"... an-do ta-to i-su wai Aidoru i-su goo-do for Jahpan's ka-ru-cha."
"Significant effort. I recommend working on your pronunciation and the overpowering accent, otherwise well done." The Hunter complimented the speaker.
"T-tank kyu Misuta Shin!" The student thanked, seating themselves back down to their seat.
"Each of you has drastically improved since the beginning of semester." The Hunter stated, taking a quick glimpse at the students.
Disregarding Mizore Shirayuki, who was still noticeably absent since the start of the semester to now, the Hunter noticed a few other empty desks with increasing absentees. Ever since the 'Clubs Day' Festival, a total of seven female students, mainly from the junior year level, have since gone missing. Some have disappeared for a longer duration than others while some has only recently disappeared, all without even a trace left behind. And the few empty desks belonged to two of those seven missing female students.
"Therefore, I am confident for your upcoming midterm examinations."
Within the educational institutions of the far eastern lands of Japan, and regardless of educational level, the academic yearly timetable was uniform, consisting of three semesters with examinations held in the middle and the end of each semester. And right now, it was rapidly approaching the midterm examinations for the first semester.
These midterm examinations would allow faculty to identify those among the student body who were high-achievers and those who were in need of academic assistance, as well as providing them the essential feedback needed to refine on their teaching methodologies. Yet despite the fact the midterms were not truly significant in the grand scheme of things, the unrest was already amongst the class upon mention of the exams.
It was because despite English being mandatory in the education curriculum, most students only studied the language to the minimal extent of meeting the prerequisites of attending college entrance examinations, in which English was mandated. Along with a high percentage of students not considering the language as significant within their daily lives after graduation, thus resulting in a lacking incentive to truly learn the language, leading to the current hysteria among the class.
That did not mean the Hunter would not at the very least attempt to add value in the learning process, adapting a teaching methodology to better teach the provided subject guidelines he was given. Unlike the traditional grammar-based teaching method in transcribing one language to the other, as the Hunter had observed done by his colleagues, he leaned towards a communication focused methodology, mainly due to w̶r̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶J̶a̶p̶a̶n̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶s noticing the lack of direct practise in speaking the language, which he believed meant little was retained after a lecture. His belief that any person was capable of being taught any subject, regardless of difficulty or sensitivity, under significant consideration had also been a factor (which unbeknownst to the classes, meant his classes were significantly more difficult than the norm, even disregarding the language barrier, yet still within the provided guidelines). This effort paid off, given the improvements within just two months from nothing to something, yet despite it all, the collective worries of the students overtook the realisation of their improvements, and the Hunter could only wait until the panic died down.
"Let's do our best on the midterms everyone!" Moka cheered.
"Okay Moka~." The male students collectively replied in a captivated voice in a rare occurrence of fluid English, the hysteria immediately ceasing.
... Perhaps it was the presence of Moka which had hastened the progression of learning within the class, the Hunter would never know.
"For now, I recommend those who believe require additional tutelage to attend the supplementary lessons after class hours."
Supplementary lessons were another newly formed routine the Hunter had developed, which was done in place of advising for a club, of which he is still frequently given invitations by said clubs, which request for his presence as their advisor. The Hunter had heard in passing that within the world of humans, many students or their parents tend to hire private tutors, typically from a higher education level, to teach outside of class hours within multiple subjects. Perhaps the attendees were treating his supplementary lesson as such private tutelage?
Although it seems the supplementary lesson today has considerably more attendees than in previous days, likely due to the upcoming midterms. A few surprise attendees were Moka, Yukari, and Kyoka, the latter two seating together after having becoming friends. Other than that, the supplementary class usually consisted a mixture of students from classes from all three year levels he taught. It was regardless, still a surprise to see the first three students deciding to attend the supplementary lesson, considering they were already over-achievers in regards to the English subject.
For now, the Hunter went around the room as he usually has done for the prior supplementary lessons, assisting students who requested for his assistance. When he finally arrived at Moka's table, it was a surprise for the Hunter to notice Moka notably struggling with her studies.
"Are you alright, Miss Akashiya?" The Hunter asked with slight concern.
Moka broke from her concentration upon hearing her surname. "I'm okay Mr. Syn, is something wrong?"
"Have I been too reliant on your services?" The Hunter further questioned. "Is it why you seem troubled with your classwork?"
"Oh this isn't for English Mr. Syn! It's for maths." Moka answered, showing the Hunter the schoolwork she was preoccupied with.
The Hunter raised an eyebrow, glancing at the textbooks and notes before Moka, verifying it was indeed mathematics related. "... How bold of you Miss Akashiya, studying Mathematics in an English supplementary class."
"U-uh." Moka stuttered nervously. "It's because I thought I could ask you for help?"
