After Knox escaped, Simon and Cami—just like in the original—ended up in the study room, sharing a somewhat ambiguous moment before the others began to arrive one by one.
The difference this time was that Group 8 was here as well.
Well… everyone except Knox.
Cindy glanced around the room, her brows knitting slightly.
"Where's Knox?"
Simon let out a small sigh, already sounding half-resigned.
"He said he wanted to buy some snacks. But, you know Knox… I have no idea just how many 'snacks' he's going to come back with."
At that, Cindy, Claudia, and Merida all went quiet for a brief second.
"…We're not getting normal portions, are we?" Cindy muttered.
Claudia let out a soft breath, already adjusting her glasses as if mentally preparing for the outcome. "At this point, it's safer to assume he's restocking for a small army."
Merida, who had been half-slumped over the table since earlier, lifted her head just slightly, her sleepy eyes barely opening.
"…If he brings pudding, wake me up."
Then she dropped her head right back onto her folded arms.
"…You're already awake," Cindy deadpanned.
"…Not emotionally."
Claudia pressed her fingers lightly against her temple, though there was a faint hint of amusement in her expression.
Meanwhile, both Group 7 and Group 8 began studying—or at least, something that loosely resembled studying—while sharing the snacks that were already on the table.
Just then, Rick reached for a castella cake, but his hand closed on empty air.
"Huh? Where'd the castella go?"
He lifted the wrapper and peered inside. It was empty.
Slowly, he turned toward Meilyn, his expression filled with genuine admiration.
"Wow. You ate the whole thing by yourself? Pig."
Meilyn's face flushed instantly as she snapped back.
"What, pig?! You wanna die?!"
"Coming from the one who just lectured us about discipline, that appetite's kinda impressive."
"I didn't eat anything since last night, okay?!"
"Don't fight, please!" Cami hurriedly tried to mediate, her voice flustered as she waved her hands.
At the side, Cindy leaned slightly toward Claudia and whispered, "Should we be worried… or impressed?"
"Both," Claudia replied calmly. "Primarily worried for whoever tries to take her food next."
Rick, unfortunately, did not take that advice.
Merida, without lifting her head, mumbled, "…survival rate… dropping…"
"They weren't doing much actual studying at this point."
Claudia finally closed her book with a soft tap, her gaze sweeping across both groups.
"If this continues, all of you will fail before the exam even begins."
There was no raised voice, no anger—just a quiet, absolute certainty that made the room freeze for a second.
"…Right. Studying," Rick coughed, immediately pulling his book closer.
Cindy straightened up as well, flipping a page. "Okay, okay. Focus mode."
Even Meilyn clicked her tongue and looked away, though she still kept one hand protectively near the remaining snacks.
Merida lifted her head by exactly two centimeters.
"…Wake me when it's over."
"You're not sleeping through this," Cindy said, nudging her lightly.
"…Watch me."
And just as the atmosphere began to settle—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Just then, another knock came at the classroom door. Everyone's gaze turned toward it.
"Hey, Simon. There's really no one else coming, right?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. No one."
"Maybe it's Knox?" Cindy added.
Merida then silently gazed at the door, as if her cat-like senses were picking up something dangerous.
Simon stood up and walked to the door.
"Who is it?"
A reply came from outside the door.
"It's me!" a lively, childlike girl's voice rang out.
"And me!" another voice followed, a male voice clearly trying to sound just as childlike.
"…?"
At the sound of that curt, unmistakably familiar voice, Simon froze in place, as if someone had hit a pause button.
Putting aside the male voice—which was already obvious, Knox—the other voice…
No way.
What is she doing here?
While Simon's thoughts spun in a frenzy—
Click.
The door opened.
As it did, Knox stepped in… followed by a small girl with silver hair that fluttered softly, almost like a painting brought to life.
She raised her hand high and smiled brightly.
"Heya, Simon! Long time no see!"
His worst-case assumption had come true.
Simon slowly turned his gaze toward Knox, his eyes clearly sending a message.
"You better give me an explanation."
But the one receiving that signal either had terrible reception—
or was simply the problem himself.
"Tee-hee~"
Simon stared down at her with a blank expression.
…Lady Nefthis?
"Ah! Food! Food!"
Nefthis hurried forward in quick, light steps, then climbed onto Simon's chair with a small grunt. Her eyes sparkled as she swallowed her drool, completely focused on the snacks in front of her.
"Kyaaa! Who is she?!" Claudia exclaimed.
"Wowww, what beautiful silver hair! Knox, is she your relative?" Cindy asked, clearly fascinated.
"She's so, so cute!"
