I got into school for nothing - Chapter 105
I got into school for nothing (105)
Lesson 22. I got into a club for nothing - 5
That evening, after distributing two Study Talismans each to the club's new members, whose numbers had increased nearly fivefold in one fell swoop, Ban Yuwon declared their dismissal.
Then, before the Rebellion members could stop her, Mira abducted Ban Yuwon.
To be precise, it was under the pretext that Mira, the head of public relations, would treat him to a meal as a thank-you for readily accepting the Student Council's request.
She even took him straight to Ronica, leaving the rest of the group, who were not yet permitted to go to Ronica without Ban Yuwon, with no choice but to twiddle their thumbs and wait for his return.
"Rucell's going to get sulky again."
"Rucell, that pink-haired girl... what's your relationship? She seems to have particularly deep feelings for you."
Ban Yuwon clinked his glass against the wine glass Mira offered and shrugged his shoulders.
"No wonder; it's not the first time you've handled a fraudulent contract."
"With Rucell, I was the one who got played, wasn't I? No, now that I think about it, I feel like I got played by you too."
"Hey, are you talking without me?"
Come to think of it, Graham was also at this table.
Mira turned her head, pretending not to know him, but Ban Yuwon chuckled and clinked glasses with him too.
Finally, Mira got annoyed.
"You should have left on your own. Truly a clueless man."
"I made the reservation for the place, though."
"Thank you, Senior. As expected of Student Council members, you know a lot of good places."
Although Ketra had first introduced him to the cafe, that cozy alleyway spot with delicious tea was also a frequent haunt of the Student Council members.
And the restaurant where they were currently seated was a so-called "hot spot," offering delicious food and drinks at a reasonable price.
"The Student Council has a record book of good restaurants, passed down through generations."
"That's incredibly appealing."
"Join the Student Council. As the head of planning."
"Just hearing that makes it sound like I'd be sticking with the head of public relations all the time."
"Exactly."
Mira chuckled, agreeing.
Graham, sitting opposite Mira, shook his head as if he couldn't get used to her expression.
"They say women change when they fall in love, but I never expected it to be this dramatic."
"Love? It's not something as childish as that. That's about 10%."
Should Ban Yuwon be surprised that there was even 10%?
No, it was hardly surprising.
After all, they had left quite a shocking impression on each other that day.
It wouldn't be strange at all if there was a 10% mix of love in this dark, heavy feeling Mira harbored for him.
"Hmm? And the other 90%?"
"That's our secret."
"A secret, huh."
To Graham, who knew nothing of Ban Yuwon and Mira's true circumstances or contract, Mira's words must have sounded like a joke.
Mira, whose face was flushed from the alcohol, didn't bother to correct his misconception, replying playfully and reaching out a hand under the table to grasp Ban Yuwon's.
Of course, Graham, a fully accomplished warrior, couldn't possibly miss such a movement. He wore a bewildered expression for a moment, then shrugged and downed his drink.
"So it's something more than that, you mean. Anyway, congratulations. I... I thought you might have feelings for the vice president. But it's embarrassing to think I once believed you two were a good match. Now, it seems you're much better suited to being with Ban Yuwon."
There was one thing Ban Yuwon still couldn't understand.
It was how Mira, who had harbored such deep love-hate feelings for Ketra, even to the point of cursing him recently, had so cleanly shed her emotions for him that she showed no agitation even when someone mentioned Ketra at that moment.
Could this be an aftereffect of the curse's backlash?
It was impossible to know for sure, but he suspected that the void left by her feelings for Ketra might be influencing Mira's apparent obsession with Ban Yuwon.
Of course, he couldn't say this to Mira herself.
"Graham, you... you're not perceptive, but you say some rather decent things. Have a drink."
"I'm practically bowing down for it."
While Ban Yuwon was deep in thought, Mira poured wine into Graham's glass.
Graham merely wet his lips with the drink, then set it down, and:
"It's a good thing to always have someone who supports and cheers you on. Seeing you two makes me miss my wife."
He dropped a bombshell.
"Your wife?!"
Ban Yuwon shrieked in alarm.
But Graham's demeanor was utterly calm.
"I don't think it's that surprising that I have a wife. We're adults, and we have the freedom to marry, don't we?"
"Uh, then your wife is currently..."
"She's in my hometown. She's pregnant."
"B-b-b-b-b..."
Overwhelmed by a continuous stream of shocking information, Ban Yuwon staggered, losing his composure.
Mira burst into laughter at his reaction and patted him on the shoulder.
"Ow, that hurts. But I never imagined you were a married man..."
"There are probably quite a few others besides me."
"Holy!"
"Hmm, when Union Academy freshmen return to their hometowns during summer break of their first year, they generally become the most desirable spouse candidates in their dimension."
He added, "Although my marriage was decided even before I entered the academy," and explained.
"Because by the time one enrolls in the Academy, it's virtually proven that they are the top talent of their dimension. Typically, after summer break, over 30% of students return as married men or women. In severe cases, I've seen some come back with three spouses."
"Oh, shit..."
At that, Mira squeezed Ban Yuwon's hand tightly.
"Don't you even dream of it."
"When I think about it, you keep demanding things from me, Mira, contrary to our contract."
"Calm down, Mira. He'll be among the remaining 70%."
"Come to think of it, you said 30%. I can vaguely guess, but what about the 70%?"
"That's for those who find a spouse at the Academy."
"As I thought..."
Since Union Academy was a place that gathered only the top talents from various dimensions, it was only natural that students would find spouses here.
However, until now, Ban Yuwon had considered Union Academy something like a university, so hearing Graham say that people found spouses at the Academy, let alone partners, made him feel as if his understanding of the world was crumbling.
