"Thank the Goddess it's finally over!"

"I thought it was never gonna end..."

"I thought my head was gonna burst!"

"Yep. Glad we can finally purge all that useless info from our heads now."

"I don't want to take another test ever again!"

Kurt and Altina shared a blank look, "...You do know that was only the first day of exams, yes? We still have three more to go."

Fie briefly contemplated stabbing the Vander for his cruel and wholly unnecessary reminder, but her head was still hurting too much to even want to consider taking action. Instead she simply turned to her partner in misery, "Sic him, Juna!"

"Raaaaagh!"

Watching the pinkette attempt to tear out Kurt's eyes was so amusing that she almost failed to notice the blank stare Altina was shooting her, "Did you really think the tests today were that hard?"

"Nah, not really. It's just fun hamming it up once in a while." At the younger girl's surprised look Fie continued, "Think of it like this: The more it seems like we suffered the more our bleeding heart of a teacher will want to reward us for our efforts after. I'm talking like all the pancakes and headpats you could want."

She was only saying that to catch her friend's interest, not because she was interested in those rewards herself, of course.

...Not all that interested in the pancakes, at least.

"I see." Altina nodded her head decisively, "Very well. I can tell that my mental fatigue is beginning to pile up thanks to these exams. Three more days of this and I may end up turning into Millium."

"Hah! Nice!" The flat delivery was more than offset by the serious look on her classmate's face. Turning into Millium was a grave threat indeed.

"How many times have I told you to stop putting weird ideas in Altina's head?" Came a very resigned voice.

Oh. She hadn't even noticed Rean approaching. Whoops. That alone wouldn't have been too bad, but for some reason both Musse and Ash were with him and she didn't hear them either.

Guess the exams really had sapped her brainpower if she was being that inattentive.

But not so much that she couldn't deal with the current situation. Since Rean had just gotten there hopefully he'd only heard the last couple lines, so it was time to deflect, "I think I did alright on your history test, Rean. The fourth question was Prince Orthros, right?"

It was really handy that the topic had come up just prior since that gave her confidence in that answer.

"Hehe. Good job, Fie." The teacher responded with a warm smile, "I'm proud of how far you've come lately."

The praise was nice, but what was even nicer was the usual reward that came with it.

A sentiment which Altina didn't seem to share based on the way she was trying to glare a hole into Fie's head before narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, "...Thank you for teaching us history, Instructor Rean. Many of the lessons you taught us weren't available in the Intelligence Division's database and it is thanks to that I am certain I fared well on your test."

The older of the two girls pouted when their teacher shifted his focus to the younger.

"Sometimes I find myself starting to respect you idiots a little, but then you go and do shit like this and I remember why I think you're all so lame." Ash, of course.

"Teehee! I think it's simply adorable! I wish Instructor Rean would do the same for me. Perhaps I might consider trying a little harder on my other exams if there was a promise of reward from our beloved teacher...?" Musse, just as obviously.

"I have a suspicion that any deal made with you would end poorly for me."

"Aww, don't say that, Instructor. I promise I'd be a good girl! Or would you rather I be a naughty girl for you...?"

Rean didn't deign a response to the question, but his long-suffering sigh spoke volumes.

"Hah! How did you like that, Kurt!?" Came Juna's cry as she ended her relentless assault on her classmate.

The Vander's attempt at a stoic face were undermined by the coloring of his cheeks as he took in his position, "I think you should get off me."

"Hah! I win! Music to my ears!"

"No, it's not that. It's..."

Too bad for Kurt that their brief discussion had drawn the eyes of their classmates to their compromising position as the pink-haired girl straddled the boy, "Woo. You go, Juna!"

"Heh. I knew Wild Filly was wild, but I didn't think she was this much of a freak."

Fie sent her brash classmate a respectful nod. They didn't always get along, but he could always be counted on when it came to tormenting their other friends.

"Huh? What do you..." The Crossbellian must've finally realized her predicament as her face paled considerably before she threw herself off Kurt with absolutely no grace at all, landing on a ground in a miserable pile of pink mortification.

"Oh my... How bold of you, Juna."

