Chapter 147: Cheerleading Squad (3)

What conditions would be necessary for a student council to wield immense power, as often depicted in school-based fiction?

The answer is simple: the society itself must be fundamentally based on a feudal caste system.

It would be even better if the student council president were actual royalty.

The 473rd Student Council of Anatolia Academy followed this principle to the letter.

At its helm was Martin de Salem, the first prince and heir to the throne of Salem, one of the most powerful nations of the time.

With him personally leading the student council, teachers—whose highest rank barely reached that of a baron—could never stand up to the students, no matter what.

To put it bluntly, if the student council decided to cancel half of the school’s courses overnight and the principal chose to overlook it, the teachers would have no choice but to accept their dismissal.

That was the power of a student council led by royalty.

Of course, having great power isn’t always a good thing.

As the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

The more authority the student council had, the more issues it was responsible for handling.

This became especially evident during major events like the school sports festival.

Reviewing dozens of documents and stamping approvals daily was exhausting.

As a result, Martin, the 473rd student council president, could practically feel his lifespan decreasing in real time.

If not for the coffee that the secretary brought him, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

“Thank you, as always, Seria. Your coffee gives me at least some energy to keep going.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

The secretary smiled shyly, took her tray, and stepped back, glancing at the prince with concern as his dark circles deepened.

Martin let out a small yawn and picked up the next document on his desk.

“Let’s see… Next up is finalizing the cheerleading team roster and their choreography plan?”

“Oh, that one’s mine!”

Charlotte Leonard-Sinclair, the student council vice president, raised her hand energetically.

Her long ponytail swayed with the motion.

“Just like last year, I’ll be leading the cheer squad again. I’m counting on you!”

“You really do love being in the spotlight, don’t you…?”

Martin mumbled as he absentmindedly skimmed through the document.

And then—

“…Huh?!”

His eyes widened when he spotted an unexpected name.

“‘Sion of Ashtaria’ is on the participant list…? This… isn’t this the name of the Hero?!”

“Oh, yeah! You caught that right away. Guess that’s because you’re childhood friends?”

“Well, it’s written right at the top of the list! There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize it!

How did this happen?! Why is the Hero on this list?!”

“Uh, probably because she signed up?”

“Signed up? The Hero? For cheerleading?

This is the same person who has refused to attend any social events, let alone dance or sing, for the past eight years!”

Martin furrowed his brow deeply.

“Are you sure the Hero signed up willingly? You didn’t pull any tricks?”

“Come on, do you think I’m that crazy? Even I was so shocked when I saw the name that I went straight to ask in person.

And apparently, while it wasn’t exactly her own decision, she will be participating.”

“…Not their own decision? Someone forced her into this?”

“Well, from what I heard, your little sister was the culprit.

She secretly wrote her name on the sign-up sheet and submitted it, then just hoped she wouldn’t get caught.

Hilarious, right? That girl’s unbelievable.”

“Isabella…”

Martin pressed his temples as a headache crept in.

That troublemaker of a little sister never failed to insert herself into everything.

Just a month ago, she had caused a ridiculous scandal by attacking him in public while crying, and now, not even a full month later, she was at it again.

“I definitely need to have another serious talk with her.

Anyway, please remove this name.

There’s no way we can have the pure and noble Hero of Ashtaria participating in something like a cheerleading squad.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? She said she would do it. We can’t just erase her name without permission.”

“They were obviously pressured into it. That much is clear.”

“Nope. She seemed pretty firm about it.

They even said, ‘I’ve never done something like this before, so I’d like to try it at least once in my life.’

If you don’t believe me, go ask her yourself. I don’t lie about this kind of thing.”

Martin rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

Was this really the Hero’s own decision?

This was someone so dedicated to asceticism that even the saintess found her extreme.

And yet, now, she suddenly wanted to try cheerleading?

‘Maybe her time at this school is starting to change them.’

If so, that would be a wonderful development.

More than anyone, Martin wished for Sion’s personal happiness.

If something as simple as this could bring her even a little joy, he would fully support it.

Finally, he nodded.

“Alright. If that’s the case, I’ll approve it for now. I’ll still check with her later, just in case.”

“Great! Now just stamp it.”

“Understood…”

Martin reached for his stamp, ready to approve the document without much thought.

But then—

“…?”

