.｡.:✧ Chapter 10 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The bell signaling the end of the last class echoed throughout the academy.

“Alright. Tomorrow, there will be a pair practical training scheduled, so everyone prepare for it.”

I had agreed to meet Ha-rin outside after we finished our schedule at the academy, so I thought it was good timing to also discuss how to proceed with the pair training.

After this, there was a student council meeting, but I wondered if there would be anything significant to ask the first-years to do.

Recalling my memories of when I was the student council president, the first-year students mostly just helped with occasional miscellaneous tasks?

Most of the actual work was handled by the third-years or led by the second-years.

Unless it was during the festival period or crackdown period, they wouldn’t handle official tasks, so I thought it would end quickly.

“Phew…”

Although I was captivated by Si-hwa’s words and joined the student council, I wasn’t particularly happy about being here.

That’s because even for the club, I joined the most low-key, loner club for a slow life.

It made no sense to be in the student council filled with the most popular people when I had joined the most outcast club in the world.

It seemed the meeting hadn’t started yet.

“Oh! In-wook, you’re here!”

The blond-haired president greeted me warmly.

Still, perhaps because he was the president, I could see him trying to take care of the first-years, even if just a little.

“Hello, sunbae-nim.”

I bowed my head and sat down in the secretary’s seat.

Si-hwa’s seat was next to mine, but for some reason, even though she confirmed I had entered, she didn’t spare me a single glance.

I thought it might be because of our conversation that day.

[If I can’t accept your feelings. What will you do?]

Why the hell did I say such a thing?

Whether Si-hwa told me she fell for me as a joke or sincerely, that response was nothing short of a disaster.

There was nothing I could do even if I blamed myself, but I was even more clueless about what Si-hwa was thinking.

“Now, everyone. Attention!”

The student council president clapped his hands to get our attention.

“Today, we will start the first regular meeting of this semester!”

The seniors, me, Si-hwa, everyone listened to his words.

“Actually, there isn’t much to convey, but instead, there are people I want to introduce to everyone.”

As someone who had hurriedly received a handover as the acting secretary, I hadn’t even properly greeted the people here yet.

“In-wook, Si-hwa. Would you like to come forward for a bit?”

Si-hwa and I stood side by side in front of the president’s seat.

“Please introduce yourselves and feel free to say anything you want!”

…The seating arrangement is already uncomfortable, sunbae-nim.

I glanced at Si-hwa standing next to me, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of introducing herself first.

Sigh… There was no choice.

I spoke first.

“Hello, sunbae-nims. I’m Choi In-wook, a first-year student who recently joined the student council as the secretary! I still have many shortcomings, but I will work hard to learn! Thank you!”

I was already a veteran at social life in my previous life.

I knew much better than the people here what tone to use to elicit the best response.

Clap clap clap.

Still, perhaps because there was no strict military culture or senior-junior power dynamic even in my previous life, everyone welcomed me with applause and cheers.

And then it was Si-hwa’s turn.

“Yoo Si-hwa. That’s all.”

I thought her self-introduction was excessively concise.

The seniors who had just cheered for me also looked at Si-hwa with slightly surprised faces.

They seemed to be waiting, thinking there would be more to follow, but I knew.

That it was really the end.

As silence fell for a moment, the president tried to somehow resolve the chilled atmosphere.

“Hahaha. Si-hwa, do you have anything else you want to say?”

She glanced at the president with an indifferent face and opened her mouth.

“Choi In-wook. Don’t touch him.”

…You’re the one who comes to bother me every day, Yoo Si-hwa.

“He’s mine.”

With a strong informality to boot.

There was nothing more to add.

I almost said, “Please, Si-hwa,” but I held back.

Because the contents of the bomb she dropped even included me.

The seniors looked at us for a few seconds with a dumbfounded expression, and then whistles rang out.

“Awesome! Yoo Si-hwa!”

A female senior shouted at Si-hwa.

“Wow! What was that just now? Are you two dating?”

…No. That’s not it, but we got married and divorced.

But I couldn’t say that.