"Shut up, Musse!"

Fie sat back and enjoyed the chaos going on around her. Chaos she had barely even needed to participate in, to boot!

Class VII was truly one of a kind.

And that was a good thing in her books.

Because chaos was fun. Chaos was unique. And most importantly? Chaos was her not having to think about the misery that was the next three days.

"Geez. I always thought you two were like an old married couple. But I can't say I was expecting you to be that forward, Juna."

"Fie! Shut up!"

"Look, all I'm saying is that you two need to get a room, 'cause I don't wanna see any of that stuff going on in our room, and I'm pretty sure Allie feels the same."

"It's true."

"Don't encourage her Allie!" Juna gave a pathetic groan as she tried to melt into the ground, "I hate you all!"

"Did you know the Red Constellation has a really elite sniper?"

"Uh..."

While her classmates seemed confused by the random topic, Rean seemed to take it in stride, tilting his head and giving a thoughtful hum, "Would that be Gareth the Blitz?"

"Oh, right. We ran into him at Hamel, didn't we?"

"I am going under the assumption you have a reason for this odd topic of conversation."

Fie nodded her head at Kurt's words, "Yep. See, back when I was in Zephyr we had a bunch of run-ins with the Red Constellation. The first time it happened after I became a full-fledged member, I ended up as part of our scout unit."

"Uh huh..." Her classmates still seemed awfully confused, but she was at least grateful to know they were all listening intently – teacher included.

"Well, anyways. Our squad found ourselves pinned down in a bad spot thanks to the Blitz with no hope of reinforcements. The squad leader decided our best chance was to distract the sniper with a decoy while the rest of the unit used the distraction to get into a better spot and suppress or take out Gareth. Even though I was barely a jaeger at the time I was still the fastest and ended up volunteering for the decoy role."

"And what's the point of this boring ass story?"

The silver-haired girl sent a fierce glare towards Ash, "The point is that that was the most terrifying moment in my life. Until now. Because sitting here knowing there are still two more days of this misery left has me feeling even worse than that moment of seemingly imminent death."

"Isn't that a little dramatic?"

The former jaeger gave a tiny shrug at Altina's question, "Maybe, but I'm being dead serious here."

What she didn't mention was that any fear she felt back then was lessened because her body had been running entirely on autopilot, relying on naught but adrenaline and her training to get her through that day. No time to think, no time to worry. A far cry from her current situation where there was nothing but time to think and worry.

The more martial minded of her classmates probably realized that too given their lack of reactions. With her story finished Fie prepared to slip away and do her own thing. Her initial desire was to rest her battered brain with a sorely needed nap, but she clamped down on that instinct.

As nice as that sounded she really needed to balance her mental fatigue with something physical. Some training would probably be good right about-

"W-W-Wait!" Juna's cry put a stop to that train of thought. Fie wasn't alone as she shot a curious look to the Crossbellian as she stomped her foot in frustration, "Am I the only one bothered that she never finished her story!?"

A few nods of the heads, one agreeing grunt, and Fie found herself once again subjected to multiple pairs of curious eyes, so she opted for a succinct answer, "Well, I'm still standing here, right?"

Unsurprisingly none of the others – including Rean – seemed content with that answer, prompting the Zephyr member to give a sigh before elaborating, "Gareth was no dummy. He saw the lone little girl running out from cover and instantly realized I was just the bait. He made a show of following me with his gun and even took a casual shot, but he was almost entirely focused on where the rest of the squad was hiding. Popped two of them before they could get into position to drive him off."

"Oh..."

"Well, thank you for the story, Fie. It was..." Rean seemed to struggle for the right word, "...enlightening. Although I do hope all of you paid attention during Instructor Randy's class when he went over proper counter-sniper tactics."

Fie at least had. Unsurprisingly someone who had been in the same unit as The Blitz knew his stuff. Of course that didn't stop her from providing a very different answer from the one that had been on their test that day, "Speedy unassuming targets make poor bait so we should send someone like Ash instead. I bet he can tank a few bullets before dying. Hard for a sniper to ignore a face that ugly, too."

"What the hell!?"

