The next morning, after being firmly rejected by senior student Ilian, Aiyiya, Wakaka, and I formed a group and went to the venue for the competition.

It was a large area with a medium-sized park, subdivided into hundreds of square grids.

Because the great principal announced that the number of participants would be counted in the morning and the venue would be organized in the afternoon, and the competition would start tomorrow, I thought this place would be very busy. However, it seemed not so lively.

"Of course, did you think that with so many participants in our school, you all have to come here to apply one by one? Didn't the notification remind you that you can submit the application wirelessly?"

A young female teacher lazily lounged on the round table surrounding her, with a dozen crystal balls blinking with light placed around her.

Upon closer inspection, the balls were all displaying scrolling names.

This is what they call wireless application... But there is obviously no internet here, why would there be such a term...

"But there are still quite a few who came to take a look at the venue first, but they just glanced hurriedly and left."

The teacher glanced through the list, her fingers tracing something on it.

"By the way, what are you doing?"

"To prevent people from submitting duplicate applications or joining multiple teams," the teacher said to us. "Although they are considered top magic talents from some continent and many of them like to make tricks, well, there hasn't been a successful case yet."

"Oh..." I looked at the teacher with some admiration. "So you can remember what teams they applied for with just a glance and make sure they only joined one?"

"Well, of course. Do you think those who can work as teachers in the School of Balancing are just anyone? I just graduated from here myself. I previously focused on concentration and mental strength," the teacher chatted with us while effortlessly recording the number of participants. "By the way, you are the 1,013th team."

"So many!"

Aiyiya exclaimed.

"A fierce battle indeed..."

Wakaka propped up his forehead, his evil smile seeming sinister.

"Of course, this is the School of Balancing's large competition held once every four years. It is promised by the number one person in the entire continent. Of course, everyone in the school who has no means in this area would participate. Ah, damn it! If I had entered one year later, I could have participated too. Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

The teacher slapped her forehead, feeling frustrated and smashed her head on the table a few times before looking up as if nothing happened and continued reading the list.

"Well, if you want to participate in the competition so much..." Wakaka asked curiously, "why don't you repeat the year like Ilian senior?"

Hearing Ilian's name, the teacher abruptly stopped her work and looked at us with a twitch in the corner of her eye.

"Ah... Ilian... do you know her?"

"We are roommates."

"I see..." the teacher's gaze became subtle. "Ilian... she is a bit special."

"Special?"

"Special to the extreme. In the last competition, she received a request from the honorable principal. Do you guys know why she could stay in school for so many years? If it was someone else who didn't reach Intermediate Level 3 within all those years, they would have been advised to drop out."

Received a request from the principal...

Was the reward in the last competition also like this?

Hearing this news, I felt like I had vaguely grasped something.

"So, do you know what request Ilian made?"

"Well..." the teacher cautiously looked around, then lowered her voice as she pulled the three of us closer. "Don't be scared when I tell you, Ilian's request was to dedicate all her inventions to that... that someone!"

"That someone!?"

Wakaka said discontentedly.

"That someone, of course! We were requested to keep it a secret at the scene, but it's definitely that someone."

"Could it be... that someone!?"

Aiyiya hugged Wakaka anxiously.

"Yes, it's that someone..."

...

I looked at these two people speechlessly.

So, in the end, who is who...

"This request was definitely rejected, and then she came up with an even stranger request, wanting to continue as a student in this academy! She used to be so obedient and well-behaved, the 'natural giver' and all... How could she end up like this in the end..."

With our assigned team numbers in hand, we walked back to our dormitories, feeling confused.

Irian, the senpai...

Obedient? Well-behaved?

A 'natural giver'?

Aya: "What does it mean?"

Wakaka (shaking his head): "I'm not sure."

Then, they all looked at me in unison.

"What's with those 'you must know because you're so close to her' looks? I'm not even that familiar with Irian senpai!"

"Well, it's because we know you were rejected when you confessed..."

"Poor Molly Ann sweetheart..."

"So, there's nothing, right? Are you're still not done with this joke?!"