Kotone tapped her foot as her gaze wandered up and down the rowdy line. A few jeers echoed from what seemed a mile ahead, followed by a faint crack, a boy's cry, and a thud. She didn't even bother turn her attention to the catastrophe, an hour of waiting through the same series of events on loop had long since quelled her interest in each individual failure. She turned to the girl behind her, continuing a conversation from a minute ago. "When do you think sensei's going to run out of questions anyway?"
The non-question was met by a non-answer in the form of a noncommittal shrug, the other students's shoulders slumping a little more than even the previous few exchanges of this game. Kotone ran through as many of the questions in her mind as she could as she heard the recent additions from the previous test go through the chain of students in a form of camaraderie. As the words bounced from the mouth of the boy in front, she mindlessly turned and repeated "Name and describe the advances of one major contributer to the Katon element in the past ten y-"
Kotone stopped herself short as she shot a knowing look at the pudgy girl behind her. The questions were finally repeating. As the other girl turned to recite the question and continue the line of knowledge, Kotone strained her ears to the front of the crowd. The realization that came shook her, not only was it one repeat question, but the tests had fully looped around and this past one had been an exact copy of the very first test that had been graciously passed onto the crowd by the taker. As the stream of questions descended through the body of kids an additional series of hushed, rapid conversation quickly made it known that everyone else was also catching on to this fact.
The sound of another failure passed by mundanely, but as the questions once again streamed through a novel occurrence pierced the air. "Students, I am please to announce we have our first passing quiz. And with this happy news, I would like to explain two more conditions." The news perked Kotone up immediately, once again exchanging eye contact with girl behind her. Firstly, this will be number one of ten possible passing grades. You heard me right, there will only be nine more slots before I wrap this up. But before all of you in the back despair, while it was not previously against the rules, I am now making you aware that you are free to interfere with and harass anyone on the tightrope. This comes with three stipulations, no manufactured weapons, no jutsu, and no getting out of line. You are free to use your voice, and anything non-deadly that you might find within arms reach. Good luck, and happy squabbling."
The events that unfolded were exactly as one would predict. Each test quickly devolved into a flurry of debris hurled at current taker, incorrect answers and demeaning insults were shouted in hopes of distraction, and an ever increasing din of would-be plots and teamwork went up and down the line in a frenzy. Kotone was still taking in the pandemonium when a hand clasped the back of her shirt and she was spun around. "No nonsense, you focus on dodging and I'll feed you the answers. You do the same for you me when I go up. Got it?" The blonde girl gave a firm nod in response, she had no problems with that arrangement, and was taking a liking to her newfound teammate's straightforward approach.
The more hellish situation quickly thinned out the herd of students in front of Kotone. The less suited to dodging were quickly bucked from the rope, while those that could handle the heat breezed through the test, having already worked out their assigned questions long before leaping onto the rope. The newly crowned victors filed onto a makeshift podium beside the tightrope with the original passing student. The small group quickly either joined the crowd in hindering, helped those they took pity on, or simply sat out with their job now complete, all depending on their previously formed allegiances. Now just two people away from the rope, Kotone quickly consulted with the brown haired girl behind her, making sure they both had the questions and required answers firmly squared away in their brains.
The students in front of her handily passed, and giving one last glance to the podium, Kotone counted eight students including the newly arriving pair. Waving a thankful hand to the girl behind her, Kotone approached the dangling tight rope and leapt. As her feet touched the thin cord, a paper and pen immediately arrived her hand, courtesy of a particularly keen toss from the proctoring instructor. Immediately a ball flew at her, a quick sidestep just barely ensuring that it did plant itself into her gut. A collection of debris from the academy grounds immediately followed, and Kotone sought about finding a rhythm in the madness. As her feet became a bit more firm, and the hurtling projectiles seemed more managable, she cast a nod to her accomplice on the ground. The words from shouting girl's mouth came out clear, purposeful, and yet there was something amiss.
