I turn this Otome game into Fighting game by mistake...

So, the second round of exams had begun.

Willhart continued attending the academy, where everyone was still gathering in large numbers.

This time, the exam was a magic aptitude test. It was held in the academy's grand courtyard, with three judges and several proctors watching closely—probably to ensure no one cheated.

This exam was crucial as it determined whether a student had the potential for the academy to further nurture their abilities.

Anyway, enough background. Willhart was heading to his assigned exam area.

When he arrived, everyone was gathered around, staring intently at a magic orb, the tool used to identify one's most compatible magical element.

"Number 17!"

A young man stepped forward. He placed his hand on the orb and injected a small amount of mana.

The orb glowed, shifting to brown and blue hues, and displayed data on its surface.

The judge examined the data, wrote it on a report, and announced loudly:

"Your primary elements are Earth and Water. Max mana: 1500. Magical strength: 6/10. Well done!"

"Yea!" The boy cheered and moved on to the next test, which evaluated magical strength.

"Try using basic magic to attack that crystal," instructed a judge, pointing at a crystal nearby.

"You mean a mana ball?"

"Exactly."

The boy nodded, gathering mana into his hand, and launched a small mana ball at the crystal. The attack dissolved upon impact, and data appeared on the crystal's surface.

"3/10. Now use an elemental magic attack."

"Any element?"

"Yes."

He smiled, channeling mana into his hand, then slammed it to the ground.

The earth beneath the crystal rose and struck it, before being absorbed. The crystal displayed new data.

"7/10. Good. Now show us your strongest spell."

The boy placed his hand on the ground again. Beneath the crystal, the earth sank into mud, which was absorbed and recorded.

"Ah, mud-based magic? Effective for traps. 8/10. You pass."

"Yay!"

The boy left, and the judge called out the next number.

If you're wondering if this process seemed slow, rest assured—they tested multiple students simultaneously by dividing the massive courtyard into separate sections.

Willhart was assigned to Section 3, coincidentally the same as Prince Charming.

"Ah! You're the one who sits behind me! Hello there!"

Prince Charming greeted Willhart cheerfully, while the girls nearby swooned, hearts practically in their eyes.

"Ah... G-Greetings, Your Highness…"

"Come on, no need to be so formal. Just call me Charming!"

I swear, couldn't Disney have given this guy a better name…

"How did you do on the written test? I thought it was pretty easy."

"I managed, though the dungeon question confused me a bit."

"Oh, that one? That was mostly a trick question. The best answer was just to not go into the dungeon." Prince Charming gave a thumbs up, making Willhart squint.

"Number 24!"

"Oops, my turn! Seems our chat was short."

"It's fine, Your Highness."

"I told you, no need to be formal!"

With that, he stepped up to the orb, attracting everyone's attention—and the squeals of fangirls.

"Good day, Your Highness. Please place your hand on the magic orb and channel mana for analysis," said the judge, bowing respectfully.

Prince Charming complied, and the orb glowed an exceptionally bright blue.

"Your Highness, your primary element is Water. Max mana: 3400. Magical strength: 9/10. Truly remarkable."

A collective gasp erupted, and the prince rubbed the back of his head, smiling bashfully. He moved on to the crystal tests.

Basic magic attack: 8/10

Elemental magic: 7/10 (using water magic)

For his strongest spell…

"To use my strongest magic, I'll need a sword," he said.

"Of course. Weapons are provided for close-combat specialists."

Prince Charming picked up a sword, raising it to his shoulder.

"WHIRLPOOL TRIGGER!"

Like a character straight out of a shounen manga, he slashed toward the crystal. Suddenly, water surged around the crystal, forming a whirlpool before exploding upward, creating a powerful shockwave that sent the crystal soaring.

...It was intense.

The crystal remained intact, but the judges and spectators were left stunned.

"…Not giving him 10/10 would feel unfair."

Prince Charming passed and returned, grinning proudly.

"You look happier than when you first spoke to me," Willhart observed.

"That's right! I'm proud of that technique. I've trained for so long, and it worked perfectly!" the prince beamed, clearly satisfied.

"Number 25!"

This time, a shy girl with gray hair approached nervously, dressed in what looked like a maid's outfit. (Not actually maid oufit)

Cinderella.

Her primary element was also Water, with a max mana of 3000, but her magical strength was only 5/10. She didn't know how to cast any spells, so her scores for magic tests were all 0/10.

Some students snickered at her failure, and she began to look disheartened.

Thankfully, the judges didn't mock her. They focused on her potential, which was adequate.

She really does suit the prince, Willhart thought. Both share the water element and have high mana reserves, though Cinderella lacks training.

BOOM!

A loud explosion came from another section, drawing everyone's attention.

"Huh? Isn't that… what's his name? Ah, Eugene!"

Eugene stood with a broken greatsword, flames still lingering on its blade.

The nearby judge broke into a nervous sweat, backing away. The crystal was cracked, displaying the damage dealt.

"10/10!!"

Eugene dropped the broken weapon and walked off as everyone parted to make way for him.

KENG!

Another loud sound came from yet another section. A brown-haired boy with green eyes had fired an arrow that embedded itself firmly in the crystal.

"9/10!"

