The long-awaited day finally arrived—the day of the National Examination.
This synchronized, large-scale test was conducted across the entire nation, not only for local schools, but also for institutions carrying international standards and reputations.
For ordinary citizens, it was the decisive checkpoint that could define their future.
For the elites? It was nothing more than a grand stage to flaunt excellence— a battleground of status, prestige, and polished public image.
---
That morning, Al was roused from sleep by a barrage of buzzing notifications flooding his phone from countless numbers.
Among them were ssages from Ai and her entire subordinates, from Indra and his family, from the kids and caretakers in the orphanage, from Al’s old friends,
and even from the new friends he made recently—Rina, Dila, and the others.
All of them were sending reminders for him to wake up early, accompanied by a handful of warm, heartfelt well-wishes for his success on this important day.
And of course, there was one ssage that stood out, coming from a certain soone whom he had been subconsciously avoiding these days—despite the ridiculous agreent they shared to pretend to be lovers.
Yura Atenri.
"I’m not actually trying to cheer you on. But, well... for the sake of strengthening our acting, doing sothing like this should be fine."
Followed by a second, much shorter ssage, decorated with a tiny flexing-muscle emoji:
"GOOD LUCK!"
Warm ssages, however, were nowhere to be found from any single mber of the Virellano family—or perhaps they simply hadn’t sent anything yet.
But Al didn’t dwell on that for long.
He chose instead to focus only on the people who genuinely cared about him, smiling faintly at their chaotic, overly-energetic antics.
"They’re seriously such a hassle. I an, I’m the one taking the exam... yet sohow they’re the ones acting the busiest," he muttered lazily.
He replied to a few ssages—only the ones he felt necessary to respond to. Naturally, the ssages from Ai and her troops.
And this ti, he also replied to Yura’s ssage. He felt a little guilty for ignoring her these past few days.
After that, he stood up, stretched lightly, grabbed his bathing kit, and walked toward the door with the intention of heading out to the usual place where he always showered.
But the mont he reached the doorway—
"Ah, for god’s sake... how many tis have I forgotten already?" he muttered while smacking his own forehead.
"It’s been almost a full week since I moved into this room, yet I still forget... I actually have a private bathroom."
He sighed, shoulders drooping in defeat, and turned around.
"All the chaos happening lately must be ssing with my ability to focus on small, trivial details like this."
He scratched his head lightly, almost laughing at his own silliness, before dragging his feet toward the private bathroom with a resigned shrug.
With light, unhurried steps, he entered the bathroom and enjoyed a refreshing shower like any normal human being.
And a few minutes later...
Ta-da!
Al stepped back into his room with a noticeably fresher and far more refined appearance.
His face was clean, his hair neatly combed—quite unlike the perpetually ssy style he usually adopted.
He patted the collar of his shirt as if trying to perfect it, then stared at his own reflection for a brief mont, taking a long breath, as though gathering his ntal strength for the day ahead.
---
After preparing everything he needed, Al made his way to the dining hall.
At the long and luxurious table, most of the Virellano family mbers were already gathered.
So greeted him with hopeful expressions, others with subtle discomfort—but none imdiately spoke to him.
They simply let him take his place at the spot considered ’his seat.’
Edward and Sandra were chatting lightly, but their attention imdiately shifted when Al entered.
Both of them offered him gentle smiles—still stiff, still awkward—but at least they were trying.
Sandra even straightened her posture, as if attempting to look more presentable in the eyes of her son. Edward gave him a small nod as a greeting.
Aurielle, despite being preoccupied with reading morning reports on her tablet, also spared him a smile.
Her gaze, however, carried sothing unusual—sothing that had lingered for days now. As if she wanted to say sothing, but had been deliberately holding herself back.
I’ve restrained myself long enough and left you alone so you could focus on studying. But once your exam is over, you’re going to explain everything to .
That was the silent ssage behind her sharp stare.
Al sensed that piercing look and chose to ignore it entirely.
He turned his head away slowly, exhaling a short breath—his way of saying he knew Aurielle was waiting for the right mont to corner him for a talk.
Vianna also looked up briefly when he arrived, but quickly returned her focus to her healthy breakfast. She was swinging her legs under the table, clearly eager to finish her al quickly.
