Chapter 21

### Chapter 21: The Popular Student Goes to the Student Council

Sulin: [Hello, junior. How are you?]

The sender is Sulin. Why is this senior suddenly contacting me?

Still, I'm not in a bad mood. I should probably show off my hidden romantic side here.

Me: [Hello. What's with the formal tone, senior? 😄]

Sulin: [😄. It's my first time texting, so I'm trying to be polite!]

Me: [Is there something you need?]

Sulin: [Can't I just contact you? 😢]

Did I ask too soon about the reason? My romantic side is dead, so I don't even know what I did wrong.

Still, why is this senior so cute?

I decided to reply again.

Me: [No, no! You're busy, so it's nice of you to contact me.]

Sulin: [Actually, I do have something to ask. You know the club promotion starting this week, right? By any chance, are you thinking of joining the student council?]

Student council?

Suddenly, the student council?

This senior is really pushing things. In the game, club activities were just a device to involve the heroines in events simultaneously.

There was no route for joining the student council, so what should I do?

Me: [Thank you for the suggestion. Since this week is still early, I'll think about it and let you know.]

I'm not sure, but should I have rejected more firmly? I'm still not good at conversations, being a former shut-in.

Living a popular life is too difficult for me.

Sulin: [Got it. I'll ask you again tomorrow. Think about it well today!]

Me: [Sure, senior. Have a good night.]

Sulin: [You too~ (cat turning off the light emoji)]

Ah, I don't know.

The club I thought about joining was Lucy's friendship club.

The heroines who joined this club are Lumi and Lucy. With two heroines, there are a lot of events and incidents, so joining the friendship club is essential.

Ellis joined the reading club, and Namdaehun joined the relaxation club. At Victoria Academy, each student must join one club. Therefore, Namdaehun joined the relaxation club, though he doesn't actually participate in club activities.

In the reading club Ellis joined, no major events happen as they do in the original game. That's why I planned to join Lucy's friendship club, but I didn't expect a request from the student council.

“No matter how I think about it, I shouldn't join.”

The student council is clearly a place for students from well-off families or guilds. Even if I join, it would be hard to fit in.

There's also the time issue. The student council requires a lot of personal time, and I need a lot of time to pursue the heroines and the main story. I don't even have enough time for my personal training and studies.

Thinking about it, isn't the student council elected by vote? That's strange. There was no mention of voting in the original game. Maybe it wasn't important, so it wasn't included?

I thought about it, but I should probably reject it.

“Wait, isn't the Student Discipline Committee part of the student council?”

The Student Discipline Committee is indeed part of the student council. Should I try it?

At Victoria Academy, the role of the Student Discipline Committee is different from other schools.

It's not about pointing out behavior or dress code issues but about solving problems within the school independently.

This is because young students have more power and thus more incidents and accidents.

To avoid damaging the school's reputation by relying on external authorities, the Student Discipline Committee takes on this role.

‘The more I think about it, the better it seems.’

As a member of the Student Discipline Committee, I can roam the school freely and find hidden opportunities.

The Student Discipline Committee doesn't meet every day like the student council, so it won't interfere much with my friendship club activities or personal time.

Anyway, any large-scale incidents the Student Discipline Committee deals with, I have to be involved in anyway.

“Alright, I've made up my mind.”

Now that I've decided, I might as well get some sleep.

*

“I'm Ho Yeon from 1st Grade A Class.”

“Understood. I'll put you on the blacklist for all Victoria Academy clubs.”

“Handle it properly. He's a crude guy who insulted our Magic Research Club and slandered the professor.”

“Don't worry. Once they hear the name Ho Yeon, everyone will turn away.”

In the Magic Research Club room, the club president and the Victoria Academy club president were making a deal.

Surprisingly, the Magic Research Club had a lot of influence among the clubs. It had many members, and the president, Kim Hyun-do, came from a long line of magic families.

Moreover, the club president was promised a contract with Kim Hyun-do's family guild after graduation, so he supported the Magic Research Club a lot.

Thanks to this, the Magic Research Club's influence was above all other clubs except the student council.