Claudia, Cindy, Meilyn, and Camibarez all burst into excitement at the sight of Nefthis.
Meanwhile, Merida remained still.
A faint, almost imperceptible tension ran across her skin. Her gaze stayed locked on the girl.
With wide, innocent eyes, Nefthis tilted her head, curious at the sudden attention.
Simon immediately panicked and reached out.
"W-Wait a second, guys—!"
But before he could continue—
Knox, clearly deciding to join the chaos, casually leaned in.
"Do you want a snack?"
"Yeah!"
Nefthis nodded eagerly without hesitation.
Meilyn looked like she was on the verge of collapsing from the sheer cuteness as she began patting Nefthis's head.
Camibarez quickly turned toward Rick.
"Rick, can we give her some?"
"Uh? Uhh…"
Rick froze for a split second.
He knew. Of course he knew.
And just as he was about to say something—
Knox cut in smoothly. "Yes, of course."
"Yaaay!" Nefthis cheered.
With Knox's approval, Nefthis immediately began stuffing snacks into her mouth like there was no tomorrow.
Her cheeks puffed up, round and full.
"Yummy!"
"Kyaaaaahhh!"
"Want some of this too?"
Meilyn quickly unwrapped a cookie and held it out. Nefthis opened her mouth wide and took a big bite without hesitation.
"Nom nom!"
"She ate it!"
"Me too! I wanna try too!" Cindy said, already reaching for more snacks.
…The situation was spiraling out of control.
Simon finally raised his voice.
"Wait a minute, guys! This person is—!"
"So cute~ What's your name?" Camibarez asked gently.
Still chewing, Nefthis beamed brightly.
"Yup! I'm Nefthis!"
"Kyahahaha!"
"So cute!"
…They're not believing her at all…! Simon screamed internally.
Meanwhile, Knox was doing his absolute best to hold back his laughter.
And honestly, it made sense.
Nefthis hadn't appeared in public for decades. She had always operated under the name Kizen.
More than anything, the sheer weight behind the name Nefthis had long been tied to fear.
To most people across the continent, Nefthis wasn't a person.
She was a legend.
A terrifying witch—something that existed somewhere between human and monster.
Sure, there had been rumors that she looked like a young girl.
But Cindy, Claudia, Meilyn, and Camibarez had never taken those rumors seriously.
And more importantly—
They had never imagined she would appear here.
Wh-What do I do? Simon panicked.
To him, this wasn't a misunderstanding. This was a ticking time bomb.
Slowly, Simon turned toward the true culprit.
Knox.
His eyes screamed:
Do something.
But Knox—
was actively making it worse.
Watching him casually feed the chaos, Simon gave up on him entirely and shifted his gaze toward Rick instead.
Meanwhile, Rick, ever quick to grasp a dangerous situation, had already distanced himself and moved to another seat.
Rick! Do something! Simon silently pleaded, gesturing frantically.
But Rick refused to make eye contact.
He sat stiffly, his expression locked in place.
"…Rick?"
Only then did Camibarez glance his way.
He was kneeling on his chair, completely rigid.
"…Why are you suddenly kneeling like that?" Cindy asked, confused.
"W-What are you talking about?! I've always sat like this!"
Rick stammered, sweat already forming on his forehead. He wanted to explain, but Knox while smiling keep looking at him and Neftis occasionally cast a strange look his way, effectively keeping his mouth shut.
"Is it tasty?"
Meilyn showed a rare, softer reaction, her usual sharpness fading for a moment.
As she gently patted Nefthis's head, the little girl laughed happily.
"Yup! Tasty!"
"Aww… my heart…" Claudia murmured, placing a hand over her chest.
"She's the cutest kid I've ever seen!" Cindy added without hesitation.
After eating all the snacks she could and patting her now round belly, Nefthis hopped down from the chair.
Then she grabbed Knox's sleeve, trotted over to Simon, took his hand, and said—
"Simon! Can we talk for a sec?"
"…Ah, yes."
The three of them stepped out of the lecture hall.
Simon immediately lowered his voice.
"Lady Nefthis, please allow me to apologize on their behalf. They didn't recognize you…"
"Hehe, it's fine! Happens all the time. And the snacks were tasty."
Then Knox said, "Hahaha! It's okay, Knox. For Nefthis, role-playing as a child is already her second nature~"
Nefthis immediately pouted. "What do you mean by that?!"
Then, before the cat (Nefthis) could start to hiss—
Knox somehow pulled out a giant lollipop from nowhere, swaying it right in front of her face.
"Want this~?"
The hissing cat instantly stopped.
"Yes!"