She looked unusually tidy this morning, unlike her usual post-workout, sweat-drenched state. It seed she had sothing else planned for the day.
Clarista didn’t show much reaction either. But the person beside her was far more noticeable—Fani.
Fani, with darkened eye bags and an exhausted expression, glared at Al with a mixture of annoyance and despair.
Days of consecutive all-nighters working on her project had turned her into sothing resembling a zombie more than a vampire.
Her eyelids kept drooping lower and lower, and she massaged the bridge of her nose repeatedly as if trying to stay alive.
"Boss... I think... I think I’m really going to die soon..." Fani complained through telepathy.
Al gave her a light, amused smile.
"Hang in there. After this, I won’t trouble you anymore," he replied.
Then, with a more playful glint in his eyes, he added, "And... be prepared to receive your paynt."
Hearing that, Fani’s eyes sparkled faintly with revived hope—
but only for a mont, as her remaining stamina quickly plumted again.
The urge to sleep was relentless, yet she still had to accompany both David and Al to their examination site.
David, who had been showered with encouragent and special treatnt by almost every family mber that morning, noticed the strange interaction between Fani and Al.
Even now, despite everything, the discomfort inside him felt overwhelming.
Not because he missed Fani’s attention—but because the person smiling so easily at her... was Al.
He cursed silently in his heart, but maintained his gentle, well-behaved façade before the others.
His hand gripping the spoon tightened faintly, but his face remained locked in a forced, pleasant smile.
anwhile, Al, already seated at his chair, found his eyes involuntarily drifting toward soone across the table—
even though he despised her.
His arch nesis—Sarah.
Their eyes t imdiately, glaring as if they were ready to tear into each other.
But neither made a scene.
Especially not today, when Al needed full concentration.
Sarah, despite everything, knew when to restrain herself. Because as much as she wanted Al out of the Virellano residence, she couldn’t bring herself to destroy the boy’s future.
She simply rolled her eyes and comnted on Al’s unusually tidy appearance—a style more commonly associated with nerdy, studious, poster-boy types.
"Wow, you look weird today, Al. Like so kind of school poster child. Don’t tell you actually believe changing your style is going to make your brain work better."
Al ignored her entirely and turned his attention to sothing far more deserving—the delicious breakfast in front of him waiting to be devoured.
He leaned back comfortably, sitting slightly close to Vianna and directly facing Fani.
And so, breakfast proceeded normally enough.
---
Not long after, Edward initiated the conversation, his voice steady yet carrying the faint weight of parental expectation.
"So, Al... how’s your preparation for today’s exam?" he asked.
"I’m... ready, Father. I’m confident." Al replied with a spark of determination that only a national exam could bring out.
Aurielle raised an eyebrow, leaning a bit forward.
"That confident, huh?"
Al nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. I’ve already felt pretty sure I’d pass from the start.
And after being tutored these past few days by Fani, it’s only natural that my confidence went up."
He shifted his gaze toward Fani.
"She’s really amazing and incredibly professional. Even though she had to focus on helping David at the sa ti, she still gave the best lessons she could."
He added, "Just look at her—her eyes are literally puffy. She must’ve been exhausted tutoring both of us."
Fani snapped her eyes open in mild shock as she suddenly got dragged into the spotlight, but she imdiately realized that Al was basically telling everyone she needed more rest.
Straightening her back, she tried to look at least a little more awake and composed.
Edward picked up on that too. He and Sandra exchanged a knowing look, and for the first ti that morning, they both offered her a silent gesture of appreciation—subtle but sincere.
Fani received that gesture with a small smile and a gentle nod.
Then Edward looked back at Al.
"Good. You should be confident." he said approvingly. "Oh right—where’s your exam location?"
Before Al even had the chance to respond, Vianna snapped first, completely confused.
"Eh? Isn’t Al a student at HIHS? Why would Dad ask where he’s taking the exam? Of course it’s at HIHS."
Everyone stared at her in disbelief. Aurielle literally pressed two fingers to her temples, while Clarista let out a long, suffering sigh.
"Every student tests outside their own school, Sister Vianna. We also did that before... did you forget?" Clarista reminded her.
Vianna tapped her chin, trying to reach into the depths of her very questionable mory.
"Ah... right. I also did that, didn’t I? Haha. I forgot." she said awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah, but why don’t they just do the exam at their own school?" she asked again, still completely clueless.
