Chapter 151 – Student Council Election (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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A few days later, in the academy’s back garden.

“…Chief, you’re running in the student council election? No, more importantly, isn’t it impossible under school rules for a first-year to run in the student council election in the first place?”

Weapon asked with a look of disbelief. Ryozo glanced at me once, then answered in my place.

“That special reward the middle-aged instructor mentioned before the ogre subjugation test, that was the right to run in the student council election.”

For an instant, I flinched in surprise. Wasn’t this a violation of the confidentiality agreement I had with Assistant Manager Han?

…But thinking about it, it was something they’d find out sooner or later anyway. Once the student council election began, the fact that Leon and I were candidates would become public as well.

The fact that she was talking about it this freely was proof of how tightly knit the club members were.

Of course, one reason was also that Senior Hana was not here right now. Even now, Ryozo remained wary and suspicious of her senior.

Things had looked like the subtle tension between the two of them had calmed down, but in the last few days it had flared back up again.

I didn’t ask Ryozo what had set it off. I had no choice but to trust that she had her own reasons. That was how completely I trusted Ryozo’s judgment and instincts.

While I was lost in thought, the conversation between Ryozo and Weapon flowed into my ears.

“Honestly, I’m totally in favor of our chief running for president. Think about it, the cadets don’t know anything about what Chief has done.”

“Well, things are all tangled up in a messy way, but… you aren’t wrong.”

Ryozo nodded.

“No matter how tangled the situation is, effort deserves the proper status or reward that goes with it. But Chief hasn’t gotten that at all. If anything, morons only went around despising him over his background.”

“……”

Ryozo fell silent. That gesture meant agreement as well. For once, there wasn’t much wrong with what Weapon was saying.

“If you think about it, this is a good chance. For whatever reason, Chief is actually being proactive, so we should at least help him. Don’t you think so, Saki?”

Weapon smiled gently. Ryozo thought for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, yeah. Weapon, you’re right. And let me say one thing. The moment Geom-ma here said he was going to run, I’d already planned to help.”

“……”

With narrowed eyes, Weapon looked at Saki. Feeling something jab at her conscience, she suddenly flared up.

“What, why, what are you staring at me like that for!”

“Nothing, I was just wondering whether you’re really the Saki I knew. I mean, can a person really change this much in just a few months? You used to mope around with yokan always in your mouth, totally listless… h-huh?”

Saki quietly glared at Weapon. At the way her eyes changed in an instant, Weapon unconsciously swallowed.

Those were the same eyes she’d had back when she used violence on him. The same as that day when he got beaten black and blue in the rain.

‘…They say staying quiet gets you halfway there. Weapon, you really do have a talent for shortening your own lifespan with your mouth.’

I had been quietly listening to the two of them, then opened my mouth. There was one thing that needed to be made clear.

“First, let me make one thing absolutely clear. I’m not running in the election because of something like honor. To be exact, what I need isn’t the position of student council president itself, but the authority that comes with it, the Association access pass. As long as that condition is fulfilled, I don’t care whether I’m president or whatever else.”

It seemed Saki hadn’t expected that either, because she dropped her yokan. My words seemed to shock her a little.

But at this point, I couldn’t hide my real intentions from the club members. That would have been far too rude to the people volunteering to support me. It was right to state my purpose honestly first, then hear their answer.

More than anything, I hated troublesome positions like student council president. I already had a mountain of things to do outside my studies.

So I absolutely refused to waste time getting dragged into pointless political work. I had not the slightest intention of taking that role on unwillingly. My plan was to get exactly what I needed, then get out.

With the two of them looking at me, I quietly continued.

“That said, I’m not running with a light heart either. No matter what, if I want to obtain the Association access pass, I first have to win the election. After that, I’ll think about what comes next when the time comes. That’s our way, isn’t it?”

Only the objective had changed a little; what needed to be done had not. Fortunately, both of them nodded. It wasn’t because I was good with words, but because of the trust we had built up over time.

