Jane’s Jet-Black Dynamics class. The final one before midterms. Both the morning and afternoon sessions were dedicated to it, and Jane had already announced an intense day of lectures to cover the remaining material.

’This is... difficult.’

Sitting at his desk, quill in hand, Simon was sweating. The practice problems Jane had handed out were crammed with all sorts of formulas. The ones he frequently encountered in Summoning class were familiar enough, but the moment they shifted to elemental formulas, his head started to ache.

’Was the Revil Formula for Jet-Black Flame? Or Jet-Black Earth? What’s the difference?’

Just as Simon was tearing his hair out in frustration.

"That one is Jet-Black Flame," a gentle voice said from the seat next to him. He turned his head to see Meirin smiling. She took her own quill and wrote a few notes in Simon’s notebook.

"The Revil Formula is arranged like this, and to control the load variable—"

She was in what could only be called ’exam mode’. Her hair was tied up tightly, and her sleeves were rolled up. Simon stared at her blankly for a moment.

"There, you get it?" Meirin finished her explanation and looked up. Her eyes met Simon’s, and she blushed in embarrassment. "Wh-What! Look at the book, you idiot! Not at my face!"

"Ah, right."

Thankfully, her emotional state seemed to have recovered significantly. She was even kind enough to open her own notebook to show him her notes. For a while, the two of them moved their quills in silence, the only sound the scratching on parchment.

"Simon."

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Meirin smiled shyly and scratched her cheek. "F-For helping the Ivory Tower."

"It was nothing. It was my duty as a dispatch student."

He answered calmly, but Simon was actually tense. He had expected her to ask something about Serne, but after thanking him, Meirin only talked about their studies.

"Oh, and this."

Meirin stretched out her arm and used her quill to put a checkmark in Simon’s textbook. "This will definitely be on the midterm."

Coming from Meirin, who was ranked second overall in written exams, it was a 100% guarantee. Simon thanked her and quickly jotted it down in his notebook.

"And this part too..."

"You two."

An ice-cold voice came from the front of the class. Jane, who had been sitting with her legs crossed, was pointing a finger at them. "Stand up."

’Ugh!’

Simon and Meirin, both startled, hesitantly got to their feet.

"I gave you time to solve problems, and you two seem to be getting along quite well," Jane said dryly.

The students from their old Class A burst into laughter. Meirin’s face turned beet red. "P-Professor!"

"You have a lot of nerve in my class." As Jane casually moved her fingertips, two pieces of chalk floated up to the blackboard. "If you have time to chat during problem-solving, I trust you can solve this with ease."

Failure to do so would undoubtedly result in punishment. Simon confidently straightened his uniform jacket and walked forward. "Let’s go, Meirin."

"L-Let’s go together, you idiot!"

The two of them went to the front and each took one of the floating pieces of chalk. As they began to write out the solution, Dick watched them with his chin propped on his hand, snickering.

"Meirin’s back. Her expression has softened."

Kamibarez’s ears perked up, and she clasped her hands together. "Really? That’s a relief!"

"Ugh, seriously. Just thinking about the gloomy atmosphere in the student council room for the past two days and having to walk on eggshells around Meirin..." Dick trailed off, then crossed his arms. "Did Simon say something to her today? Or maybe..."

"That’s not it, you moron!" Meirin’s voice could be heard as she smacked Simon on the back.

"Heh, whatever works," Dick chuckled.

Kamibarez also smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, I’m so glad!"

---

That afternoon. The Mutants clubroom.

’I’m... so tired.’

After attending Jane’s classes back-to-back for the first time in a while, his mind felt completely saturated with numbers and symbols. Simon dragged his exhausted body to the door of the old Mutants clubroom.

’When are they going to replace this thing?’

Simon let out a small laugh. A piece of paper with the club’s name on it fluttered precariously on the door as the wind blew. Toto and Fitzgerald were at the library, so no one else should be here. Out of habit, Simon knocked before entering.

But.

"Ah, he’s here!"

"Mr. President!"

The girls in the clubroom swarmed toward Simon.

’Right. The first-years were here.’

The Mutants club, which used to be frequented by only the three second-years and Benya, was now bustling with energy after recruiting seven first-years.

"Senior! Senior! Welcome!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Why have you been away for so long?"

"We were studying for midterms, could you help us with this problem?"

"I’ll hang up your coat for you!"

"Where’s the Student Council President’s coat?"

The first-years, blocking his path and chattering away on their tiptoes, reminded him of cute little chicks. A smile naturally formed on his lips, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"H-Hey, everyone. Just a moment."

Before Simon could say anything, the first-years had taken his uniform jacket, hung it on a coat rack, and pushed him onto the sofa. When he came to his senses, there was even a teacup in his hand.

"Hmph!"

’Was her name Ruri?’ In any case, one of the first-years sat across from Simon and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with an air of pure innocence. Her friends immediately started jostling for the center seat next to her.

"Wait, guys. Calm down..."

"Simon! You’re here?"

And then there was the girl who confidently plopped down right next to him. It was Sasha, ’Special Admission No. 1’ of the first-years.

"I told you not to call him that!"