"Unfortunately, I am quite incompetent regarding mathematics, capable of only solving basic arithmetic." The Hunter responded. "Would it not be best to reflect upon the knowledge within your dorm room? Or request assistance from your mathematics lecturer?"
"Yes, but... I just feel more... comfortable here than with my maths teacher."
"Comfortable? Who may your lecturer be for you to be so wary?"
"My maths teacher is Miss Ririko."
The Hunter immediately paused upon hearing the name of the teacher in question. "... I see. Although despite her... tendencies, would it not have been more beneficial to ask of Miss Ririko for assistance?"
Just like the Hunter, Kagome (Miss Ririko) was also hosting supplementary lessons after classes, located next door in fact. Although it seems Kagome's after-school lessons were considerably more popular considering the commotion, not to the surprise of the Hunter considering the large amount of impressionable young men in the cohort.
"It's just that... I think I know now why you try to avoid her."
"Do you imply I fear my colleague?"
"N-no! I didn't mean that!" Moka replied. "It's just that Miss Ririko's always so... single-minded."
"Single-minded?" The Hunter asked, his curiosity heightened by the description of his colleague. "Perhaps you may elaborate Miss Akashiya? I know of the obsession Miss Ririko has with educating students, yet it is a first I have heard it described as such."
"It's because of Miss Ririko's obsession that I find her single-minded. I went to her for help just before I came in, but she disregarded my notes because it didn't follow her methods."
"How peculiar... quite an unexpected trait from Miss Ririko." The Hunter replied. "May I examine your notes?"
Moka complied, handing over her notes to the Hunter. Taking up the offered notes, he examined the notes one page at a time. Despite the formulas and equations written were never been seen before by the Hunter, he felt a strange sense of familiarity while digesting the information.
"All seems to be in working order, I do not know what errors Miss Ririko found of your notes, each student is unique in their learning and should be respected as such." The Hunter said, returning back the notes to Moka.
Strangely, Moka did not take back her notes despite the Hunter returning them, glancing at the student, he saw Moka in deep thought.
"Is something the matter?" The Hunter asked, noticing Moka's concentrated staring, unlike her typical trances whenever she seemed unresponsive.
"Mr. Syn, you said earlier you could only do basic calculations."
"...? I have."
"And you were concentrating really hard on my notes."
"I was, where do you lead with this line of questioning Miss Akashiya?"
"It just seemed like you could understand what was written."
"... Did it truly seem as such?"
"It did! You seemed so calm and composed even though you claimed to haven't seen these formula before."
"... Why do you fixate upon my ability to complete mathematical formulas?" A slightly bewildered Hunter asked. "Surely it should be of little concern to your education Miss Akashiya."
"It just... doesn't feel right to hear you doubt yourself Mr. Syn."
"I do not find the merit and need to prove myself." The Hunter affirmed.
"But... Can you atleast try?" Moka pleaded.
"... Do note this supplementary lesson was supposed to be for English, Miss Akashiya. However," The Hunter motioned Moka to the blackboard. "As a form of gratitude for your assistance thus far, inscribe a few equations upon the blackboard."
Both the Hunter and Moka marched to the front of the room. Once reached, Moka picked up one of the chalk and begun writing down complex maths equations, each which varied in methodology needed to solve effectively.
Upon examining the equations, the calculations needed to solve them all seem to have come into the Hunter's head. Falling into a trance, he wrote an answer to the equations without pause, once finished, he backed away for Moka to calculate the answers upon her 'CAS Calculator' and compared the results to the blackboard.
"...! Everything's correct!" Moka shouted with awe.
"... I was correct...? How strange..." The Hunter muttered, it was almost as if a forgotten memory came to surface, but he could not recall where.
The event caught the attention of the attendees still within the room. A few seniors decided to join in and wrote down moee complex equations upon the blackboard. Yukari even joined in to write down an equation, writing down a university-level equation as a prank. And just as before, these equations were all immediately solved by the Hunter, even Yukari's.
The act of solving such difficult questions with no difficulty stunned all present. A bombardment of questions were thrown at the Hunter for how he had solved the equations so quickly, especially without a calculator, a notepad in their hands as if they wanted to inscribe notes. Despite his confusion on how he was able to solve the complex formulas, the Hunter regardless answered with his calculative process and his reasoning for the equations, yet despite the unfamiliar proficiency as he continued to explain, as if he knew the methodology he used to be the true.
"That... actually makes sense!"
"And you said you could only do basic calculations Mr. Syn!" Yukari shouted with amazement, having overheard the conversation between the Hunter and Moka.
"... No, I was certain I was capable of just basic arithmetic." The Hunter stated again, troubled by his lack of understanding his apparent calculative feats. As aforementioned, some of the written equations, especially Yukari's, would at the very least require an abacus, or the 'CAS Calculators' he has observed used earlier by Moka to accurate solve, yet he solved it regardless.
"Since we can now say you're good at maths Mr. Syn. Can we ask you for help with maths from now on?"
