Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Strategy Meeting
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“I can specially join you!”
Carnel declared proudly, hand on her chest.
Adel watched her, still hiding his emotions behind the mask.
But Carnel was certain.
‘Heh! He has no idea!’
In this vast world of Yoram, there was only one being acknowledged by students, professors, and even the dean.
The student council president.
How immense that weight was, how special it was for the one holding that position to say they’d join someone.
Adel had no clue.
That made it all the more satisfying.
‘So, I’m letting him know!’
How amazing this big sis was, how wise and strong and perfect.
And how that perfect being was now reaching out to someone!
To this clueless little bro…
‘Ugh…! Calling him little bro is way too fast…!!’
Carnel screamed internally.
Just a short while ago, this was the ‘zero-point pervert,’ and now she could call him ‘little bro’…? It was way too sudden a development.
[Thank you]
Carnel nodded casually at Adel’s indifferent response, harboring a flicker of expectation inside…
“Didn’t you use your hands?”
Then she noticed.
Adel wasn’t holding the whiteboard with his hands or gripping a pen.
The pen floated freely in the air, gripped by mana.
[¯\(°_o)/¯]
…He’d even doodled.
Carnel froze for a split second, maintaining her dignified expression on the outside while reeling in shock inside.
‘…As expected, the same blood runs through our veins, huh?!’
To wield nature’s mana so freely and precisely.
Even elves couldn’t manipulate it like that.
‘Indeed… as expected of my little… bro!’
Carnel puffed up with another misconception—no, conviction—raising her chin haughtily.
Without a shred of hesitation.
More solid than anyone… building perfect sibling love(?) in her world of delusions.
***
What’s up with her.
Lately, Carnel’s gaze has been seriously off.
For real.
Last time it was like looking at a lost chick.
Now…
Like she’d found a runaway chick?
“So, who’s the last one?”
At Carnel’s follow-up question, I answered.
[Klaus]
“Klaus, huh…”
Huh.
Our president.
Does she know Klaus?
[Do you know Klaus?]
“Hmph, what do you take the student council president for?”
Oh, as expected of our president.
Info-gathering skills at 99 points, huh.
Does she profile every student at Yoram?
“So, where are we headed?”
[F Class]
“Hmm… F Class… That’s fine.”
[I think so too]
“…Don’t copy me!!”
[Okay]
Impossible.
Hits too good to resist.
“Ahem. Ahem. Then let’s head to F Class.”
[Got it]
“…”
[Oops, slip-up]
***
“Whoa… Look over there, it’s the student council president.”
“Jackpot…”
“…And the top student’s with her?”
“Why are such esteemed people coming to our shabby F Class…”
Twitch.
At the keyword ‘top student,’ Klaus’s ears perked up, and his head slowly lifted from the desk.
Then, in front of Klaus, a white mask appeared alongside an unfolded whiteboard.
[Hi]
“…Adel? What brings you to F Class?”
[Heard about the group project?]
“Yeah, I heard.”
[Wanna team up with me?]
“…Huh?”
Adel politely gestured with both hands to Carnel standing beside him.
[President’s here too]
“Uh…”
Klaus’s face grew even more baffled as he asked,
“Why me…?”
[Let’s talk outside first]
“Uh… Sure.”
The moment he stepped out of F Class’s classroom, Klaus realized.
Yoram’s two peaks: student council president Carnel and top student Adel.
Walking between them, he’d become the center of attention, not some random Student A.
“So, where are we going?”
[Where to, President?]
My stomach hurt.
What the hell is this situation.
“Hmm… A nearby café sounds good.”
[That might be tough]
“…Why.”
[Too many stares]
“As top student, you have to endure that.”
[You know what, President?]
“What?”
[Those stares are total bullshit]
“…Pardon?”
[Disdain over there, envy over here]
Adel roughly sketched two human figures on the whiteboard, scribbling grotesque faces shooting gazes from both sides.
[It’s subtly fucked up]
For some reason, Klaus totally got it.
Back home, he’d been worshipped as a ‘prodigy kid,’ but at Yoram, he’d faced countless ‘nothing special’ looks.
“Then… let’s go to the dorm.”
[Dorm?]
“Yeah.”
[Whose?]
“Yours.”
Adel pointed at his own face… well, his mask.
[Mine?]
“Yes, yours.”
[Why?]
“You’re the group leader.”
[I am?]
“Yes.”
[Why me…]
“…”
[Let’s head straight there]
Caught in the president’s sudden wave of killing intent, Adel’s hand moved on reflex.
The whiteboard pulled the trigger, and the pen zipped like a bullet.
Klaus sighed at the sight of Adel hurrying ahead like he was fleeing.