"A marvelous answer!" Musse clapped her hands together delightedly, "He's so loud that I have little doubt he'd attract the attention of every sniper in the area."

"Screw you, Egret!"

Altina gave a thoughtful hum, "If my calculations are correct I believe Ash would have a thirty-seven percent chance to survive the bullet fired at Chancellor Osborne two years ago. Acceptable odds, in my opinion."

"Even you, little bunny!?"

"Sounds like we're all in agreement then. What about you, Kurt?"

The calm Vander gave a slow nod to Juna's question, "It would be regrettable, but I believe Ash would be best in that situation. I swear I shall never forget your sacrifice."

"Screw all of you! I'm going back to Class VIII!"

Surprisingly even Rean gave an amused laugh at their byplay, "Well, I'll give you partial credit for that answer, but I'm not sure how effectively it would work in real life when your decoy is already looking ready to turn coat."

Seeing just how angry Ash was gave Fie an idea, "Wanna go? I'm game if you think you can make me eat my words."

"Oh hells yes! You're gonna eat dirt, Jaeger!"

"Hmm... I could go for a good spar myself." Kurt mused, earning himself a slow nod from Juna.

"I know what you mean." Rean agreed, "If you'd like, I can go find Professor Schmidt and have the Einhel Keep opened up. It wouldn't be the next floor, but running the one you did last month should be a good workout."

That... wouldn't be too bad, actually. Sure, fighting a bunch of old monsters wasn't exactly the high intensity fighting that would bring the best improvements, but it also presented a very real but still relatively safe environment to test out some changes to her fighting style.

Like giving the new finisher she had been working on its first real combat trials, for example.

As the students geared themselves up for the fight Fie couldn't help but think back to her prior story. While she still wasn't changing her tune about how painful the tests were, the prospect of fighting had brightened her mood enough that she was willing to look at the situation from a more positive angle.

Two days down. Since the fourth day only had exams in the morning that meant they were now over halfway over. She could do this.

It was amazing just how different the mood felt from the previous morning. Back then they were staring at the prospect of three more long and miserable days of exams left, but upon ending classes this day they found themselves with only a single day remaining. And it was a short day, to boot.

Needless to say Class VII was in far better spirits at that moment.

"Spin, Allie, spin!" If anyone needed proof of that change of attitude they only needed to look to Juna for proof. Halfway between the school and their destination she had spontaneously decided to start dancing in the streets and she'd grabbed hold of an unsuspecting Altina to serve as her unwilling dance partner.

Poor girl. It was impossible to say if the expression on her face was because of her shock and confusion at the surprise attack, or if it was merely dizziness as the Crossbellian continued to spin her around the street while laughing merrily.

Eventually Juna decided to let go, and the answer became painfully obvious as the dizzy girl fell onto her butt.

But the pink-haired girl wasn't finished, and Fie stiffened as she noticed her friend's gaze settle upon her. Nope. Not happening.

Thankfully all four girls of Class VII had been walking together, so that meant there was someone else Fie could shift Juna's focus onto. With some agile footwork and a little stealth trickery the silver-haired managed to all but swap places with an unsuspecting Musse, leaving the disguised future duchess to be grabbed by their exuberant classmate.

Not that the unflappable Musse seemed to mind all that much as she gave a giggle as Juna once again led someone on a wild dance in public. What few citizens of Leeves were currently in sight were watching the embarrassing spectacle with no little amusement.

"I know you're happy that exams are almost over, but isn't this a bit much?" Fie groused as she watched the display. How had what was supposed to be a nice relaxing afternoon fishing together turn into something like this?

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Fie!" Juna proclaimed, releasing the mint-haired girl in the process. Unlike Altina Musse proved to be a far more adept at dancing as she came to a graceful stop.

Not that Fie noticed, as once again the pink-haired girl was staring at her.

Well, fine. There weren't any more distractions available, but Fie was confident in her years of training. She was swifter and more agile than the SSS fan-girl. It would be an easy thing for her to stay out of reach until she gave up and-

"Claiomh Solais."

The act of sheer betrayal was so shocking that she was unable to find it in her to move in time as Altina's combat shell grasped her with its powerful arms. Even though the grip wasn't too firm it was enough to pin her in place briefly.