The student council president looked at Si-hwa with a somewhat disgruntled expression.

“Si-hwa, are you saying that you and In-wook are more than just friends?”

“Yes.”

At Si-hwa’s firm answer, the female seniors erupted in cheers.

Their reaction was like a panel watching a morning drama.

“…Then, may I ask what your relationship is?”

I thought it was a situation where one could be sufficiently curious, but I didn’t like the president persistently asking either.

“I like In-wook.”

“Kyaaaaah!”

The girls had an excessive reaction.

“This… is the new… student these days? Da-jeong, I’m so excited.”

“Sweet… So sweet… Just watching makes this old lady… happy…”

The seniors started to blabber.

Was I going to be consumed as content again in this life?

Annoyance surged in me like a rising tide as I vividly recalled my bad relationship with reporters in my previous life.

“Yoo Si-hwa. Stop joking around. It’s not like that, sunbae-nims.”

I spoke in a firm tone with a serious face.

Si-hwa, who hadn’t looked at my face once all day, looked up at me.

“Sorry. Please forget what I just said.”

With those words, Si-hwa returned to her seat.

I followed her back.

As silence fell again, the president tried to continue the meeting.

“Hahaha. Si-hwa and In-wook, you can’t tease the seniors from the beginning. Anyway, as I announced, there isn’t much to discuss. Don’t forget that the campus patrol will probably start next week.”

Surprisingly, fights were frequent within the academy.

I knew painfully well from my previous life that there was no personality interview in the spirits’ hunter selection process.

Especially when they didn’t know each other well, the more people wanted to show off and boast, the more frequent the clashes within the academy.

According to my memory, it was mainly people around the upper B-rank or lower A-rank, rather than students who would become the next S-rank, who were always at the center of the fights.

They were excellent talents, but when those ambiguous people who couldn’t reach the top became full of vanity, these things usually happened.

“Then, today’s meeting ends here! Ah, right! First-years, if you go to the storage room, there’s a box labeled student council supplies, right? Please move that to the student council room before you leave.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

As expected, errands were the first-years’ job.

The seniors started to leave one by one, and Si-hwa and I walked silently side by side towards the storage room.

When we arrived right next to the gym where the storage room was located, Si-hwa opened the door and spoke to me.

“…I’m sorry about earlier.”

It seemed she was concerned about my serious expression.

“What were you thinking, saying such things?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“…What?”

“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but everything I said was sincere.”

So you’re saying it’s sincere that you like me, so don’t touch me?

“…Even if that’s sincere, did you not think about how it would put me in a difficult position?”

In the dark storage room.

Only a faint light through a small window illuminated us.

Her blue hair shone sky blue, reflecting the light.

“I’m also troubled because of you.”

To be blunt, I had never approached her first since entering the academy, so I wondered what was so troubling.

“I never thought my heart would be so agitated by that one sentence of yours, asking what if you don’t accept my feelings.”

She let out a self-mocking laugh.

“It seems you’re the only man capable of this after all, Choi In-wook.”

Ah, as I expected, Si-hwa was also concerned about my words.

“But, Yoo Si-hwa, I still can’t understand. Liking someone or such things should come after properly understanding each other.”

Si-hwa interrupted my words.

“Then, are you willing to get to know me?”

Her tone was as if she already knew exactly what I was going to say.

“Uh… hmm…”

Still, it seemed like a more plausible story than suddenly confessing her love.

And it was true that I was curious about the Si-hwa of her academy days, which was an unknown territory for me, different from my memories.

Perhaps impatient with my hesitation, Si-hwa added an explanation.

“If you say you can’t accept me because you don’t know me, I’ll let you know.”

She approached right in front of me.

“When you get to know what kind of person I am, will you be able to give me an answer then?”

She had a confident expression.

What was she so sure of from the beginning? Si-hwa.

I nodded.

“Then hand it over.”

For a moment, I tilted my head, not understanding.

What does she want me to hand over?

“Your number. Choi In-wook.”

…Si-hwa was the first woman to take my number in this life.

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