"Any other questions?"
Zephyr's gaze swept across everyone.
All the trainees stood ramrod straight. No one spoke up.
"In that case, I will tell you this. For the first assessment, everyone failed except Jero. Your scores are all zero, which means not passing. I hope you will work harder in the second assessment."
Zephyr lifted the clipboard in his hand. On it, beside Jero's name, was the word "Pass." Next to all the others was "Fail."
Separate from the rest was Aren's column. His first assessment was marked on a line of its own, and at his second assessment, there were two characters written very clearly.
"Perfect."
"Zephyr-sensei."
Jero took a step forward and looked up at him.
"If possible, please change my result to 'Fail' as well. At that time, Aren handed his cloak to me. I already told you yesterday that I gave up on the first assessment, so..."
Jero's voice grew smaller as he spoke, his tone timid.
Zephyr smiled faintly and interrupted him. "Jero, if your opponent willingly hands you exactly what you need without a fight, you have already succeeded.
"And more importantly, do not worry. I did not mark you as 'Pass' simply because Aren gave you his cloak and you completed the task. I did it because of your judgment.
"You understood that he was someone you could not defeat, so you chose not to confront him head on. Charging forward does not mean throwing your life away without thinking. It means having the courage to face everything before you.
"Whether it was now or last night when you spoke honestly to me about it, the courage you showed is something I want to praise. At the same time, your reluctance to even try when you knew it was an assessment, that hesitation is something you need to change. Now return to the formation."
Jero had prepared a whole lot more to say, but after hearing Zephyr's words, the chubby boy who had come from the East Blue with Aren pressed his lips together and decided not to say another word.
He shouted a loud "Yes, sir!" and went back to his place in the line.
Zephyr's eyes moved from Jero to all the others. "Then I will now announce the content of the second assessment. From this moment until nine o'clock, if any one of you manages to touch Aren, you pass. The method does not matter, all that matters is that you make contact.
"At the same time, I need to tell you that Aren's third assessment is this. During the same period, until nine o'clock, he will be defending against your attempts. To be fair, I have already had a hundred kilograms of weights sent to him. He will also be taking the test under load, just like you. The assessment begins now."
"There are forty eight minutes left until nine o'clock."
Ain stepped forward and called out clearly to all the trainees.
As soon as they heard that, everyone rushed toward the cart full of sandbags, selecting the weight they felt was suitable.
Watching them, Ain recalled what Zephyr had told her when he decided on this assessment.
"A special recruit is supposed to be the person everyone else aims for. If he bears that title, then he must also bear the weight that comes with it. After what happened last night, these trainees will definitely want to surpass that kid. So this kind of test will be enough.
"Do not worry about them feeling it is unfair. If any trainee really thinks that way, he has no reason to stay here anyway.
"But trust me. None of these brats are that spineless."
...
Meanwhile, on a street in the town, right outside Aren's front door...
"I refuse. I still have forty eight minutes before I start work. Right now is my personal time. This is my second time emphasizing that."
After listening to the instructor at his door explain the content of the assessment, Aren refused on the spot without hesitation.
"Zephyr-sensei said this is your overtime pay."
The instructor spoke as he took out an envelope. From the open edge of the envelope, three ten thousand Berry notes peeked out.
Thirty thousand Berries in total.
"I will prepare for the assessment immediately."
Aren took one look at the thirty thousand Berries, pushed his glasses up, and gave his answer.