Mira let out a small laugh at his reaction.
"Didn't you notice? That group of junior students earlier, one second-year and one fourth-year, were quite seriously targeting you."
"I'd like to believe it's not true, but... me?"
"Yes. ...I, and the pink one, kept them in check. How about it, aren't you grateful?"
"Thank you..."
Ban Yuwon's face turned pale.
He had no idea such a thing was happening.
His life was already set to embrace Rucell, but if he considered the possibility of others clinging to him in addition to Mira, he'd rather jump alone into an Exodus battleship.
"Actually,"
It was then that Graham made an unexpected remark.
"The Vice President... Senior Ketra had asked me."
"Hmm?"
"He seemed curious as to why you, whom he considered like a younger sibling, suddenly had a lover. He asked me to observe you two discreetly and report if anything seemed strange."
It made sense, Ban Yuwon found himself nodding unconsciously.
Especially since Mira hadn't just clung to Ban Yuwon because she liked him; she had even declared she was cutting ties with Ketra.
But upon hearing that, Mira scoffed.
"What does he take Yuwon for?"
"Hmm, Senior cared for you that much. Of course, after observing you both, I now understand that there's no need for Senior to worry about your relationship. Rather..."
"Rather?"
"Ban Yuwon, if Mira has some leverage over you, tell me."
"Pfft—"
Ban Yuwon avoided an unsightly scene thanks to Mira throwing a piece of bread at Graham just before he could react.
It was a relief that she still had some sanity left.
If it had been a glass or a liquid dish, it would have been a catastrophe.
The quick-witted Graham skillfully caught the bread, which had flown quite forcefully, before it could hit anything and cause a major incident, then bit into it.
"Delicious bread."
"...Actually, I've been annoyed by that side of 'Senior' Ketra for a while. So, now that I have a man, I decided to cut ties. Graham, you understand, right?"
"I understand that you care a great deal about Ban Yuwon."
Graham calmly finished his bread and rinsed his mouth with wine.
"Let's stop this conversation here. I'd like to hear about what happened today. As the secretary, I need to write a report."
"He merely calls himself a secretary, but his official title is Chief of Staff."
The two titles sounded quite different.
However, he rather liked the fact that, as with most university student councils, the titles were needlessly ostentatious.
"How were they? Do you think the sub-channel will run smoothly?"
"I've already opened it. I've also uploaded videos... Oh."
As the topic came up, Ban Yuwon pulled out his mirror, connected to UniTube, and smiled with satisfaction.
He knew it would be influenced by the main channel's size, but he had doubted how quickly a sub-channel starting from scratch could gain attention. Yet, it had already reached five million subscribers. RANoB1Еs
Considering the main channel already exceeded 200 million and was approaching 300 million, it wasn't strange for the sub-channel to reach five million if even a small percentage showed interest.
"The video reactions are also good."
"What's the content?"
"Uh... mostly about fifteen seniors getting beaten up by me, one after another."
Of course, it wasn't just sparring videos.
The first video explained why a sub-channel was created and how various individuals would be active on it in the future.
Given the great interest in Academy students growing and excelling in the Tower, he thought a theme of developing students who had previously struggled might appeal to UniTube users, and it proved to be a resounding success.
Moreover, Aire, who occasionally appeared on the main channel, became a regular guest on the sub-channel. Coupled with Misty and Leixu, who were high-level mages and visually stunning, a visual dynamic that didn't pale in comparison to the main channel was complete!
"I feel like that's a bit too explicit an appeal... Isn't the theme of student growth more important?"
"Men like pretty women, and women like handsome men, Senior. If the thumbnail is pretty or handsome, they'll click on it. There's nothing we can do about that."
In any case, the sub-channel had a smooth start, and the Academy's attitude towards the special admissions students would undoubtedly change starting tomorrow.
Of course, for a while, the voices mocking them would be louder.
Are they seniors clinging to juniors? It's laughable how mere bugs struggle, and so on.
But if their growth truly accelerated and became noticeable... no one would be able to mock them anymore.
That would also be the time when Ban Yuwon would get his money's worth.
"By the way, the MVP of today's video was Senior Woohyeolrin, a third-year. He was the only one who beat me. I think he'll probably be the most noticed on the sub-channel for a while."
"This man is already famous."
Graham nodded at Mira's words.
"The seniors in the Student Council seriously considered recruiting him. It's not easy for someone from the special admissions track to achieve this much. His sparring record, in particular, is outstanding."
"And probably..."
Mira narrowed her eyes, hesitating slightly, then, feeling Ban Yuwon's gaze, spoke honestly.
"He has the same Constellation as me under contract."
"Ah, the curse."
"Yes."
Mira nodded lightly.
Graham tilted his head, unsure why Mira was associated with a curse, but she ignored him and continued.
"As you know, people who contract with this Constellation are generally unpleasant. I'm already entangled with it, so be careful not to get deeply involved with this man as well."
"This woman is really going wild, claiming she's not afraid of Constellations."
"You'll protect me, won't you?"
Mira spoke so naturally, as if water flowed downwards, and held Ban Yuwon's hand tightly, leaving him speechless.
To add to that, Graham was also speechless.
"...Are you signaling me to disappear quickly?"
"Yes."
At Mira's unhesitating declaration, Graham let out a grand sigh and emptied his glass.
"At least let me finish my meal. In return, I'll tell you about a bar with a good atmosphere."
"Hmm, alright. I'll allow it."
Ban Yuwon looked at Mira, shrugging helplessly, then at Graham, who secretly gave him a thumbs-up, and thought.
He wanted to become such a cool married man someday too.
Comments