Episode 65. Regular Meeting (2)

My mind reels from the sudden barrage of taunts.

I don’t know why these sons of bitches are so desperate to kill me.

Seeing the blue brooch pinned to his chest, I realized the shorty was a second-year male student.

Anyone would think he was my superior.

“Newbie in the PR department. Sit down quickly. If you’re late, you should at least be as quick with your actions as Miss Alice.”

A man sitting at the far end on the right spoke.

I recognized his face; it was the Vice President. The same face I saw in that photo with Moon Surin last time.

Generally, the men on the right sent me negative glances, while the women on the left sent positive signals.

…Ah, what is this? This shitty feeling?

A signal from deep within my chest warned me not to sit on the right.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

• [ Affection: 62 ]

• [ Lust: 40 ]

• [ Appetite: 50 ]

• [ Fatigue: 85 ]

Current State: Extremely displeased because the Vice President’s gang is picking on Lee Hoyeon, who already looks tired. About to explode.

His face is tired from having sex too intensely last night, but somehow I feel sorry.

I roughly understand the situation.

It seems the right side is the Vice President’s gang, and the left side is the President’s gang.

I naturally sat down next to Alice.

I felt the glares from the right side pinning me down, but I ignored them and looked at Moon Surin.

Moon Surin’s expression wasn’t good, so I smiled and nodded, signaling that I was okay.

“Haa… We will now begin the regular meeting. The first agenda was managing students regarding next week’s midterms, but we will address the dungeon practical training terrorism that occurred yesterday first.”

Moon Surin looked at my face and thankfully moved on without saying much.

If anyone’s image is to be ruined, it should be mine; Moon Surin’s image must not be damaged. Especially since strange rumors about her getting angry because of a man could further destabilize her mentally.

“There were 8 fatalities and 22 injured. Other details are organized in front of you, so please refer to them. The Academy will handle other matters; our job is to quell the students’ unrest. Does anyone have any opinions on this?”

“Since the person involved is right here, why don’t we ask junior Lee Hoyeon, President-nim?”

“…Vice President. Are you serious right now?”

“It’s fine. What are you curious about?”

I answered before Moon Surin could say anything further.

Vice President Shin Dongmin shot me a look that was undeniably hostile.

It seems he’s finally starting to suspect that Moon Surin and I are close.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t show such blatant hostility.

It seems forcing me to attend this meeting was part of that plan.

“There could be many things. Think about what you might say to the other students as someone who experienced that situation firsthand.”

‘Is that fucking thing something a human would say…?’

Those words were an insult to the victims of the terrorism, including myself.

“Right. Or maybe tell us a heroic tale about catching that ogre. Pfft….”

The shorty who picked a fight with me earlier chimed in from the side.

“Excuse me! That’s harsh! Is that how you talk to a junior who just went through a terrorist attack?”

“No, what’s the problem? Did junior Lee Hoyeon suffer any losses from the terrorism? He just gained a career achievement by catching an ogre. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s not the point! Are you guys even the student council?”

The secretary next to the Student Council President is fighting hard for me.

I appreciate it, but Moon Surin’s expression is about to explode. I need to step in before she does.

“Since you seniors are so eager to look out for your junior, I truly feel grateful.”

“…What?”

“Your support for your junior’s success is truly admirable, senior. I want to repay that kindness, so how should I do that?”

I said this, looking directly at the shorty senior.

“Hmph. You seem to think you’re someone special because you’re being praised everywhere, but if you’re so great, why haven’t you shown any outstanding performance at the Academy? Huh?”

What the hell. I haven’t even taken the midterms yet, what kind of outstanding performance are they expecting?

Beating up classmates won’t work, and even the Dean mentioning me didn’t help, so I doubt they’ll believe me just by proving my test scores.

…Maybe they’d believe me if I beat up a senior?

“Senior. If you don’t believe me, how about a sparring match? On the condition that the video is released on social media.”

“W-What?”

Anyway, these kinds of guys can’t handle it when someone they thought was weak stands up to them. Stupid bastards.

“… Newbie in the PR department. What kind of attitude is that towards a senior?”

The Vice President, unable to watch the shorty flounder, interjected.

“A senior? Do you really have to treat someone who says things like that as a senior, Vice President?”

“…Such rude language, just as expected from an orphan.”

The Vice President muttered quietly, looking at me.

“….?”

I was momentarily stunned into silence. He launches a personal attack straight at me just because I didn’t use ‘nim’ on him.

“Vice President!”

“President-nim, am I wrong? Bringing an orphan with no parents into the student council… is detrimental to the student council.”

Fucking lunatic.

“Fucking lunatic.”

The Vice President’s statement was so insane that I blurted out my thoughts without thinking.

Fortunately, I don’t have any memories of a difficult life as an orphan, so I wasn’t sad, but it felt disgusting.

However, human psychology works in such a way that hearing such things inevitably forces prejudice.

