Scores Are In

"Why did you only get 72 points?"

Lin Xiaolu's bold words, along with her self-confidence, shattered after the makeup exam the following day.

The day before the practical assessment, which is usually a day of rest for most candidates, has now been used as a make-up exam.

In order to release the passing scores in a timely manner, the examiners of the Examination Institute worked overtime and finally released the passing scores for the four written exams, as well as the score reports of many test takers, that evening.

The passing score for <Rune Studies> is 67 points, for <Arithmetic> it is 79 points, for <Aberrant Beast Analysis> it is 55 points, and for <Law and Conduct Standards> it is 66 points.

Lin Xiaolu chose to retake both the Rune Studies) and Arithmetic) exams, so her final scores were 72 for Rune Studies, 88 for Arithmetic, 80 for Aberrant Beast Analysis), and 72 for Law and Conduct Standards.

It's normal to get a high score in Arithmetic, and since Aberrant Beast Analysis is a key subject in Larkspur's daily teaching, it's understandable that she would get a high score. But the scores in the other two subjects can only be described as "barely passing". Although the overall score can be described as "below average", it is still a long way from "standing out" in Lin Xiaolu's mind.

Meanwhile, the written test scores of the other members of the team were also released at the same time.

Bai Jingxuan Rune Studies, 82 in Arithmetic, 94 in Aberrant Beast Analysis, and 69 in Law and Conduct Standards.

Among these, Bai Jingxuan's Arithmetic grades are average, mainly because Bai Jingxuan was sick as a child and was unable to attend school. The fact that she can barely pass now is all thanks to Larkspur's tutoring day and night after taking her away from the orphanage.

Rune Studies and Aberrant Beast Analysis were her personal interests. Larkspur could also sense that this child was extremely eager for any knowledge that could "make her stronger," which greatly boosted both her learning efficiency and motivation. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that she achieved such excellent scores.

Finally, there's the nearly failing "Kingdom Law and Mission Conduct".

But to be honest, the fact that the child was able to pass this course was a huge relief to Larkspur.

The main purpose of this course is to filter out magical girls whose minds and values are not up to par, preventing those who act recklessly and arbitrarily from obtaining Certification Card. Given Bai Jingxuan Larkspur Que usually tells her, she has at least remembered some of it.

As for the last of the three, Xia Liang, his achievements were truly remarkable.

Rune Studies 95, Arithmetic 99, Aberrant Beast Analysis 93, Law and Conduct Standards 92.

This score also ranks fifth in this written test.

But everyone knows that although he only ranked fifth in the written test of a single assessment, the number of participants in this assessment was different from the past. Many of them were "veterans" who should have taken the assessment long ago but had been putting it White Card until this year.

These candidates have a comprehensive advantage in the assessment. Not only are they more experienced in real-world situations than other complete novices, but they also have more time to study and prepare for the written exam. Therefore, snatching a fifth place from among these candidates is definitely no easier than taking the top spot in previous years, and may even be more difficult.

Without a doubt, if the assessment is based solely on written tests, Xia Liang has already accomplished what Lin Xiaolu envisioned as a "shining star." In fact, Xia Liang's score far surpasses Lin Xiaolu's, to the point that she never even imagined she could achieve the same score.

"Why, why! We went to class together, did homework together, and did tests together... Your grades were clearly worse than mine at the beginning!"

Lin Xiaolu shook Xia Liang's shoulders, clearly unwilling to accept it. "How can you be so much taller than me? How can you be so much taller? Are you even human?"

"I think... well, maybe it's just because I'm good at memorizing?"

Xia Liang said helplessly, "So could you please stop shaking me... you're making me want to throw up."

"Then spit it out! Let me see what you ate, and how it's different from mine! We all have one nose and two eyes, so why should I give myself to you!" Lin Xiaolu shouted.

"It's getting a bit disgusting to talk about it like that," Xia Liang couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I always thought you were on my side, but it turns out you're so much better at studying than me, you traitor..."

Lin Xiaolu's accusations are still ongoing.

Of course, in addition to the three juniors, "Rookie Magical Girl Gentian" also received her own report card.

Rune Studies 79 points, Arithmetic 85 points, Aberrant Beast Analysis 74 points, Jurisprudence and Norms 72 points.

Each subject was at a level slightly above the passing grade, but not significantly above it, generally conforming to the academic level that a "10-year-old child" is considered to have.

Larkspur wasn't worried about over-controlling her scores and failing, because all her scores were among the higher average scores for each subject over the years. In other words, when the exam was the easiest, she would get the average score.

The written test at the White Card level was practically an open-book exam for her; she could almost immediately tell the answer to every question just by glancing at the question stem, so every question she wrote down was guaranteed to be correct. The only difference was that some of the essay questions might have a one or two-point discrepancy due to the examiner's individual interpretation.

