“Call me ‘sister’… Ahem. If I’m a cute beautiful girl like this, shouldn’t you call me ‘sister’?”
Seira fanned herself with a lace fan.
‘Where on earth do they see this cute self as a grandmother or an aunt…? The youth these days…’
Seira’s pink lips pouted beyond the fan.
She pulled out a fancy black hand mirror from her pocket to check her face.
Her face was so smooth and youthful, it could easily be mistaken for baby skin.
Inside the mirror was a silver-haired, red-eyed beautiful girl who looked even younger than Haru, the youngest among them.
‘Hmm, indeed I am a cute beautiful girl. That’s an undeniable fact.’
Though her dynamite figure from her sexy prime days wasn’t quite the same, this level of beauty was certainly good enough for today’s youth to appreciate.
She was definitely neither a grandmother nor an aunt.
“Seira-tan is such a grandma! Totally shameless. Seira-tan’s score is going down big time. Beep beep!”
Haru crossed her arms, making an X with her hands.
At that sight, Seira’s hands trembled.
‘Must… endure. As the elder, I must endure…’
Even if she looked like that, Haru was the youngest student in the academy.
With her years of experience, she couldn’t just fall for a kid’s provocation.
An adult should act like an adult.
With that resolution in mind, Seira fluttered her fan and spoke.
“Well then, can we skip the grandmother or auntie part…?”
“Really? Then should I just call you Seira-tan? Seira-tan is a grandma, but super cute! Especially when you try so hard to act young, it’s totally adorable. Nishi nishishi.”
Haru laughed at Seira’s words.
Upon hearing Haru, Seira’s cheeks trembled.
Acting young? Clumsy?
And that nickname “Seira-tan”… It was embarrassing to hear it from others.
“Well… that’s a bit much, isn’t it? Just call me Chairman or even sister is fine.”
“Ugh, I totally hate calling you sister! ‘Chairman’ is lame too. Seira-tan is Seira-tan! If you don’t like it, I’ll just call you grandma or auntie!”
Haru puffed her cheeks.
Seeing that, Seira rubbed her forehead.
After a moment of silence, Seira shook her head.
“Fine, you can do whatever you want.”
Although the nickname “Seira-tan” was embarrassing, it was better than being called a grandmother or aunt.
It had a slightly cuter nuance, which she liked a bit.
Cute.
With that thought in her mind, Seira fluttered her fan and said.
“Hehe, still, Haru, you admit I’m cute, don’t you?”
“Yep! Totally! Seira-tan! And why on earth do you eat matcha and yokan in a fancy Western tea set? It’s totally nonsensical! Unbalanced! Haru’s score is going down! Beep beep!”
“Uh, well…”
“And why are snacks only yokan? Such a grandma move! I’m so sick of yokan every day! I want candy! Give me candy!”
“I’m really tired of this. Haru likes candy. I want candy. Give me candy!”
Seeing Haru throw a tantrum, Seira sighed.
Candy at midnight? Where on earth was she supposed to get that?
Just as she was pondering that, a flash of inspiration struck Seira—one of the items she had received as a gift from the Korean government.
“Hmm, you want candy? Fine. For Haru, I wouldn’t refuse.”
“Really? Seira-chan is giving candy to Haru?”
Excitement sparkled in Haru’s red eyes.
With a smile, Seira pulled out a metal box from her drawer and opened the lid.
She picked a yellow candy from inside the box and fed it to Haru.
“Here, eat up.”
Gulp.
Haru’s face stiffened after tasting the candy.
Instead of the sweet flavor she anticipated, a bitter taste reminiscent of herbal medicine lingered in her mouth.
“Seira-chan! What’s this candy? It tastes terrible! It’s the worst!”
“This is ginseng candy I got as a gift when I went to Korea. What do you mean it doesn’t taste good? It suits my taste perfectly.”
“Uuuh. Seira-chan, lying is really bad. Haru’s score just went down again! Beep beep!”
At Haru’s words, Seira picked up a piece of ginseng candy and popped it into her mouth without saying a word.
A bitter taste echoed in her mouth.
“Delicious,” she declared, making a face of enjoyment that was entirely different from Haru’s.
Seeing Seira enjoying it while she made a pout, Haru muttered, “You really are like an old lady, Seira-chan. Normal people wouldn’t eat such a terrible-tasting candy.”
