Chapter 21:

Chapter 21:

Joining the Student Council

Soorin Noona: [Hello, Junior. How are you doing?]

Why is she suddenly contacting me? But I don’t feel bad about it. It’s an opportunity for me to charm her.

Me: [Hi, what’s with the way you’re talking, Noona? Haha]

Soorin Noona: [Hehe... It’s my first time texting with you. I just wanted to be polite.]

Me: [Oh, so what do you want?]

Soorin Noona: [Huh? Can’t I just text you for no reason? Hmph!]

I probably shouldn’t have asked with that tone... Looks like my charm took a nosedive. But why is her reaction so adorable?

I replied again.

Me: [No, of course you can. I know you’re busy, but I’m actually happy you texted me.]

Soorin Noona: [Well, I actually do have a reason. You know we’re starting club promotions this week, right? So, um, do you happen to be interested in joining the student council, Hoyeon?]

Student council? All of a sudden, student council? She’s being impulsive again.

In the game, club activities were just a contrived device to involve heroines in events simultaneously. And there was no route to join the student council.

What should I do?

Me: [I’m not sure, but thanks for the offer. Since I still have plenty of time this week, I’ll think about it some more and let you know.]

Should I have declined more firmly since I’m not really sure? I’m still an introvert deep down and still struggle with conversations.

Living the life of an extrovert all of a sudden will be too difficult for me.

Soorin Noona: [Alright. Let’s talk about it again tomorrow. Give it a good think today, okay?]

Me: [Okay, Noona. Have a good night.]

Surin Nuna: [You too, night night~ ????]

Ah, I’m not sure what to do. The club I had in mind is Lucy’s social club.

Lumi and Lucy are the two heroines in that club. Since there are two, it’s a hotbed of events and incidents, making joining the social club a must.

Alice is in the reading club. Nam Daeun is in the relaxation club, and Moon Soorin is in the student council.

At Victoria Academy, it’s mandatory for each student to join one club. That’s why Nam Daeun also joined the relaxation club, even though she didn’t actively participate in club activities.

In the reading club Alice joined, there weren’t any major events according to the original game. So, my plan was to stick to Lucy’s social club, but who would’ve thought the student council would come knocking?

“No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn’t feel right to join.”

The student council is filled with all those kids from well-established families and the top guild elites. It’s going to be be tough for me to fit in there.

And there’s also the time factor. Being in the student council means sacrificing a lot of personal time. I’d rather dedicate that time to completing the heroines’ main routes and progressing through the main story. Juggling my own training and studies is already pushing the limits of what I can handle.

Come to think of it, isn’t the student council elected by vote? Strange. They never mentioned anything about voting in the original game. Perhaps it wasn’t considered an important event?

Well, I gave it a little thought out of politeness, but I think I should just muster up the courage to decline.

“Oh wait, hold on. Isn’t the disciplinary committee also part of the student council?”

It’s definitely part of the student council. Should I try joining?

At Victoria Academy, the role of the disciplinary committee differs from that of other schools.

They’re not just there to nag about behavior or dress code, but rather, they function as an in-house organization tasked with autonomously handling any incidents that occur within the school.

With all these fresh-faced students gaining more influence and power, there are plenty of incidents happening frequently.

To preserve the academy’s reputation, relying on external authorities every time an incident occurs would be detrimental. That’s why the disciplinary committee takes on the responsibility.

“The more I think about it, the more appealing it sounds.”

Being a part of the disciplinary committee would allow me to freely roam the school grounds and perhaps uncover some hidden mysteries along the way.

Since the disciplinary committee doesn’t have to do daily activities like the student council, it won’t cramp my style or eat up too much of my personal time.

Plus, there’ll be some big incident involving the committee, so I’ll have to jump in anyway.

“Alright, decision made. No more hesitation.”

Now that I’ve made up my mind, I should get some sleep.

***

“His name is Lee Hoyeon, a lowly first-year from Class A.”

“Alright, I’ll ensure he’s blacklisted from all the clubs at Victoria Academy.”

“Make sure he’s dealt with. He’s a real gem, disrespecting our Magic Research Club and even ensnaring the professor in charge.”

“Don’t worry. Once his name, Lee Hoyeon, is mentioned in any club, they will reject him.”

In the club room labeled “Magic Research Club,” the head of the Magic Research Club and the president of Victoria Academy’s club council were engaging in a covert discussion.

Surprisingly, the Magic Research Club held considerable influence over the other clubs. Not only did they have a large number of members, but their leader, Kim Hyun-do, hailed from a lineage of magical prodigies.

Moreover, due to a shady deal with Kim Hyun-do’s influential family guild after graduation, the president of the club council had showered favor upon the Magic Research Club.

These circumstances had elevated the Magic Research Club’s status above all others, except for the student council.

“Is it true that he doesn’t have any influential connections?”