“…Anyway, in the end we do have to win this election. Now that I think about it, it’s going to be pretty damn rough.”

Weapon scratched his head roughly. The tangled feelings inside him were reflected in his tousled hair.

Wearing a troubled expression, he continued.

“It kind of feels like I’m raining on the parade saying this, but the rumor is that all the upperclassmen running in this year’s student council election are monsters one after another.”

“Who’s running?”

“As far as I know, the current student council president is running again. And though I’m not sure, there’s also a rumor that the current vice president is entering the presidential election too. Those two will probably be numbers 1 and 2. As for the remaining 3, 4, and 5, the rumor is that they’re all third-years….”

Weapon’s face hardened stiffly. He composed his expression, then added:

“Honestly, 4 and 5 are dummies here. The candidates we really need to watch are 3, 2, and 1. Especially the current student council president, who’s likely running as number 1. He’ll be the biggest rival in the election.”

“Ah, that guy, the senior who’s famous for being a total nutcase. Was his nickname Berserker? They say once his eyes roll back, not even several instructors hanging off him can stop him.”

Saki spun her index finger beside her temple.

For a moment, her gaze rested on me. Then she muttered in a low voice.

“…Though our side isn’t exactly ordinary either.”

* * *

At the same time. In a meeting room filled with solemn air, seven cadets sat around an oval table.

One had his legs crossed, one had her arms folded, one was on a phone. Their postures varied, but every one of their expressions carried arrogance.

“What the hell, the president didn’t come again today? This is the final regular student council meeting before this election, isn’t it?!”

A tall male cadet clicked his tongue and muttered. His dissatisfied eyes were fixed on the seat of honor at the oval table.

The seat of the Joaquin Academy student council president. The one chair in the dim student council room that could sit with the window at its back. It had long been his cherished ambition.

And yet that seat had remained empty for the entire year. More exactly, it definitely had an owner, yet the owner simply never showed up.

He was treating lightly the president’s seat, which was an honor to any family merely to occupy.

That was why the tall male cadet, current vice president Den Range, was grinding his teeth.

‘That sacred seat should have been mine, not yours.’

Greed filled Den’s eyes. If only he could take that seat, there was nothing he wouldn’t .

At that moment, a female cadet resting her chin on the table smiled faintly.

“Vice President, stop staring at the chair already. You’re gonna burn a hole through it. Is that seat going to become yours just because you glare at it?”

Den’s gaze immediately snapped toward her. Den glared at her fiercely. The girl’s name was Shion. She was the student council general affairs chief.

“Shion, aren’t you the one talking like that when you registered as candidate number 3!?”

“Oh my, have you already reserved that seat for yourself? Why are you getting so angry? And I’m running because I properly met the qualifications too. Den, the way you’re overreacting like this, you must be really anxious.”

Den’s temples flushed red. If he were being honest, he wanted to plant a punch right into that smug jaw of hers.

But Den stopped himself at merely clenching his fist tightly. Election season was right around the corner.

If he reacted to every petty provocation like this, there would be no benefit at all. Since it was such a sensitive time, he had to be careful with how he carried himself.

When her provocation failed to work, Shion clicked her tongue briefly. To think that man who normally threw punches first would hold it in. It seemed his desire for the president’s seat was even greater than she had imagined.

‘Well, it’s not just the vice president who’s like that.’

Sleeping with the enemy. That phrase suited the situation perfectly. Of the seven people sitting at this table, five, herself included, were planning to run this time.

Shion turned her head back toward Den. He had his eyes closed now, suppressing his anger. In a gentle voice, Shion spoke to him.

“Vice President, sorry. I was a bit too harsh, huh? You just seemed so stressed that I wanted to tease you a little. So relax your face a bit. And honestly, if someone’s going to win anyway, I think it’d be better if you did, Den, instead of the current president.”

“……”

Den still had his eyes closed. But one corner of his mouth had quietly lifted. Shion laughed inwardly. What a simple guy.

“I mean, he’s the only second-year in the student council, yet he never even shows his face at regular meetings. And today is the last student council meeting before the election, on top of that.”