“Is he really someone without any backing?”

“Don't worry. He's an orphan with no guild connections. He was briefly in the news for a photo with the student council president, but it turned out to be nothing. Just take care of it without worrying.”

“Got it.”

“People like him need to be crushed to understand their place.”

“Right. It will be done as you say.”

“Ho Yeon. I don't know how you tricked Professor Im Sol, but I will definitely get back at you…!”

Ha ha ha! Haha!

The hearty (?) laughter of the two men filled the club room.

*

Ding ding ding!

Tuesday is a strong and good morning!

I'm now used to waking up in the dormitory.

Of course, waking up to the alarm is still a struggle.

After roughly regaining my senses, I washed my face and looked in the bathroom mirror.

“Really, I am good-looking….”

It's not a lie; it's unbelievable. A straight nose, glowing skin, and lips without any makeup, and a manly eye shape.

If this were my friend, just walking with him would make me feel good, but I wouldn't want to introduce him to girls.

I put on the cadet uniform and the 1st-grade brooch on my chest and left the dormitory.

Today feels particularly refreshing, like something good will happen.

“Ho Yeon! Want to go together?”

A man's voice came from behind. I only have one close male friend.

The blonde delinquent, Kim Young-han. The term "blonde delinquent" might sound scary, but he's actually a very reliable friend.

That's why I can still get along with him even while busy pursuing the heroines.

This guy never betrays you.

In the original game, he always warns the protagonist of impending danger and shares any news he hears.

In the later stages, even when a group threatening the protagonist demands information from him, he never gives in.

In short, he's a good guy. There's no downside to having him around.

He can't be used as emergency rations, but he can be a reliable meat shield, like a hearty bowl of rice.

“Sure. Let's go.”

Walking together without much talk, as men often do, wasn't uncomfortable. Then Kim Young-han spoke first.

“Have you decided which club to join?”

“Me? I have two places in mind.”

“Really? I'm thinking of joining the tea ceremony club and the fishing club. What are you considering?”

Tea ceremony and fishing? They don't fit the blonde delinquent at all. If he's going to do that, he should dye his hair black. This guy.

“I'm thinking of joining the student council and Lucy's friendship club.”

“Student council? Did you get a recommendation?”

“Recommendation? What's that?”

“Don't you know? To join the student council, you need a recommendation from a current council member.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Is South Korea a communist country in 'Seika'? No, it's not. There was no such setting.

“Isn't the student council elected by vote?”

“The student council changes every two years. Since the current council started last year, there's still one year left. So, to join mid-term, you need a recommendation from a council member.”

What kind of ridiculous setting is this? It's like they're asking for a parachuted appointment.

“Ah, I see. I didn't know.”

“Yeah, but recommendations without a good reason aren't used. It's not a formal rule, but they're usually used to fill vacancies.”

At least they try to maintain some semblance of fairness.

Why is the situation suddenly getting complicated?

There's no mention of any vacancies in the student council.

So, it seems Sulin is trying to recommend me without a good reason, like a parachuted appointment.

Isn't this a situation that will attract unnecessary attention?

“Why don't you join the fishing club with me? Let's aim for a big catch.”

I left Kim Young-han, who was pretending to reel in a fishing rod in the air, and walked to the 1st-grade classroom.

“Victoria Academy's elite mages! Magic Research Club is recruiting new members!”

“Swordsmanship Club is looking for new members! First come, first served. Just you, and you'll get sword training!”

“Fishing Club! Experience a new kind of fun by becoming one with nature!”

Club promotions have definitely increased. Dozens of cadets are handing out pamphlets on the road.

“That's the fishing club you were looking for, right? Why don't you go ask?”

“Oh? Should I? Come with me.”

“No, I'm not going….”

Kim Young-han ran to get a pamphlet from the fishing club and started talking to a cadet.

“Phew.”

I don't plan to join, but I can't just leave, so I stood next to him.

“So, you have two spots for new members, right?”

“Yes, we have two spots! Actually, we haven't had many new members since last year, so our goal is to get over 10 this year.”

“Can I have two application forms, then?”