A chill ran through Kotone's spine, forcing her hand to stop writing. That was definitely the wrong answer, and the blonde girl could not comprehend why that was. Ducking another ball, her eyes shot over the winners' stand and she shuddered. There was an additional boy there now. Though she had been positive that she had counted 8, in her hasty preparations she had overlooked one shorter child standing toward the back of the group. There were nine winners, and the next spot would be the last. Hearing an approaching whiz, the girl barely had time for her instincts to kick in as she juked a baseball, ducked a twig, and narrowly limbo-ed a hefty rock. Though she was beginning to get used to the projectiles, the rock in particular had unnerved her in its trajectory. It had come from too close, and righting herself she observed her fuming would-partner stoop for another stone to lug at her.
Panic surged into the girl as her mind wrestled for answers to the paper in her hands, while simultaneously dodging another rock-n-ball combo. Her hands worked feverishly at each line, churning out an only barely legible scrawl as she continued to weave across the rope. More and more were now coming from her backstabbing teammate, who was now brazenly demanding others in line to hand over whatever scavenge they had for her to chuck at the balancing girl. Fear gripped the pair as Kotone passed by question 15 while larger, more desperate barrages assailed her precarious position.
In an instant this growing frenzy was cut as whirling metal erupted from grounded girl's hand. Kotone barely even had time to process the illegal shuriken as she lost her balance in a death-defying dodge. The world turned upside down as she tumbled from the rope, but in a moment of either pure miracle or instinct her hand found the rope on her way down. In an elegant, if inwardly frenzied motion, the girl did a complete 360 degrees around the rope, her opposite arm barely missing the ground in the process. Landing feet first back on the swaying cord, hysteria erupted on the ground as the instructor stepped in to admonish and escort the disqualified girl away.
The chaos proved just the thing needed to give Kotone a moment to catch her breath and unceremoniously force out the last few answers onto her test. Shimmying away from one last ball, the girl leapt from the tightrope just as the instructor hurriedly returned. Solemnly shoving the filled out paper into his hands, Kotone immediately joined the others on the podium. She barely even acknowledged the man as he quickly put a close to the events and congratulated all of the winners, much to the disappointment and boos of the audience. Kotone's mind was now firmly on one thought "All that for some lousy extra credit?" At least her parents wouldn't have much cause to bother the girl about her grades this week.
[Exit]
The non-question was met by a non-answer in the form of a noncommittal shrug, the other students's shoulders slumping a little more than even the previous few exchanges of this game. Kotone ran through as many of the questions in her mind as she could as she heard the recent additions from the previous test go through the chain of students in a form of camaraderie. As the words bounced from the mouth of the boy in front, she mindlessly turned and repeated "Name and describe the advances of one major contributer to the Katon element in the past ten y-"
Kotone stopped herself short as she shot a knowing look at the pudgy girl behind her. The questions were finally repeating. As the other girl turned to recite the question and continue the line of knowledge, Kotone strained her ears to the front of the crowd. The realization that came shook her, not only was it one repeat question, but the tests had fully looped around and this past one had been an exact copy of the very first test that had been graciously passed onto the crowd by the taker. As the stream of questions descended through the body of kids an additional series of hushed, rapid conversation quickly made it known that everyone else was also catching on to this fact.
The sound of another failure passed by mundanely, but as the questions once again streamed through a novel occurrence pierced the air. "Students, I am please to announce we have our first passing quiz. And with this happy news, I would like to explain two more conditions." The news perked Kotone up immediately, once again exchanging eye contact with girl behind her. Firstly, this will be number one of ten possible passing grades. You heard me right, there will only be nine more slots before I wrap this up. But before all of you in the back despair, while it was not previously against the rules, I am now making you aware that you are free to interfere with and harass anyone on the tightrope. This comes with three stipulations, no manufactured weapons, no jutsu, and no getting out of line. You are free to use your voice, and anything non-deadly that you might find within arms reach. Good luck, and happy squabbling."
