Sponsorship Review (6)
The day of the review.
I arrived at the review venue early in the morning and spotted a familiar face, so I approached him.
"You're here early."
"Ah, you've arrived."
"And you are…?"
The man who had been speaking with Centonio removed his hat and gave a light bow at my question.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Darian, the executive director assigned to handle the club sponsorship review for Flügel this time."
"Yeon Je-seong, Supreme Student Council President. Pleased to meet you."
"Haha, I've heard so much about your reputation, President. It's an honor to work with you on this."
"Hm."
Darian appeared to be a middle-aged man with a polished, affable demeanor. He said he'd come representing Flügel.
"Representing Flügel? So you're also taking on the role of special reviewer?"
"Yes, that's right. The representative was supposed to handle it, but something urgent came up today… He asked me to pass along his apologies as well."
"I see. Understood."
I'd assumed the representative would handle it personally, but they'd sent a substitute…
He was an executive director, so not low-ranking by any means, but it still lacked the impact of the rep showing up in person.
Was he underestimating the importance of this event?
No, given his personality, he'd have come himself without fail for a spot like this.
The fact that he sent someone else means something major must have blown up.
Probably a big problem with the holy sword project.
Nothing short of that would pull the representative away personally.
It might sound arrogant, but partnering with me was a high-stakes matter.
"Haha, it's a shame the representative couldn't make it. Do you at least have a firm grasp of the review guidelines, Executive Director Darian?"
"Of course! That's precisely why he sent me in his place."
We hadn't originally planned to assign a reviewer from Flügel's side.
But as the review's scale grew, the rules had expanded accordingly, increasing the number of reviewers needed.
It could have been handled internally by the student council, but during our meetings, the idea surfaced to grant Flügel some review authority as well.
The reason was simple.
One of the review categories was commercial viability, and we figured actual business professionals would be more expert at evaluating that than students like us.
The department heads, including me, bought into the internal proposal, leading to the creation of the special reviewer position.
They wouldn't touch the other categories—only assess commercial viability and factor it into the score.
That was our side's maximum concession, and Flügel accepted readily, with their representative, Theodor, agreeing to take the role personally.
Yet on the actual day, a total stranger of an executive shows up, and the rep's tied up with work.
If they'd given even a heads-up a few days ago, I might have understood, but springing it on us at the last minute? Centonio's cautious probe was perfectly reasonable.
After a bit more time—and another round of apologies—he finally joined us in entering the interview room.
"Welcome!"
"You beat us here."
"Good morning, Aria."
As we stepped into the interview room, Aria greeted us warmly.
She wasn't alone; a few others were already there, and Centonio headed toward a familiar face among them.
"You're here too, I see."
"Oh, hello, Director Centonio."
She turned at his voice, spotted me and him, and bowed with a bright smile.
"Are you personally overseeing this interview?"
"Yes, the vice director's handling other duties, so I'll be in charge here."
"I see. We'd love to lend a hand, but we're swamped…"
"It's fine. Everyone knows how busy the Planning and Finance Department is. I'll handle their share thoroughly, so no worries."
"Haha, of course. Who would doubt the skills of our department head?"
Centonio let out a hearty laugh at Lee Do-eun, the Education Department head.
She smiled back at first, then approached me.
"All review preparations are complete. We've assigned members to guide the applicants, and all the invited professors and doctors have arrived."
"Good. How many participants so far?"
"Not everyone yet, but… over half have shown up."
Half already.
This was a full hour earlier than the announced start time, and still that many had gathered.
It showed just how much was riding on this review for them.
"How will the review proceed?"
"There are six reviewers total, scoring on five categories: creativity, originality, development potential, feasibility, and expertise. That plus Flügel's special reviewer's commercial viability makes the six criteria."
The standard reviewers handle the five, Flügel's covers commercial viability.
If any one fell short, passing would be tough.
We were setting stringent standards.
And we've brought in experts from all fields for an even more professional evaluation.
Since the review focused on development, we needed specialized input.
