Anya... Passed

"Because of Murdoch Swan's unwarranted harassment, the Forger family has passed the interview assessment." Karen lounged on the Forgers' sofa with his legs crossed, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

"That's wonderful!" Yor's and Anya's eyes instantly lit up, and they excitedly spun around the living room, the wooden floor creaking softly beneath their cheerful footsteps.

Twilight's tense shoulders finally relaxed. The weight that had been hanging over his heart dropped with a thud, leaving him feeling much lighter.

Watching the three of them look so relieved, Karen suddenly felt the urge to tease them.

He sat up straight, his expression serious. "But don't celebrate just yet. Anya may have passed the interview, but she only just passed. Her interview score was nothing exceptional."

He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over their increasingly tense faces. "And her written exam score is a real problem. With only 31 points, her overall score won't be very high."

The Forgers' expressions changed instantly. Twilight unconsciously swallowed, the sound unusually clear.

It was true. She had passed the interview, but Anya's written exam score was abysmal. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say she ranked last among the interview candidates. Her overall score certainly wouldn't be high.

Watching their tense expressions, Karen felt an inexplicable flicker of guilty pleasure. Even he hadn't realized when he had developed this nasty sense of humor. He had probably caught it from that fat bastard Murdoch.

Having neatly shifted all the blame in his mind, he continued at an unhurried pace. "You should know that Eden Academy admits a fixed number of students every year. Out of the thousands of families who apply, only 200 lucky children get in. By my estimate, your daughter, Anya Forger, should rank somewhere between 197th and 203rd."

"She's still in a precarious position."

In the original story, Anya had been first on the Waiting List, placing 201st overall. Although Karen had knocked Murdoch Swan unconscious this time, it was essentially no different from Henry knocking him out in the original. With the school's reputation at stake, a passing score was already the most they could offer, and no one could change Anya's exam results.

"Is there anything we can do, Mr. Karen?" Twilight's face was serious, his eyes full of anxiety. Getting Anya into school was the first step of the plan. If he couldn't even accomplish that, meeting Ostania's prime minister would be out of the question.

"Well, about that... I'll tell you, but don't let this get out." Karen shifted into a more comfortable position, stretching out on the sofa. Though his posture was hardly polite, the Forgers didn't dare complain. On the contrary, his relaxed manner told them that he genuinely wanted to help.

"Eden Academy has a list that isn't made public, called the 'Waiting List.' It contains the candidates ranked 201st through 220th overall. Whenever an officially admitted student is dismissed, a candidate from the Waiting List immediately takes their place."

Karen explained, "By my estimate, at most three students would need to withdraw for Anya to get into Eden Academy."

As he spoke, Yor's mind had already wandered elsewhere. Her brows alternately furrowed and relaxed as she imagined one nonexistent person after another, calculating how eliminating them would guarantee Anya's admission to Eden Academy.

Meanwhile, Anya used Mind Reading to watch Yor's inner drama with great interest.

Seeing Yor nod one moment and shake her head the next, Karen immediately guessed what she was thinking. If only a few students stood in the way at the end, Yor might actually take action.

"But you don't need to worry too much," Karen added with a yawn. "Students are dismissed every year. It's quite common for more than ten to leave. Otherwise, there wouldn't be twenty places on the Waiting List."

With that, he stretched luxuriously and stood to leave. "Even if you don't see Anya's name on the day the admissions list is posted, don't panic. Rest easy and start preparing as though she's going to get in."

"Wait, Mr. Karen. Thank you so much for coming all this way to explain things to us." Twilight stopped Karen just as he had one foot out the door. "Would you stay for dinner? Please let us show our gratitude."

Karen hesitated for a moment, remembering Twilight's superb cooking skills in the original story. Suddenly, his stomach growled with hunger.

He hadn't eaten before sleeping, and he hadn't eaten after waking up either. Perfect timing.

"Then I'd be happy to accept."

At the dinner table, Twilight's cooking certainly lived up to its reputation. Dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful covered the table.

Karen dug in, putting away three bowls of rice before finally leaving, thoroughly satisfied, with his belly round and full.

Two days later, the day the admissions list was posted arrived.

Twilight and his family stood before the list, eagerly searching the densely packed names for "Anya Forger," but they couldn't find number K-212 anywhere. Thanks to Karen's advance warning, however, they were disappointed rather than devastated.

Yor stood beside them with a determined gaze, already quietly working out a "Backup Plan" in her mind.

Just then, Henry came over specifically to see them and waved when he spotted them. "I trust Mr. Karen has already told you. To think he revealed our school's secret. How elegant, and yet how inelegant..."

As he spoke, he handed them a sheet. Twilight solemnly accepted it with both hands and immediately spotted the name in the first row-"Anya Forger."

"Could this be..." Twilight's voice trembled.

"Indeed. Your child, Anya, is first on the Waiting List. Hold your head high, Forger. Your elegant family is a perfect match for our elegant school." Henry smiled, his eyes filled with approval.

"Thank you so much, and please thank Mr. Karen and Mr. Walter as well." Twilight expressed his sincere gratitude, unable to put his joy into words.

"Think nothing of it. The credit belongs entirely to Mr. Karen." The more Henry watched Twilight, the more pleased he became. His elegant manners and speech were truly impeccable.

Twilight suddenly remembered Murdoch, and his gaze instantly turned cold. "By the way, regarding Mr. Swan, please be sure to let me know if there's anything I can do."

Though he didn't know how valuable that fool was compared with Henry and Karen, if the man dared interfere with the plan, Twilight would have no qualms about making him disappear.

Henry nodded approvingly. "I'm very glad to hear you say that. How elegant. You should receive a phone call soon, so it would be best to have someone at home over the next few days."

"Understood. Goodbye, Mr. Henry."

Late that night, the telephone rang insistently.

Twilight sprang up from the sofa, accidentally knocking over Anya as he ran past her in the middle of the room, sending the little girl spinning.

After finishing the call, Twilight turned with a radiant smile, hurried over to the party popper they had prepared in advance, and gave it a hard pull.

Pop!

"She got in!!!"