Chapter 101: Candies Rule

Jimmy and Annie studied together from a single shared textbook, preparing for the test scheduled right after break. They sat close together, the book spread open across the middle of their joined desks, its pages packed with diagrams, explanations, classifications, and dense blocks of notes Jimmy had already stared at more times than he cared to admit.

The classroom carried a relatively calm atmosphere, scattered conversations drifting from different corners of the room. Some students quietly reviewed their own material, while others made the most of the remaining free time to rest before the test officially began.

For Jimmy, tests like this one had always felt like a genuine struggle, especially whenever they involved dense theory, complicated explanations, and written responses demanding he push through pages and pages of dry information.

That particular struggle had followed him all the way back to elementary school. He’d never developed much patience for books, lectures, or drawn out explanations, and the older he got, the more glaringly obvious that weakness had become.

He could sit through a practical lesson for hours without a single complaint.

He could push his body through exhausting training until every muscle screamed.

He could run his summons through repeated drills, studying their movements and reactions until he fully understood their individual strengths and weaknesses.

But hand him a thick textbook packed with theory and expect his attention to hold from start to finish, and it would scatter almost instantly.

All he genuinely cared about was using his own talent, skill, and raw power as a summoner. To him, that was what actually mattered. He firmly believed students like himself deserved to sharpen their talents through real, practical experience, not endless hours buried in assignments and homework like some kindergarten routine.

That belief was exactly why he’d jumped at Annie’s offer about the upcoming dungeon programme without much hesitation.

The opportunity had grabbed his attention instantly the moment Annie first mentioned it.

A dungeon, he understood completely.

Dangerous, hands on, unpredictable, the kind of environment where a summoner actually had to rely on raw ability instead of memorizing paragraphs out of some textbook.

Jimmy genuinely appreciated Annie for bringing that particular opportunity his way in the first place.

Unfortunately, the dungeon programme alone couldn’t fully rescue him from his ongoing academic struggles.

When it came to regular class tests and assignments, Jimmy had always leaned heavily on Annie as his go to helper and consultant. She’d gradually grown accustomed to his constant need for assistance and guidance, even when his particular methods occasionally crossed well into outright cheating territory.

To Jimmy, Annie was simply a genuinely kind, understanding girl when it came to helping other people out. She also happened to carry what amounted to a near legendary devotion to sweet candy.

That particular trait probably explained a good chunk of why the two of them got along so effortlessly.

Jimmy paused mid read.

His eyes narrowed, scanning over a dense section of the textbook explaining the different variants and classes of summons. His eyebrows pulled together slightly as he reread the exact same paragraph a second time, lips pressing into a thin, frustrated line.

Individually, the words seemed simple enough.

Strung together, though, they somehow turned into a confusing mess.

Annie noticed his expression shift.

A light chuckle slipped out of her as she tapped one finger lightly against the page, pulling his attention back toward the subject.

"Don’t tell me you genuinely don’t even understand the class and variant system for summons, including your own."

She raised an eyebrow, giving him a pointed, knowing look.

Jimmy let out a light scoff, pressing his lips together.

"Of course I know it. I’m a dual summoner. My Knight carries polymer variants of striker, vanguard, and specialist classes all in one. The other summon’s a duo variant, attacker and specialist combined."

He paused, glancing back toward the textbook.

His confidence lasted barely a few seconds before doubt crept visibly back into his expression.

"Honestly, it’s easy enough to explain when I’m talking about my own actual summons. I just don’t get why the book makes it sound so complicated. Books always twist straightforward stuff into some incoherent mess, far as I’m concerned. Genuinely don’t know how you manage to read through this stuff in one sitting."

Annie smiled at his frustration with the textbook.

She understood exactly what he meant, even while privately thinking he was exaggerating a little.

She knew firsthand how textbooks could sometimes bury a simple concept underneath layer after layer of technical jargon, formal definitions, classifications, and examples, until anyone unfamiliar with the material started genuinely wondering if the author had deliberately set out to make things harder than necessary.