“Wait, one of the two isn't me, right?”

“Of course it's you, Ho Yeon. Let's become one with nature.”

“No, I don't want to.”

“Excuse me. This is Kim Young-han, and the new member is Ho Yeon, right?”

“Yes, that's me, but I don't plan to join….”

“I'm sorry, but we only have one spot left, so it's difficult for Ho Yeon to join.”

“…What?”

What kind of nonsense is this? Didn't he just say they were looking for 10 new members this year?

“What are you talking about? You said there were two spots.”

Kim Young-han also questioned the strange response from the promotional cadet.

“I'm sorry. There was a mistake. If Kim Young-han joins, the spots will be full.”

“….”

What is this? This uncomfortable feeling?

Even if there were spots, I wouldn't join, but changing his story as soon as he heard my name seems suspicious.

“Alright, I understand. If there are no spots, there's nothing I can do.”

“Hey, Ho Yeon! Where are you going!”

“I'm going first. You join and come back.”

It's annoying and suspicious, but I'm not joining anyway.

As soon as I heard my name, the cadets promoting the club suddenly parted like the Red Sea.

Then they avoided eye contact with me or started talking to other people.

“….”

There really seems to be something going on…

Sigh. I can't go ask.

I'll just go to class.

I went to the academy with a sense of unease. Kim Young-han followed and told me that as soon as I left, the fishing club cadet started promoting to someone else.

“I also felt something was off, so I didn't join.”

Indeed, he's a loyal friend, unlike the typical blonde delinquent.

I sat in my chair and waited for the homeroom teacher to arrive, feeling two gazes from the side.

Glancing over, one was Lumi. She was startled when our eyes met, opened her eyes wide, and quickly turned her head.

Why is she acting like that?

‘I can join the same club as Lumi, so it should be fine.’

There are too many heroines to keep track of. I'll take care of Lucy and Lumi in the friendship club.

The other was the extra rival, Do Jin-hyuk. He's almost radiating hostility.

I really don't understand. What did I do wrong? I haven't done anything wrong except being the protagonist.

Is that the problem?

Of course, sometimes you dislike people for no reason. This guy might have been born to be a villain. Poor guy.

Creak-

The classroom door opened, and the homeroom teacher, Kim Jin-hyuk, entered.

As usual, he was in a black suit with a slicked-back hairstyle.

“Are you all looking for clubs? I strongly recommend joining one, so make sure to do so.”

He calmly delivered his message as usual.

“Next week, there will be a dungeon training session. As you all know, Victoria Academy doesn't have attendance or class attitude scores. If you miss all classes but get the highest test score, you'll be first.”

This is why Namdaehun skips classes. Since he's always first in practical skills, there's no need to attend.

“However, the dungeon training session is part of the course score. You'll enter in groups, but each member will receive an individual score. If you try to force your way for points and disrupt team play, you'll be penalized. Make your own judgment.”

In short, it's a training session to foster cooperation. Each sage needs to cooperate whether they become hunters or join associations.

“Today's class will proceed normally without any special announcements. Any questions?”

“….”

“None? Then prepare for class.”

The homeroom teacher, Kim Jin-hyuk, left the classroom with those words.

As soon as he left, the classroom became noisy again.

‘I might as well prepare for class.’

I don't need to attend theory classes, but there's no need to skip and make a bad impression on the teachers.

I took out a paper from my bag and started reading. Papers just keep coming, no matter how much I read.

Creak!

Then the classroom door opened again.

It's a bit early for the theory class teacher, so maybe he's a bit early today.

I continued reading the paper, thinking that.

But it's unusually noisy for a teacher to enter.

“S, Student Council President? Why are you in the 1st-grade classroom?”

“Is there a student named Ho Yeon here?”

“Yes, yes. Ho Yeon is over there….”

“Thanks. Hehe.”

A voice I shouldn't hear in this classroom. And it's looking for me.

Thump thump

I looked up, and Sulin was standing in front of me.

A thought flashed through my mind: Oh no, this is bad.

“Junior, have you thought about it?”

She smiled beautifully, making it impossible to refuse, and handed me a student council application form.