This score was undoubtedly only below average among the many candidates, but Larkspur's original intention was simply to enter the examination room as a candidate for practical assessment, so she didn't care about her ranking.

After confirming that all four members of the team had successfully passed the assessment and were able to advance to the next stage, the slight tension that had been lingering in everyone's hearts naturally dissipated considerably.

That evening, Larkspur went to the hot spring alone. After confirming that no one else was in the pool, she relaxed for a bath and then leisurely and slowly left.

Some cloud-shaped chairs were placed in the open space outside the changing room to provide a resting place for customers waiting outside the hot spring.

There, the Larkspur saw Xia Liang wearing a bathrobe.

"What's wrong?"

Realizing that Xia Liang might have been sitting here specifically to wait for her, Larkspur curiously stepped forward and asked.

"Senior, I came in fifth place!" Xia Liang said.

"Ah, yeah, that's right, fifth place, that's really impressive, even I was surprised."

The Larkspur paused for a moment, then nodded affirmatively. "You are very smart and hardworking. I am proud of your achievements."

"Not enough." Xia Liang looked at her and shook her head slightly.

"Not enough?" Larkspur asked, puzzled.

"This level of expression is not enough."

Xia Liang puffed out her cheeks slightly, looking a little jealous. "Although I know very well that you, senior, will favor Xiao Lu, I have at least accomplished something more remarkable than Xiao Lu now, so can't I be rewarded as well?"

"... What reward do you want?" Larkspur blinked.

"I want to touch it too." Xia Liang winked at her.

"I remember someone telling me about a 'Gentle Harbor Strategy' before, saying there was no need to make things difficult for me." Larkspur closed his eyes.

"That's a different matter."

Xia Liang, somewhat displeased, stretched out one foot and symbolically kicked Larkspur's calf with the toe. "This was a super formal Kingdom Assessment. I don't know when I'll be able to do something this impressive again. Can't I come to you to take credit?"

"I think I can help you get some other rewards?"

Larkspur didn't mind the other party's little gesture. "For example, buying you some more practical magic items, or what clothes, accessories, toys... or even electronic products?"

"Those things can be wanted later."

Xia Liang's toes traced patterns on Larkspur's calves twice more. "And what did you mean by 'making things difficult for you'? You always granted Xiao Lu and Xiao Xuan's requests when they tried to be cute with you. You big liar, you biased little senior!"

"Stop fooling around... that's because they don't know about it."

Larkspur took two steps back. "But don't you already know? So avoiding suspicion is actually the right thing to do."

"It's just that I can become a man, and also... you know, I don't really mind that, in fact, it's more like that..."

Xia Liang muttered something resentfully, but then blushed a little, so she shook her head as if denying something. "In short, I want some too! Didn't you not want Xiao Lu and the others to see us and get jealous? I've come all the way here, what excuse could I possibly have?"

"Are you really going to insist on this?" Larkspur was already on the verge of sighing.

"I'm ready." This time, Xia Liang closed her eyes.

"... Okay then."

Anyway, it was just a pat on the head, not really anything out of line. Larkspur comforted herself with this thought, reaching out to rub Xia Liang's head.

During this process, Xia Liang leaned forward slightly, resting her head on Larkspur's abdomen. Larkspur hesitated for a moment, but did not stop her.

"Young senior."

Xia Liang's voice was slightly muffled. "I know very well that this written test is probably the only chance I have to perform better and shine brighter than others."

"... How could that be?" Larkspur responded softly, "You're already Leaf Rank cultivator, and you've been working hard these past few months to increase your Spell Formula repertoire and application. Your Magic Armament has also evolved, and you even have new special moves that you haven't told us about, haven't you?"

"Oh, you already knew that? Well, that's not surprising."

Xia Liang's tone was slightly low, but also calm. "If it were the assessment in previous years, I might have thought, 'This is enough,' 'This is already very good,' right? But after interacting with the other candidates in this year's exam, I've also come to realize that 'this level might not be enough.'"

"How would you know if you haven't tried?" Larkspur retorted.

"Because I'm too ordinary."

Xia Liang slowly said, "No matter how much I study or how much I improve, my progress is only within the scope of a 'normal magical girl.' However, becoming an 'extraordinary magical girl' is just too difficult. I've found that it seems really hard for me to achieve that."

"You're already quite extraordinary," Larkspur said earnestly.

"Yes, that's probably how many people see it."

Xia Liang's voice carried a hint of weariness. "To be honest, I'm not so desperate as to lose heart and admit defeat before even facing someone. In fact, even if I seem to be saying discouraging things to you now, I'm still thinking about 'winning,' about 'standing out,' and about becoming one of the top performers in the practical assessment."

"I'm no longer taking this lightly. I'm constantly striving to move forward. I've come this far to chase after you. And now, it's finally time to see the results."

She pressed her face against the Larkspur's belly, closed her eyes, and murmured:

"So, consider this your last bit of weakness before the real test begins, and give me a little more encouragement, junior."