“I told you I’m not an old lady, Haru.”
Just then, Seira’s phone on the table vibrated.
Her gaze shifted to the name flashing on the screen.
“Ah-chan?”
The caller was Aris.
Seira answered the call.
*
Shortly after Aris made the call, Seira arrived at the scene.
She and Aris explained the circumstances surrounding the magical barrier they had discovered and their plans moving forward.
The problem was that an uninvited guest had followed Seira.
“Deok-Sung! Ah-chan! So it was just the two of you at the Old School Building…”
A beautiful girl with side tail hair, narrowing her eyes, appeared behind Seira.
It was Kurosawa Haru.
Swish.
Haru stepped closer to Aris and spoke, “Don’t tell me you guys weren’t doing anything suspicious?”
“We were not doing anything scoundrel-like! What do you take the Student Council President for, Kurosawa?”
“Heh? But Ah-chan, you go around saying scoundrel, scoundrel every day, and really, you are a total scoundrel☆!”
“…That’s not what’s important right now. This unidentified magical barrier is what matters.”
Blushing from Haru’s words, Aris quickly redirected the topic.
Haru clicked her tongue and pouted.
“Tch.”
“…Hmm. This magical barrier’s formation is familiar. Walpurgis Night… It’s a magical barrier designed to activate a large-scale illusion. I don’t know who set it up, but…”
Seira’s eyes narrowed.
To recognize the barrier’s form just like that? It seemed her time with Five Crowns hadn’t been wasted.
“It looks like I’ve been underestimated these days. Seeing these random miscreants daring to encroach upon the territory of the White Empress.”
Seira’s eyes darkened.
White magical power radiated from her body.
Five Crowns. The White Empress.
Despite her goofy persona, Seira was actually among the strongest in this world.
At that moment, even Haru, who usually played around, and Aris, who was blushing, had nothing to say.
“Hey, kid.”
Seira’s gaze shifted towards me.
“Weren’t we supposed to disable this magical barrier, set a trap based on that, and apprehend both the traitor and the mastermind as a result?”
“Let’s just deal with the betrayer and his backers at once, shall we?”
I nodded.
Swish.
Seira fanned out her fan.
She cast a flirtatious wink.
“That’s a clever scheme. Very well, let’s proceed as the little one suggests.”
Hehe.
While Seira smiled, she cast a cold glance down at the magical barrier.
“The enemies will painfully realize what it means to challenge the name of Five Crowns.”
With Seira’s words serving as the concluding prompt, we followed her orders and made the magical barrier appear intact, but in reality, it was non-functional.
After that, time passed without any incidents.
Finally, the day of the cultural festival was approaching.
I don’t believe in superstitions.
On the day of the cultural festival, the main gate of Shuo Hero Academy, which strictly forbade unauthorized entry, swung wide open.
“Let’s ignite our youth together! ~Shuo Hero Academy Cultural Festival~”
Flutter.
The banner with the festival slogan flapped in the breeze.
On the vast artificial island, several times the size of Yeouido, lay the academy campus.
The road leading to the main building was bustling with numerous external visitors and cadets selling goods from their stalls.
Balloons emblazoned with the slogan floated in the sky, and class-specific banners created by the cadets hung from the windows of the main building.
The academy was filled with a festive atmosphere that was lively and cheerful.
However, there was one spot where the festival mood was notably weak.
That was the Annex, where I was, which housed the committee responsible for overseeing the cultural festival.
Morning meeting.
The committee meeting began with all the members present.
Aris, seated in her usual position as Student Council President, calmly led the meeting.
“Disciplinary Chair.”
“Yes, President.”
“Please pay special attention to crowd control and security today.”
“Understood.”
Shinji, under Aris’s directives, gave an annoyingly cheerful smile.
It was genuinely irritating.
It was unpleasant in the anime, but in reality, it was even grosser.
“The cultural festival has finally begun. You’ve all worked hard during preparations, but we still have responsibilities to fulfill. Let’s all hang in there until the very last day of the festival.”
At the student’s words, all the committee members clapped.
I clapped too.
It would be odd if I didn’t.
[Partner, why are you clapping so enthusiastically? I thought you’d be half-hearted about it…]
I brushed off the Black Prince’s nonsense.
“Then, I will go for a site inspection after this meeting. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris called out to me.
“Yes, President.”
