At Cheonmu Academy, two exams are held during the semester.
Midterms and finals.
And depending on the results of these exams, even if you’re currently in Class A, you could drop down to Class B at any time. It’s essentially a promotion and demotion system.
Since practical skills carry significant weight, all the students in Class A were from prestigious sects. However, because they specialized in combat, they often struggled with written assessments.
Among them, the most critical case was Namgoong Ruby. She was the strongest fighter in Class A and the class president, but since she hadn’t had the chance to study during her childhood, her knowledge was as good as that of a chicken’s brain.
In other words, she was the one at the highest risk of being demoted to Class B among us.
*
“Waaah! Help me! Chilbok!”
“Get away, it’s hot.”
It’s already been two months since we entered Cheonmu Academy.
Initially, a friend of a friend is still a stranger. But after befriending Dokgorin, Namgoong Ruby naturally became more like a friend to me.
Of course, we hadn’t formally agreed to be friends, hence calling it a friendship seemed unnecessary at this point.
As I pushed her away with a firm attitude, Namgoong Ruby made a face like a drenched cat.
“Ugh.”
But immune to her poor-me act, I sighed and asked, “So what’s wrong today?”
“I just met with the homeroom teacher, and they said I’m gonna be demoted to Class B if I keep going like this.”
“Well then, you should’ve studied ahead of time.”
“… I was too busy training in swordplay.”
“More like you were busy goofing off.”
Dokgorin, who was next to me, chimed in like an irritating sister-in-law, making Namgoong Ruby groan in response.
It seemed like the two of them were roommates, so Dokgorin knew everything about her everyday life.
At that moment, Tang Sosu, who had also been listening to our conversation, asked, “But what happens to the class president position if you get demoted?”
“I heard it automatically goes to the vice president, Rin.”
As soon as she said that, Dokgorin’s expression stiffened.
“What? Me, the class president?”
It seemed she hadn’t anticipated that part.
After all, she took on the vice president role as if she was half forced into it.
“Isn’t there something we can do? I really don’t want to part ways with the friends I’ve just gotten close to.”
“There’s no shortcut in studying. You have to start studying from now.”
“I’ve never really studied properly, so I don’t know how.”
As she said that, Namgoong Ruby looked at me with a somewhat expectant expression, as if she wanted to ask me to teach her.
I sighed and said, “Fine, let’s first find out what you’ve been studying. If you have anything you took notes on in class, bring it over.”
Namgoong Ruby tilted her head and replied, “I don’t have anything like that.”
“…….”
Should I just give up now?
That thought crossed my mind for a split second, but I held back.
*
The method I chose to solve Namgoong Ruby’s crisis was to copy the summarized notes from someone else’s class notes.
“Samajak.”
“Hmm?”
As I called her name, Samajak, who had been sitting in front of me, turned to look.
After being outed as a girl by Dokgorin last time, the real Samajak had been doing well at the girls’ dorm.
Previously, she was treated like an annoying little brat and only popular among some female students, but now, it seemed she was popular with everyone, regardless of gender.
Honestly, I had worried about how she’d adapt after entering there, but that worry was alleviated.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
At Samajak’s question, I moved closer and explained Namgoong Ruby’s situation.
“So you’re asking to borrow the book with the class notes I took?”
“Exactly. If you have it.”
“Well, of course I do. Do you happen to not have yours?”
I awkwardly dodged Samajak’s gaze.
“I’m not really the type to summarize.”
Then Samajak responded as if bewildered. “And yet you are ranked first in the grade. That’s annoyingly impressive.”
I felt a bit embarrassed as it seemed like I was boasting.
“Anyway, if that’s the reason, I’ll lend it to you.”
“Really?!”
“Of course, but it won’t be free. You’ll have to buy me a week’s worth of meal vouchers.”
“Of course, I can do that!”
Namgoong Ruby said that and then held Samajak’s hands tightly.
“You’re my savior!”
“Ugh-”
Thus began the cringe-worthy interaction that induced social anxiety in Samajak.
Even though she had started to mingle with others, it seemed that a type like Namgoong Ruby was still hard to handle.
Looking at Samajak, who glanced at me with a pleading expression, I knocked on Namgoong Ruby’s head with the side of my hand.