His eyes suddenly stopped on a specific section in the middle of the document.

“Vice President Charlotte.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“This part about the activity plan…”

“Yeah? What about it? Something wrong?”

“It says here, ‘Participants will rehearse five different cheers while dressed in bunny girl outfits and perform them alternately.’

What exactly is a bunny girl outfit? I’ve never heard of this term before.”

Charlotte’s smiling expression froze.

Her lips remained curved into a grin, but her eyes darted around frantically.

After a brief pause, she spoke in an awkward tone.

“Uh… it’s… a thing. It’s not that weird. Just don’t think too much about it.”

“What kind of outfit is it?”

“I—I told you, it’s just a thing! You don’t need to ask so many details!”

“……”

Seeing Charlotte getting defensive, Martin narrowed his eyes.

She was hiding something.

“Bring me a sample. I’ll judge it for myself.”

“Tsk. Ugh, fine.”

Charlotte clicked her tongue internally.

She had hoped that by throwing Sion’s name into the mix, she could distract him and push this through unnoticed.

But, as always, Martin’s sharp eyes caught everything.

There was no avoiding it now.

“…Here. This is a bunny girl outfit.”

She pulled out a photo from her pocket and waved it in front of Martin’s eyes.

It featured a curvaceous model wearing a leotard, stockings, and bunny ears, striking an incredibly suggestive pose.

Of course, the moment Martin saw it, he recoiled in horror.

“Are you INSANE?!”

He slammed his hands on the desk and shot to his feet.

“Did you seriously think it was a good idea to make the Hero wear this?! Have you completely lost your mind?!”

“Absolutely not! I wouldn’t allow it even if I were buried in the ground!”

“Wait, President. Calm down for a second. Listen to me first.”

In stark contrast to the furious Martin, Charlotte lowered her tone calmly, as if trying to soothe him.

“Certainly, this bunny girl costume is a shocking outfit, even considering that cheerleader uniforms are traditionally quite revealing.

If the hero were to wear something like this for a performance, there’s no way we could avoid public scrutiny.”

“If you know that, then why—!”

“But, President!”

Charlotte suddenly shouted, her eyes flashing intensely as she glared at Martin.

“If not now, then when will we ever get the hero to wear a bunny girl outfit!? Am I wrong!?”

“…What???”

Martin was momentarily speechless at the sheer absurdity of her reasoning.

Seizing that brief moment of hesitation, Charlotte suddenly jumped up from her seat and launched into an impassioned speech.

“Sure! The usual cheerleading outfit—crop tops and miniskirts—aren’t bad! They aren’t bad, but!

Once summer comes around, we can use the excuse of hot weather to make her wear similarly short casual clothes!

And if we take her to the beach, we could even see her in a swimsuit!

But! The hero in a bunny girl outfit!

If we don’t do it now, we will never get another chance!!

This is our only opportunity!

So we must make it happen!

We must dress her up and take pictures to record it for posterity!

This is our historical duty as people living in this era!”

“Do you even hear yourself right now?!?”

Martin’s voice rose as he yelled back at the sheer nonsense he had just heard.

Any exhaustion he had been feeling moments ago had completely vanished.

“If we’re living in the same era, we should be protecting the hero and keeping her safe!

To think that someone in your position—the vice president—would let herself be consumed by such base desires… I’m disappointed in you, Charlotte!”

“Heh… Base desires, huh…?”

Charlotte chuckled lowly.

Then, she slowly approached Martin, her voice taking on a sultry tone.

“Hey, President… No, Martin, my boy.”

“…What?”

“Be honest. Don’t you want to see it too?

“…..!”

The innocent hero, blushing furiously in embarrassment, wearing an outfit this revealing?”

For a brief moment, a scandalous image flashed through Martin’s mind—

Sion, dressed in a bunny girl outfit, her face flushed red as she looked up at him.

Martin was, after all, a teenage boy.

It would be a lie to say that he had never had any lewd thoughts in his life.

Not to mention, despite having a fiancée (and trying his best to deny it), he secretly harbored feelings for Sion.

A man who wouldn’t get at least a little excited at the thought of putting a girl in a risqué outfit…

Wouldn’t that make him the strange one?

But still.

“…No, absolutely not!”

After a deep internal struggle, Martin shook his head violently, dispelling all impure thoughts.

