"Exactly right. Ten points for Clara!" Aguin clapped, followed by the passengers around him.
Clara felt relieved. Thank goodness she liked history.
"Next up... Tora!"
"My name is Tora, and I'm seventeen years old. I'm a second-year student at Burfee High School. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Tora." Aguin then took the card Tora held out.
Aguin was startled. "Who made these questions?" He looked toward the TV crew. The person he looked at flinched slightly and shrugged.
"Wow. Our contestants this time are all different ages. That's a little unfair. But let's think of it as a card game that relies on each of your luck."
Tora continued watching Aguin.
"Tora, this is a legal matter. Do you know about the old regulations on magic that were removed from the Law?"
Tora was startled. Every eye was now on him.
"You have the option not to answer," Aguin reminded him.
"Article 1 of Law No. 12 of 1955 on Equality states that every citizen has an equal role in the government. That means anyone can obtain a seat in the government through a certain selection process. The regulation was repealed in 1961 after political chaos caused by the use of black magic in the ministry. Because of that, a new article was added stating that government positions could only be obtained by nonmagical citizens through a strict selection process."
Silence.
Tora grew awkward under the eyes of everyone around him.
Applause rang out. It was the director. More clapping followed, including Clara's. Even though Tora was shy, he had answered the question with remarkable clarity.
"Wait!" Aguin cut in. "Were you even born back then?" People laughed, though they were still filled with awe.
"I read it in a book." Tora's answer made Aguin nod repeatedly.
"Your answer is correct. But look at my cheat sheet! It's much shorter than the answer you just gave." The host showed Tora, who was sitting not far away, a large card containing the answer.
Tora chuckled.
"Ten points for Tora!" Aguin clapped again.
For some reason, Clara felt the atmosphere inside the train car suddenly grow warm. The people she'd just met weren't so scary after all. Now, she'd even forgotten there was a camera.