Ch.1919. You’re So Extreme with Your Binary Choices

Professor Reina arrived at the scene shortly after.

Seeing her being carried on Alkine’s back, she must have practically flown here, yet impressively, not a single hair was out of place.

As soon as she arrived, Reina began using her ability to treat the injured. The grotesquely deformed limbs of the victims started returning to their original forms.

*Crack-crunch*

Though the process produced some disturbing sounds, no one was screaming, suggesting it wasn’t painful.

So that actually works. Well, I suppose if her ability can regenerate severed limbs, straightening bent ones shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

Of course, seeing it in person was quite fascinating. In the game, no matter how powerful an effect was described to be in text, what you actually saw was just health bars filling up or status effects disappearing.

Her ability in real life was… miraculous, to the point where I understood why even the imperial family wouldn’t dare cross her.

It took only a few minutes for the serious situation to be completely resolved as if nothing had happened.

After treating everyone, she glanced around and our eyes met.

“Ludion? Why are you here?”

“I just ended up here somehow.”

“…Well, whatever. You don’t seem to be injured. Take care of yourself.”

What’s this? Why would someone who usually enjoys gaining new experiences say something like that?

I couldn’t understand, but I nodded in agreement anyway.

“Is anyone else still in pain? If not, I’ll be going now. Anyone experiencing aftereffects should come see me again… Student Council President? Make sure you submit a detailed report.”

After that, she left without paying much more attention to the situation, as if an incident of this magnitude was nothing to her.

It filled me with a sense of awe. What kind of life have you lived, Professor?

After that, events moved quickly.

Those who had lost consciousness began waking up one by one, bringing another round of joy. We then returned to the Student Council building together for final health checks before disbanding.

During this process, Alkine announced that Student Council activities would be suspended for a while so everyone could rest, but since the Rift had been dealt with, there wasn’t much to do anyway, so everyone seemed fine with it.

As people gradually left, only familiar faces remained inside.

Me and Alkine. And Diggers and Grain.

I could understand why Alkine and I stayed behind since we had things to discuss, but why were Diggers and Grain still here?

Alkine herself resolved that question.

“Vice President. Didn’t I tell you to go home and rest?”

“I can’t let the President work alone. I’m really fine, so please don’t worry about me.”

“…Very well. If you insist, I won’t force you to leave. Then Grain, why are you still here?”

“I have business with that junior over there, so don’t mind me.”

Why me all of a sudden?

Being singled out unexpectedly was confusing, but I could guess several reasons.

There was that mocking letter she’d written before running away… and when we emerged from the Rift after this incident, she was the first person I made eye contact with.

Whatever it was, something was bothering her.

This means I won’t get to talk with the President. I haven’t even figured out what excuse to give her yet, but that’s actually good. I’ll just slip away and wait for another opportunity.

“Then I’ll head back with Senior Grain.”

“What are you talking about? Ludion, I need your help with the report, so come with me.”

“…Why should I help with that? The Vice President is right here.”

“Because from today, you’re the Secretary.”

“Excuse me?”

Wait, everyone knows this Student Council only has a President and Vice President, so what’s this sudden Secretary position?

Look, the Vice President’s eyes are already glaring daggers at me.

Even if she weren’t the Vice President, a freshman like me taking an executive position would make everyone resentful. There’s no way I could accept such a role.

So I expressed my refusal…

“I’d rather not do it.”

“Then you can leave the Student Council. Is that what you want?”

“…Why are you being so extreme?”

Her threat caught me completely off guard.

From her perspective, though, it made sense.

I was the one who single-handedly dealt with the demon that even she couldn’t handle.

In a Student Council where physical prowess takes priority over everything except basic character, what would happen if today’s events became public knowledge? I might gain a status even higher than the President’s.

So in the President’s mind, I’ve already established myself as the apex predator.

Thinking about it that way, giving me an executive position wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

The problem is that no one in the Student Council except Alkine knows what happened today.

Bringing in a new executive position for a freshman rather than just recruiting a new member?

Even if no one openly opposes it due to the President’s authority, there would certainly be discontent.

She must know this too, so why is she being so forceful about it?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

In the game, my only interaction with her was from the perspective of a President and a member, and even the setting guide only provided fragmentary information that didn’t cover such deep emotional changes.

Well, let’s set that aside for now.

This isn’t something to take lightly, but let’s move past it for the moment.

Just taking on an executive position itself is extremely troublesome.

Secretary. The actual duties could vary depending on how they define it, but typically it involves recording the contents of meetings.

But from what Alkine is saying… it seems I’ll be responsible for organizing exploration records and writing reports as well.

In truth, as someone who already knows most of the environments and structures of Rifts, the habits, characteristics, and weaknesses of the monsters inside them… writing reports based on actual exploration flows wouldn’t be that difficult for me.

