Flowers are beginning to bloom.
The seeds that were buried in the snow are slowly sprouting, stretching their tiny shoots towards the sun.
Leaves were starting to sprout from trees, adding vibrant colors to the academy.
I was taking a stroll, admiring my surroundings.
"The weather's nice."
“It truly is! I usually prefer winter, but now that we're outside, spring doesn't seem too bad!"
I glanced at Priscilla who made that comment.
Right at my feet, in the form of a wolf, was Priscilla.
I was taking a walk with her, upholding a promise I made while we were in prison: to show her more of the outside world and to take care of her.
Perhaps because of that, I've felt that Priscilla has been in high spirits lately.
But, in contrast to her joy, my own worries have multiplied recently.
To be exact, it’s not that I have more concerns, but one particular worry that's been bothering me immensely: money.
The ways to earn money while living at the academy are few and far between.
Occasionally, the academy would hire students for short-term contractual jobs and pay them, but that pay was nowhere near what I needed.
To continue to grow and improve, I need to do my own personal research and experiments.
However the funds needed are beyond what an average student can afford.
For now, I'm managing with the money given by my family, but that amount will soon be exhausted.
My current research especially requires a significant amount of money.
Dark magic often uses catalysts; magic that requires a sacrifice.
I've been delving deep into studying this kind of magic.
With Professor Robert's help, I've been making good progress, and on my own, I’ve been purchasing various materials to practice.
However, practicing alone has become increasingly challenging.
When learning with Robert, he’d simply toss me the ingredients he had in his lab.
On my own, I had to buy them. I now understand why Evan might have struggled to maintain the top rank, unable to reach the required specs.
For now, my immediate need is to earn money that would sustain me for a while.
But the ways to earn it are limited.
The most obvious option is to become a teaching assistant.
In fact, it's perhaps the only viable option for me.
"Becoming a teaching assistant, huh..."
I began contemplating it earnestly.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Of course, I had no intention of becoming Robert's assistant.
He already had a few assistants, and given Robert's personality, if I became his assistant, he'd definitely dump all his work on me.
The professor I was considering was Gracie Lifegold.
Despite being a professor, she was quite lenient.
She doesn't even have a proper assistant right now.
I'm sure Gracie would eagerly welcome me.
"But..."
There's a catch...
If I were to go by my plan...
"Senior? Hello?"
I heard a voice from behind me.
I turned with a frown, recognizing that voice.
Behind me, Yuni was standing with a smile.
"Out for a stroll again today?"
The semester hadn’t begun yet.
Although it was about to, the freshmen hadn’t arrived.
Typically, noble students would arrive accompanied by their families for the entrance ceremony.
However, unlike them, Yuni had already moved into the dormitory.
Honestly, I didn’t mind her moving in early, but the real issue was her constantly following me around lately.
Like when I would take morning walks with Priscilla or when I studied at the library, she’d always show up just to say hi.
Even when I asked her to stop, she would merely smile and say,
"I'll come by again."
At first, it was very bothersome.
She would constantly hover around, staring intently, making it impossible for me to ignore her.
But, recently, I found a solution.
"Yuni, what are you doing?"
From behind, Rie, dressed in comfortable sportswear, approached.
She came over with a bright smile.
"Tsk…"
Seeing Rie, Yuni frowned.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Senior! Then, I'll come back later."
"You don’t have to."
Despite my words, Yuni just smiled and left.
Yuni’s natural enemy.
That was Rie.
Whenever Yuni sought me out, Rie would find me soon after.
And she would promptly chase Yuni away.
After numerous repetitions of this routine, it became a new normal.
Especially during morning walks with Priscilla, Rie joining us became a part of the routine.
Rie, seeing Yuni’s retreating figure, turned to me with a broad grin.
"Shall we get going?"
"Sure."
I began jogging through the academy grounds with Rie.
Priscilla, too, gleefully followed.
Of course, we weren't running at full speed.
If I ran too fast, Rie wouldn’t be able to keep up.
I adjusted my pace to match hers.
At first, even at this pace, Rie struggled.
She wasn’t used to exercising.
But lately, she's been managing to keep up, keeping her breathing steady without breaks.
