Kisho, bored out of his mind, wandered around the library in circles again and again. In the end, he plopped down beside Amos, planning to squeeze some fun out of him to kill time.
Kisho forced a topic.
"Amos, how do you think the final test will be conducted?"
"Who knows?" Amos replied absentmindedly. "As long as it's not a written exam, we've got nothing to be afraid of, right?"
Kisho shot back,
"What if it really is a written exam?"
"Then we'll just take it again next year. It's not like there's only one Hunter Exam."
Amos still sounded distracted.
Kisho complained,
"So you're assuming that if it's written, we'll both get eliminated?"
"Isn't that obvious? I've never even gone to school a single day. I can't copy answers for you."
"True. That makes you completely useless. I'd better go find someone who can let me copy." Kisho stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Then hurry up and find someone. Go, go."
Amos had already been annoyed after being interrupted several times while reading manga. Seeing Kisho say that made him extremely satisfied.
"Stop bothering me and let me read."
"Hah! The moment you start reading manga, brotherhood means nothing to you!"
Kisho suddenly stood up.
Then his gaze landed on C·L.
Maybe… this could actually work?
Thinking that, Kisho let out a string of snickers — whether he'd actually copy or not wasn't the point. As long as he had a top student as backup, he'd feel a lot more at ease.
C·L had clearly overheard the conversation between Kisho and Amos. He raised his eyes to look at Kisho, the corners of his lips curving slightly upward.
Kisho had just opened his mouth to say, "If it's a written exam, let me copy a bit," when a gentle, sweet voice came through the broadcast:
"All candidates participating in the final stage of this Hunter Exam, please prepare. The interview will begin in three minutes. It will proceed in order of candidate numbers. Please head to Room 347, Area B, Level Three for your interview."
"Repeating, all candidates participating…"
After hearing the announcement, Kisho tugged at Amos's sleeve.
"It's not a written exam. It's an interview."
Before Amos could respond, Kisho muttered softly,
"If it's not written, then it's an interview. I really wonder what those people at the Hunter recruitment office are thinking. And this interview… it's not going to be some structured interview, is it?"
Come to think of it, the pass rate for the Hunter Exam was higher than the civil service exam he took in his previous life.
Kisho said,
"It starts in three minutes. Should we head over?"
Amos was extremely reluctant to put down his manga. He muttered,
"You go first… I'm almost done. It's in order of candidate numbers anyway, right? There are still a few people before us."
"Tch."
Kisho said,
"Let me ask you — if the author could update forever without hiatus until it's finished, but in exchange you'd never pass the Hunter Exam in your life, would you accept?"
Amos's eyes lit up.
"What? It would update forever until it's finished? There's actually such a good deal?"
Kisho: "…"
Kisho said,
"Alright, I get it. Take your time. I'm heading off."
Amos waved him away, practically having "get lost" written all over his face.
Having lost his little partner, Kisho stood up helplessly. Just as he was about to leave, C·L smiled gently at him.
"Let's go together."
The library was in Area A on the third level of the airship, not too far from Area B. In the corridor, Kisho looked at C·L.
"Mr. C·L, may I ask why you're taking the Hunter Exam?"
"No particular reason."
C·L smiled.
"Simply to better carry out team missions."
Kisho was horrified.
"You need a license just to do team missions?"
C·L answered with a smile,
"Certain missions require clues and intelligence support."
Kisho muttered,
"Are college students here already competing at this level for team projects…"
While chatting idly, the two arrived at Room 347 in Area B. The other candidates were already waiting outside the door.
Kisho smiled at Kite, who was standing a little apart from the others, then looked around.
"Yo, everyone's here."
The other candidates had no energy to complain about Kisho's inexplicable enthusiasm. They were nervous to death — how could this guy still be so relaxed?
John, candidate number 74 and first in line, was already standing at the entrance to Room 347.
His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, his face turning pale with tension, looking as if he might faint at any moment.
Kisho glanced at him.
"…Is it really that serious? Even if you fail, you can just try again next year, right?"
C·L said slowly,
"Failing at the very last step is harder to accept than failing from the start."
The broadcast began announcing candidate numbers. With the call, candidate number 74 showed an expression as if marching toward certain death and resolutely pushed open the door to Room 347.
Two minutes later, he walked out wearing a look of utter existential doubt.
"What happened inside?"
"What did chairman Netero ask you?"
Seeing how quickly he had finished the interview, the surrounding candidates rushed forward to question him.
John stood there with vacant eyes, seemingly not yet recovered. After more than ten seconds, he finally realized his interview was over. He looked at the nervous crowd and gave a cold smile.
"You'll know when it's your turn."
Everyone else: "…"
Next was number 140, Togari.
Kisho watched him walk in and then close the door with a bang.
"After him, it should be Amos, right?" Kisho muttered. "Why isn't he here yet…"
Before he could finish, someone lightly tapped his shoulder.
Kisho turned around and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Finished reading? Finally willing to come out?"
"Finished. But I plan to read it again." Amos gave a sly grin and pulled out a book he had hidden under his coat. "So I secretly brought it out."
Kisho exclaimed,
"You've got some nerve!"
Another minute later, Togari came out, his expression equally complicated.
"My turn."
Amos said calmly. He tossed the manga to Kisho —
"Hold this for me."
Then he pushed open the door and walked in.
...
Inside the room, Netero sat behind a low table, smiling as he watched the incoming candidate.
He looked at Amos approaching and pointed to the cushion in front of the table.
"Please, sit."
Amos sat down casually. Netero sized him up and smiled.
"You don't look nervous at all."
"It's just an interview. It's not like it's life or death." Amos shrugged. "What's there to be nervous about?"
"What an interesting young man." Netero chuckled as he stroked his beard, then pointed at a row of photographs on the table.
"Among these seven people, if you had to choose one you most want to fight, and one you least want to fight, how would you choose?"
"The one I most want to fight… any of them is fine." Amos glanced at the photos on the table and frowned. "The one I least want to fight is number 234, C·L. That guy is both dangerous and troublesome."
Netero asked mischievously,
"You're quite close with number 233, aren't you? Wouldn't it be a problem to fight him?"
"No problem." Amos replied. "Whether I win or lose doesn't matter to me. Kisho's probably the same."
He stared at Netero.
"Hey, you're not actually planning to arrange it like that, are you?"
"Se~cret!" Netero laughed and waved his hand. "Alright, that's all."
Amos was stunned.
"That's it? It's over just like that?"
That was way too fast! No wonder the people who walked out earlier had such strange expressions.
Netero smiled and blinked.
"Oh, and the book you took from the library — remember to put it back after you're done~"
Amos: "…"
His whole body stiffened.
"…Got it, got it, you stingy old man."
He stood up and slowly walked out.
The next number was Kisho.