Princess Molly, Special Admission No. 10, approached with a tray of refreshments. After placing them in front of Simon, she sat down on his left, as if not to be outdone.

"Th-Thanks for the warm welcome, but," Simon said with a wry smile, "aren’t you all supposed to be studying for midterms?"

"We were!" the first-years all shouted in unison, then giggled among themselves. He didn’t know what was so funny, but Simon laughed along.

"We were studying in the clubroom, Simon," Sasha said, pointing to the textbooks and notebooks on the table. "There are no seats in the library."

"Ah, that makes sense."

With over nine hundred first-years, it was the peak of midterm season. The library, the campus cafe, the study rooms—everywhere would be packed.

"Senior!"

"Senior,"

"Mr. President!"

The first-years’ eyes sparkled as they chirped out questions. While he was grateful for the attention, Simon felt his mind growing increasingly foggy.

"Um, I have something I need to do right now," Simon stammered. "Let’s talk again later..."

"Senior! I don’t get this problem!" a first-year student suddenly said, holding up her notebook. It was a Summoning problem. Simon was about to get up, but the moment he saw the problem, the formulas popped into his head, and he immediately saw the answer.

"Ah, for this problem—"

He picked up a nearby quill and explained it, writing out the solution.

"Ooooh."

The first-years all nodded, their heads bowed in a way that exposed the crowns of their heads, which was quite cute. Simon put down the quill and said gently, "All set now?"

"Simon! Teach me this one too!"

"This one too!"

The first-years started shoving their notebooks at him.

Just then, the clubroom door opened, and someone walked in. It was Fitzgerald, his face etched with the fatigue of midterm season.

’Nice timing!’

A smile tugged at Simon’s lips. The first-years also saw him and stood up.

"Hello."

"Hello."

They clasped their hands and bowed politely, but their voices somehow lacked their previous energy. Fitzgerald returned their greetings and walked over. After greeting him, the first-years sat back down on the sofa.

"Senior! Please hurry and continue explaining this!"

"This one too!"

The first-years whined at Simon with coquettish voices, and Simon glanced at Fitzgerald with a troubled expression.

’Whoa, what a change in attitude.’

Feeling cornered, Simon quickly spoke to Fitzgerald. "Fitzgerald! What brings you to the clubroom?"

"Just came to grab some supplies."

"Really? If you don’t mind, could you help the first-years with their questions?"

At that, Fitzgerald pushed up his glasses. "Of course. When it comes to written work, I’m confident in any subject."

"I’m counting on you!"

Fitzgerald loved to show off his intellect. Simon stepped back, and Fitzgerald sat down, rolling up his sleeves.

’Bring it on!’ was the intended gesture, but...

"Yes, well. This... I guess I don’t really get it."

The first-years’ reactions became lukewarm. Sasha had even turned her back completely and was flipping through her textbook.

’Sasha.’

When Simon gave her a look, she straightened her posture. A late-blooming rebellious phase was truly a fearsome thing.

The clubroom door opened once again. Everyone’s eyes widened.

"Hello! My man! Oh my, the first-year babies are here too!"

It was the third-year, Benya Vanilla.

---

Simon and Benya walked side-by-side down to the clubroom’s basement, the stuffy air clinging to their lungs with each step.

"I moved the item over this morning," Benya said.

"I’m looking forward to it," Simon replied, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"We restored it as much as we could, but it probably won’t have the same consciousness the original undead had. Think of it as a completely different entity."

"Yes. I understand."

She had repeatedly warned the first-years not to enter the basement for the time being. Benya, who always treated the first-years with affection, had been stern enough to issue a serious warning this time, so it must be a very dangerous item. Feeling a sense of tension, Simon straightened his collar and followed her.

"It’s your property, so I brought it as you asked, but," Benya said, turning back after undoing all the locking magic on the basement door, "why that item all of a sudden?"

"I need it urgently for an upcoming assignment."

Benya and Simon entered the basement. It was a large, sealed space. In the center, on a display case, rested a skeleton’s skull. Simon felt his heart pound faster.

’It’s been a while.’

He had finally brought the best material he could use to Kizen.

’The head of the Ancient Undead, Manus.’

During his first year, when Simon first visited ’Deathland’ for an evaluation, there were two Ancient Undead there: Prince, the Zombie King, and Manus, the former Swordmaster of the Empire. The two factions were fiercely fighting for control of Deathland, but with the intervention of Simon and his legion, Prince emerged victorious. Prince became part of Simon’s legion, while Manus’s body was destroyed in the fierce battle, leaving only his skull.

Simon had shown that skull to Benya.

"Wh-What is this! I can feel it! This was an incredibly powerful undead!"

Benya had jumped back upon seeing it.

"But its core and consciousness are completely gone. It’s just an empty shell now. I’m not sure how strong this undead was, but it’s probably impossible for it to ever fully regain its former power and memories. If you’re okay with it, I can send it to the Vanilla headquarters for research. Would you like me to do that?"

That was Benya’s proposal, and she had said it would take about one to two years. It was now partially restored.

’Let’s do this.’

Simon planned to use this head, the last remnant of an Ancient Undead, as the head for his Dullahan.