“…That part doesn’t sit right with me either. But the fact that the current president’s rule has been the most brilliant in Joaquin Academy’s history is something even I can’t deny.”

An unexpected answer came out of Den’s mouth. So he could acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment? Seriously.

Shion gave an airy shrug.

“Sure, I’ll admit he’s competent. But people calling the current president a monster, monster, that was until last year. Just look at this year. The Golden Generation has really arrived, with true monsters enrolling. That handsome kid named Leon, and then that black-haired one. Th-that, what was his name again….”

It was then.

“Kang Geom-ma.”

In the middle of Shion speaking, everyone flinched. It was because a voice they hadn’t heard in a very long time suddenly cut in.

Shion slowly twisted her head toward the door. One male cadet was leaning against the wide-open entrance without anyone realizing when he had gotten there. Then his haggard, sickly-looking eyes met hers.

“President…?”

Shion froze stiff like a statue. The president stared at her for a moment, then soon pulled his gaze away.

“It’s been a while, seniors.”

The president entered the meeting room with unhurried steps. Then he dropped into the seat of honor and leaned back. With an indifferent face, he suddenly got straight to the point.

“It seems everyone wants to take my seat, so let me tell you this. I received word through the Association today that this time the student council election will not be limited to only second- and third-years.”

“…!”

Confusion surged across all the faces present, while the president alone remained calm.

“That next Hero candidate whatever who Senior Shion just mentioned, and Sashimi Sword Saint Kang Geom-ma. The two of them are running, so keep that in mind. Now that I’ve delivered the message, I’m leaving. Good work, everyone.”

No sooner had those final words ended than the round table erupted into chaos.

* * *

…That evening. In a restaurant with a nice atmosphere somewhere in Wonju, the city where Joaquin Academy was located.

A woman whose face was engraved with a sword scar cut into her meat with a knife. The juices seeping from the meat moistened her lips.

A bright smile rose to the woman’s lips.

“Mm, as expected, the taste of the meat really is different when it’s Korean beef. Since it’s near the academy, the chef’s cooking is excellent too.”

The man sitting across from the woman tore into his meat like a bandit. As if he found it highly unsatisfactory, the man’s brow narrowed.

“Damn it, this pebble-sized piece of meat costs fifty thousand won? You’ve got to be kidding me. I should just flip this whole place over.”

With a fork, the man speared a chunk of steak and spun it around like a slice of pizza.

At that, the woman looked at him with eyes full of contempt.

“Try keeping some dignity, would you? Stop making the person sitting with you look bad.”

“What dignity are you talking about, we’re villains. We specialize in stabbing people with blades like this, not cutting up pieces of meat like this.”

“You idiot bastard. I seriously wonder whether you’ve even prepared D-day properly, acting like that.”

This time, the man snorted. Proudly, he tapped his own forehead.

“I may look like this, but in the Union I’m known as a strategist. I just came back after both confirming that those Vendetta bastards were wiped out and finishing the preliminary prep for D-day too.”

The fork on its way to the woman’s lips stopped. Blood dripped from the suspended piece of meat and stained the white tablecloth.

The woman frowned hideously and shot the man a sideways glare. The thick scar on her face swelled and writhed like a snake.

“You bastard, you’re not doing some brain-dead idiotic stunt again, are you?”

“Kha! The way you start leaking killing intent right away. You act all human too, but in the end you’re one of us.”

“Depending on what you say next, you might be the meat on this table, so use your head before you open your mouth.”

The man laughed out loud.

“You know we’ve got one mole on our side in the academy student council, right? I heard from that bastard that, for some reason, both vessel candidates are running in this student council election.”

“……”

“Isn’t that a little too perfect to be a coincidence? D-day prepared by our Union and the day of the election line up exactly too.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That we should catch two rabbits on that day. Even if one slips away, the one that’s left is more than enough.”

The man stuffed two thick pieces of meat into his mouth at once. His mouth opened as it chewed them noisily.