Shortly after, a red-haired girl with a fierce expression fired her bow, her arrow piercing the crystal as well.

"9/10!"

"GAHAHAHAHA!!!" Her maniacal laughter echoed as a nearby judge tried to intervene but was stopped by a purple-haired girl wielding a scythe.

"7/10!!"

Willhart broke into a nervous sweat, speechless at everyone's unique methods of showing off their magic.

"Number 30!"

Ah, my turn.

Willhart stepped forward, placing his hand on the magic orb. It glowed red, and the data appeared.

The judge frowned as they read the results.

'Come on… I know I'm not talented…'

"Primary element: Fire. Max mana:...320. Magical strength:...3/10."

The crowd reacted with disbelief. The average max mana for a normal person was around 800, while 500-600 was considered weak. Willhart's 320 was downright abysmal.

Even his magical strength was two points lower than Cinderella's, which was… humiliating.

"Ahem… Please proceed to the crystal test," said the judge, trying to move things along.

Willhart's basic magic attack was a tiny, sluggish mana ball that vanished before reaching the crystal.

"…1/10."

His elemental attack was a small fireball, which at least hit the target.

"…2/10. Alright, use your strongest attack."

The judges had already lost hope, simply wanting him to finish quickly. The spectators began mocking him openly.

'Without a Magic Gear, I'm nothing… Oh well. Let's finish this.'

He raised his hand, conjuring flames. For the first time, the judges paid closer attention. Willhart inhaled deeply and yelled like a shounen protagonist.

"TURN TO ASHES!!!"

Flames engulfed him as he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on the crystal, finishing with a blazing jump attack. He landed, exhaling sharply before straightening up.

The judges and crowd were stunned. No one had expected such a polished combo.

"…5/10. You put real effort into that last one," admitted the judge.

Huh, they only cared about the combo. Oh well, 5 is good enough…

Willhart left, deciding to head out entirely.

"Huhhh."

A different sigh near him piqued Willhart's curiosity about someone who might be like him.

It was a young man with orange-blonde hair. His name was... ughhh, Bread?

"Hey, what are you staring at?" He glared at me, making me turn my face away.

He squinted at me more intently, then his eyes widened in realization.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE JERK WHO WOULDN'T LET ME COPY YOUR TEST!"

Huh? Since when was that my fault?

He rushed over and grabbed my collar.

"Do you realize that hiding your test answers has led to humanity's division?! You're cruel! A villain! A demon!"

"Isn't that just common sense?"

"That doesn't matter! Haven't you ever heard what a wise man once said? 'Friend, share your answers; though strangers, we're on the same exam!'"

"I doubt that 'wise man' exists. That sounds like something you made up."

"Shut up! Because of you, I had to suffer my mom's wrath! And today's test was a disaster. If I go home, I'm done for!" He crouched down, clutching his head and sobbing.

"I didn't ask for all this drama. Goodbye," I waved and started to leave.

But he clung to my leg.

"No! You have to make up for the pain you caused me! You don't understand how unlucky I was back then! I lost the purse the prince gave me, got turned into an animal, and was ridiculed by everyone! It was humiliating!"

"Isn't that your problem?! Let go of me!!"

"No!! I won't! I don't want to go home and get slapped with a sandal by my mom!!"

"Is your mom Asian?!"

No matter how hard I tried to shake him off, he wouldn't let go.

'Damn it, if this goes on, I'll be late! I still have so much to do!'

Looking at his teary eyes and the snot smearing my pants, I gave up.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Huh?" He looked up at me.

"I asked, what do you want?"

"Oh wow, can't believe my whining plan worked. Usually, I'd have given up by now—"

"Goodbye."

"WAIT, WAIT! I WANT YOU TO COME HOME WITH ME!!"

I turned to him.

"Why?"

"If my mom sees me with you, she won't hit me."

"Anything else?"

"Uh, I've got nothing. The writer's out of ideas."

"Okay, lead the way."

He happily led the way while I sighed again.

I'm tired. I want to sleep.

***

"He controls mana so well, saving even the smallest amount without wasting it... He seems to have combat experience," Albert, the prince's butler, remarked while observing his continuous combos.

"Yeah, his mana control is better than mine, but his attacks... they're pretty weak."

It felt like he was missing something essential to complete his attacks...

"If he had a Magic Gear suited to him, his strongest attack would probably become even stronger, I guess?" the prince mused as he surveyed the area.

As a prince, gathering information was as easy as peeling a banana.

For example, Willhart—he's the son of Count Batya Milov, someone the king described as absurdly powerful.

Then there's the brown-haired, green-eyed guy. If he wasn't mistaken, that's Robin Hood.

With his archery skills and control over Wind and Leaf elements, it was easy to identify the criminal with a hero personality.

But the prince didn't care. He just wanted to enjoy his academy days, so whoever Robin Hood was didn't matter.

Next was Eugene Fitzherbert.

...That guy was strange. He gave me an unsettling vibe.

No known hometown, origins, or identity—just a name.

For now, I should keep an eye on him.

"Your Highness, while I understand your interest in conversation and entertainment, I advise you to prepare to meet your father."

"Oh mannn... fine..." The prince stretched and glanced at everyone taking the exam.

Here's hoping this school year will be interesting...