I actually somewhat enjoy organizing and writing things down.

I used to create all sorts of guides online, even going as far as making Excel spreadsheets for perfect dodge timings.

But that was when I felt like doing it.

The thought of being assigned a role like “Secretary” and having to do it as a job was incredibly annoying.

So should I leave the Student Council as she suggested?

That’s problematic too. I need to unlock my inventory.

‘You’re giving me such extreme choices!’

A familiar melody suddenly started playing in my head.

At the same time, I recalled a notification I’d seen earlier but had ignored due to the serious situation.

[Congratulations! You have successfully conquered the Rift!]

[Calculating contribution…]

[Your contribution is 79%.]

[This feature is currently locked.]

[Unlock condition: Conquer 5 Rifts with 40% or higher contribution (1/5)]

Thanks to dealing with the demon that appeared on my own, I had an overwhelming contribution rate.

I’ve already completed one out of five.

And I need to do this four more times… if I leave the Student Council, I’d have to leave the Academy to accomplish this.

In truth, staying at the Academy doesn’t have much meaning now that my stat growth is blocked.

But considering leaving… that doesn’t make much sense either.

Most of the major events happen at the Academy anyway. There’s no real reason to leave.

I don’t know why she’s suddenly creating a position like Secretary, but becoming a parachuted executive and doing the work seems better than leaving the Student Council.

Having reached my conclusion, I had no choice but to nod with reluctance.

“Fine. I’ll give it a try.”

“Good decision. Now, I have something to discuss about this report, so come with me for a moment.”

…Wait a minute. You didn’t create this position just to have this conversation, did you?

No, surely not. Alkine isn’t that impulsive.

It can’t be. Probably.

I followed Alkine into a small room inside.

This space was used as the Student Council President’s workroom.

Since the only “work” was writing reports, there weren’t many items—just stacks of paper, pens, and ink needed for report writing.

As soon as we entered, Alkine sat down and began writing something,

the scratching sound of her pen was quite pleasant to hear.

After a while, she put down her pen and spoke.

“I apologize for making you stand, as there’s no other place to sit.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Good, then… let’s talk about the important matters first. Regarding this incident, is there anything you’d like me to do?”

To summarize our subsequent conversation:

First, I vaguely explained that I couldn’t reveal anything about my power.

Alkine didn’t seem interested in digging deeper and accepted that single statement.

And regarding this incident, we agreed to present it as if Alkine had somehow managed it on her own.

My role would be that of an extra who followed her in without knowing what was happening, lost her when she suddenly ran off, wandered alone, and emerged with the completion of the Rift conquest.

Alkine’s role would be that of a hero who somehow survived the battle with the demon thanks to its whimsical nature, managed to escape, then found and destroyed the Rift stone.

That was honestly the most plausible story.

Alkine seemed to agree, as she didn’t offer any other opinions.

In this version, the demon would be reported as having escaped alive, but since Krumple was a character who could be absent throughout the entire game without any issues, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Once we finished our discussion, Alkine picked up the paper she had been scribbling on and showed it to me.

Everything we had just discussed was neatly organized on it.

“Is this report acceptable?”

“It’s perfect. Seems like you don’t need me as Secretary after all.”

“What are you saying? This is the work you’ll be doing from now on, so I’m showing you as an example to learn from.”

“Come on. I’m not good at writing. Keep that in mind.”

“I will. Anyway, the ones who ultimately read these aren’t me but those higher up.”

I could see her lips curling up slightly, apparently pleased that I didn’t completely deny it.

But thinking about it, that’s right. The reports would be read by the Dean and professors.

The thought of accidentally including too much information and receiving love calls from all sorts of professors made me shudder. I really need to be careful.

At that moment, Alkine pulled out another sheet of paper and began writing something new, casually voicing a question.

“By the way, you didn’t seem particularly intent on hiding your power… yet you want to be recorded as having done nothing at all. That’s unexpected.”

I don’t have any power to hide, that’s the thing.

There seem to be too many misunderstandings to explain at this point…

“With great power comes great responsibility, right? I’m not particularly keen on taking responsibility.”

“For someone who says that, you seem quite responsible.”

I wonder what makes her say that. You might have a good eye for talent, but you’re not good at judging people.

Still, it’s a compliment, so I don’t mind.

“Well, I’ll be heading back now.”

“Alright. I’ll write up this report entirely myself, so our Secretary can put in the effort starting next time.”

With that conversation finished, I left the room.

And…

“Can we talk for a moment?”

As soon as I stepped out, the Vice President caught me.

Looking further back, I could see Grain also watching me, waiting for her turn.

Maybe I’m quite popular? Though this kind of popularity is something I don’t need at all…

Well, I was destined to stand out anyway if I wanted to meet the inventory unlock conditions during Rift conquests.

Now that I’ve become an executive, let’s properly shake up this Student Council.