The day of the test had finally arrived.
I'd been dreading this moment ever since Miss Clarissa first mentioned it. And, as if things couldn't get worse, Sakura was of course latched onto my arm like a barnacle.
She had been talking nonstop since we left the dorm, but I wasn't listening. Not even a little.
"Are you nervous about the test, Hira-kun?" she asked, tilting her head up at me with that annoying sparkle in her eyes.
"No," I muttered. "Just slightly irritated."
"Yeah, you're invincible, Hira-kun, after all."
My eyebrow twitched. "If you call me that one more time, I will throw you like a baseball."
"You wouldn't do that," she said with absolute confidence.
I turned to glare at her. "And why exactly do you think I won't?"
"Because I'm too cute."
…Every nerve in my body screamed at me to launch her straight into the stratosphere. I had to summon every ounce of willpower just to keep my hands to myself.
We finally made it into the training hall. A massive dome-like structure that seemed far too intimidating for a first-day exam. The ceiling arched so high it almost looked like the sky itself had been trapped inside. Rows of seats circled the arena floor, as if daring us to imagine a crowd watching our every move.
The rest of the class was already gathered, buzzing with nervous energy. Fuji stood at the side polishing one of his swords like he was about to go to war, Mikasa was fidgeting with her aura guns (which kept flickering in and out like they had stage fright), and the twins.Yuki and Suki leaned casually against the wall, both pretending to be cooler than they probably felt.
Meanwhile, Sakura still hadn't let go of my arm.
"Hey, you're going to rip my sleeve off before the test even starts," I grumbled.
"But what if we have to fight something scary?" she pouted.
"Then use your powers instead of my jacket."
Before she could come up with another comeback, the heavy doors at the far end of the dome creaked open, and Miss Clarissa walked in with the kind of calm confidence that made the entire room go silent. Today she wasn't wearing her usual casual clothes. She'd gone full professional: a crisp black uniform jacket over a white blouse, her long hair tied neatly behind her.
She clapped her hands once. The sharp sound echoed around the dome.
"Alright, class. Today marks the beginning of your path as exorcists." Her eyes swept over us like a hawk measuring prey. "From now on, the training only gets harsher. But before that, you'll undergo the squad assessment test I mentioned."
I sighed. Just as I feared.
"You'll be tested in three categories," Miss Clarissa continued, holding up three fingers. "The first: combat ability. The second: teamwork. And the third…" She paused for effect, her lips curving into a faint smile. "…adaptability. We don't care how strong you are if you can't adjust when things go wrong."
Murmurs spread through the room. Some students looked fired up, others pale.
I, on the other hand, just felt my stomach twist. A test on the very first day… Why couldn't they just give us a week to breathe?
Miss Clarissa raised her voice slightly, cutting through the chatter. "Each squad will face these trials together. Success or failure depends not only on your individual strength, but on how well you support one another. Remember...exorcists don't fight alone."
Her gaze lingered on us for a moment longer, before finally saying:
"Now then… let's begin."
Miss Clarissa snapped her fingers.
With a rumble, the floor of the dome split open in several places, and out rose training dummies. No, not dummies. They were humanoid constructs made of hardened aura stone, each about two meters tall, glowing faintly at the seams like someone had shoved a spirit core inside.
"These are combat simulacra," Miss Clarissa explained. "They're designed to measure your offensive and defensive capabilities. They will not stop attacking until I call them off. Your task is simple: subdue them."
"Simple, she says…" I muttered under my breath.
The constructs' glowing eyes flared to life. Their heavy footsteps echoed through the dome, sending vibrations up my legs.
"Squad Zero you'll go first."
I felt Sakura's grip tighten on my sleeve. Of course.
"Yay, us!" she chirped, completely ignoring the fact that the stone soldiers were lumbering toward us like executioners.
Mikio stepped forward without a word. Instead, glowing red letters formed in the air: "I'll handle the opening."
He stomped once, releasing a shockwave of amplified sound that rattled my bones. The nearest construct staggered back, cracks forming along its chest.
Sakura's fox aura flared around her, tails of light swirling behind her as she charged. "Leave the rest to me, Hira-kun!"
"Wait" I started, but too late.
She slammed a glowing fist into one of the dummies… only for it to barely flinch. The backlash sent her flying backward straight at me.
"Hey!" I caught her by instinct, staggering under the impact.
She looked up at me with a sheepish smile. "Ehe… maybe I miscalculated."
I shoved her back onto her feet. "You think?!"
The constructs regrouped, two of them lunging straight at us. Mikio tried firing off more sound bursts, but they were already adapting, their movements sharper.
"Tch." I drew my blade, dark aura sparking along its edge. In one swift motion, I sidestepped the first strike and cleaved clean through the construct's torso. The thing split in two, aura core shattering as it collapsed into dust.
Everyone froze for a moment. Even Miss Clarissa raised an eyebrow.
"…Well," she said. "That was efficient."
Sakura puffed her cheeks. "Hira-kun's showing off again…"
"Or maybe I'm just trying not to die," I muttered.
The second construct swung its stone fist toward me. Without thinking, I ducked under it and delivered a sharp upward slash. The blade cut through like paper, aura fragments scattering into the air like sparks.
Mikio finished off the last one with a concentrated sound wave, collapsing its chest cavity into rubble.
And just like that, Squad Zero stood victorious.
The class broke into murmurs. I could feel their stares. Some impressed, some envious, others just annoyed.
Miss Clarissa clapped once. "Good. That's the level of decisiveness I expect. But remember, Kage...." she locked eyes with me, "raw power means nothing if your squad cannot keep up."
