"Hee hee, clever!" Cyrene grinned like a little fox that had just stolen something tasty.
She magically produced several fragments emitting a soft purple glow from the sleeve of her priestess robe—Memory Shards.
"Look, little Phaethon! ♪" She pushed the shards towards him like presenting a treasure. "Your big sister Cyrene specifically went to The Grove for some 'in-depth investigation,' gathered information through careful probing, and put in a lot of effort to condense these treasures!"
"What's recorded in them?" Phaethon's voice held a trace of excitement.
"They contain the final moments of several Sages renowned for their erudition in The Grove's history, and a few... well, rather 'strict' mentors," Cyrene winked, lowering her voice. "Their final moments before passing! ♪"
Phaethon's eyes widened instantly. He took the warm, purple shards. "Cyrene! You... you're too good to me!"
"Take them, use them well." Cyrene waved a hand magnanimously, then added, "But don't forget, when using this knowledge, give your troublesome brother a hand too. And Castorice, help her if you can. ♪"
***
The Grove, a quiet rest area.
Test papers covered the small round table. Phainon, his hair a mess from constant grabbing, stared blankly at his own densely written but seemingly flawed history paper, then at Phaethon's perfectly clear, logically organized, and completed-in-under-thirty-minutes masterpiece beside it.
"O Aquila (Sky Titan)! Georios (Earth Titan)" Phainon wailed, burying his face in the pile of papers in agony. "Phaethon! This isn't fair! Weren't you buried in the Golden Eatery being the big boss these past few days? Why! Why are your grades still this ridiculously good?! Did you peek at the answers beforehand?!" He nearly tore out the signature ahoge he shared with Phaethon.
Phaethon took a leisurely sip of juice, smiling mysteriously. "Well, about that... actually, Cyrene helped me out a little."
"Lady Cyrene?" Even the usually calm Castorice looked up. Her clear eyes held a flicker of understanding and a faint trace of wistfulness as she looked at Phaethon. "Lord Phaethon, I've... learned a little about your ability from Lady Cyrene. Your method of 'reviewing' is truly... uniquely blessed, and quite enviable." She sighed softly, clearly having guessed Phaethon's secret.
"Ability? What ability?" Phainon jerked his head up from the papers, looking bewilderedly between Phaethon and Castorice. "Phaethon, haven't you always had the 'mediocre combat talent but superhuman learning ability' script? Do you have some hidden ability I don't know about?"
Phaethon: "..." (ー_ー)!!
Castorice: "..." (;一_一)?
Phaethon's inner monologue: *Phainon, Phainon! Your nerves are thicker than cables!*
*Cyrene figured it out, Teacher Tribbie saw through it, Lady Aglaea probably knows perfectly well, Teacher Anaxa understood after chatting with Teacher Tribbie on my birthday, even Castorice knows after talking with Cyrene! Hyacine is still uncertain... So it's really just you, Phainon? You're the true, genuine simpleton?*
Looking at Phainon's pure (and foolish) inquisitive eyes, Phaethon facepalmed. "Uh... Phainon, if you insist on understanding it that way... fine. Just consider me exceptionally gifted."
"Of course!" Phainon said as if it were obvious, even starting to count on his fingers. "Look, back in the Aedes Elysia academies as kids, you grasped things faster than me; in Janusopolis, you learned so many spells in less than a year and became a master chef;"
"Now you're busy as a dog running your restaurant, you've attended Grove classes only a handful of times, and you still get top marks on exams! Isn't that ironclad proof? You're the protagonist from those stories—physically weak but learns everything at lightning speed!" He slapped Phaethon's shoulder emphatically.
Castorice silently lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Castorice: *Lord Phainon... Well, as long as he's happy...*
"Ahem? Castorice, Phainon sweetie, Phaethon sweetie! What are you all conspiring about here?" Hyacine's lively voice sounded as she approached warmly like a breeze.
When she reached the small table, her gaze swept over Phainon's disastrous test paper and Phaethon's clean, perfect answer sheet. Her eyes lingered on Phaethon's face for a moment, a flash of understanding and envy in them.
*Well, that confirms it. Hyacine knows too,* Phaethon thought.
"Miss Hyacine," Phaethon smiled politely, gesturing towards the scratching-his-ears-and-cheeks Phainon. "We're conducting an 'emergency pre-exam rescue' for Phainon. As you know, he was a bit too 'active' in Teacher Anaxa's class before, lost a lot of participation credits, and now passing the exam is a bit of a high-difficulty task."
"Ah, speaking of that!" Hyacine clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up. "Phaethon sweetie, that's exactly why I came to find Phainon sweetie! The Grove's annual debate competition is coming up! I heard the rewards are super generous this time, and most importantly—winning a placement adds a lot of credits!"
Hyacine winked playfully at Phainon. "I thought, with Phainon sweetie's eloquence and quick reflexes—the kind that makes Teacher Anaxa's veins pop every class while he stubbornly sticks to his guns and argues his point... *Ahem*—wouldn't it be a waste not to go make a name for himself in the debate competition?" She was clearly trying to phrase "arguing with the teacher" as diplomatically as possible.
"Debate competition?! Extra credits?!" Phainon, as if grabbing a lifeline, jerked his head up from the papers, hope blazing in his eyes. "Really, Hyacine? You're my savior! My angel! My exams are saved!" He was so excited he nearly jumped up.
Watching the instantly revitalized Phainon, Phaethon also laughed and said to Hyacine, "*Ahem*, anyway, I'll thank you on behalf of this troublesome Phainon for bringing such good news, Miss Hyacine."
He paused, then added, "By the way, Cyrene specifically asked me to extend an invitation to you and Castorice to come to our place for a meal after the midterm exams are over."
"Ah?" Hyacine seemed surprised and a little embarrassed, waving her small hands quickly. "Phaethon sweetie, there's no need to be so polite! I just passed on a message, it was nothing..."
"It's not just for that," Phaethon explained gently. "Cyrene said she wants to meet the good friends Phainon and I have made at The Grove. She wants to thank everyone personally for looking after us."
He looked at Castorice. "Castorice, you'll come too, right? Cyrene has been missing you."
Castorice and Hyacine exchanged a glance, seeing warmth and anticipation in each other's eyes.
Castorice nodded gently. "Alright, I'll be there on time. Thank Lady Cyrene and Lord Phaethon for the invitation."
Hyacine also revealed a bright smile. "Well then! Since it's Cyrene sweetie's invitation, I'll definitely go! Speaking of which, I'd love to taste Phaethon sweetie's cooked feast again!"
The rest area was immediately filled with light, happy laughter, and the gloom of the midterm exams seemed temporarily dispelled.