Mei crossed her arms and pouted.
"You betrayer."
Both Maki and Yoruichi raised their eyebrows.
Seeing his confusion, Mei pointed at him dramatically. "You… you let Nemuri take your first. That should've been me!"
Yoruichi smirked, her male cat voice smooth and teasing. "Oh? Jealous already?"
"Shut up, Yoruichi! That was supposed to be mine!" Mei protested.
Maki blinked. "Did Nem–Nem tell you?"
"Of course she did. She even bragged about it," Mei replied, clearly pretending to be angry.
Maki stared at her, wondering, Is that something people casually talk about?
Mei stepped closer to him and lowered her voice.
"Husband… what about me?"
Maki looked down at her hand, which had shamelessly slid to his waist.
Yoruichi immediately intervened. "Mei, you're in a public place. Control yourself."
Mei scoffed. "We'll talk later. You need to take the exam first… and maybe after that—fufufufu~"
She spun lightly. "Come on, Maki. You're in Hall Number 3."
"How'd you know, Mei–Mei?" he asked.
She froze for a second and looked back at him.
In her mind, she repeated it—Mei–Mei.
It was the first time he had called her that.
A smile bloomed across her face.
"I'll forgive you for now," she said sweetly. "It's easy. I have the list."
"Okay," Maki replied, following her into the first floor of the building.
Their conversation, of course, was overheard by the people ahead of them.
Not everyone caught the full context, but those who did widened their eyes.
Who the hell is this guy?
Maki didn't realize that casually talking to Princess Mei was already something most people couldn't even dream of. He didn't know how famous she was—how strong her background was—how high her status stood.
Those who overheard them began gulping.
Maybe he's someone with powerful background too…
Others, the wiser ones, pretended they had heard nothing at all.
Soon, it was Maki's turn.
He didn't even need to state his name at the counter. The staff didn't stop him as he quietly followed beside Mei.
She led him to the farthest end of the floor where a large 3 was marked above a glass sliding door.
The door opened automatically at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Maki stepped inside.
The hall resembled a large lecture theater.
The floor was steeply inclined, built in layered steps so that even those at the back could see the stage clearly. Instead of individual desks, there were long curved tables attached to rows of seats.
At the front was a wide stage—the focal point of the entire room. All sightlines naturally converged there. Even in a room of five hundred, no one would miss what happened at the bottom.
The entrance was located at the very back corner.
Around one hundred examinees were already seated.
On the stage stood the supervisor.
It was Kurenai Yūhi.
Kurenai Yūhi
She had long, untamed black hair flowing to her upper back, slightly jagged in texture. Her deep red irises were striking against her fair skin. Purple eyeshadow and bold red lipstick accentuated her sharp features. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh armor blouse, partially covered by white, bandage-like fabric printed with a jagged red thorn pattern. Standard wrappings circled her hands and upper thighs.
Kurenai was a Martialis teacher of UA, specializing in illusions.
Authority: Chakra
Category: Genjutsu
Epithet: Makyō (Demonic Illusion)
Kurenai viewed her abilities as a form of mental paralysis.
The Trap: Capture the five senses.
The Binding: Use the "Tree" to immobilize the body.
The End: Finish the opponent in reality while their mind remains trapped.
She was assigned as supervisor for Hall Number 3.
She had already counted ninety-nine students.
One remained.
The sliding door opened.
She looked up—and saw Mei leading a man carrying a sword as large as himself resting on his shoulder.
Kurenai's eyebrow lifted slightly.
She was a master at reading people.
And this man—
Was abnormal.
Mei skipped toward her and leaned in close.
"Yuhi~ Take care of my husband and don't let other bitches near him."
Kurenai blinked. "Your husband? That guy?"
"Yup!" Mei nodded confidently.
Then she ran back to Maki, whispered something only he could hear, and waved goodbye before leaving the hall.
Kurenai stared after her.
Husband? That must be one of her jokes again…
Maki stood quietly for a moment, watching Mei leave.
Yoruichi jumped from his shoulder, padded toward the stage, and leapt onto the front table, settling there comfortably.
Kurenai cleared her throat.
"Please take your seats. We're about to begin."
Maki nodded and started climbing the stairs toward the back rows.
As he walked, it felt as though he were an exotic animal in a zoo.
Every movement.
Every step.
Watched.
All ninety-nine examinees stared at him.
Yoruichi watched.
Even Kurenai watched.
There was something about him—
Something they couldn't define.
Maki continued upward until he reached the very top rows.
Three entire rows were empty.
No one had dared sit there.
He chose one of the seats.
(っ－＿－)っ