Chapter 40 — Exam War
Aranya University had one reputation.
Exams here were brutal.
Not normal exams.
War.
And the entire campus knew it.
---
Morning Chaos at the Mansion
The mansion that morning looked like a disaster zone.
Books everywhere.
Notes spread across the dining table.
Coffee mugs.
Empty snack wrappers.
Lyra walked into the hall and froze.
"Did a tornado study here?"
Alex was lying on the couch with a book covering his face.
"Worse."
He lifted the book.
"Care and Cole."
At the far end of the table—
The battlefield.
Care sat with a huge stack of notes.
Perfect posture.
Calm.
Focused.
Cole sat across from her.
Equally focused.
Equally dangerous.
And between them—
A mountain of textbooks.
Alex whispered to Lyra.
"Watch this."
Cole suddenly looked up.
"You skipped a theorem."
Care didn't even blink.
"You missed a formula."
Cole leaned forward.
"That theorem proves your formula."
Care calmly turned a page.
"Your proof is incomplete."
Cole smirked.
"You're assuming the derivative."
Care tapped the page.
"Because the function is continuous."
Cole paused.
Then narrowed his eyes.
"You're annoying."
Care closed her notebook.
"You're slow."
Alex clapped slowly.
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome to the academic battlefield."
Lyra shook her head laughing.
"They're insane."
---
Meanwhile… Ash
Ash was sitting on the balcony.
Phone in hand.
Smiling.
Again.
Lyra walked out and leaned against the railing.
"You've been smiling at that phone for twenty minutes."
Ash immediately locked the screen.
"I'm not."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"Uh huh."
Ash looked back at the phone.
Another message popped up.
Percy:
Did you study or are you still bullying books?
Ash typed quickly.
Ash:
I study properly unlike some dramatic people.
Instant reply.
Percy:
Excuse me I am extremely hardworking.
Another message.
Percy:
Also I miss our chaos.
Ash paused.
Her smile softened slightly.
She typed again.
Ash:
Focus on your university idiot.
Percy replied immediately.
Percy:
You too.
Then another message.
Percy:
Don't let Cole beat Care. That would be embarrassing.
Ash laughed quietly.
Lyra leaned closer.
"Still messaging Percy?"
Ash immediately hid the phone.
"No."
Lyra smirked.
"Sure."
The funny part?
Neither Ash nor Percy really understood what this was.
Not just friendship.
But something deeper.
And neither of them had figured it out yet.
---
HU Students Watching the Madness
Inside the mansion living room—
The HU students were witnessing something unbelievable.
Ace leaned against the couch watching Care and Cole argue again.
"…they've been doing this for three hours."
Matt nodded.
"And they're enjoying it."
Race shook his head.
"Psychopaths."
Zein laughed.
"At least they're not trying to kill each other."
Allison looked at the textbooks.
"How hard are these exams?"
Alex walked past dramatically.
"Hard enough to destroy normal human confidence."
Mia looked nervous.
"We joined recently… do we have to take them?"
Lyra shook her head.
"Nope."
Relief instantly spread across their faces.
Ace leaned back.
"Good."
Matt added.
"I'd rather fight enemies than exams."
---
Aranya University – The Exam Hall
The entire campus was tense.
Students whispering.
Some praying.
Others panicking.
Aranya professors had one motto:
Survive if you can.
Inside the massive exam hall—
Hundreds of students sat silently.
Care entered calmly.
Cole entered seconds later.
Students immediately began whispering.
"Those two again."
"They're the entrance rankers."
"Top two."
Care sat down.
Cole sat behind her.
He leaned forward slightly.
"Ready to lose?"
Care didn't turn.
"Focus on passing."
Cole laughed quietly.
The bell rang.
Papers distributed.
And the war began.
---
The Exam Battle
Pens moved rapidly.
Students around them struggled.
But at two desks—
A different level entirely.
Care writing quickly.
Cole flipping pages confidently.
Two minds racing.
Two strategies forming.
Halfway through—
Cole looked up.
Care was already on the final section.
He smirked.
"Of course."
He sped up.
Meanwhile the rest of the hall looked like they were drowning.
One student whispered dramatically,
"I don't know anything."
Another whispered back,
"Same."
At the end—
Care finished first.
Cole finished seconds later.
They both submitted papers at the same time.
The professor looked amused.
"Again."
---
Results Day
The classroom buzzed with tension.
Students waiting nervously.
The professor entered holding the results.
Silence.
He adjusted his glasses.
"Well."
He looked around the class.
"Interesting results."
Students leaned forward.
"First place…"
He paused.
"Again."
Everyone already knew.
"Care."
"And Cole."
The entire class erupted.
"No way!"
"Again?!"
"They tied again?!"
Care remained calm.
Cole leaned back in his chair smiling.
Across the room—
Lyra clapped loudly.
Alex laughed.
"I told you."
Ash looked up from her phone.
"Of course they tied."
Zein shook her head.
"They're monsters."
Ace laughed.
"Academic monsters."
Matt nodded.
"I'm glad we don't compete with them."
Mia looked amazed.
"Both first place…"
Race whistled.
"That's insane."
The professor smiled slightly.
"In twenty years of teaching…"
He looked at Care and Cole.
"I've never seen a rivalry like this."
Students around them were already whispering.
"They're legends."
"Academic rivals."
"The two geniuses."
Cole leaned slightly toward Care.
"So."
"Next exam."
Care closed her notebook calmly.
"You still won't beat me."
Cole grinned.
"We'll see."
Across the classroom—
Alex whispered to Lyra.
"This rivalry will destroy the university."
Lyra laughed.
"Or make it legendary."
And somehow…
Both were probably true.