Chapter 22

### Chapter 22: The Insider Goes to the Student Council (2)

“…”

As I looked at the student council application form that Moon Soo-rin was holding out, various thoughts ran through my mind. From "Why is she here?" to "How much more attention will this draw?"

“... President, why did you come all the way here?”

There were too many students around, so I used the term "President." Moon Soo-rin had called me a junior, so she should understand this much.

“Didn’t you say you’d think about it yesterday? Have you thought enough?”

Clearly, Kim Young-han said this morning that each student can only have one student council recommendation. She came to use it on me.

Moreover, the student council president came in person.

‘There’s no way I can refuse this.’

“Next time, don’t come in person. What kind of trouble are you trying to cause?”

“Sorry. I usually don’t do this, but I came to see you too. Hehe.”

Sigh... Moon Soo-rin isn’t usually like this.

In the game, Moon Soo-rin is cautious and careful.

Perhaps the cause is the stalkers and aggressive paparazzi.

But since the stalkers haven’t appeared yet and the paparazzi aren’t that severe, I met her.

In the original game, Lee Ho-yeon and Moon Soo-rin meet after the events have progressed.

Therefore, no matter how much Lee Ho-yeon might like her, Moon Soo-rin can only approach slowly. She worries about what photos might be taken and what rumors might spread.

But now, I met her too early.

Thus, she is expressing her feelings for me openly and approaching me like this.

★ Heroine Status

– [Affection: 38]

– [Lust: 17]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 40]

When we first met, her affection was 20. The fact that it doubled without much interaction is proof.

This sudden rise is a bit burdensome. I don’t know what kind of backlash it might bring.

“Sigh... I understand. I’ll join, of course.”

“Great. See you after class at the student council.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

Moon Soo-rin left the classroom with a big smile.

After she left, the students quietly stared at me.

I could see the girls whispering to each other, trying not to let me hear.

‘Ah, I’m going to draw a lot of attention.’

My head hurts thinking about what kind of posts will appear on EveryDay.

In the end, I put on a calm face and turned back to my paper.

*

After the morning and afternoon classes ended, I had a place to visit before going to the student council.

The student council won’t run away, but Lucy will run to the dormitory.

I had to join Lucy’s club, so I approached her.

“Lucy, you said you’re starting a club, right?”

“Huh? Who told you? I only told Lumi... Did you hear it from Lumi?”

“No, I heard you and Lumi talking earlier.”

“Hmm. So? Are you interested?”

“Yeah, more friends are always good.”

Lies. I won’t talk to anyone there except Lumi and Lucy.

“But aren’t you joining the student council? Can you handle both the student council and our club activities?”

“Think about it the other way. If the student council is part of the club, wouldn’t club activities be easier?”

“Oh!”

Lucy’s eyes lit up.

“Accepted! Accepted! With me, you, and Lumi, we have the minimum of three members. We just need to find a faculty advisor. I’ll look for one.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Lucy, looking happy, slung her bag and ran off.

“I should go to the student council.”

I’ve been in school for over 15 years, but I’ve never even imagined being in the student council.

‘[Sexual] really gives me a lot of experiences.’

Victoria Academy has a separate building for club activities.

The club building has 17 floors, and the student council is on the top floor, the 17th.

Posters promoting various clubs were stuck on the walls of the club building.

“Magic Research Club, Tea Ceremony Club, Insect Collection Club... There’s everything.”

There were many clubs that seemed unrelated to Victoria Academy.

I took the elevator to the 17th floor.

Ding-dong.

The door opened, and I could see the student council room, restrooms, and a lounge.

I opened the door to the student council room without much thought. I just needed to grab someone and say I came to see the president.

The student council room looked like a company office.

Each desk had a holographic computer, and three people were typing away, staring intently at their screens.

Their eyes were bloodshot, suggesting they’ve been doing this for a while.

“... Did I come to the wrong place?”

I turned back and checked. It wasn’t the student council room but the general student council room.

Wait, they’re the same, right?

“What brings you here?”

After standing at the entrance for a while, a girl who looked like a student council member approached me.

“I came to see the president. I received a student council recommendation.”

“Oh, you must be Ho-yeon. You do have a good impression.”

“Really? Ah, thank you.”

“President~ Ho-yean is here.”

“Just a moment!”

From a door marked [President’s Office], a loud noise came.

About two minutes later, Moon Soo-rin, dressed in a neat student uniform, came out of the president’s office.

“Sorry, did you wait? Can you come this way?”

I followed Moon Soo-rin into the president’s office.

The president’s office was spotlessly clean.

Moon Soo-rin made coffee and handed it to me.

“Have this.”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t know what kind of coffee it was, but I was grateful she didn’t give me a mix like Professor Lim Sol.

“One more person will come, so please wait a moment.”

One more person? That’s strange.

I can understand Moon Soo-rin liking me and putting me in the student council, but why one more person?

Wait, is it because she likes me?

I don’t have any cake to give, but did she exaggerate about the recommendation and fairness?

The thought made my face turn red.

“Ho-yeon, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No... I just had a sudden embarrassing thought.”

“Oh, is it because you’re in my personal space?”

Her chuckling made me feel more at ease.

Her smile is one that can only come from someone who likes me. She definitely likes me.

I should wait for the other person to come.

“By the way, I heard you’re close to Professor Lim Sol these days?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Pretty famous, right? You’re the first student to enter Professor Lim Sol’s personal lab, right?”

“Oh...”

The incident at the Magic Tower with the Magic Research Club must have spread. Rumors spread fast.

“Still, be careful. Professor Lim Sol is beautiful and capable. She has many fans, so some people might look at you suspiciously.”