“Please accompany me for the inspection.”
“Understood.”
I nodded in response.
Site inspection for the cultural festival.
It was the same duty that Yuji, the protagonist in the original work, had held.
The purpose was to oversee the overall events for each class, but in reality, it was much like taking a date with Aris, wandering through every nook and cranny of the festival.
Unlike the original plot, with Yuji no longer on the committee, it was uncertain who would be chosen to accompany her, but fortunately, I was picked.
“President has her eye on the Black Beast!”
“The rumors about the President falling for the Black Beast were true after all, huh?”
“They say the Black Beast already stole the President’s chastity in a suite room in Kyoto!”
“They say the two meet secretly and passionately in the Student Council President’s office every night?”
The extras buzzed with excitement as soon as the choices were made.
[Partner, why do you look so excited?]
The Black Prince’s nonsense echoed in my head again.
Just as I was about to ignore it this time and say something back, I heard someone biting their lip.
“Ugh…”
I turned my head.
There stood Maeda Shinji.
He was adjusting his glasses while glaring at me.
Our eyes met.
As soon as our eyes met, the guy flinched and then forced a phony smile.
But thinking of the magical barrier in the old school building, it might not be fake—maybe he’s genuinely scared.
“······.”
As expected, the top-tier unlikable villain is showing his pathetic side.
Well, that won’t last long.
I’ve already installed invisible sensors and cameras in the old school building, so the moment he steps into the barrier, game over for him.
“Alright, that wraps up today’s meeting. Everyone, return to your positions.”
Clap, clap.
Aris organized her documents and got up from her seat.
“Yes! President!”
“Got it! Senior President!”
“Have a nice date!”
The extras replied with smiles.
“It’s not a date; it’s a field inspection.”
Aris answered with an expressionless face, unaffected by their teasing.
“Senior President is still the same.”
“Total honor student, a little boring.”
“Is there really a girl that the Black Beast can’t conquer?”
I could hear whispers from the side.
Conquer? What are these guys even thinking about me?
It’s ridiculous.
While I was clicking my tongue at that.
“Follow me, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris, now by my side, spoke to me.
“Understood, Senior. Let’s go.”
I stood up.
It was time for the field inspection.
*
We arrived at the front street of the main building with Aris.
What unfolded before my eyes was just like those cultural festival scenes I often saw in anime.
Numerous stalls lined the street, with students hawking their goods and visitors milling about.
I could also see banners with the festival slogan.
I was a bit excited since it was a cultural festival, but it didn’t differ much from a university festival.
It felt like a university festival that didn’t sell alcohol? Well, I heard that these days, due to the regulations banning alcohol sales at university festivals, even bars selling drinks are a thing of the past.
“There’s the President!”
“President! Want some takoyaki?”
“Senior President! Please try our class’s yakisoba too!”
As soon as Aris appeared, students began to call out to her.
Seeing this, Aris cleared her throat.
“Ahem. We will conduct a field inspection. Everyone, return to your places.”
With Aris’s words, the students went back to their spots.
“Let’s go then, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris handed me the checklist, speaking in a slightly excited tone.
“The sanitation of the stalls seems to be fine.”
“Senior President! Here, try our class’s takoyaki!”
“Thank you.”
“Senior President! Are you really on a date with the Black Beast?”
“······ No, we’re not.”
Unlike during the event committee, numerous students approached Aris whenever we checked a stall, adhering to her status as the top idol among all grades.
Aris, seemingly used to it, skillfully handled their mischievous questions.
Thanks to that, I also got to snack on some takoyaki and other treats.
Hmm.
I opened the takoyaki box I just received and plucked one with a toothpick to pop into my mouth.
Not bad at all.
Just as I was thinking that.
“Gah!”
I heard a gasp next to me.
Turning my head, I saw Aris hitting her chest.
Looks like she choked on the takoyaki.
“Saionji-senpai, if you’re choking, drink this.”
I pulled out a cola I had prepared for myself and handed it over.
[Oh, partner. You’re giving her cola? This is the first time I’ve seen you give cola to someone else! Until now, it was half joke, half truth, but this time, it’s 100% serious. Make sure to take care of the other ladies too.]
‘What nonsense? Of course, I have to give it to her if she’s choking.’
While I was arguing with the Black Prince in my head.
Aris opened the cola and gulped it down.
“Phew.”
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