he measurements proceeded by attendance number, a tense order enforced by the goddess Vysis's unwavering calm. After the brutal display with the wolf, no one dared rebel—instinct and logic screamed it was suicide. The memory of her fireball reducing a beast to ashes kept us in line.
Amakawa, first on the roster, touched the glowing crystal, and it pulsed blue. "You have the qualities," Vysis said, her hands clasped, her smile serene. Robed figures nearby, hooded and watchful, scribbled notes, their eyes sharp with purpose.
The crystal's colors varied, their meaning unclear but significant. Oyamada's turn came, and a fierce red light erupted, brighter than most. "What's this!?" the robed men gasped, stunned by its intensity. "Great," Vysis purred, "A-Rank." Oyamada grinned, "Not bad, huh? The wind's blowing my way now!"
His joy was short-lived. Kirihara stepped up, and a golden surge cracked the crystal into shards. "Impossible!" a robed man cried, sweating. "S-Rank, the highest!" Vysis clapped, beaming. Kirihara, unfazed, shrugged, "Just touched it normally. Why's S best?" "Special," Vysis explained, her voice smooth as silk.
Girls swooned, "Takuto-kun's special even here!" Oyamada, fuming, demanded, "What's my rank then?" "A-Rank," Vysis replied. "One below S," he muttered, grinding his teeth, his ego bruised by Kirihara's effortless shine. A new crystal replaced the broken one, and measurements continued.
Sogou's turn brought another shock. Her touch sparked a silver light, pulsing wildly before the crystal shattered into dust. "Again!?" a robed man coughed, choking on the debris. Vysis, clearing the air with a graceful wave, glowed with delight. "Another S-Rank! This summoning is unprecedented!"
The Takao sisters followed. Itsuki's yellow light blazed brightly, earning an "A-Rank" from Vysis. "Another strong one!" she said. Hijiri's touch unleashed a white radiance that flooded the chamber, subsiding slowly. Vysis trembled like jelly, her voice ecstatic, "A third S-Rank! The greatest summoning ever!"
Her over-the-top reaction—arms wide, eyes gleaming—felt almost theatrical, her enthusiasm bordering on unsettling. "Next!" she urged, but the following students drew only dim glows and lukewarm comments. The crystal held steady, no more shattering, as if exhausted by the earlier brilliance.
Zakurogi, still dazed, muttered about trusting the goddess, his eyes occasionally drifting to her figure. Kirihara leaned back, coolly detached, while Oyamada sulked, his A-Rank overshadowed. Sogou, despite her own S-Rank, kept comforting shaken classmates, her courage a quiet anchor.
The Takao sisters exchanged calm words, Hijiri analyzing the situation like a strategist, Itsuki nodding in awe. Yasu, oddly, seemed to suppress a smirk, his earlier perplexity now a strange confidence. The room buzzed with mixed emotions—fear, excitement, disbelief—as the measurements dragged on.
My turn loomed, and my stomach knotted. The crystal, now on its third replacement, stood ominously on its pedestal. What would it reveal about me, Mimori Touka, the nobody of 2-C? The soldiers' stern gazes and Vysis's expectant smile pressed down like a weight.
I stepped forward, heart pounding, and reached for the crystal. Its surface was cool, almost alive. The room held its breath, waiting for a glow—any glow—to define my place in this unforgiving world. Would I shine like Kirihara and Sogou, or fade into the background, as always?