Chapter 93

Cecile Hall empties as students rush to the posted term final results. Becky climbs a few spots while Anya jumps from 213th to 168th, a leap that baffles Damian's group until the subject rankings reveal the reason: Anya holds the second-best Classical Language score in the entire grade, enough to earn a Stella Star. Damian himself tops the year in History. Anya's celebration is cut short when Bill Watkins points out her failed Math final, which carries a Tonitrus Bolt.

Her parents congratulate her at home, and Loid, though startled by the demerit, declines to scold her, recognizing what it means that she earned a Stella through actual schoolwork. The Authens drop by with their own congratulations. At bedtime, Loid gently probes whether Anya grew up somewhere the classical language was spoken; she says her memories of that time are foggy, and he lets the matter go.

At the next day's awards ceremony, Anya and Damian receive their Stellas, and the middle school ceremony that follows showcases Demetrius Desmond collecting six at once. Curious about the celebrated genius, Anya joins Damian's group waiting for him outside and tries to read his mind, only to find total silence. Damian asks whether their father commented on the achievement; Demetrius replies that he rarely hears from him. Only as he walks away does Anya catch a thought, a confession that he understands neither people in general nor Donovan.

Damian wrestles with memories of stories placing their father constantly at Demetrius's side and wonders why he receives nothing similar, steeling himself as he heads back to class. At home, Anya imitates Demetrius's blank, wide-eyed stare, telling Loid she will keep the face until she becomes a super genius, and his attempts at conversation end in a weary sigh.

Anya earns a Stella Star for placing second in her grade in Classical Language while simultaneously receiving a Tonitrus Bolt for failing Math, a combination Henry Henderson says he has never seen.

Demetrius Desmond makes his first physical appearance and collects six Stellas at the middle school ceremony.

Anya's telepathy initially finds Demetrius's mind silent, then hears him admit he cannot understand people, his father included.

Loid questions Anya about her early childhood for the first time.

A 22-page chapter opening Volume 14 within the Term Finals Arc, released January 8, 2024.

A small continuity thread pays off here: Anya woke up chilly in the previous chapter, and Loid explains she kicks off her blanket in her sleep. The chapter illustration doubles as a New Year's greeting and a homage to the 1976 anime Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi. This is also the first meeting between Demetrius and both Anya and Becky.