"Quit exaggerating already," Annie said. "I don’t magically understand everything in one read either. We’ve all got brains that work roughly the same way, we just need different amounts of time to actually process things. Maybe try some peppermints next time, honestly. They really help me focus whenever I need to think something through properly."

Jimmy glanced at her.

His expression shifted slightly as he actually considered the suggestion.

"Hm. Maybe I should try one now, if you’ve got any on you. Been way too long since I’ve actually had real candy, now that I think about it."

Annie’s face lit up almost instantly.

"Here, try this one."

She chirped happily, reaching into her desk and pulling out a small, slightly crinkled packet of colorful sweets, the bright wrapper standing out sharply against the duller academic clutter scattered across the desk.

She held it out toward Jimmy with an eager, hopeful smile.

Jimmy accepted the packet.

He tore it open and popped a few pieces into his mouth, chewing slowly as the sugary flavor spread across his tongue.

His expression shifted visibly.

"Okay, this is genuinely good stuff. Been seriously missing out. It actually helps."

He swallowed, glancing back down at the packet.

"You should honestly take us candy shopping sometime, help me find my actual favorite."

Annie laughed.

"Here’s the thing about candy, there’s no such thing as a favorite, because they’re all my favorite!"

Her voice carried genuine, bubbling enthusiasm.

"My whole childhood got shaped by Chupa Chups, Jolly Ranchers, Snickers, Kit Kat, M&M’s, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s, Milky Way. Name literally anything, and I can rattle off every single flavor variation that exists!"

She kept going enthusiastically, clearly thrilled to finally talk about something she genuinely knew inside and out, far better than anything printed in their textbook.

Jimmy watched her for a moment, chuckling softly.

"Guess we’ll just have to cover all of that once we actually hit the candy shop together. Honestly can’t wait to try everything."

Annie’s smile never wavered.

For a moment, the difficult test waiting just past break felt considerably less pressing.

Their easy conversation had handed Jimmy something he rarely got from studying, an actual, genuine reason to stay engaged.

He glanced back down at the textbook.

The words were still just as confusing as before.

But at least there was candy now. ℯℯ𝑙.

Then Jimmy suddenly remembered something else entirely.

"Oh, good news, by the way, about that invitation thing you mentioned earlier."

Annie’s attention snapped fully back to him.

Jimmy leaned back slightly, a proud smirk settling across his face.

"Already handled it. Submitted both our permission forms and applications for the dungeon programme straight to the principal’s office for early approval. How’s that sound, huh?"

Annie froze completely.

Her expression shifted rapidly from mild curiosity into genuine, wide eyed surprise.

"Wait, you actually did that for us?"

Her voice carried real, unmistakable disbelief.

"That’s, that’s actually amazing."

She tried hard to downplay just how pleased she genuinely felt, though her expression gave everything away regardless.

Jimmy’s smirk only widened further at the sight of her brightened face.

"Yeah. Pretty sure that makes us the first sophomores to actually get the application cleared too."

Annie stared at him a moment longer, still processing.

The fact that he’d actually gone through the entire process of submitting the application without saying a word to her beforehand had caught her completely off guard.

She’d expected him to simply talk about the idea out loud.

She’d expected a casual agreement at most.

She’d honestly half expected him to forget the whole thing entirely once something else grabbed his attention.

Instead, he’d actually followed through on it.

Annie placed one hand gently over Jimmy’s in quiet appreciation.

The gesture was simple enough, though her expression clearly conveyed exactly how much it genuinely meant to her.

She loved that he’d quietly handled everything without her even knowing, turning it into a real, honest surprise.

For once, Jimmy had taken something seriously entirely on his own, without needing to be pushed or nagged into it.

That detail meant considerably more to her than she’d expected going in.

"I really do appreciate this," she said softly.

Jimmy shrugged, playing it off like it was nothing major.

"Don’t make it sound like I climbed a mountain or something. I wanted to go too, you know."

Annie smiled warmly.

Still, she could tell perfectly well how pleased he genuinely felt by her reaction, no matter how casually he brushed it off.