THIRD PERSON'S POV
.
.
.
Though they tried to hide it, their behavior still changed slightly.
Only Renzo and Albert acted mostly normal.
As George led the way toward the mental assessment area, the others unconsciously formed a loose barrier around Ivy while Renzo and Albert walked behind them.
The moment they arrived, Lily immediately dragged a chair closer.
"Sit down first."
Ivy frowned.
"I'm fine."
"Come on, granny. Stop being difficult."
Donald tried coaxing her into the seat.
"I'm not dying, so stop acting weird. It's annoying." Ivy shot back irritably. "If I were going to die, it would've happened the day you crashed me into a tree."
Donald scratched the back of his head awkwardly, remembering the incident clearly.
George sighed tiredly.
"Ivy, we don't know what's wrong with you, so we're just—"
"I said I'm fine."
She cut him off sharply before walking into the testing hall.
"Treat me normally. I'm not dying anytime soon."
The atmosphere fell quiet for a moment before Albert lazily followed after her.
One by one, the others forced themselves to push the medical results to the back of their minds and focus on the mental assessments instead.
IQ.
Strategy.
Group coordination.
Situational adaptability.
Anything designed to measure their mental capabilities.
An hour later, the tests finally ended.
Now all that remained was waiting for the results.
Ivy squinted up at the scorching sun with obvious irritation, looking as though the weather itself had personally offended her.
Nathan silently disappeared before returning moments later carrying several cups of ice cream.
Without a word, he handed them out one after another.
Vanilla for George.
Chocolate for Donald.
Mint for Fiona.
Cookie dough for Lily
Ube for Zoe
Olive oil for Albert
Butter pecan for himself
Then he placed a strawberry flavored one in front of Ivy before calmly sitting down again.
Ivy stared at the cup briefly before quietly eating it.
Not long after, Renzo returned carrying their reports with a black vape hanging loosely between his lips.
"Alright..." He unfolded the papers lazily.
"COUNTRY H ACADEMY — JSF, TEAM 5 MENTAL APTITUDE EVALUATION."
He cleared his throat dramatically.
"Mental Aptitude Score and Primary Strength."
"Albert Montclair — ninety-eight. Analytical Processing."
"Ivy Da Vinci — ninety-six. Adaptive Intelligence."
"Nathan Cole — ninety-four. Tactical Reasoning."
"Donald Almundo Del Rodriguez — ninety. Social Adaptability."
"George De Relro — eighty-eight. Leadership Analysis."
"Fiona Coilman — eighty-four. Structured Learning."
"Zoe Blackwood — eighty-one. Situational Awareness."
"Lily Everly — seventy-seven. Creative Response."
He paused to exhale smoke slowly before continuing.
"Evaluation Notes."
"Albert Montclair. Exceptional processing speed and logical analysis. Highly advanced pattern recognition and scientific reasoning. Minor concerns regarding motivation and social engagement."
Albert yawned.
"Sounds accurate."
Renzo ignored him and continued.
"Ivy Da Vinci. Outstanding adaptive intelligence and survival response. Exceptional emotional masking and rapid situational adjustment..."
His eyes paused briefly on the next sentence.
"...Medical instability may affect long-term evaluation."
George frowned immediately.
But Renzo kept reading.
"Nathan Cole. Excellent strategic reasoning and observational retention. Calm under pressure with high decision accuracy."
"Nerd," Donald muttered.
Nathan ignored him.
"Donald Almundo Del Rodriguez. Unexpectedly high adaptability and social processing speed. Strong memory retention despite inconsistent discipline."
Donald placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"They finally recognize my greatness."
"George De Relro. Highly balanced cognitive profile. Excellent leadership coordination and group awareness."
"Fiona Coilman. Consistent structured learning and emotional regulation. Reliable academic and tactical comprehension."
"Zoe Blackwood. Strong environmental awareness and suspicion detection. Evaluation affected by impulsive decision tendencies."
Zoe scoffed.
"They're just mad I notice everything."
"And Lily Everly..."
Renzo looked over at the girl currently using Fiona's shoulder as a pillow.
"High creativity and emotional responsiveness. Attention instability affects academic consistency."
Lily gasped dramatically.
"Rude."
Renzo folded the papers and shoved them into his pocket.
"So basically, Albert still has the highest IQ, baby Lily still has the lowest, and somehow Donald's brain actually functions."
Donald looked offended.
"My brain functions beautifully."
"Sure."
Renzo stretched lazily before standing up.
"Anyway, only sorcery, written examinations, and friendly sparring remain. We're done for today."
The group immediately sighed in relief and began walking back toward the apartment complex.
Then Donald suddenly stopped.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot."
He turned toward Ivy with a grin.
"The Arts Club is hosting an event tonight. Let's go."
Ivy frowned immediately.
"What? I'm not your assistant."
Donald smirked shamelessly.
"Nope. You're my woman."
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Ivy narrowed her eyes while searching around for something to throw at him.
But before she could react—
Donald suddenly leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips before sprinting away.
Ivy froze completely.
Silence.
Then realization hit.
He kissed her.
In public.
Her expression darkened immediately.
"You little piece of shit! Get back here!"
She instantly chased after him while Donald's laughter echoed through the academy grounds.
The others sighed heavily before following behind at a much slower pace.
At this point, their chaotic dynamic had already become routine.