Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony (5)
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"Ahem."
"Ahem."
Standing before me were the Iron-Blood Chancellor and Emperor Yeongnak.
The emperor rolled his eyes around anxiously, while the chancellor cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze.
Anyone could see they looked like they'd been caught red-handed doing something shady.
"Iron-Blood Chancellor. And Emperor Yeongnak."
"Ahem. You called for us?"
"What's wrong?"
I deliberately let a bit of my presence leak out as they forced themselves to meet my eyes.
A national leader responsible for the front lines.
My fiancée's father-in-law.
I wasn't worried about any of that right now.
The Student Council President of Academy City represented all students—and by extension, the entire city.
In other words, my position was no different from that of a head of state.
If I played it safe and tiptoed around them here, it risked making the whole of Academy City look weak.
That's why I sharpened my edge toward them on purpose.
"Scouting Academy City students is illegal. No matter that you're distinguished guests, this is a rule for the entire city. It's to establish sound rule of law, so I hope you understand."
"Kh-hm. We didn't know. We'll be more careful next time."
"...However, aren't they hero aspirants even as city students? Don't they need sponsors in that case?"
"No, they don't. That's a concern for after graduation. Even without that, we have policies to support graduates for a few years post-graduation, so no need to worry."
I countered their arguments even more firmly on purpose.
They smacked their lips, apparently at a loss for words, shooting wistful glances at Noah.
I stepped in front of Noah to block their unpleasant stares.
"Noah is, after all, a freshman at Slaine. Excessive attention hinders growth, so please withdraw."
...It definitely wasn't because I was annoyed they'd tried to poach a newbie.
Really.
"Hmm..."
"If the President says so..."
I forcibly sent them off, looking back regretfully, and only then noticed the crowd gathering around. I raised my voice.
"Emcee. The entrance ceremony's over. Time to control the crowd, no?"
"Ah, ack...!"
"Seon-hwa, please guide the guests."
"Understood."
As Seon-hwa led the guests away, I immediately took Noah to a secluded corner.
—
Noah, with her arm grabbed, surprisingly came along without resistance.
"Ehehe, the President, for my sake...!"
No, on closer look, it wasn't exactly willing.
She'd been grinning creepily since earlier, looking far from sane.
'She must've been under too much pressure.'
By the original story, this was still very early on.
With heads of state suddenly interested in her, the pressure must've been immense.
She might handle it later once her fame spread across the continent, but right now, Noah was just an ordinary freshman.
She was probably shell-shocked by the sudden bigwigs.
"Appearing like a miracle from the sky! Could my wish have come true...!"
"Yeah, yeah, snap out of it."
How much does this girl admire me, anyway?
I lightly smacked the grinning fool on the head to bring her to her senses.
Her dazed eyes gradually regained their light.
"Huh?!"
"Feeling better?"
"...President? Huh? A dream?"
Spotting me right away, she reached out with still-dreamy eyes.
"Ehehehe, President♡"
"Protagonist trait runs deep."
"Eek...!"
I chopped the back of Noah's head with my hand and wiped my face with a sigh rising from within.
Of course she'd pull a damsel-in-distress gay event CG.
'I figured there'd be comedic CGs like this, but looking like a perfect girl makes it even worse.'
The real issue was I didn't feel much revulsion at Noah acting this way.
If it weren't me, I'd probably watch with a fond smile.
'But the target being me is the problem.'
I enjoy watching, but don't want to be the target.
As a guy who likes women normally, I shook her off and slowly opened my mouth.
"I don't have a hobby of hugging men."
"Ah! Right...!"
Right after, I caught a small mutter.
My sharp ears didn't miss it, and I stared at her in shock.
'This girl—could it be instinctual?!'
What kind of monster did the developers make?
An unconscious same-sex seducer protagonist? No joke.
'Gotta keep my distance for a while.'
I can't abandon the protagonist's growth, but I can't fall to her charms either.
Without original knowledge, they might've really made a BL route.
I needed to be extra cautious.
After a quick strategy rethink, Noah, now compos mentis, looked at me and asked.
"But why did you...?"
"Needed to talk briefly. It'll be quick, so relax."
"Ah, yes! Anytime you call, President!"
No, your affinity is too high.
Her eyes sparkled; if she had a tail, it'd be wagging nonstop.
With a sigh, I looked at her and said,
"Got time this weekend, by any chance?"
"Gasp...!"
Noah's face lit up in shock at my question.
"If you've got prior plans, no pressure."
"No! None! I won't have any weekends from now on!"
'Heroine events, huh.'
Affinity events to build deep bonds with heroines.
She was clearly keeping weekends free for that.
Most efficient for multiple heroines, so she blanked her schedule.
'Protagonist indeed. Extraordinary guy.'
Already planning to woo heroines.
Anyway, good for me.
I could proceed with my plans.
"Perfect timing, then. How about dinner this weekend?"
"...!"
"No pressure if it's a hassle. But I'd appreciate it if you joined."
"O-O-O-Of course!"
Hearing this, Noah lunged at me with terrifying momentum.
She snatched my hand in an instant and let out a voice full of ecstasy.
"...!?"
"Not a hassle at all! I'll definitely be there!"
"G-Good. It'll be dinner time. The place is a bit formal, so we'll handle attire."
"Heok...!"
"It's especially famous even in Academy City, so look forward to it."
A buffet run by a continent-renowned chef.
A high-end spot even I couldn't visit easily without occasion.
'Pretty pricey, but worth it for once.'
I'd spent a chunk of savings renting the whole building, but I believed it had value.
'She's already excited thinking about the food.'
Still a kid, huh.
Her face flushed at "fancy place," buzzing with excitement.
I ended the talk with an inner smile at her reaction.
—
A few days later.
Having safely wrapped up the entrance ceremony, I sat in the student council room enjoying a rare break.
I'd managed to send off the lingering Iron-Blood Chancellor and emperor somehow.
My speech had swung public opinion back our way.
The demon-made gate was investigated via the Hero Association, and site controls lifted.
Noah, protagonist of Academy City's Failure Hero 3, had grown successfully, and the meddling demons were neatly dealt with.
Now even the aftermath was perfectly handled.
The monumental first scenario cleared successfully!
One thing left, but this was wrap-up enough.
I celebrated inwardly with mental fireworks.
"Now for the last bit..."
With that done, I finally opened the drawer and pulled out a worn notebook.
It was filled with neat handwriting—info helpful for the original story.
'Good thing I jotted it down before forgetting.'
Right after transmigrating, so nearly all info was here.
Too vast for memory alone; noting it preemptively was smart.
'Of course, in Korean so others couldn't read it.'
I'd even prepared translated copies in this language for when I forgot Korean.
Nearly 20 years later, I was starting to forget Korean bit by bit; soon I'd rely on copies.
The copy was back home, but no worry of theft.
Original story, settings—unbelievable nonsense to locals.
'Noah wouldn't have believed the scenario without her system.'
Anyway, the notebook listed predicted future scenarios.
Transfer incident: resolved.
No clichéd entrance attack.
Next up...
"Class assignment exam."
...
......
...This one's impossible.
"No room for me to intervene."
Not life-threatening anyway, so skippable.
Leave it to Noah entirely.
Same for midterms and finals.
Not a Slaine student, so no meddling; Noah's job.
'Skip all early school events, then...'
Next big event I could join—
"Agora Martial Tournament."
The massive free-for-all for all Academy City students.
The tournament to decide the strongest student.
And the event where the original 'Yeon Je-seong' appears as the boss.