Yuri Rodmang's Proposal
The conditions Yuri Rodmang had proposed were these.
She would provide me with the secret elixir the chairman was crafting in hiding, Vivian's Spring. On top of that, unprecedented privileges among all academy clubs. And finally, she would hand over the student council president position to me next year.
I had no intention of taking on the student council presidency with all its hassles during my academy life, so even excluding the third condition, the perks from the council sounded pretty appealing.
The problem, though...
First off, Vivian's Spring was already in my possession.
"Vivian's Spring—that's the legendary elixir from the myth of King Arthur, right? Have you actually confirmed its existence?"
But I couldn't reveal that I had it, so I kept a poker face and carefully steered the conversation.
"Huh? No, I haven't seen it in person, but I do know the chairman's been messing around with all sorts of weird stuff at the garden's Lake Vivian."
"So it's just speculation in the end. Sorry, but I'm not thrilled about risking it all for something you haven't even seen yourself."
"Wait! It's practically certain, I swear? You just don't know how amazing that elixir is..."
"No."
I cut her off sharply.
"I know plenty. But I prefer certainties. Got any other offers?"
Yuri closed her eyes, seemingly pondering my words. Soon, she cautiously opened her mouth.
"...There's an elixir our family keeps. I guarantee it's on par with Vivian's Spring. I'll give you that."
"Hmm..."
I pretended to mull it over. The initiative was clearly mine, so squeezing out as much as possible was key.
"Somehow... dealing with the academy's massive power... feels a bit light... Hmm..."
Senior, that's not all you've got, right? Come on, dig deeper.
She let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Sigh, if you need help, I'll assist privately as long as it doesn't mess with the plan."
"Not just once, I hope."
"...Twice."
"Okay. Even the genie in the lamp grants three wishes—let's make it a clean three."
"...You're ruthless."
"Pass?"
"Fine, I'll do it...!"
"Just words?"
She ground her teeth, bit her thumb to draw blood, and swung her hand through the air.
"By mana and blood, I swear."
Her blood began to glow brightly, dissolving into the air. A magical oath had taken effect.
"This enough for you? Un.der.class.man."
"Of course. Perfect."
Handling what I had to do anyway, while scoring an elixir and a three-use vice president coupon? How could I turn that down?
"I'll join your plan, Senior."
"You won't regret it. Un.der.class.man."
We shook hands as proof of trust, meeting each other's gazes with smiles.
"So, you'll be my shadow operator?"
"The academy's black curtain. Not bad."
Pulling strings from behind to make the chairman—how cool was that ring? Just like my father, Vito Calione, expanding his domain by turning political figures into his own, now I had the chance to craft the academy's chairman with my own hands and gain equivalent power.
I hadn't planned on this, but... should I thank Chairman Pendragon?
"So, what's the plan now?"
"Huh? Plan?"
"To oust the chairman and take over the student council."
"...My plan was to pull you to my side first?"
Wait, hold up.
"You don't have the next steps figured out?"
"I figured we'd huddle up and plan from here."
...No way I had to draw up the blueprint myself.
Oh right, she's surprisingly scatterbrained.
* * *
Discussing the path forward wrapped up simply enough.
"I'll tip you off if anything club-related comes up in council meetings. Act natural—no 'I knew it' vibes."
"You too—don't make it obvious we're allied."
"Do I look like an idiot? Like I'd slip up."
Whatever. I'd been through similar events, so managing variables per scenario was straightforward. Maintaining the status quo while biding our time for an opening was crucial.
That meant prioritizing Familia's growth. Yuri would hold her vice president post, probe council and chairman weaknesses, warn of threats to aid Familia's rise. And to accelerate it, we'd get the elixir upfront.
"Didn't expect you'd ask for it prepaid."
"If things go your way, me getting stronger is the fastest route, right?"
"True, but..."
"Don't trust me—trust my track record. Results don't lie."
"Ha... You're infuriating to watch, but reliable too. A freshman fox like you."