And that was all the time Juna needed.

Fie plastered a stoic unamused expression on her face as her friend spun her around like an idiot. It wouldn't have been hard at all to break free and spare herself the worst of the humiliation, but for some ungodly reason the lithe girl did nothing and allowed herself to suffer.

Eventually, mercifully, the gunbreaker-wielder finally wore herself out and came to a halt, bringing Fie to a stop in the process. It was a good thing her surefootedness allowed her to remain upright once released, as it allowed her to stare her friend down after Juna fell onto her knees from dizziness, "Are you finally done?"

"Hehe... Everything's so spinny~" Fie watched with hidden amusement as her pink-haired friend's eyes were practically swirls. After a few seconds Juna seemed to remember where she was as she gave an awkward cough, quickly rose to her feet, stumbled briefly, and righted herself again after, "Oh come on, Fie! You can't tell me you're not excited that we're nearly free."

"Sure, but I'm not gonna start dancing in the middle of the street like a loon."

"Ahah..." The silly girl finally looked a little sheepish at her impetuous action as she rubbed the back of her head, "W-Well... Sorry I got a little carried away, but I couldn't help myself! Only one more day! And tomorrow's classes end early! All of our suffering will finally be over!"

Musse gave a knowing giggle. "For a week. Don't forget our next field study is coming up."

This time Fie allowed herself to join Juna as they groaned in unison, "We're so screwed..."

"M-Maybe not!" The Crossbellian tried to adopt a positive outlook, "I-I mean, we're due for a normal field study, right? I bet this next one will be smooth sailing!"

Altina tilted her head with a heavy frown, "I do not understand why, but I suddenly just felt a very ominous chill."

The former jaeger crossed over to her smaller friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "That is because Juna just damned us all.."

"I did not!"

Juna's words went ignored"... She pretty much just issued a challenge to the Goddess or whatever higher authority is watching over us right now, all but daring them to throw everything at us next time."

Altina gave an understanding nod, "So we're in trouble, then?"

"Yup. Speaking of being in trouble..." Fie's grip on the smaller girl grew tighter, "You were awfully quick to back-stab just now, weren't you?"

Altina stiffened in her grip, "I don't fully understand it either. The thought of you escaping the hell I had to endure..."

"Stop exaggerating!"

Once again Juna was ignored, "...It annoyed me. A part of me feels bad about what I did, but the rest of me enjoyed seeing you suffer."

"Ah." Fie removed her grip to give the other girl a quick head pat, "Understandable. Still, you shouldn't screw over a friend like that."

"...Didn't you do the exact same thing to Musse?"

"Uh..." Crap. She walked right into that one, didn't she? "W-Well, that's different, you know?" The look on Altina's face made it clear she did not in fact know, something which caused Fie to wilt before quickly perking back up, "W-Well, that's enough about that. We're wasting daylight here and who knows when Rean might show up. Dunno about you guys, but it kinda pisses me off when he makes fishing look so easy."

It was such an obvious deflection, but Fie could see the sour expressions on their faces, "Yeah! It's so annoying!"

"...It bothers me too."

"While I do enjoy seeing the childlike joy on Instructor Rean's face, I can't help but share the same sentiment."

Heh. Altina was still shooting her a dirty look, but the deflection had been wildly successful. With a smile on her lips Fie followed Juna and the others as they finally resumed their trek towards the bridge.

They were in the endgame now.

Fie had no idea what was going to happen after finishing exams, but never in a million years could she have predicted what their principal had announced as soon as the final class ended:

A special class in the pool for the entire afternoon.

Calling it a class was a bit of a stretch considering all they were doing was playing around in the water, hanging with friends, or just chilling with a cold drink. Even the teachers were involved in the fun. And it certainly wasn't as if the former jaeger was gonna complain about Aurelia's surprising act of kindness.

Exams were finally over and it was time to celebrate.

She'd done a few laps in the pool already, and would probably do a few more by the end of the day, but at the moment her focus was on Altina as the younger girl was standing by herself, seemingly trying to psych herself up. And given how she was staring at the pool while muttering about forty arge Fie had a pretty good idea what was coming up.