“Seriously… what’s going on…”
***
Somehow, I let the two into my dorm.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Excuse us…”
Carnel’s eyes sparkled as she looked around everywhere.
“It’s huge.”
Klaus couldn’t hide his admiration while surveying my dorm.
[Is it?]
Do dorms vary in size?
From my view, nothing special.
“Freshman dorms are assigned based on entrance exam scores.”
[Whoa, jackpot]
“Adel, as top student, you got one of the best.”
I don’t recall hearing that explanation.
“You…”
Right then, mid non-admiration admiration.
[Yeah?]
Big trouble.
Carnel started pouting.
“What the hell do you live on?”
Then she casually slipped toward the kitchen and opened the door of the magic fridge-like device.
“…Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
[I have canned stuff]
“…That’s not food.”
[I have water too]
“Wow… Adel, you’ll die like this.”
[I haven’t yet]
“…True.”
Slam!
The fridge door shut with a bang.
…Along with Carnel’s patience, it seemed.
“Argh…! Zero! Zero points!!”
[(⊙_⊙;)]
Gasp.
No way.
“A top student… living like this… zero points.”
[Can’t you bump me to 1 point?]
“How did it come to this!”
[There’s a sad legend behind it, President]
“…”
Carnel let out a deep sigh, then rummaged in her pocket and pulled out something.
Plop. Plop.
Packaged snacks dropped one by one onto the table from her hand.
Cookies, bread, even fruit juice in cute bottles.
“…At least eat this. If you starve, we’re the ones who lose out.”
[That's your reason?]
“It's half pity, half practicality.”
[Thank you]
“Smile when you accept. It’s pitiful otherwise.”
[My mask’s smiling though]
“…”
“That’s even sadder?”
Nom.
I popped a cookie into my mouth right away.
“…Tch.”
Carnel stared at my mask, then clicked her tongue.
What, should I say it’s tasty?
[It’s delicious]
“Hmph.”
Carnel whipped her head away for no reason.
But her twitching lips didn’t turn with it.
“So… what’s the plan.”
[For the group project?]
“Yeah.”
“Um…”
Then Klaus beside her raised his hand slightly.
“So, I’m joining this group?”
[Yep]
“Oh…”
[You don’t want to?]
“No, I’m happy. Just… I'm worried I’ll be useless...”
[Nope, you’ll definitely help]
“…Thanks for saying that.”
Tch.
It was mot empty words.
“Then… let’s just catch about 50 beasts.”
…Did I hear wrong?
[50?]
“Yeah.”
As expected of the student council president?
Spouting nonsense without batting an eye.
[Beast surveys aren’t that easy]
“I know.”
But…
A thought suddenly struck me.
‘Come to think of it, is “beast survey” even the right term?’
Technically yes.
Investigate beast ecology.
Record beast whatever.
And… fight.
Obviously, hunting’s the main part.
So why call it ‘survey’?
“Hmph, scared?”
[Yes]
“…”
Fucking terrified.
“W-Why is a top student so cowardly…!!”
“Um… President, I kinda get it too…”
See.
Even Klaus chimes in from the side.
He knows reality too.
“Hmph, kids these days are all soft.”
Say what you want, it’s just a one-year gap, President.
“Then let’s do 10.”
[How about 5?]
10’s already tough.
Even Klaus in ‘Aka Calamity’ maxed at 7.
‘No, beasts shouldn’t be that cunning.’
Blue beasts aren’t just big dumb brutes.
They dig pit traps, use dead beast corpses as lures.
…For real.
Fucking beasts.
“…Fine, 5 it is.”
“Um…”
And Klaus raises his hand again.
“Is that doable? Even blue beasts… 5 seems tough…”
“Hah, softie, Klaus.”
“Yes…?”
“Top student Adel picked you, and student council president me picked Adel.”
Carnel flicked her index finger up triumphantly.
“In short, we’re the strongest.”
“Oh… Sure.”
Klaus answered but lowered his eyes dubiously.
“Hehe.”
…I couldn’t continue after seeing Carnel’s smug face.
***
“…What’s that?”
Our president.
No plans to leave?
Klaus left ages ago, but Carnel’s still poking around my room.
“This…”
Then she spots the fish tank on my desk that I use often.
[That’s my dorm’s celebrity]
Namely…
[Mii. Ku. Re. Bee.]
“…Mi-ku-re-bi?”
Carnel peers closely into the tank.
Blub blub.
Her eyes meet the pink loach flapping its mouth.
“…You.”
And then.
“Did you… feed the fish canned tuna?”
Her eyes had shifted to the tuna can beside the tank.
[Yes]
“…”
Why that look.
It ate better than expected.
Just set it on the desk, and it crawls out to chow down on its own.