Zephyr studied Aren, who sat calmly in front of his desk in the Chief Instructor's office of the Marine School of Justice.
"You do not seem surprised at all that I called you in alone."
Aren met his gaze. "After what just happened, no matter how I think about it, it is only natural that you would call me in. Besides, I also have something I wanted to talk to you about alone."
"You have something for me too?"
Zephyr chuckled softly. "Now I am curious what you wanted to say."
"It is just a small matter," Aren replied directly. "You can speak first, sensei."
The corner of Zephyr's mouth lifted. He took off his glasses and began polishing the lenses with a cloth. Although he was not looking at Aren, he asked, "From when did you realize the true purpose of this assessment?"
"At first it was only a suspicion. After I asked them that question and heard their answer, I confirmed it. As for my own test..."
Aren paused, then put his glasses back on. "I started to suspect a little, but while I was eating ramen, it suddenly clicked. When I came out and heard their analysis, it confirmed it for me. In other words, with their help, I figured out what my real assessment was."
Zephyr put his glasses back on as well and looked straight at him, a smile on his face. "I really did not misjudge you."
He went on, "You had already guessed from the start, had you not? You are someone who cares a great deal about the people around you.
"Last night, you could have done nothing, yet you still handed your cloak to Jero. You did it because you knew how much he wanted to become a Headquarters marine, so you helped him on purpose.
"And today, you clearly understood the purpose from the beginning, yet you phrased it as if you only realized it after hearing Jero and the others talk. You deliberately handed the credit to them.
"Because you know how I grade. I do not look only at the outcome. I grade based on how they behave during the assessment. Your aim was for me to give them more points."
"I see." Aren pushed his glasses up. "If you want to think of it that way, I cannot stop you.
"But you did not call me here just to talk about this, did you?"
"What a stubborn little brat," Zephyr muttered, though his eyes were full of appreciation as he looked at the young captain who wore a cold face yet carried his comrades in his heart.
Since Aren had changed the subject, Zephyr did not press it further. Instead he said, "Fine. The real reason I called you is that I want you to go to Sakazuki tomorrow and serve as his assistant for two days."
"Tomorrow?" Aren asked, looking at him.
"Yes." Zephyr's expression turned serious. "I know you turned that man's invitation down yesterday. But learning under him for a short while is what suits you best.
"Sakazuki is extremely stubborn about certain things, to the point that it upsets people. Even so, believe me, although his obsession has led him to make many bad decisions during his growth as a marine, you will learn a great deal at his side.
"As for the other two, they will only make your current personality worse. And right now, Sakazuki will be staying at Headquarters for a while. So you do not need to worry about anything. I will speak to him first."
"You want Admiral Sakazuki to instruct me for two days?" Aren asked.
"That is right," Zephyr replied.
"I understand. However..."
Aren looked at him very seriously. "Allow me to refuse."
Zephyr frowned. "If you are worried..."
"No. I am not worried that because I turned down Admiral Sakazuki last night, he will deliberately make things difficult for me if I go to his unit now. I do not think he is that petty. If he were the sort of man to hold a grudge over something that small, he would never have become an admiral.
"And it is not that I am unwilling to go either. This falls within the scope of work. You are my superior, and if you assign me somewhere during working hours, no matter what the task is, I will do my best to complete it. That is my job."
"Then why refuse?"
Zephyr looked at him, confused.
"Because tomorrow is the weekend. Two days off."
"Ah?"