Praise? Her expression didn't scream sarcasm, so I'd take it as such.
"When can I get the elixir?"
Yuri glanced upward.
"Gotta contact the family estate back home, get approval, transport it here... At least a month?"
"Long."
"Can't be helped. It's that valuable."
I knew enough about it to understand. Definitely not something to ship via courier.
"Let's wrap here then. Can't be gone too long or it'll raise flags. Oh, use the number I gave you. Work phone's risky."
"Got it. You too—call if anything pops up."
"Can I text when bored?"
"If ghosting's fine."
"Sneaky. Grr...!"
She stretched as she stood.
"I'm off?"
Pop. With that sound, she turned bat again and vanished out the window.
A message window popped up simultaneously.
"Oh."
The literature club kids who'd gone out had nailed the requests. Perfect timing.
Just needed the Silver promotion now to clear the quest.
I left the chief's office and called Sea-a, who was handling community management.
"Sea-a. What's our club performance at?"
"Performance? One sec, I have it summarized... Ah! Request completions are low, but interclub matches boosted that score nicely?"
Basic review eligibility met then. Quarterly review before midterms—plenty of buffer.
"Lawyer Han Kwang-gi. Still got his number?"
"Huh? The lawyer? Yeah, but..."
"Say it's my order. Send the application form for review filing. Tell him to stamp and return."
Even they couldn't stall corp-vetted paperwork indefinitely. Backing it with heavier clout ensured smooth sailing. Power and money were for times like this.
"Got it. So we're going Silver?"
"That's the goal."
"What about the sub-room? Silvers move upstairs."
"Nah, doesn't matter. Claim we're sticking with this one—no rule against it."
Declining offered space was fine. Rare, since most hated the hassle, but academy rules allowed it.
"Good then. Oh? Jinwoo and Young-je—looks like they're here."
True enough, two sets of footsteps approached the sub-room.
"Boss, we're back!"
"Ha... I'm dying."
Jinwoo's beaming grin contrasted Young-je's utter exhaustion. Jinwoo even clutched a thick book that didn't suit him.
"Good work. But... I said simple recon. What happened?"
"Huh? Just burst in with a dummy grenade, stared 'em down a bit? They begged first, swore they wouldn't."
"This lunatic nearly got us hauled to disciplinary. Lucky it was fake, or we'd be suspended."
...So that's how they pulled it off. Lots went down, but 'Very Satisfactory' meant success.
"Oh yeah, Boss. Saw Choi Yeon on the way."
"Choi Yeon?"
"Yeah. Circling the club building like sightseeing?"
...No way.
I called her, half-dreading.
"Yeah. Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Me? Club building."
"What for?"
"Looking for Z Room."
"Z Room—our sub-room?"
"Yeah. Got lost. This place is a maze."
...As feared.
"Why not call me? I'd come get you—no getting lost."
"Oh. Right."
Is she airheaded or just dense? Guess she'd decided.
"...Stay put at the entrance. Sending someone."
"Okay. Waiting."
Click.
I sighed and told Sea-a.
"Fetch Choi Yeon? Entrance. Wait—no, she'll forget directions. Elevator from incinerator."
"Ah, got it. Be right back."
She dashed out. Soon, the elevator hummed grrr, stopped at B1, doors sliding open.
"Oh."
An impressed voice from inside. I turned—yep, Choi Yeon, eyes wide, scanning curiously.
"Hey."
"...Yeah. Elevator's easier next time."
"Okay."
No more lost then. She glanced around entering, plopped naturally on the lounge sofa.
I handed her tea, chatting.
"First time here?"
"Yeah. Huge. Good for training."
"Right? So, what's up? Dungeon loot? Club join?"
She shook her head.
"Similar, but different."
"Different?"
Not that?
She reached into her jacket, pulled something out, set it on the table.
That item was.
[CHALLENGE LETTER]
"...This?"
Challenge letter. Something I'd totally forgotten.
"Eugene. Spar with me."
"...Out of nowhere?"