others suppress their power to fight him?
Haruto had already tried that. Not long into the fights, these women would start cheating, especially that damn white-haired loli.
She wouldn't say a word, but was actually quite cunning, suddenly unleashing her full power and returning the beating she'd received multiple times over to Haruto.
After a few times, Haruto learned his lesson and never mentioned power suppression again.
He just secretly resolved that once he broke through to A-rank, he'd definitely make these women who didn't follow martial ethics understand what it meant to feel every punch.
Under the envious and jealous gazes of the boys, and the curious or greedy looks from the girls, Haruto led Reina and the other three into the first-year lineup.
After about ten minutes, the student council secretary entered the testing ground with a group of student council members.
"Quiet."
Under the student council's powerful presence, the noisy venue gradually quieted down.
"The testing will now begin. Those who haven't arrived will be marked as failing. Three failures means immediate expulsion."
The student council secretary in charge of recording this test scanned the crowd with sharp eyes, then met Haruto's gaze.
After glancing at the gyarus clinging to Haruto, she calmly looked away.
If their own vice president didn't care, she certainly wouldn't bother meddling in this affair.
"First years, follow me this way."
"Second years over here."
"Third years come with me."
The minimum standards for each grade were different. Aside from the final comprehensive strength assessment, the preliminary basic tests needed to be conducted separately.
The first item was naturally Magic Power testing. There were those who practiced other systems, but the assessment methods were largely similar.