CHAPTER 36: CLASS REPRESENTATIVE [1]

"Good morning, Elena!"

"Good morning to you too, Vivian."

Elena greeted her friend with a gentle smile as she took her seat. Despite everything that had happened yesterday, she still managed to sound calm—almost as if nothing had occurred.

Although she had nearly been kidnapped, the academy had handled the matter quietly and efficiently. Thanks to their discretion, no one knew that she had been the victim.

Of course, the incident couldn’t be completely hidden. The academy had issued an emergency ban on all student outings, and news of a "kidnapping attempt" spread like wildfire.

Now, whispers filled the halls.

Everyone wanted to know who the target was.

Elena, however, couldn’t understand why.

Why would anyone be curious about something like that?

She sighed softly, setting her bag down.

"Ah! Hello, Louis!"

Her desk partner, Louis, greeted her with a faint smile as he sank into his seat beside her. He looked unusually tired, his eyes slightly shadowed.

"You came to school today?" he asked absentmindedly.

Elena blinked. "Huh? Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?"

Louis froze for a brief second, realizing what he’d just said. "Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I guess I’m just... really out of it today."

Elena tilted her head slightly, then smiled again. "It’s fine. You must’ve trained late last night, right?"

Louis gave a vague laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "Something like that."

Her assumption was convenient—and he wasn’t about to correct it.

As the morning sunlight poured through the tall windows, the chatter in the classroom gradually quieted.

Elena turned her attention to the front, opening her notebook and neatly arranging her pens.

Whatever had happened yesterday... she decided not to think about it anymore.

Today was a new day.

And as far as anyone else knew, she was just another student—nothing more, nothing less.

*****

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I almost slipped up.

Ordinary students didn’t know that Elena had been the victim of yesterday’s kidnapping incident. But because of everything that happened, I just assumed she’d be absent for at least a day.

So when I saw her sitting there in her usual seat, perfectly composed, I froze for a second—my mind still foggy from lack of sleep—and nearly said something stupid.

That was close. Too close.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself to refocus.

I can’t afford to make careless mistakes like that. Not when a single wrong word could unravel everything.

Stay sharp, Louis.

The door slid open.

Screech.

"Good morning, Professor!"

"Good morning, everyone. I trust you’ve all been well."

Professor Dominic entered with his usual calm demeanor, carrying a stack of papers under his arm. The classroom, once filled with idle chatter, immediately quieted down as the morning assembly began.

"As you’ve probably already heard," he began, his tone grave, "there was an incident yesterday in which one of our students was nearly kidnapped."

The room fell into an uneasy silence.

I knew the full story, of course. I’d been there.

So while the others listened with tense faces, I tuned him out, letting his words wash over me like background noise.

The event that was supposed to serve as the turning point—the incident that would bring Ed and Elena closer—had already gone off-script. The timeline had shifted.

Meaning the natural development between them was gone, erased by my interference.

Now the question was—how do I fix it?

How do I create a new situation where the two can still grow close?

As I was lost in thought, half-listening to Dominic’s lecture, a single phrase cut through the haze of my mind.

"—And so, today, we’ll be selecting a class representative."

I blinked.

Wait a second.

Class representative...?

A slow grin tugged at the corner of my lips.

That’s it.

That’s it.

A perfect opportunity had just fallen right into my lap.

---

The Academy’s Student Council—an organization that was practically its own miniature empire.

Planning Department, Finance Department, Disciplinary Department, and more. Each division had its own responsibilities, and together, they wielded considerable influence over the Academy’s daily affairs.

It wasn’t just for show, either. The council had real authority—budget control, event planning, even the right to discipline students in certain cases. For a group run entirely by students, their autonomy was absurdly high.

And the protagonist, Ed, happened to be one of them.

He hadn’t joined under normal circumstances.

After the Arcana incident—a major event where several students were kidnapped by monsters—Ed had stepped up, leading the rescue efforts and saving multiple lives. That incident was what first put him in the spotlight, earning him the attention of both students and faculty.

Thanks to that, he was scouted directly by the Student Council. Despite being a first-year, he joined the Disciplinary Department—a rare, almost unheard-of privilege.

Of course, there were political motives behind the decision.

The Academy’s public philosophy was simple: "If you have the skill, your background doesn’t matter."

Ed, being a commoner with exceptional ability, was the perfect example to showcase that principle.

And it also benefited Anna Blackwood—the current Student Council President, and the Imperial Princess herself.

Rumors had been spreading that she looked down on commoners. So, by recruiting Ed, she could silence her critics and appear fair-minded.

But the real kicker?

’Eventually, she becomes part of Ed’s harem...’

I sighed quietly, rubbing my temple.

Great. Another one.

Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, I had a different task.

"Anyone who wants to be class representative, raise your hand," Professor Dominic announced.

A few hands went up here and there, mostly students looking to show off or gain favor with the professors.

My eyes instinctively drifted to Elena.

As expected, she looked utterly disinterested—calm, composed, and detached from the commotion.

No surprise there. In the original comic, she hadn’t been the class representative either. She was the type who preferred to act rather than lead, to observe rather than command.

’So how do I make her interested?’

That was the real problem.

If I could somehow get her to take the position, she’d naturally start interacting more with Ed. The class representative often had to work closely with the Student Council—especially with the Disciplinary Department.

In other words, with him.

It was the perfect setup to recreate the connection they were supposed to have.

But Elena wasn’t someone you could push or manipulate easily.

I’d need to make it look like her own decision.

Maybe... if I framed it as something only she could handle—something responsible, something that appealed to her sense of pride or justice—she might actually consider it.

She wasn’t the kind to seek power, but she did take responsibility seriously.

Alright. That could work.

Now I just needed to find the right opportunity... and the right words.

Something subtle. Something natural.

"As you all know, there are benefits to becoming the class representative."

Seeing how lukewarm the response was, Professor Dominic smiled awkwardly and tried to liven up the atmosphere.

"If you become a class officer, you’ll receive activity funds directly from the Student Council. And during major events, you’ll gain additional privileges and official recognition—things that can be quite useful later on."

The students, however, remained quiet.