The first round of the second-stage assessment was soon underway. Inside Eden Academy, the three of them spotted a checkpoint ahead, where a young woman in business attire waved energetically yet gracefully and called out to the crowd:
"Please show your admission slips here-"
"Candidate H108, please proceed to examination room one."
"W741, correct? Please go this way to examination room two."
"Candidate G18C, this way to examination room one, please."
Twilight returned to this spot with Richie and Yor. At the entrance, he presented his admission slip. After taking it and checking it, the staff member said politely:
"Candidate A319, please proceed to examination room two."
After leading the two inside, Twilight straightened his clothes and told them quietly, "Someone is still watching us."
Richie cautiously turned his head from side to side and said uneasily, "Just thinking about someone watching makes me uncomfortable all over. I'm so nervous!"
"Hang in there a little longer, Richie. Everything will be fine once we reach the examination room." Maintaining appearances, Twilight looked straight ahead with his head high and chest out, speaking in a voice only the three of them could hear.
Richie nodded slightly and fell silent.
"Oh no!!!! What am I going to do?! All the rubbish has spilled out of the bin-"
Twilight's family of three stopped, and all three turned to look to their right.
An elderly man stood beside a rubbish bin, clutching his head in distress and wailing loudly.
Twilight quickly realized that this was one of the tests for examination room two.
The Eden Academy employee continued shouting, "Can anyone help me?! Please, can anyone help me-"
No matter how loudly the elderly man shouted, not one of the wealthy, influential people stopped. They merely glanced sideways at him and the rubbish beside him, then covered their noses and mouths in disgust and walked away.
Only Twilight's family stopped. Richie caught Twilight's signal.
With a sweeping wave of his hand, Richie pointed at the old man and his rubbish and declared righteously, "Father, Mother, let's help this elderly gentleman, dears!"
Twilight stepped forward without the slightest hesitation, ready to help the old man.
Yor bent down and gently lowered Richie's pointing hand. "Richie, it's rude to point at people-"
Richie understood and withdrew his finger in a flash. "All right, dear."
Just as Twilight approached the pile of rubbish, a light breeze blew past. The stench rushed straight into his head, briefly short-circuiting his brain.
When Richie caught a whiff, he nearly threw up last night's dinner.
The breeze not only carried waves of foul odor, making the other candidates' parents detour around them, but also scattered some of the lighter pieces of rubbish.
Yet the old man standing amid the rubbish remained unmoved, frowning as he discreetly observed everyone's reactions.
Twilight stepped forward and approached him.
"Sir, what can we help you with? Would you like us to clean all this up for you?"
The old man had an unusually distinguished air, and despite standing in the middle of the rubbish, he carried none of its foul odor.
His words tumbled out incoherently. His hands, initially clasped behind his back, began flailing about. "The rubbish has blown away! Can you pick it up for me? I'll be fired! Please help me!"
Twilight nodded. "Of course, sir. No problem. Leave it to us."
Twilight noticed the old man's hands. They were well cared for, with distinct calluses on his fingers, probably from years of holding a paintbrush.
This old man was no school cleaner. His true identity was likely that of a painter, or at the very least, someone who drew professionally.
"No, I can't trouble you. You're here for the exam, aren't you? There's so much rubbish. If you help me, you'll be late,
and the rubbish will get your clothes dirty. You should hurry along to your exam! At worst, I'll be fired. I can't let this affect your exam."
Agitated and deeply apologetic, the old man repeatedly refused Twilight's family's offers of help.
Twilight first reassured him. "It's all right, sir. We can finish this before the exam. Please leave it to us."
Upstairs, Housemaster Henry held a pair of binoculars, staring down in disbelief.
"What?! What?! The man standing in the middle of that rubbish is... is... Honorary Principal Madhava Aristotle!"
"Why is our Headmaster Madehua standing in a pile of rubbish? The man beside him is... Loid Forger."
Henry kept his binoculars raised. "Oh—Headmaster Madehua is testing the candidates himself. Let's see how Loid Forger handles this one."
Henry asked the person beside him, "Besides Swan and me, who is the other chief examiner for examination room two this time?"
An ordinary staff member beside him thought for a moment before answering slowly, "Hmm—I think it's... it's Headmaster Madehua."
Henry's eyes lit up, and his mustache quivered. "Honorary Principal Madehua is actually serving as chief examiner this time!"
"Headmaster Madehua, a renowned master at the pinnacle of the art world, devotes himself to his work and rarely concerns himself with Eden Academy's internal affairs. Why has he decided to interview the candidates personally this time?" Henry asked thoughtfully.
Another teacher beside him, a woman, replied gently, "I heard that Headmaster Madehua wants to take on one final pupil. That's why he's taking part in the interviews and serving as chief examiner himself."
Without changing his expression, Henry raised his binoculars again to follow the developments below:
"I see. Anyone accepted as a pupil by a man like Master Madehua is certain to become a pillar of the next generation of the art world, its next rising star."
The teachers murmured their agreement. Some quietly discussed how the venerable Madhava had recently seen an astonishing work at the Art Museum and had been asking everywhere about its creator, while others whispered about whose child might inherit his legacy.
Henry kept his binoculars trained intently on the scene below. Before he could even work out what had happened, the ground was spotless and looked as good as new, with all the rubbish neatly collected.
Henry had not even seen what had happened.
All he had seen was a figure sweep past like a whirlwind, and then the rubbish was gone. Loid Forger's family had even changed into fresh clothes, all three wearing matching family outfits.
Changing clothes in full public view-elegant, truly elegant.
Henry was utterly speechless. His mouth hung open, and only after a long moment did he recover. Then he spun around dramatically. "El-el-elegant! Truly far too elegant!!"
Downstairs, Yor had cleaned everything up in the blink of an eye with her astonishing speed and skill.
Only Headmaster Madehua remained standing dumbfounded in the breeze. What... what just happened? Where did all the rubbish go?
Twilight was generous with his praise for Yor. "Miss Yor, you were wonderful!"
Yor's cheeks visibly reddened. "It was nothing."
Richie also spoke softly, with refined, gentlemanly grace. "Mother, you're amazing!"
Twilight's family politely bid the old man farewell. He merely nodded and gave them a meaningful smile.
"We'll meet again."
Before you continue