Aurielle burst into laughter and flicked a bread crumb at her adorable but hopelessly naïve sister.
"Oh, Vianna... after all these years since you graduated, and you still don’t understand sothing that simple."
"They need a neutral place," Clarista explained. "So there’s no cheating. If you take the exam in your own school, there could be... hidden assistance."
Everyone looked at Vianna, waiting for the information to sink in.
But as always, Vianna still looked lost.
Until David stepped in to help.
"It’s like you fighting in your own domain, Sister. You know the terrain, you can use sneaky tricks, and you’ve got allies there. So winning becos easier."
Only then did Vianna nod repeatedly in sudden enlightennt.
"Oooh, I get it now... that makes sense. Hahaha!"
Everyone could only shake their heads—Vianna’s muscle-brained personality was truly sothing else. She gave them a toothy grin while scratching the back of her head.
Soon after...
Al reached into the collar of his shirt, pulling out the exam participant ID card hanging from his neck. He read it as he answered Edward’s earlier question.
"By the way... mine’s at Sixth High School Makazhar, Father."
"Ah... that school." Edward replied. "Then you’re headed the sa direction as David. You can ride with him. His exam is at Tiara High School."
Hearing that, Al glanced briefly at David, silently weighing the idea.
David, on the other hand, clearly felt uncomfortable, but he forced himself to show a harmless smile and a small nod as if he didn’t mind.
Though underneath the table, his fingers tapped nervously—tiny, restless movents betraying his tension.
After a mont, Al also nodded. He didn’t really mind going with David anyway.
"Alright, Father."
Edward nodded back, looking at his two sons—two boys who, for reasons painfully complicated, still couldn’t find a natural way to stand side by side.
His cheeks puffed a little before he let out a sigh, fully aware of how difficult this situation truly was.
He knew that both boys were reluctant in their own ways, accepting the decision only out of obligation.
But for Edward, this was at least a small, fragile first step toward bringing them closer.
Sandra watched them as well.
One child was a switched son—a boy with years of emotional connection and deeply rooted affection for her.
The other was her biological son, the one she burdened with guilt, carrying distance like a shadow, wrapped in heavy awkwardness that still refused to fade.
"I hope both of you will do your best, my dear children." Sandra said with a warm, gentle smile tinged with soft lancholy.
Edward added his own encouragent, and after that the others followed suit—Aurielle, Clarista, and Vianna one by one, offering support.
Their words were gentler toward David, and firr toward Al.
And of course, Sarah too.
She gave David a dramatically passionate cheer, and then...
"You too... good luck." she muttered to Al—short, stiff, and painfully tsundere.
She quickly looked away afterward, clearly embarrassed she had even said it.
David responded with his usual pure expression.
anwhile, Al nearly laughed—especially at the fact that Sarah had just given him encouragent.
But he wasn’t cruel enough to reject or belittle the support, no matter how awkwardly it arrived.
He simply nodded and thanked her politely.
Not long after, David murmured,
"I’m done eating. We should leave now. I want to arrive early and prepare everything there." he said while glancing at Al.
"O-Okay," Al replied, sipping the last of his warm soup before standing up.
Clarista and Fani, who planned to accompany them, hurried to finish their als and stood as well.
Fani almost tripped over her chair due to sleepiness, but Clarista grabbed her arm just in ti.
Everyone else stood too—not to follow them outside, but to give them additional gestures of support.
Edward patted both boys’ shoulders.
Vianna waved her spoon like a tiny flag, giving her own ridiculous yet heartfelt send-off.
And eventually, they left—walking away while Edward, Sandra, Aurielle, Sarah, and Vianna watched their backs.
They silently hoped for David to achieve the highest score... and for Al to at least pass normally.
The atmosphere turned unexpectedly emotional.
Sandra and Aurielle’s eyes grew misty, especially since they’d watched David grow up from childhood.
Sandra squeezed the small tissue in her hand.
Aurielle pressed the back of her hand against her eyes to hide her tears.
Al felt the whole scene was a bit overly dramatic—but at least this was positive family drama, not the usual accusations or pushing and shoving.
So this is how humans are... he mused silently.
Family affection, huh? I wonder when soone cursed like will ever truly feel that in this household.
And with that, they left.
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