Chapter 281 : Report Card Results
Chapter 281: Report Card Results
“Hey, brats. Gather up. The grades are out.”
With streaks of white mixed into his hair fluttering behind him, a carefree-looking man walked into the training ground reserved exclusively for Stingray Scholars.
It was Lexus Bain.
At his appearance, the students of the Stingray Tactical Engagement Department, who had each been immersed in their training, immediately stopped what they were doing and moved to their assigned positions to form ranks.
Naturally, the three Special Scholars were among them.
“Hm. Everyone here? Raise your hand if you're absent.”
“……”
Not a single student reacted to the terrible dad joke.
When his joke fell flat, Lexus clicked his tongue.
“To think you people can't appreciate humor.”
He glanced down at his tablet and continued.
“Being a scholar sure has its perks, huh? You get your grades before the rest of the student body has even finished being evaluated.”
“……”
“Damn it, would you little punks say something?”
“Why don't you just get to the point?”
Airi replied with an annoyed voice, drawing quiet laughter from the students.
Grinning, Lexus swept his gaze across them.
More precisely...
“Right. I should start with the important news.”
...he pointed directly at Silence and Reina with both hands.
“Those two are finally dating. Everyone, give them a round of applause!”
“[Huh!? W-Wait a second! What the hell are you talking—!]”
“Ooooooh!!”
Silence looked utterly flustered, but the other students exploded with enthusiasm.
Some clapped.
Others whistled by sticking fingers into their mouths.
Damn, how many months did you drag this out!?
You coward, Silence!
Kiss!
Kiss! Kiss!
Silence's fourth-year classmates immediately began pounding on him while calling him an idiot.
Since it had all ended this way anyway, their voices were especially loud as they criticized him for dragging things out for so long.
“You hopeless moron!”
“[Ow! Why are you hitting me!? Stop it! More importantly, why is us dating some huge announcement!?]”
“You think we couldn't tell our junior was suffering because of you? The whole Academy already knew! Hell, even those Militech bastards kept asking us when you two were finally getting together!”
“[Stop talking bullshit! Aagh! Who kicked me in the shin!?]”
Silence was practically being subjected to a group beating by his classmates.
Meanwhile, the second-year Reina watched from her place with a complicated look full of concern.
Partly because she was seated farther away as a second-year.
But perhaps she also still held a tiny bit of resentment toward Silence.
Watching the students collectively assault Silence, Lexus smiled warmly.
Back in the old days, every student had been so on edge that making even a single joke had been difficult.
Yet in less than a year, the atmosphere at the Academy had changed dramatically.
The jungle where everyone struggled merely to survive had become a place that smelled a little more like humanity.
“[Aagh! My arm's broken! It really broke!]”
“Replace it, dumbass. You've got a Robotic Arm Module.”
“[You bastard!]”
Hmm.
Maybe it smelled a little too much like humanity...
Still...
Well, good was good enough.
Leaving Silence half-dead from the beating, Lexus continued the announcements.
“Alright, now for the real main event. Grade announcements. I can't hand out the documents, so when I call your name, come up, check your results, and head back. I'll give you a few words of advice over your personal channel, so open communications before you come up. And Silence, scream a little quieter while you're getting beaten. I can't hear anything.”
“[Aaaagh! I'm going to kill you first!]”
“Alright, Amy. You're first.”
One by one, the students came forward, checked their grades, received brief advice from Lexus regarding their training direction and methods, then returned to their places.
Among the members of the Special Class, Silence was first.
“Alright, that's enough, everyone. Even if the idiot deserved it, you've hit him enough. Break him any more, and Miss Reina will start crying.”
Lexus dispersed the students surrounding Silence before personally walking over to him as he lay sprawled across the floor.
He showed him the tablet screen.
“Here. Your grades.”
“[Uuuugh....]”
Silence was in too much pain to even speak properly.
Ignoring that completely, Lexus opened a voice chat through Silence's personal channel.
“[Overall Score: 4.3. Second place in your year. That's excellent. I don't really have anything to say about your theoretical classes, but as for practical training... Ah, you've been keeping up with your hospital treatments, right? Maybe because of that, your basic physical fitness and endurance have noticeably improved across every subject.]”
“[I-I'm going to kill you....]”
“[Quit whining and listen properly.]”
Lexus slammed his fist onto Silence's crown.
Bam!
After receiving Lexus's famous "Quiet Down!" punch, Silence glared at him with a sulky expression.
“[The dedicated Moduler for the Special Class was that girl, Miyu, right? She must be pretty skilled. You haven't added any new modules, but your overall compatibility has improved. Durability's still a problem, though.]”
“[Durability...?]”
“[Your specialty is stealth, but even accounting for that, your body's way too fragile. Didn't your Moduler say anything?]”
“[She said something similar....]”
“[See? If my punch hurts you that much, your body is basically no tougher than an ordinary person's. One stray bullet between the eyes and you're done for. You should either add modules that improve your defenses or go all-in on maximizing your evasion.]”
