The Association testing center looked like a government building designed by someone with a deep hatred for whimsy.
Gray walls. Fluorescent lights. Rows of identical desks stretching across the room. Suzume walked through the entrance in the professional outfit Yumi had lent her, a fitted blazer, dark slacks, and a blouse that actually required ironing. She kinda felt like she was wearing a costume.
Other examinees filled the seats. Most looked older than her, mid-twenties to thirties, the kind of seasoned Players who'd spent years working up to guild leadership. A few glanced at Suzume as she found her assigned desk. She caught whispered fragments.
"—that Rescue Girl?"
"—so young—"
"—heard she's not even Level 10—"
Suzume sat down and focused on arranging her pencils.
The proctor, a stern woman with gray hair pulled back tight, stood at the front of the room.
"You have four hours. Five sections: dungeon law, Player regulations, ethical standards, guild management, and crisis protocols. Multiple choice, short answer, and essay components. No breaks. No bathroom trips once we begin. Any questions?"
Silence.
"Turn your papers over. Begin."
Her pencil moved steadily across the answer sheet.
The questions started off easy but quickly got harder. Certification requirements for different guild tiers. Liability distributions between guild masters and individual members. Insurance mandates. Tax implications.
Before she knew it, Suzume's hand cramped from writing. She shook it out and kept going.
Two hours in. Her neck was stiff. The examinee two seats over kept sniffling, which was somehow more distracting than it should have been.
[Focus.]
She wrote carefully, outlining reporting chains, whistleblower protections under current regulations, ethical duties to prioritize Player safety over guild politics and yada yada.
Her hand ached. She kept writing.
The essay ran long. She didn't care. Some things needed to be said properly. From there, she went over budgeting scenarios, staff allocation, equipment procurement protocols, and emergency fund requirements.
Suzume worked through each question methodically. The numbers blurred together but she'd done enough practice problems that her brain operated on autopilot.
"Pencils down."
Suzume blinked. The proctor's voice cut through her concentration like a blade.
She looked at her exam booklet. Complete. Every question answered. Every essay finished.
Around her, other examinees groaned, stretched, rubbed their eyes. A few looked panicked—they hadn't finished in time.
Suzume stood on shaky legs and walked her materials to the front desk. The proctor collected her booklet without comment.
"Results will be posted on the website within 48 hours. You may leave."
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Suzume walked out of the testing room, through the gray hallway, past the water fountain she hadn't been allowed to use, and into the afternoon sunlight.
She squinted against the brightness. Her brain felt hollow, scraped clean of every piece of information it had held for the past four hours. Her writing hand throbbed. Her shoulders ached from hunching over the desk.
But it was done.
Whatever happened now, she'd given it everything she had.
"Hey."
Kasumi was leaning against the building's entrance pillar, holding two cups of coffee. She wore jeans and a casual top, hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She pushed off and walked over, that devastating smile spreading across her face.
"How'd you do?"
Suzume accepted the coffee. The warmth seeped into her cold fingers. She hadn't realized how cold her hands had gotten in the air-conditioned testing room.
"I think I passed."
"Of course you did."
"I guess we'll see." Suzume took a long sip. The caffeine hit her empty stomach and she realized she hadn't eaten since the leftover rice Yumi had packed for her that morning. "How long were you waiting?"
"About an hour." Kasumi shrugged like it was nothing. "Figured you'd need this when you came out."
She gestured with her own cup.
"Thank you." Suzume meant it. "Really. You didn't have to."
"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to."
Something warm bloomed in Suzume's chest that had nothing to do with the coffee.
"Come on." Kasumi nodded toward the street. "Let's get food in you before you collapse."
They found a ramen shop a few blocks from the testing center. Small, cramped, packed with salary workers grabbing late lunches. Suzume ordered the biggest bowl on the menu and inhaled it while Kasumi watched with amusement.
"Slow down. The noodles aren't going anywhere."
"I forgot how hungry exams make me."
Kasumi reached across the table and squeezed her hand. Brief, warm.
"You worked hard for this. Whatever the result, you should be proud."
Suzume looked up from her bowl. Kasumi's expression was softer than usual, the sharp edges smoothed away.
"Thanks."
"I mean it." Another squeeze, then Kasumi pulled back. "You've done more in six months than most Players do in years. Built a guild from nothing. Changed how people think about rescue operations. That exam is just paperwork."
Suzume's chest felt tight. She focused on her ramen to avoid doing something embarrassing like tearing up.
They finished eating and paid. The walk back toward headquarters took them through quieter streets, residential areas with small gardens and the occasional cat sunning itself on a wall.
"So," Kasumi said. "What's next? After you're officially legitimate?"
Suzume considered the question.
"Get back to work. We've spent so much time on requirements and bureaucracy and... preparation." She thought about the news alerts she'd been ignoring, the destabilization reports she'd flagged but couldn't respond to. "People have been needing help while we've been jumping through hoops. I want to actually help them."
Kasumi nodded.
"That's the Suzume I know."
"What about you? You're still associated with your old guild, right? They must be wondering where their star rookie disappeared to."
Kasumi's smile turned complicated.
"Let them wonder."
They kept walking.
---
{Three Days Later}
Suzume sat at her desk in headquarters, surrounded by paperwork.
Equipment requisition forms. Insurance applications. Liability waivers that needed signatures. The unglamorous reality of running a guild. Or, preparing to run a guild.
Yumi lounged on the couch nearby, scrolling through her phone while occasionally reading out loud from social media.
"Ooh, someone made fan art of you. It's pretty good, actually. They gave you abs."
"I have abs."
"Yeah, but they don't know that." Yumi tilted her phone to show her. "Look, they drew you all heroic with your rescue rope thing. Very anime protagonist energy."
Suzume glanced at the art. It was nice. A little idealized, but nice.
"Forward it to me later."
"Already done."
Suzume's phone buzzed.
She picked it up, expecting a message from Kasumi or maybe Hikari about scheduling. Instead, she saw a notification from the Association's official app.
*Leadership Certification Exam Results Now Available*
Her heart jumped. She tapped the notification immediately, navigating through the app's clunky interface to the results page.
Yumi sat up. "Is that—"
"Results are in."
The page loaded slowly. Suzume's leg bounced under the desk.
*Examinee: Aoi Suzume*
*Exam Date: [REDACTED]*
*Status: NOT APPLICABLE*
Suzume stared at the screen.
She refreshed the page. Same result.
"What does it say?" Yumi was already crossing the room.
"Not applicable." Suzume read it again, like the words might change if she looked hard enough. "My status is 'not applicable.'"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I don't know."
Suzume scrolled down, looking for an explanation. There was a small footnote at the bottom of the page.
*For inquiries regarding examination status, please contact the Association's Certification Review Board during standard business hours.*
No score. No pass or fail. Just "not applicable."
[What the fuck!?]