That's why we'd invited professors from Conamen Support Academy and Architect Magic Academy, both under G2.
For fairness, we chose research professors who don't teach students, and the review itself would anonymize school affiliations—no favoritism toward any academy.
Beyond the two professors, we'd even pulled in a chief researcher from the Research District for top-tier expertise.
Anyway.
Six reviewers in total: three from the Supreme Student Council, three external experts, and Flügel's special reviewer.
"As discussed last time, it'll be individual interviews. Each club gets ten minutes; the reviewers listen to their pitch and score accordingly."
"Some clubs have prototypes. How do we handle those?"
"We allow bringing results as proof of achievements. But if they're too large, we'll use that screen over there instead."
"Because they can't fit in the venue?"
"Exactly."
She gestured to the screen on the ceiling as she spoke.
"It's a visual screen loaned from the Board of Directors. Input coordinates, and it displays the scene from there."
"Ho ho."
"For oversized prototypes, we can check remotely."
"Got it."
The Education head's briefing flowed smoothly.
She'd clearly prepared meticulously for this.
After a long explanation, she paused when her staff called for her.
"…And that's the overall review flow."
"Yes, that covers it. We went over the details yesterday, so that's enough."
I nodded, giving her leave to go. She bowed lightly and withdrew.
Start time was approaching, so we wouldn't see her for a while.
"What if we fail this time too?"
"I took out a loan for this research. If it doesn't get approved, I'm screwed!"
"Flügel's co-sponsoring, right? Does that mean more funding this year?"
Expectation, anxiety, tension, excitement.
As review time neared, voices from the waiting students outside filtered in sporadically.
The room's soundproofing was solid, but it couldn't fully block sensitive ears.
With all those emotions swirling, I naturally turned to survey the surroundings.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for today?!"
"Same here! I'm dying to see all the wild ideas."
"I hear some have finished entries already?"
The external experts, already chatting amiably, brimmed with anticipation.
"Hm. Planning to judge based on that criterion?"
"Yes, checking it should best cover all the categories evenly."
"Right. The experts will handle the tough theory; we'll focus on what we can evaluate."
Centonio and Aria, unusually solemn, were deep in discussion.
Overseeing a review that shaped students' futures carried heavy responsibility—nerves were expected.
Centonio, with his experience, stayed composed, but Aria fidgeted, hands trembling slightly.
"Worried?"
"…President?"
Her thoughts were transparent.
Can I be a good reviewer?
What if I mess up the scoring?
Something pointless like that.
"These are clubs that made it past round two documents. We've already screened for raw potential and talent."
Honestly, any club reaching interviews had something standout.
Exceptional originality or a brilliant idea.
Or eye-catching results.
That's what got them here.
Though sifting the worthy from them is all the harder for it.
"Plenty I could say, but one thing's certain."
I met her gaze as I spoke.
To ease her tension, perhaps? A small rosary clutched in her hand.
Easing a junior's nerves is a senior's duty too.
Pushing the thought aside, I told her:
"No need to over-scrutinize."
"What do you—?"
At that moment, the interview room door exploded.
Krunch—!
"Behold my grand entrance!"
Right after, striking red hair swept in.
Star-sparkling eyes and a confident grin.
Plus that arrogant charisma radiating off her.
"Greetings, everyone! No need for introductions—I'm the genius inventor, Reisha Kaenhoff!!"
In the stunned silence, no one could speak.
"Y-You i-i-i-idiot—!!"
Then a man charged her, smacking her skull with flair.
"Ow! W-What was that, Assistant?!"
"Ruining the first impression much?!"
"A misunderstanding! I just wanted an impactful entrance…!"
"Does any sane person smash through the door for that?!"
Their slapstick drew all eyes naturally.
Seeing Aria's gaze on them too, I muttered softly.
"Standouts stand out anyway."
Though I hadn't expected this kind of entrance.
"Haha."
"Hm."
"What in the…"
I smirked inwardly, noting the reviewers' mixed reactions.