"Whew… Whew..."
After a while, we were nearing the end of our usual running route.
"Rudy."
Rie, slowing down a bit, started to speak.
"Hmm?"
I glanced at her, tilting my head.
"What’s up?"
It didn't seem like she was tired or wanted to stop.
Rie stared at me intently for a moment, then began to speak softly.
"Do you want to join the student council with me?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"What?"
"I plan to run for student council president. I’d like you to be my vice president."
Rie’s sudden proposition caught me off guard.
"We haven’t properly organized the student council since we haven’t seen the first-year students yet, but I'd really like you to take on the role of vice president."
Rie continued her proposal.
“I've been watching you since you started working in the student council. You're good at what you do... you're approachable... someone I trust...”
“Hold on.”
I interrupted Rie as she spoke.
“There's... a slight problem.”
“Huh?”
Rie’s eyes widened in surprise at my words.
I gave an awkward smile.
"I'm also running for student council president."
“What?”
Rie looked completely taken aback by what I had just said.
“Oh, I'm not saying I won't participate in the student council... I'll just be running for the position of president.”
I nodded.
Taking the position of student council president was the beginning of my plan for this school year.
To completely alter the narrative centered around Evan.
I needed to shift the entire flow of this academy.
And for that, I needed power.
The kind of authority that could sway the academy.
The first step to gaining such power was to secure the student council president’s seat.
It was the only position that provided vast information access, and the legitimate authority to influence the academy.
Of course, I knew that Rie intended to run for the position.
That's why I was hesitant to tell her.
We'd become opponents after all.
Still, it was a conversation we had to have eventually.
"So... have you decided who you'd want in the student council if you win?"
Rie stumbled over her words, still processing the situation.
“I haven’t finalized it yet. But I have a few in mind.”
The entrance exam for freshmen.
That was why I was there.
After the exam, I approached a freshman named Kuhn.
He was an alchemy student with a remarkable talent for both magic and alchemy.
A prodigious talent held back by his commoner status.
I met him and asked him to join the student council I was planning to form.
He left without saying much, but I was set on bringing him into the council.
Apart from him, I didn’t have anyone else in mind.
If it didn't work out, I even thought of placing Luna in a Vice President kind of role.
“Ugh...”
Rie was deep in thought.
And then, with a frustrated expression, she blurted out.
“Just take the Vice President position! Let me be the President!!!”
“I don’t want to.”
“It’s almost the same thing anyway!!!”
“Then why don't you become the Vice President?”
“Ugh...!!!”
Rie glared at me, fuming.
The conversation felt childish.
Like a squabble between little kids.
No matter what Rie said, I wasn’t going to change my mind.
Of course, things would be more comfortable if Rie were the student council president.
We got along relatively well, and she respected my opinions.
But that didn't mean there were no issues.
In the end, if I wanted something done, I would have to ask her.
The decision to act on it would be hers.
Having the position of student council president allowed me to act freely and do as I pleased.
"So, let's have a fair competition for the student council presidency."
I offered my hand to Rie.
However, Rie stared at my hand for a moment before opening her mouth.
"I don't want to..."
"Huh...?"
"I said, no."
I was taken aback by her response.
"So, you're saying you're not going to play fair and rig the election?"
"That's not what I'm saying!"
Rie protested, giving my stomach a playful jab.
"Then what is it?"
"..."
Rie lowered her head, continuing to jab at my stomach.
"Hey, that's starting to hurt."
Upon hearing this, Rie stopped and looked up.
And then she spoke.
"I'll be the Vice President..."
"...What?"
Rie exclaimed with a frown.
"I said, I want to be the Vice President!!!"
"...???"
What was she talking about?
I looked at Rie with surprise.
It was completely unexpected.
I never asked Rie to be Vice President because I knew she'd never want to be beneath anyone due to her personality.
Or at least, that's what I thought.
Rie shook her head, seemingly irritated.
"In one of our assessments, I realized that competing with someone you know is really unpleasant. I already have enough opponents; why would I fight against someone who's supposed to be on my side? I absolutely hate it."
Rie said with determination.
"Let's do it together. The student council."
I stared at Rie, completely taken aback.
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