Compared to everyone else's stunned looks, Aren simply pushed his glasses up calmly and looked around at them.
"Do you remember I said I had a second question but decided not to ask? My second question was whether my assessment required me to defend until nine o'clock, or if I could end it early.
"But I was hungry at the time, so I chose to eat first. While I was eating, I figured out Zephyr-sensei's real purpose for my assessment."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
In an instant...
All the restraints binding the trainees vanished.
What happened next left everyone dumbfounded.
Aren reached out and tapped Jero on the shoulder. "The assessment is over. You all win."
"..."
Everyone stared, blinking at Aren, completely unable to understand why he would suddenly do that.
Aren did not seem bothered by their confusion. He pushed his glasses up again and said casually, "All of you are one unit. Even if the assessment has one side as the target, even if one person among you is special, we are still classmates of the same intake. That means we form a single group.
"The purpose of this test is to tell us exactly that. We are a whole.
"Also, the score of this assessment affects whether you get to stay in the academy. All of you failed the first test except Jero. If you fail the second one too, your already unstable scores will be pushed right off the edge.
"I gave up on the first test and only participated in the second one, so my result there is naturally a pass. This is my third assessment, and if I fail it, my situation will be the same as if you failed yours."
He paused, then continued in that same even tone.
"While Zephyr-sensei is assessing you, he is also assessing me. Because as long as you take this assessment alone, your failure is guaranteed, and my success is guaranteed.
"If I know that failing here would give you two failed tests in a row, yet I still insist on winning against you, then my own assessment is a failure, regardless of the score written down."
He looked around at them again.
"So your true test is whether you treat the fellow classmates at your side as comrades and work together to complete the task.
"And my test is whether I treat all of you, who are much weaker than I am, as comrades."
Crofts studied Aren carefully. "I understand what you are saying, but why did you start your explanation with the assumption that you would definitely win?"
"Hm?" Aren turned his gaze to him. "Because I am very strong and you are very weak."
Everyone: "..."
Crofts wanted to argue, but after thinking it over, he swallowed the words. What Aren said was, unfortunately, true.
Even so, he still could not help muttering, "I admit you are right, but hearing you say it out loud like that is really irritating."
As he said it, Crofts had the urge to go and punch Aren. If he did not know for a fact he would lose, he would have already swung.
Of course, he was not the only one who felt that way.
They were all elites chosen from marine bases all over the world. Being called weak to their faces, how could they possibly not feel anything about it?
But...
What could their feelings change?
"Is that so? Then just think of it as me casually stating a fact," Aren answered mildly. "More importantly, rather than that little detail, I am more interested in something else. I want to confirm whether my analysis just now was correct, Zephyr-sensei."
As he spoke, Aren stood up and looked past the trainees toward Zephyr and Ain, who were standing at the edge of the crowd.
When everyone followed his gaze and finally noticed Zephyr...
...
Every trainee scrambled to their feet at once.
Even the marines who had only been watching from the side and had not yet realized Zephyr was there straightened up immediately and saluted the moment they saw him.
"Hmph."
The crowd parted on its own to open a path, and Zephyr walked slowly down that corridor of people. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised as he looked at Aren.
"You took a little while, but I knew I had not misjudged you."
After saying that, he turned to face all the Marine School of Justice trainees.
"That is right. I wanted to tell you exactly this.
"No matter what your previous rank was, no matter which base you came from, no matter what your strength or background might be, here you are one team. All of you are simply students, without any distinction between you.
"A team means comrades. People you can entrust your back to on the battlefield."
"Yes, sir!"
All the trainees responded in unison, voices loud and clear.
"Everyone, return to the academy. Your classes begin now."
Leaving those words behind, Zephyr turned and walked away. Ain and the other instructors followed close behind.
The trainees exchanged glances for a moment, then hurried after them.
Aren adjusted his glasses and was about to follow as well when Crofts stepped in front of him.
"Crofts," he said, then paused, corrected himself, and smiled faintly. "I am just Crofts."
"Aren Neri," Aren responded, reaching out and shaking his hand.
They did not say anything else, but the two of them fell into step alongside each other, following the group.
Jero, walking nearby, noticed this and looked at Aren in surprise. "You are coming to the academy too?"
As soon as he said it, he realized how strange that sounded, so he quickly added, "I mean, it is not nine yet, right? You do not start work until nine."
Crofts, remembering Aren's peculiar insistence on working hours, also looked over curiously.
Aren reached into his pocket and pulled out three ten thousand Berry bills. "They gave me overtime pay."
"..."
Jero and Crofts stared at him, completely at a loss for words.