“[Hmm....]”
“[Module setups aren't my specialty, so discuss that in detail with your Moduler. I'm not worried about your academics or physical fitness. The real problem is psychological warfare.]”
“[Psychological warfare?]”
“[See where you lost points in your practical combat class? It's because you're too textbook. You're supposed to be in the ninja position, but you fight far too honestly.]”
Lexus assumed inwardly that it was simply because Silence was fundamentally an earnest guy.
“[Hide your presence, infiltrate deep into enemy territory, and land a fatal blow. That's the classic assassin's approach. But you're too obsessed with following only that.]”
“[What do you mean?]”
“[The most frightening incident is the one that hasn't happened yet. During the practical exam, you entered through such an honest 'Assassin's Route' that it felt like you just checked off your assigned task. But if you learn to manipulate your opponent's psychology, you can deliberately target someone else first or delay your attack timing to confuse your target. That makes it much easier for your allies fighting on the front lines. Understand?]”
“[Force your target's psychology into a corner?]”
“[Exactly. Even without attacking directly, psychological pressure alone can make people collapse on their own, making everything much easier. Learn to make use of that.]”
“[Hmm....]”
At some point, Silence had sat down cross-legged on the floor, deep in thought.
Lexus added one final piece of advice.
“This works not just against people, but against monsters too. You can create an opening by killing one enemy, but sometimes leaving one alive creates an even greater weakness. You're a fourth-year now, so you'll be going outside the city for practical training all the time. Once you experience it yourself, you'll get the hang of it.”
“I... understand.”
“Good. That's all for you.”
Smiling, Lexus grabbed Silence's arm and helped him back to his feet.
After counseling several more students, it was finally Reina's turn.
“Reina Alton.”
“Y-Yes!”
As Reina approached, Lexus opened a private communication channel with her.
“[Average Score: 3.9. Fourteenth place in your year. That's pretty high, but it's a little disappointing for someone in the Special Class.]”
“[I-I'm sorry....]”
“[Planning to get married and retire early, student?]”
“[N-No!?]”
“[Relax, I'm kidding. Now then....]”
Reina's grades were respectable overall.
Her theoretical classes, in particular, were excellent.
The problem was...
“[Your stamina's still lacking. Your strength is good, but your endurance is terrible. You're the type who avoids cardio because you're afraid of losing muscle, aren't you?]”
“[What are you even talking about?]”
“[My joke accuracy's really low today....]”
Lexus decided to stop fooling around and focus on the important part.
“[Your specialty is shredding enemies with overwhelming firepower, right? Carrying that huge gun and backpack. Naturally, your maintenance costs are much higher than everyone else's. Right now, you've got a wealthy sponsor covering everything, but honestly? If I were a corporate Scout, I'd hesitate a bit before recruiting you.]”
“[......]”
“[I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm just analyzing the situation objectively.]”
“[I know....]”
“[Good. Then what do you think you should do?]”
“[Improve my precision so I can reduce ammunition consumption....]”
“[What nonsense are you talking about? The exact opposite.]”
“[Huh?]”
Seeing Reina's bewildered expression, Lexus winked.
“[Think carefully. Who's paying for your ammunition right now?]”
“[Chairman Aaron Stingray.]”
“[Exactly. The Stingray Group. You never worry about billionaires or celebrities. And why would you worry about the richest man in the world?]”
“[Then what should I do?]”
“[Fire more! It's not your money!]”
“[......]”
Reina looked at him as though she were staring at human garbage.
Lexus hurriedly waved both hands.
“[I'm saying that if you keep trying to conserve ammunition and end up firing like you've got prostate problems, nobody's going to appreciate it. If you're going to shoot, then shoot properly.]”
“[That's sexual harassment.]”
“[...Just don't report me. Anyway, stop worrying about ammunition and overwhelm them with firepower. Make it so nobody can survive standing in front of you. If you run out of ammunition quickly? Then carry more ammunition. If that's still not enough, carry even more.]”
More firepower!
Even more firepower!
That's the path to your survival!
Lexus shouted passionately as though he had founded a religion devoted to overwhelming firepower.
“[I'm not saying to spray bullets mindlessly. I'm saying to unleash maximum firepower at the most efficient moment possible. If you can turn even the strongest enemy into a beehive, your specialty will always have a place. Understand?]”
“[...I'll discuss my module setup with my Moduler. It's not like I have to use only a minigun, right?]”
“[Of course not.]”
“[Thank you.]”
Reina bowed politely before leaving.
Lexus watched her departing figure with satisfaction before continuing the remaining counseling sessions.
After every consultation had finished, he finally called the one person he had intentionally saved for last.
“Airi Alicevale.”
“Yes.”
Airi stepped forward without hesitation.
But Lexus shook his head.
“You're getting a special consultation.”
“A special consultation?”
“Go upstairs. Someone wants to see you personally.”
As he spoke, Lexus pointed toward the ceiling with his finger.
Airi immediately understood what he meant.
It was a summons from Chairman Aaron.