No matter what, this was insanity.

He could never allow it.

Even if, deep down, he was just a tiny bit curious…

He refused to give in to such shameful and pathetic desires at the expense of the hero’s dignity.

If he went along with this, he would never be able to look her in the eyes again.

“It’s no use trying to persuade me!

I won’t allow this as long as I live!

Give up and back off, Vice President Charlotte!”

“…Tch. So Plan B failed too, huh?”

Charlotte clicked her tongue and muttered under her breath.

Her sudden shift in tone sent a chill down Martin’s spine.

Plan B? Just how far was she willing to go for this bunny girl outfit?

“Now that it’s come to this… Plan C it is!!! Secretary! Treasurer!!”

“”Yes, ma’am!!””

The moment Charlotte called their names, two male students who had been hesitating in the background suddenly jumped to their feet and dashed toward Martin.

Their hands shot out, aiming for the stamp and approval documents in his grasp.

Startled by their sudden movements, Martin instinctively pulled his hands back—but at that very moment—

“Where do you think you’re going…?”

Charlotte lunged forward, grabbing both of his arms and slamming him against the wall.

In an instant, the president was completely restrained, unable to move.

Martin shouted in horror.

“Have you lost your mind?! Do you even realize what you’re doing?!?”

“Heh… Of course I do! I am overthrowing oppression and bringing forth the light of true freedom!”

“You’re insane! This is treason!! If the higher-ups hear about this, you’ll be executed on the spot!!”

“Fwahaha!! My heart is clear, and my conscience is clean!

For justice, I act without hesitation!!”

Charlotte turned and shouted:

“Comrade Oscar! Comrade Valeria! Seize the royal seal from this man’s grasp!!”

“”Yes, ma’am!!””

The two male students hesitated only briefly before advancing toward Martin again.

“…I’m sorry, President! But we just can’t pass up the chance to see Hero Sion in a bunny girl outfit…!”

“You… You traitors…!”

Martin struggled violently to break free from Charlotte’s grip.

But this monster of a woman wouldn’t budge no matter how much strength he used.

Charlotte looked down at him and cackled.

“Hahahaha!!! It’s useless!!!

What do you take me, the Ogre of Hibernia, for?!

Sure, you might surpass me in swordsmanship—

But when it comes to sheer strength, you could never defeat a half-giant like me!!”

“Are you proud of that?! A girl having the nickname ‘Ogre’?!”

“Heh, I used to think that way too…

But right now!

If it means I can restrain you, then I will proudly accept this title!”

Charlotte’s grip tightened.

“Now, surrender, President!

Give in and join us—the Sion-chan Bunny Girl Promotion Committee…!”

Martin broke into a cold sweat as he frantically searched the room.

Something—

Anything—that could distract this absurdly strong girl long enough for him to escape.

There had to be something.…!

“Ice Bolt!!”

“Hyaaah!?”

At that moment, the secretary cast a cold sphere of magic, hitting Charlotte squarely in the back.

The sudden chill made her flinch and recoil for a brief moment.

Martin didn’t miss his chance.

“Take this!! Royal-Style Shoulder Throw!!”

“Kyaaaaah!!”

He twisted his body, slipped under Charlotte’s grip, and flipped her over—

Slamming her down onto the marble floor with a thunderous crash.

“Urk…!”

Charlotte let out a scream and coughed up blood.

“Thank you, Seria! You saved me!”

“A-ah, it was nothing…!”

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now sprawled on the ground, shrieked at her comrades.

“What are you fools waiting for?! Grab him!!!”

“”R-right!!””

Oscar and Valeria quickly raised their staffs, ready to fire spells.

Martin assessed the situation.

“Three against two. At first glance, it looks even—

But Seria isn’t suited for direct combat.

On top of that, Charlotte is one of the strongest knights in our academy.

If I fight them here, I’m bound to lose—

Which means…”

His decision was instant.

Grabbing his sword, he struck the window behind him with the hilt.

CRASH!

Glass shards scattered everywhere.

“Sorry, but I won’t let you have your way! See you!!”

With that, Martin leaped out of the shattered window.

Behind him, Charlotte screamed—

“Chase him down!!

For the sake of history—

For the bunny girl!!”

Thus began an unexpected summer chase across Anatolia.