...
As Theo, Nayun, and Yeonha awaited the start of class, which was just around the corner, the class president, Yi Yeonghan, entered with a few scrolls in his arms.
"Hello, everyone."
He announced to the room, which was beginning to quiet down.
"The results for the Analysis of the Realm of Phenomena exam are out."
A murmur went through the room. Cube still maintained the traditional custom of publicly posting the results of all tests on large posters, despite having such advanced technology.
Yi Yeonghan pinned the main scroll to the poster, and the cadets immediately craned their necks to see. The highest rankings were always the focus of attention.
The list was clear.
Rank 1. Theo Sagan
Rank 2. Rachel Elizabeth
Rank 3. Demian
For a moment, the room fell silent. Then, the buzz began, louder than usual. All eyes turned to Theo.
Nayun, beside him, looked from the poster to his face, her eyes wide but not entirely surprised.
"Wow, Theo! First place again."
She whispered, impressed.
"This is becoming common for you, huh. I'm so jealous... It's not enough to dominate the practical exams, now the theoretical ones too?"
Since the semester had begun, there hadn't been a single test in which her boyfriend had placed below first. It was a frightening consistency.
Yeonha, beside him, discreetly squeezed his arm, a gesture that mixed congratulations with a hint of curiosity.
How did he manage to do all this? she wondered.
He didn't even study. Yes, even when she joined the study session with Nayun, she never saw him reviewing anything.
Just as Theo was about to answer them, a sharp, dry sound reached his senses.
"Snap!"
He gently turned his head back, and there, a few chairs above.
Two halves of a pen rolled across the desk. Beside them was the pen's supposed owner, Rachel, who was staring at the exam results, stunned. Her mouth was slightly agape, as if in shock.
'...Ah, right, how could I forget about this.'
It was then that Theo remembered a scenario he had forgotten. A scenario that was supposed to involve Kim Hajin and Rachel.
In all written exams, big or small, Rachel had never been pushed from first place.
This was because Cube's classes and exams were always conducted in Korean.
Even the small number of foreign professors at Cube taught in Korean, although their pronunciation and language skills were no different from native speakers.
With Korean becoming the official language of many countries, learning Korean had become an important part of many countries' cultures.
But a foreign language was still a foreign language. Just because Korean had become a shared language didn't mean that learning it was any easier. For foreigners, Korean was still a difficult language to master.
But even with the disadvantage of being a foreigner, Rachel managed to understand what the professors said and got most of the answers on the tests right. It was easy to see how hard she worked to study.
As a member of a country's royalty, she strove to maintain a certain level of elegance and dignity. She wanted to become the perfect hero, both in theory and in combat, and to write a textbook for England's Royal Hero Academy.
Naturally, the citizens of England were fanatical about Rachel. They were proud, saying that it was finally time for a Master-level Hero to emerge from England.
"Master" ranked Heroes refer to the 70 most advanced heroes in the world.
Currently, 33 of these 70 heroes were Korean, while 18 were American and 9 were Chinese. Only 2 were English, but even that was debatable, as they had obtained Korean citizenship 15 years ago.
Therefore, the citizens of England paid close attention to any news about Rachel, who they hoped would become a symbol of their nation.
To meet expectations, Rachel slept no more than two hours a day.
But the "record" she had maintained through all this effort was broken today.
Rachel wasn't sad, just apprehensive and regretful. Of course, the result of a single written exam would hardly spread throughout England, but "Analysis of the Realm of Phenomena" was a difficult subject even for her. The gap between her and first place probably wouldn't change for a while.
'People of my nation, I am so sorry...'
"..."
At that moment, Rachel's downcast gaze met that of a man. It was a stunningly handsome man.
She knew his name. How could she not? He, along with Kim Suho, were the most famous cadets at Cube.
And what's more, he was also someone she had even gone to celebrate her birthday with and had even given a gift to.
He was someone she could say she got along with.
Her gaze then shifted from his face and landed on an object on the desk: the notebook.
Suddenly, an intense and desperate greed took hold of her. That notebook, she thought, might hold the key to what she was missing.
...
After the small commotion over the results of the "Analysis of the Realm of Phenomena" written exam, where Theo had taken first place with a perfect score on an extremely difficult topic, the day proceeded smoothly.
Of course, at certain moments of the day, Theo was surprised by furtive glances from Rachel here and there, but nothing more.
And then, without realizing it, the afternoon arrived...
"Clack!"
The sound of the door closing echoed through the silent space. The light from the hallway was cut off, plunging the room back into dimness, illuminated only by the bluish glow of a floating screen.
Sitting comfortably on the sofa, a girl in a cap raised her head, diverting her attention from the holographic tablet that was projecting some series or movie in the air in front of her. She paused the projection with a touch, and the glow dimmed, focusing her attention on Theo's figure.
"Oh, you're back already."
Cappie said, as she glanced behind him.
"It's new to see you here so early, Host. And the girls, where are they?"
Before fully entering, Theo removed his shoes and coat, storing them in a closet and hanger near the entrance. He approached and threw himself onto the sofa next to her, letting out a tired sigh.
"There was nothing else to do, so I decided to come earlier."
He replied, sinking into the cushions.
"And the girls... Nayun and Yeonha said they were going to get their hair done and buy some things with Hazuki, and they'd be back soon."
The three of them had, in fact, decided to take advantage of the afternoon to go to Cube's metropolitan center. It was a rare opportunity for them to have a day like normal girls, away from the constant pressure of training and studies.
Theo settled more comfortably on the sofa. He looked at the paused holographic screen in the air, which showed the image of a blond boy with a bandana.
"So, what are you watching there?"
He asked, pointing with his chin at the projection.
Cappie perked up, her eyes shining under the brim of her cap.
She reactivated the screen with a quick gesture.
"It's a classic anime from the post-Outcall era!"
She said with contagious enthusiasm.
"It's called 'Chronicles of the Echoes Hunter'."
"And what's it about?"
Theo asked, curious about her excitement and curious to know what the works of this "land" were like; he wondered if new titles had been created.
"It's about a boy named Kael, who lives in a world where people's memories and emotions can manifest as monsters called 'Echoes'."
Cappie began to explain, but soon her tone became more mournful.
"He has the rare ability to 'attune' and purify these Echoes, but he's seen as cursed because of it. His dream is to find the 'Origin of the Echoes' to rid the world of them and be accepted."
She paused, gesturing to the screen like a lecturer.
"Look, I'm not going to lie, the work has its problems. The plot has some holes, the way 'attunement' works changes according to the convenience of the script, and some twists are very predictable."
Her tone became passionate again.
"But... even with all these flaws, it's a very good work to follow. The designs of the Echoes are incredibly creative, the emotional fights are the high point, and the themes about dealing with trauma and loneliness are really powerful. In the end, the brilliant moments make it worth getting through the weaker parts."
Theo laughed softly at the detailed analysis. It was fascinating how she could be so critical and, at the same time, such a dedicated fan.
"I see. An imperfect masterpiece, then?"
He summarized with a smile.
"Exactly!"
Cappie agreed, excited. For her, even if this anime wasn't a thousand wonders, it was still her wonder.
"Want some ice cream? I bought it for myself, but I didn't have it all, there's still plenty in the fridge."
"Sure, that would be nice."
With surprising agility, she went to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and returned with a large tub of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and two spoons.
She handed a spoon to Theo and placed the tub between them on the sofa, like a shared treasure.
"Come on, host, I'll show you the world of Echoes."
"I'm looking forward to it."
With a click, Cappie returned the anime to the first episode and pressed play...
...
Note: "Ecos/Echoes" is a work I started writing in the past, but due to personal problems I had to stop.