“Don’t fret. He’s a nobody. Though there was a brief scandal when he was seen with the student council president, but it ultimately amounted to nothing. Just focus on the task at hand without any concerns.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“We need to crush people like him so hard that they can’t even squirm, so they learn their place.”

“Don’t worry, everything will proceed as you’ve planned.”

“Lee Hoyeon. I don’t know how you deceived Professor Im Sol, but I will undoubtedly reclaim what belongs to us...!”

“...What?”

What kind of sudden nonsense is this? Didn’t they just say they were looking to recruit more than 10 new members this year?

“What are you talking about? You said there were two spots available.”

Kim Yeonghan also questioned the odd statement made by the enthusiastic freshman.

“Apologies for the confusion. It was a mistake. If Kim Yeonghan joins, then we’ll be at full capacity.”

“....”

What’s going on? Something feels off about this.

Well, even if there were spots available, I wouldn’t join anyway. But it’s strange how quickly they changed their tune as soon as they heard my name.

“Alright, I get it. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Hey, Hoyeon! Where are you going?”

“I’m out. You go ahead and join.”

I’m tired of all this commotion. Besides, I never planned on joining in the first place.

But as soon as I left and resumed my way, the freshmen who were busy promoting their clubs suddenly dispersed, as if Moses had parted the sea.

Then, they either avoided eye contact with me or struck up conversations with other people, making it clear they didn’t want to talk to me.

“....”

Something’s definitely fishy here...

Ugh, I can’t ask them about it now. I’ll just head to class and focus on studying.

With a lingering sense of unease in a corner of my chest, I entered the academy.

Kim Yeonghan soon caught up with me and mentioned that as soon as I left, the fishing club freshmen resumed their sales pitches.

“I had a weird feeling too, so I decided not to join.”

He’s quite the unexpectedly loyal guy, this blondie.

As I plopped down in my seat, waiting for the homeroom teacher to show up, I felt two pair of eyes boring into me from the side.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I discreetly glanced over and caught Lumi’s gaze. She looked surprised for a moment, widening her eyes before swiftly turning away.

That’s odd. Wonder what’s up with her?

‘Lumi and I will join the same club, so it should be okay.’

With so many heroines to take care of, there’s a lot to think about. I’ll take care of Lucy and Lumi in the social club.

The other set of eyes belonged to Do Jinhyuk. Boy, did he know how to radiate hostility with just a look.

Honestly, I’m clueless. What did I do to rub him the wrong way? Besides being the protagonist, I haven’t done a thing!

But sometimes you just inexplicably dislike someone. Maybe he was destined to be that way right from the start, being the antagonist and all. Poor guy.

Drrrt.

The classroom door opened, and our homeroom professor, Kim Jinhyuk, entered. Same old black suit, same slick silver hair.

“Are you all actively searching for clubs? Remember, joining at least one club is compulsory, so make sure to sign up.”

He calmly delivered his message as usual.

“We’ve got dungeon practice scheduled for next week. As you all know, attendance and class behavior have zero impact on your grades at Victoria Academy. You could skip every single class, and as long as you ace the exams, you’ll be sitting pretty at the top.”

That’s why Nam Daeun loved to ditch classes. Since practical classes had a significant influence on grades, there was no point in attending the theoretical lectures.

“However, the dungeon practice comes with a scoring system. Although you’ll enter as teams, individual scores will be assigned to each member. If anyone sabotages teamwork by only caring about their own scores and obstructs group collaboration, deductions will be in order. Use your judgment accordingly.”

In simpler terms, it’s a training exercise to foster cooperation. Whether you’re a hunter or a member of the association, you needed to learn the importance of teamwork.

“Today’s class will proceed as per usual without any announcements. Any questions?”

“....”

“If not, prepare for class.”

With those words, Professor Kim Jinhyuk exited the classroom. As soon as he left, the buzz of chatter resumed.

Should I bother preparing for class?

I don’t really need to attend the theoretical lectures, but there’s no need to create a negative impression on the professors either.

I pulled out a research paper from my bag and began reading it. But no matter how much I read, the papers seemed never-ending.

Drrrt.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open again. It was a tad early for the theory class professor to show up. They must be extra keen today.

Thinking that, I continued scanning the paper. However, the ruckus in the classroom didn’t align with a professor’s arrival.

“Huh, student council president? Why is she here in the first-year classroom?”

“Um, isn’t there someone named Lee Hoyeon here?”

“Yes, uh, he’s over there...”

“Thanks.”

This woman’s voice that shouldn’t be heard in my classroom echoed. And it seemed like she was looking for me.

Step by step...

As I raised my head, I saw Moon Soorin standing in front of me. Ah, this can’t be good. That thought briefly crossed my mind.

“Junior, have you made your decision?”

She flashed me a gorgeous smile that was hard to resist, while extending the student council membership application towards me.

***