If you hear, ‘That person looks fine on the outside, but they’re actually gay!’, every action of someone you previously saw as normal starts to look awkward.

It’s something that happens unavoidably, even if you try not to be prejudiced.

That bastard was aiming for that too.

Even if it damaged his own image, he must have wanted to convey the fact that I’m an orphan to Moon Surin.

“Vice President… I’m truly disappointed. Judging someone based on something like that.”

However, that’s too short-sighted.

No matter how beautiful and kind Moon Surin is, she’s not a trophy that an ordinary man can just win.

She’s someone who single-handedly handles almost all the practical work of the student council and the academy. It’s something impossible to do without capability.

There’s no way someone like Moon Surin would open her heart to a man with so many secrets.

My background check must have already been completed.

“President-nim, everyone says that on the outside. But their inner thoughts might be different. The student council must be perfect. There’s no need to create vulnerabilities. That is the path for Victoria Academy.”

Wow, how can he pull that off? He’s so brazen, it’s giving me a headache.

Anyone would think he’s a passionate activist going above and beyond for the student council.

“And, Newbie in the PR department. What did you just say to me? Did I mishear?”

“….”

“Showing such disrespect to me, the Vice President, is tarnishing the face of the President-nim who recommended you. Do you know that?”

I pondered how to respond.

Honestly, the initial plan wasn’t like this.

I intended to pretend to cooperate with the Vice President, who hired the stalker, and then make a dramatic appearance like when I saved Lucy.

But the Vice President had already been hostile towards me from our first meeting, and Lucy, who still hadn’t overcome the trauma from Felix, kept lingering in my mind.

The plan was already ruined.

“If you sincerely apologize now, I can give you a chance to rectify that mistake.”

In that case, why should I bow my head when I haven’t done anything wrong?

Besides, I don’t even want to pretend to cooperate with such a crazy bastard.

The only thing bothering me is whether acting too recklessly might harm Moon Surin, who recommended me.

Still, I have a plan for image management. I’ll try to mitigate it somehow through my PR activities.

“First, if you apologize for calling me an orphan, I will apologize too.”

“You have unnecessary pride. If you dislike me, are you going to challenge me to a duel too? Well, a sparring match with the student council Vice President is quite an opportunity to prove your skills.”

Shin Dongmin said with an unpleasant smile.

A sparring match.

Shin Dongmin isn’t weak. He didn’t become the student council Vice President for nothing.

Besides, the power balance in the original game was quite bizarre.

Most ordinary students are fine, but the named characters in the third year are A-class hunter level, maybe even stronger.

It seems they messed up the balancing because the villains had to get stronger as the protagonist grew stronger.

Even Moon Surin herself reaches A-class hunter level or higher upon awakening.

I don’t know how strong Shin Dongmin is either.

In the original game’s timeline, he’s incomparable to an ogre, but this is an earlier point in time than the original.

I’m known as a fire-attribute mage. And Shin Dongmin was definitely a water-attribute mage.

He’s confident in his abilities and has a favorable attribute, which is why he’s so self-assured.

“Are you the type who can’t perform when the stage is set for you? Your skills….”

“Thank you for providing such a great opportunity, Vice President-nim.”

Perhaps he never imagined I would accept the duel, as Shin Dongmin’s eyes narrowed.

The other seniors also wore expressions of shock.

However, Moon Surin and Alice remained expressionless.

I could understand Moon Surin’s reaction since she knew I actually caught the ogre, but why wasn’t Alice surprised at all?

“Ha, fine. When would be good? I’m fine with right now.”

Shin Dongmin said, lowering his voice.

“Let’s do it on a big stage if possible. The midterms are ending soon, and then there’s the festival, right? We can hold it as a student council-hosted friendly match during the festival.”

During Victoria Academy’s festivals, the student council always holds events to liven up the atmosphere.

I proposed that the duel between the Vice President and myself be the event for this festival.

“Fine. I accept.”

“V-Vice President-nim. There’s no need to deal with someone like that!”

“However, if I win the duel, you must immediately kneel and apologize for insulting me.”

The Vice President ignored the chattering shorty next to him and fixed his gaze on me.

He seems intent on humiliating me in front of everyone. But will that be enough?

“What if I win?”

“What?”

“I asked, what if I win? I need a reward too.”

“Hmph. I’ll grant you anything you want. And you’ll have to apologize for defying me just now.”

I shrugged.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll lose.

“Vice President.”

Then, a cold voice echoed through the meeting room.

Moon Surin, seated at the head of the table, looked at Shin Dongmin with an expression she hadn’t shown before.

“Leave the meeting room.”

“President-nim. I lost my temper for a moment. I apologize.”

Shin Dongmin seemed to grasp the situation then and bowed his head, but it was too late.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

• [ Affection: 62 ]

• [ Lust: 40 ]

• [ Appetite: 50 ]

• [ Fatigue: 90 ]

Current State: Need to remove the Vice President from my sight immediately. (Extreme stress state. Caution required)

I stepped in to prevent Moon Surin from exploding… but she ended up bursting anyway. Well, anyone who could endure this would be a saint.