“Now that we solved the note problem, it’s time to assess your knowledge level.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s start with a simple quiz.”
I took out a blank sheet and some stationery.
*
After taking the test just the two of us, Namgoong Ruby’s knowledge level was even worse than I had expected.
“… I can’t believe she would struggle with this level of question.”
This wasn’t even about being good or bad at studying; it simply felt like her head was completely empty.
It was like a pristine white snowfield, untouched by anyone’s footsteps.
“With this level, it feels like you’ve spent the entire class daydreaming. What happened?”
Namgoong Ruby averted her gaze, looking sheepish.
That seemed to confirm my suspicion.
“You seriously can’t continue like this.”
My original plan was to strengthen her weak subjects and help her memorize the summary notes I borrowed from Samajak, but at this rate, I felt like I’d have to start from scratch and teach her the basics, like ‘This is the character for heaven.’
So while I was lost in thought, Namgoong Ruby clung onto me with a desperate expression, saying, “I’m sorry! Teacher! I’ll do my best!”
She must’ve thought I’d give up if I kept quiet.
“Ugh! Get away!”
This girl had no qualms about physical contact, from what I’ve noticed.
Luckily, Dokgorin wasn’t here; if she had been, things would’ve gotten chaotic.
Yet, I couldn’t tell if she was being innocent or purposely ignoring boundaries, as she persistently leaned against me with her impressively substantial chest.
Anyway, after forcibly separating Namgoong Ruby, we discussed how to study going forward.
“How do you typically study martial arts?”
“Martial arts?”
“You usually read manuals and memorize the formulas.”
“Ah~”
She finally understood late in the game.
Still, if she managed to learn martial arts like the Rising Phoenix technique, she couldn’t be completely brainless, so I held onto that hope, and thankfully, it seemed Namgoong Ruby understood what I said.
“I usually just ask my father or the elders about the meanings of the formulas and ponder them alone. Even the same sentence can change its content depending on the interpretation.”
“Well, it seems like you don’t have an issue with memorization.”
“Memorization?”
“I mean your ability to remember things.”
Saying that, I glanced at the list of subjects for the midterm written exam once more.
“Let’s focus on the subjects that rely heavily on memorization for now…”
No matter how I thought about it, improving skills in math within a short period seemed impossible, so I had to invest all my efforts into history or language, subjects that could be solved through memorization.
Fortunately, in written exams, they didn’t look at failing grades; they just calculated averages.
Once I laid out those detailed plans, Namgoong Ruby, who had been agonizing over exams all day, stretched out with a loud yawn.
“So, we’re done for today, right?”
“Yeah, starting tomorrow, I’ll create a study plan for you, and you just need to study according to it. Also, when you get back to the dorm, copy all the class notes Samajak took into your book.”
“Ugh- homework?”
“I’m doing it for your benefit, so you have to put in that little effort. Did you think a secret to suddenly getting good at studying existed?”
“… Maybe a little?”
I sighed at her ridiculousness.
“Studying is just like martial arts. You need to learn the basics step by step over time to reach a higher level. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being lazy with your studies beforehand.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry.”
As she said that, Namgoong Ruby slumped her shoulders, then packed her bag to leave for the dorm and asked me, “What’s next for you?”
“It’s late, so I need to head back to the dorm too.”
“Then let’s go together. I have a few things I want to ask.”
“Suit yourself.”
After coming to an agreement to go back together, I gathered my things and left the classroom with her.
*
On the way back to the dorm.
What Namgoong Ruby asked me was about Dokgorin, not studying.
“When did you two first meet?”
“… Was that what you wanted to know?”
“Then what did you think I would ask about?”
“Of course, I thought you’d ask about studying.”
Sighing softly, I looked at Namgoong Ruby and asked again, “So what exactly are you curious about?”
“I was just curious about when you two first met.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Just? I don’t really know much about you two.”
Thinking back, this was probably one of the first times I had a conversation like this with Namgoong Ruby.
As that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had been too indifferent to her, and I looked at her with a curious expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Uh, it’s nothing.”
Mumbling that, I decided to share the story she presumably wanted to hear.
“Well, if I think about when I first met Rin…”
I should probably start with how I saved Dokgorin when she slipped from the bridge and fell into the river.