I grimaced but didn't argue. She wasn't wrong.
"Next, Squad Cloud Nine!"
Fuji, Talia, and Mikasa stepped forward. Fuji immediately summoned his falcon wings, metallic feathers glinting in the light. With a shout, he launched himself at a dummy, moving with blinding speed as he unleashed one of his seven dances. The construct shattered instantly.
Talia wasn't so graceful.Her flames roared to life, but they spiraled out of control, forcing Fuji to dodge mid-combo. "Watch it!" he barked.
"S-sorry!" she stammered, trying to regain control.
Meanwhile Mikasa nervously summoned one of her aura pistols. She fired a shot. Blue energy cracked against a dummy's shoulder, but it only chipped the stone.
"Ugh, why won't it…?" she whispered, frustration bubbling.
Still, after some struggle and a lot of Fuji yelling they managed to bring their opponents down.
Miss Clarissa gave them a nod. "Not bad. But you'll need to synchronize better."
Finally, the twins' squad stepped up. Yuki smirked, drawing his spectral blade. "Watch and learn."
Suki glared at him. "You're such a show-off."
They vanished into motion, darting around the dummies like shadows. Their spiritual blades sliced through with clean precision, every strike coordinated despite their bickering. Jackson hung back at first, then cut his palm and lashed out with blood whips, binding the constructs so the twins could finish them off.
The teamwork was… disturbingly effective.
Miss Clarissa smiled faintly. "Excellent. That concludes the combat assessment."
I exhaled slowly, tension leaving my shoulders. One test down. Two more to go.
But something told me the next ones wouldn't be so "simple."
Miss Clarissa clapped her hands, and the broken rubble from the combat dummies sank back into the ground, the arena restoring itself as if nothing had happened.
"Now then," she said, her tone just as calm as ever. "Combat alone isn't enough. The next part of your assessment measures your teamwork. Because even the strongest exorcist will fail if they cannot coordinate."
Great. Just great.
The floor shifted again, this time revealing a sprawling obstacle course. Walls, pits, moving platforms, and even strange spirit glyphs glowing across the terrain.
"The goal is simple," Miss Clarissa continued. "Each squad must reach the other side together. If even one member falls behind, the entire squad fails."
Sakura pumped her fist into the air. "Teamwork! My specialty!"
I gave her a look. "Really? You couldn't even land one hit on a rock puppet five minutes ago."
"That was strategy, Hira-kun!" she said proudly. "I was testing its defenses so you could finish it!"
"…Sure."
Mikio just wrote in the air: "This will be a nightmare."
"Don't say that!" Sakura whined. "We'll ace this together, I just know it!"
Miss Clarissa raised a hand. "Squad Zero!you first again."
Of course.
The starting bell rang, and the course came alive. A wall shot up in front of us, glyphs glowing with shifting patterns.
Mikio gestured quickly, tracing fire-letters: "Pattern locks. Need to time it."
Sakura tilted her head. "Ohhh, I get it! We just rush!"
Before either of us could stop her, she dashed forward, straight into the moving glyphs. The wall shimmered, and a gust of spirit wind blasted her back, sending her tumbling to the ground right at my feet.
I looked down at her. "…Strategy?"
She gave me a thumbs up from the floor. "Uh… still strategy!"
Mikio sighed without sound, then amplified a sharp clap of his hands. The vibrations made the glyphs flicker, freezing their movement for a second.
"Now," he wrote.
We sprinted. I grabbed Sakura's arm before she could trip us both and dragged her through, landing just as the glyphs flared back to life.
Obstacle after obstacle followed. Balance beams over pits of glowing spirit fire. Walls that shifted height mid-climb. Platforms that spun like wheels the moment you stepped on them.
Sakura's "help" mostly consisted of nearly falling and dragging me with her, while shouting, "Don't let go, Hira-kun!"
"Then stop pulling me down!"
Mikio, meanwhile, darted ahead with sound bursts, leaving fiery words hanging behind like trail markers: "Jump here. Duck now. Left path safer."
Without him, we would've been fried in the first trap.
Finally, the three of us collapsed at the finish line, sweaty, bruised, but intact.
Miss Clarissa raised an eyebrow. "Messy… but effective. Pass."
I groaned. Messy was putting it lightly.
"Next, Squad Cloud Nine!"
Fuji cracked his knuckles, wings flaring. "Follow my lead."
He took off, soaring over half the obstacles in one go. Talia tried to mimic with fire-propulsion… and nearly faceplanted into a wall.
Mikasa, poor girl, slipped off the second platform and had to be caught by Fuji mid-flight.
By the time they stumbled across the finish line, Fuji was red in the face from yelling at them.
"Teamwork requires patience," Miss Clarissa said pointedly. Fuji looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
Then came the twins' squad.
Yuki smirked, "Piece of cake," before sprinting ahead. Suki rolled her eyes and matched his pace, their movements eerily synchronized. They weaved through obstacles like they'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
Jackson lagged behind, blood whips barely saving him from falling into the spirit fire pit. The twins groaned but doubled back to grab him, dragging him across.
"Surprisingly good coordination," Miss Clarissa noted. "But don't neglect your weakest link."
When it was over, all three squads were panting, drained. I leaned against the wall, still trying to get Sakura off my arm.
Miss Clarissa smiled faintly, which for her was almost unsettling. "Good. You've all managed to survive the second test. That leaves one final trial."
Her eyes glinted as she gestured toward the ceiling, where strange shapes began to unfold.Shadows stretching like wings.
"The survival test."
And just like that, the dome dimmed, and a low growl echoed around us.