“The Vice President is not in a state to proceed with the meeting normally right now. Don’t make me say it twice, leave immediately.”

Moon Surin’s aura is truly terrifying.

There’s something about it that instinctively overwhelms you like a prey animal facing a predator.

She only gets this serious when she catches a stalker in the original work; I can tell how much stress she’s accumulated.

In the first place, Shin Dongmin was only momentarily agitated because of me; he’s not in a position to challenge Moon Surin.

He lacks in talent, skill, family background, position in the student council, and public trust compared to Moon Surin.

Knowing that, he resorts to hiring stalkers to harass Moon Surin disgracefully.

“…Yes. Understood. I need to cool my head a bit. I’ll see you next week.”

Shin Dongmin apparently decided it was better to retreat here, stood up, and left the meeting room.

“Now, let’s resume the meeting.”

With Shin Dongmin gone, the meeting continued under Moon Surin’s leadership.

*

“So, I intend to carry out another PR activity. Given the unfortunate incident yesterday, we need to change the mood.”

The meeting reached its final agenda item.

Of course, Moon Surin continued the meeting single-handedly, as no one else spoke up.

The final agenda item concerns PR activities.

I already had an idea prepared for when the topic of PR activities came up.

“How about we go volunteer through the PR department?”

“Volunteering?”

“Yes. There’s an orphanage I visit every weekend. We could film there, couldn’t we? The children there often played with me, so the visuals should turn out nicely.”

“Oho….”

Moon Surin looked at me with admiration, as if she hadn’t known about this.

Alice also turned her head to look at me.

It’s all because of Baek Ahyoung, but I feel somewhat proud.

But if they didn’t know this even after investigating me, did they perhaps investigate me right after our first meeting at the cafe?

“That sounds good. Volunteering. It’s perfect for image management. Plus, a storytelling segment featuring Hoyeon volunteering directly… Ah, ah… S-Sorry. That was a slip of the tongue just now.”

“It’s alright. I was thinking the same thing.”

That was my original intention.

I have to use what I can.

The public is weak to emotional manipulation.

A handsome, promising academy student from an orphanage has actually been volunteering at an orphanage every week?

This is undeniably a sensational story material.

It’s guaranteed to be a hit, a total hit.

*

The volunteering was scheduled immediately for this weekend.

Today is Friday, and the volunteering is on Sunday, the day after tomorrow.

The reason it was decided so quickly is that we need to divert attention as soon as possible.

We need to shift the public’s focus from the terrorism incident at the Academy to Lee Hoyeon’s tragic story.

It might seem like an obvious ploy, but there’s a reason why such obvious ploys have been repeated for decades.

After the meeting ended, I memorized the face of the shorty leaving.

‘See you next week during the joint class.’

Just before the midterms begin, a joint class with the second-years is held to enhance the experience of the freshmen.

Since I’ve already fallen out with the Vice President, I should torment his lackey as much as possible.

“Hoyeon-ah.”

As I was savoring my dark thoughts, Moon Surin spoke to me.

*

“Lumi, do you think I can make these cookies?”

“Hmm, it looks difficult to make at home….”

“I guess so…?”

Lucy and Lumi were chatting intimately at a cafe.

The twins spent most of their free time together. They ate together, went shopping together, and studied together.

They put their heads together, looking at a smartwatch.

It was a video about handmade cookies, something Lucy had become very interested in lately.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Are you trying to make them for Hoyeon-ssi?”

“Uh. Yeah? That’s right. It’s just… not for any particular reason. Just a token of gratitude… hehe.”

“….”

From Lumi’s perspective, Lucy clearly seemed to have a crush on Lee Hoyeon.

However, Lumi couldn’t completely trust her own eyes.

Her social circle had been extremely limited until now.

Moreover, she felt anxious.

Lucy, her best friend and beloved family member, and Lee Hoyeon, her secret friend whom she genuinely liked.

What should she do if Lucy also happened to like Lee Hoyeon?

Could she definitively choose one over the other?

“Wow. Look at this cookie too. Doesn’t it look delicious? But this one looks difficult too.”

Groan.

Watching Lucy agonize over which cookie to make for Lee Hoyeon, Lumi’s mind grew increasingly complicated.

“Lumi? What’s wrong? Ah, did you get indigestion from the cake we ate earlier? I told you to only eat a little bit~.”

Lucy, smiling brightly at her, was more trustworthy than anyone.

The days they had spent trusting and relying on each other flashed through Lumi’s mind.

Due to the recent incident, Lucy was in a very unstable state.

Asking about Lee Hoyeon right now might even be dangerous.

However, Lumi had already lied to Lucy regarding Lee Hoyeon. She didn’t want to betray Lucy again, and she couldn’t stand her curiosity any longer.

Finally, Lumi opened her mouth.

“Lucy. Do you perhaps… like Hoyeon-ssi?”