The events that unfolded were exactly as one would predict. Each test quickly devolved into a flurry of debris hurled at current taker, incorrect answers and demeaning insults were shouted in hopes of distraction, and an ever increasing din of would-be plots and teamwork went up and down the line in a frenzy. Kotone was still taking in the pandemonium when a hand clasped the back of her shirt and she was spun around. "No nonsense, you focus on dodging and I'll feed you the answers. You do the same for you me when I go up. Got it?" The blonde girl gave a firm nod in response, she had no problems with that arrangement, and was taking a liking to her newfound teammate's straightforward approach.
The more hellish situation quickly thinned out the herd of students in front of Kotone. The less suited to dodging were quickly bucked from the rope, while those that could handle the heat breezed through the test, having already worked out their assigned questions long before leaping onto the rope. The newly crowned victors filed onto a makeshift podium beside the tightrope with the original passing student. The small group quickly either joined the crowd in hindering, helped those they took pity on, or simply sat out with their job now complete, all depending on their previously formed allegiances. Now just two people away from the rope, Kotone quickly consulted with the brown haired girl behind her, making sure they both had the questions and required answers firmly squared away in their brains.
The students in front of her handily passed, and giving one last glance to the podium, Kotone counted eight students including the newly arriving pair. Waving a thankful hand to the girl behind her, Kotone approached the dangling tight rope and leapt. As her feet touched the thin cord, a paper and pen immediately arrived her hand, courtesy of a particularly keen toss from the proctoring instructor. Immediately a ball flew at her, a quick sidestep just barely ensuring that it did plant itself into her gut. A collection of debris from the academy grounds immediately followed, and Kotone sought about finding a rhythm in the madness. As her feet became a bit more firm, and the hurtling projectiles seemed more managable, she cast a nod to her accomplice on the ground. The words from shouting girl's mouth came out clear, purposeful, and yet there was something amiss.
A chill ran through Kotone's spine, forcing her hand to stop writing. That was definitely the wrong answer, and the blonde girl could not comprehend why that was. Ducking another ball, her eyes shot over the winners' stand and she shuddered. There was an additional boy there now. Though she had been positive that she had counted 8, in her hasty preparations she had overlooked one shorter child standing toward the back of the group. There were nine winners, and the next spot would be the last. Hearing an approaching whiz, the girl barely had time for her instincts to kick in as she juked a baseball, ducked a twig, and narrowly limbo-ed a hefty rock. Though she was beginning to get used to the projectiles, the rock in particular had unnerved her in its trajectory. It had come from too close, and righting herself she observed her fuming would-partner stoop for another stone to lug at her.
Panic surged into the girl as her mind wrestled for answers to the paper in her hands, while simultaneously dodging another rock-n-ball combo. Her hands worked feverishly at each line, churning out an only barely legible scrawl as she continued to weave across the rope. More and more were now coming from her backstabbing teammate, who was now brazenly demanding others in line to hand over whatever scavenge they had for her to chuck at the balancing girl. Fear gripped the pair as Kotone passed by question 15 while larger, more desperate barrages assailed her precarious position.
In an instant this growing frenzy was cut as whirling metal erupted from grounded girl's hand. Kotone barely even had time to process the illegal shuriken as she lost her balance in a death-defying dodge. The world turned upside down as she tumbled from the rope, but in a moment of either pure miracle or instinct her hand found the rope on her way down. In an elegant, if inwardly frenzied motion, the girl did a complete 360 degrees around the rope, her opposite arm barely missing the ground in the process. Landing feet first back on the swaying cord, hysteria erupted on the ground as the instructor stepped in to admonish and escort the disqualified girl away.
The chaos proved just the thing needed to give Kotone a moment to catch her breath and unceremoniously force out the last few answers onto her test. Shimmying away from one last ball, the girl leapt from the tightrope just as the instructor hurriedly returned. Solemnly shoving the filled out paper into his hands, Kotone immediately joined the others on the podium. She barely even acknowledged the man as he quickly put a close to the events and congratulated all of the winners, much to the disappointment and boos of the audience. Kotone's mind was now firmly on one thought "All that for some lousy extra credit?" At least her parents wouldn't have much cause to bother the girl about her grades this week.
[Exit]
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