Thus she decided to ignore Musse's attempts at dragging Rean into a changing room – hopefully Juna and Tita would keep her in check – in order to investigate her classmate's goal a little further. Not from the girl in question, however, but from the one who would know best.

Fie wasn't surprised to see that Leonora was paying close attention to her club-mate even as she continued whatever conversation she had going with her other friends. She placed herself next to the taller girl, but was content to keep her silence until the swimming veteran was finished with her business.

"Do you think she can pull it off?" Fie asked once the other girl's attention was focused on her.

She was confident the green-haired girl was sharp enough to pick up on what she was saying even without her elaborating. And sure enough, Leonora gave a long hum, "Physically she's there. I know she can do it. But I'm a little concerned about all that."

The 'that' she referred to with a wave of her hand was the gaggle of other students near the pool, some of which were watching Altina prepare to jump in with interest. The young girl's quest for forty arge was no secret among the student body, and it seemed that quite a few of her fellow students were ready to cheer her on.

But that in itself was the problem.

Sure they meant well, but for someone who was struggling to get over the barrier all that attention would be a disruptive burden. Altina might feel pressured to push herself a little harder, but if that push messed with the tempo she was comfortable with...

"Wanna get rid of them?" She asked in reply.

Leonora tilted her head, "You got a plan in mind or are you just gonna go over there and start cracking some skulls?"

Honestly physical violence sounded like the easiest solution. Between here and Leonora she was confident they could create such a mess that nobody would bother paying Altina any attention.

But they weren't jaegers anymore, so starting a pointless fight was probably a little too immoral to consider.

Truly tragic.

Fie's eyes widened as inspiration struck. Violence itself might not be the answer, but the promise of violence could work just as well. The silver-haired girl sent a look towards where their instructors were watching over the group. Perfect.

Quietly she conveyed her idea to Leonora, and the other girl grinned and nodded in response. With a plan in motion the two jaegers began to walk towards the main body of people.

It was Leonora who spoke first, in a voice far louder than needed for a simple conversation, "I'm telling you, Instructor Randy would win."

"Nah." Fie resisted the urge to grin when a few curious eyes began to focus on them, "He's good, but I've fought them both. Rean's stronger."

"Huh?"

"What?"

Leonora scoffed, "Look, I get it. Instructor Rean's your guy. But Instructor Randy has a jaeger's experience. Jaegers know how to win."

"Hey now..."

Fie ignored the murmuring crowds as she looked at said teachers who were staring back at them weirdly. Even though the plan had been to create a distraction she didn't want the two men to get annoyed at her for the chaos she was creating, so the Class VII girl sent a none-too-subtle glance towards an Altina who was ignoring the conversation as she entered the pool.

To her relief both teachers seemed to understand her gesture as Rean gave an amused sigh while Randy grinned wildly, "You know, all this time working together and we haven't traded blows once yet..."

"It would be a pretty good battle, I think."

"Oh man! Instructors Rean and Randy are gonna fight!"

"I wanna watch!"

"Fifty mira on Instructor Randy!"
"You're on!"

"A hundred on Instructor Rean!"

"Well now, doesn't this seem interesting..." The excitement died down as the principal sauntered over, "A shame I'm not in the betting mood, but I'll gladly test my mettle against the victor."

"...You know the Eight Leaves of yours is actually quite powerful. If you're even half as strong as Arios there's no way I'd stand a chance against you."

"Please don't sell yourself short, Randy. I've heard all about the things you did with the SSS. There's no way my blade-work could compare to a former elite member of the SSS and the Red Constellation."

Watching the two teachers do what they could to escape their hopeless situation while their students argued and bet over who would win? Absolutely priceless. Leonora held out her fist and Fie was quick to give it a triumphant bump.

And to make things better Altina had been so in the zone that she hadn't noticed and had begun her swim to the other end of the pool. Already the young girl was at the midway point and still going strong.

Both the former pirate and jaeger gave a silent nod before breaking away from the carnage they had created in order to get to the other end of the pool to await their friend's success.