"No." The Hunter rejected nonchalantly. "Ask Miss Ririko for matters regarding mathematics, she may become offended should she hear of this."
A week has passed, and the day of the midterms has arrived. Each exam to be taken place within their respective subjects, and as a result Class 1-2 held English as the first exam of the day. When the Hunter walked in, the tension amongst the class was already palpable. Handing a stack of exam papers to the front row students, the Hunter told the class to face the papers blank side and passed down to the seat behind, and so on.
Excluding Mizore whom Shizuka (Miss Nekonome) still confirmed remained within her dormitory. Now it was certain to the Hunter that the seven students have gone missing, as the two absentees whom were not Mizore within this class alone were not even appearing to undertake the midterm exams.
"The exams papers will remain obscured until I announce the commencement." The Hunter begun. "I must disclose also disclose a few rules; any student caught in an attempt to cheat will receive an automatic fail." The Hunter shot a quick glance at Moka's Rosary. "And any student who attempt to further inscribe after I announce the closure of the exams will receive a fail. Otherwise, may you prove your worth and give it your all."
Regardless of the warning, the students still appear tense, likely not even hearing the Hunter's warning. How humourous it was for beasts to behave so much like typical human students.
"Begin."
With the exams concluded and the papers collected, it was time to begin the grading process. Grading the collected exams was a co-operative task amongst faculty and divided by the subject taught, while it was typically common practise within education institutions, it was the most reliable in terms of assigning a student's grades, as it was to ensure unbiased results for an individual student and achieve a standardised grade. The grading process itself was also a lengthy procedure, capable of taking up to a whole day to a week.
The Hunter himself was grouped with his fellow English teachers, the most notable being Excellent Maki, whom had the habit of shouting "Excellent" or "Magnificent" regardless of the situation.
"Looks like this year's batch of students are quite studious." Maki stated. "The majority of the top ten are from all the classes you've been assigned, magnificent!"
"I very much doubt it is my own teachings, Mr. Maki. I would say the credit for those achievements goes to Miss Akashiya and Miss Sendo. They have been interpreting for me as I taught their respective classes." The Hunter responded, handing over a marked exam for Maki to evaluate.
"Give yourself more credit! They're interpreting what you've been teaching! It's been a long time since I've seen the grade average being so high! Excellent! Speaking of Moka and Yukari, their exams from what I've seen had been overall excellent so far. Magnificent!" Maki exclaimed, grabbing the offered exam. "Especially Yukari, for both of us to unanimously agree to mark her the highest given how harsh you've been so far."
The reason for Maki to mention the Hunter's harshness in marking was because the Hunter had been more strict in grading while Excellent Maki was more lenient, an effective form of checks and balances which allowed a better marking process through discussion.
"Miss Sendo has proven herself outstanding amongst her peers. It is natural those who put in effort will be rewarded accordingly." The Hunter replied, leaving out the fact he was more lenient towards grading both Moka and Yukari because of their assistance in interpreting during classes.
"A magnificent reason!" Maki responded. "But speaking of which, how has your Japanese been going? Shizuka told me you've been practising. Suddenly becoming an English teacher in a Japanese school as a foreigner must've been difficult. Even if English teachers are in high-demand, it's quite impulsive for the Headmaster to bring someone who couldn't speak Japanese."
"Progress has been steady, as I have told Mis-." The Hunter quickly turned to examine his surroundings with a brief glance, before turning his attention back to Maki. "As I have told Miss Nekonome, the two months were more than enough time to grasp the basics of the language."
"Really? Then why not just speak in Japanese to teach? That would've made things magnificently easier wouldn't it?"
"The Headmaster has ordered me to only teach in English specifically, he believed 'it would be more interesting that way'." The Hunter quoted.
"Excellent! The Headmaster really is excellent! He must've thought it was a magnificent way to make the students learn! Maybe I should do the same!"
"I much doubt it would receive positive reception Mr. Maki, the student body already seem uncomfortable with my preference to speak in my native tongue."
"I guess that's true." Maki replied, finalising the marks on the another exam, handing it over to the Hunter for further evaluation. "We're almost finished with grading the English exams. Judging by Kagome's reaction on the other hand, it looks like the Maths grades hasn't been excellent so far."
Upon mention of Kagome, the Hunter glanced at section where the Mathematics teachers were located, noticing that Kagome's mood was indeed quite sour.
"Then I suppose it shall be a interesting week." The Hunter stated, evaluating the exam.
After the grading process has concluded, it was unanimously decided for Yukari Sendo to be placed at the top of the Junior year level, truly showing her brilliance as compared to the other juniors despite her young age, having achieving the highest marks possible for every subject. The Sophomore Year held a considerable average with not many notable students. And finally, the Senior Level has Hokuto Kaneshiro, the Student Council President, holding the highest score, followed by Kiria Yoshii.