“Then, isn’t talking to you now also dangerous?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re already teasing me? Hehe.”

Good. I’m sure I scored some points with that conversation.

While I hope I can clear this quickly by scoring points little by little, life isn’t always that easy. I need to stay on guard.

“President, a guest has arrived.”

Just then, the voice of the member who guided me earlier interrupted our conversation. If she had come a bit later, it would have been better.

“Okay, let her in.”

Bang.

The door opened, and a woman with flowing blonde hair and porcelain skin entered.

I was taken aback by her appearance.

First-year top student Ellis was coming in.

★ Heroine Status

– [Affection: 16]

– [Lust: 20]

– [Hunger: 30]

– [Fatigue: 50]

‘What is she doing here?’

Ellis has no connection to the student council. She doesn’t even come near it in any route.

Ellis ignored my confusion and greeted Moon Soo-rin.

“Hello, President. I’m Ellis from 1st year A class.”

Then she sat down next to me.

Of course, there was no other seat available.

“Welcome, Ellis. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“No, thank you, President. But, is Lee Ho-yeon also joining the Publicity Department?”

“Yes, that’s right. I think the two of you can handle the Publicity Department.”

“... Yes, I understand.”

Wait, teacher. This is too fast.

Publicity Department? What’s that? I wanted to join the Guidance Department...?

“Excuse me, President? What is the Publicity Department?”

“You’re sitting here without even listening to it?”

Ellis looked at me with a mix of confusion and disbelief. It’s not my fault, though.

“Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention it earlier.”

So, all my worries about the recommendation and the Guidance Department were for nothing...

Yeah, it makes sense. I’ve faced such unfairness before, so I’ll just bear with it.

“The Publicity Department is a new department set up to promote Victoria Academy. It will handle everything from promoting the student council to representing Victoria Academy as a public relations ambassador.”

“Are you saying I’ll take on such a huge role? I’ve never done anything like that.”

“Hmm... Don’t worry. You can’t fail at this, Ho-yeon.”

“...?”

What does she mean by “you can’t fail”?

I’ve never done influencer activities. I’ve always stayed in my room playing games, so I’m not confident.

“Sigh. Are you really that clueless?”

“Hehe, you might not get the feel for it. Calm down, Ellis.”

My blank expression must have been too obvious, as Ellis started to explain.

“The best male freshman is you, and the best female freshman is me. We were chosen to promote Victoria Academy. Still don’t get it?”

The best female is Ellis.

The best male is Lee Ho-yeon.

Our job is publicity. From representing Victoria to being public relations ambassadors...

Ah, now I get it.

We were chosen 100% based on our looks.

That’s why she said I can’t fail. Well, if you’re good-looking, you can get away with just posing for photos.

The important thing for Victoria Academy’s publicity isn’t good speaking skills or abilities. It’s about having attractive people represent the school.

Among the freshmen, Lumi and Lucy are also heroines and very beautiful, but Ellis is more balanced, so she was chosen.

“Hmm, I understand.”

No, I’ve never been called handsome in my life, so I can’t relate to this!

I didn’t grow up hearing “You’re so beautiful” like you all!

“Honestly, you two can take better photos just by standing still than most models. So don’t worry.”

“Yes, President.”

“Yes.”

I felt embarrassed, but Ellis seemed to be used to it.

“Well, I called you here to introduce you to the people you’ll be working with. Go ahead and meet the student council members.”

After that, I interacted with the student council members.

“Wow, the new members of the Publicity Department are real lookers.”

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you~.”

“It’s a shame the vice president is away on guild business.”

Honestly, there are no important figures in the student council.

The girls are ordinary, and the boys aren’t worth looking at.

But there is one person to be cautious of: Vice President Shin Dong-min.

Vice President Shin Dong-min is the villain in Moon Soo-rin’s route. He has a crush on the student council president.

He hasn’t shown any hostility yet, but I need to be careful.

I don’t need to worry until the stalker incident in Moon Soo-rin’s route happens. Fortunately, there’s still a lot of time before that.

For some reason, the general club president saw me and gasped, saying he had an urgent matter and left.

I thought of the fishing club incident, but I’ve never met the club president, so it’s probably nothing.

Then, I was shown the room that the Publicity Department will use.

“Technically, we set up a room for the Publicity Department, but...”

Inside, there were two desks, fancy lighting that didn’t fit the student council, a holographic computer, a bathroom, and even a bed.

It was better than the studio apartment I lived in before.

“You probably won’t have to do much paperwork or administrative work. That’s for the other student council members. You just need to focus on external activities.”

“I understand.”

We were chosen as figureheads. But isn’t this risky?

Not giving us any practical work and just choosing us based on looks could be a problem.

I don’t know. They’ll figure it out.

“You don’t need to come to the Publicity Department every day. I’ll just inform you when there’s a publicity task. I’ll go check on things. Feel free to relax and talk to each other. You’ll be working together.”

Moon Soo-rin winked at me from a position where Ellis couldn’t see and left the room.

After Moon Soo-rin left, an awkward silence filled the room between Ellis and me.

Ellis was sitting at her desk, fiddling with something, and I was standing there.

‘What should I do now?’

Ellis didn’t seem to want to start the conversation. Should I take the initiative?

———————-

『A sub-quest has been transmitted.』

Ellis is a very picky character.

Have a conversation that matches her preferences for over 30 minutes!

– Reward: Slight increase in Ellis’s affection. Random ability +1

———————-

While I was thinking, a quest appeared.

Now I have to talk to her.

It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but with my social skills, I can handle it. It’s fine.

No matter how much I try, Ellis is a heroine.

Being a heroine means she’s destined to be under the protagonist.