Finals Celebration Preparations
The world's most prestigious educational institution, renowned as the highest level anywhere on the globe: Victoria Academy.
This place draws talents from every nation, with entrance competition so fierce it's cutthroat. The cadets who break through it all brim with confidence, strong pride, and youthful vigor. Where talents gather, trouble naturally follows. And the ones managing those cadets? The student council.
Having your name on the Victoria Academy student council is an enormous career boost. Just belonging opens doors to top guilds after graduation.
Tap-tap. Tap.
Moon Sulin, the leader of that elite group, was sorting documents as usual.
"…."
Truth be told, she liked the work. Earning her grandfather the chairman's gratitude felt good. Filling the void left by her father wasn't something she hated either. She had a talent for it. The student council needed her, and before she knew it, she was handling not just council affairs but most of the academy's business too. She never complained. Or more precisely, even if she grumbled, she got it all done. Because she saw it as her responsibility.
But today, her pace was noticeably slower. Not just that—her whole demeanor had changed. The other student council officers could tell. Lately, they'd seen her zoning out in meetings too often. On top of that, she'd suddenly ditched her glasses for contacts. The girl who always insisted on her cadet uniform everywhere as student council president was now wearing casual clothes. Her paparazzi fans had gone wild for a while... but luckily, she ignored them.
Anyway. It was weird for that student council president to show such odd symptoms. Everyone was speculating some big incident must be behind it.
"Hoo…."
Moon Sulin closed her eyes briefly, then let out a deep sigh. Memories of that day kept resurfacing. The mine that had attacked Lee Ho-yeon's house. It had been handled fine, thank goodness... but she couldn't forget those lewd cosplay outfits from under the bed. What the hell were those?
"Haa…."
At yet another sigh—who knew how many that made?—the other officers in the meeting exchanged nervous glances. All eyes settled on one person.
'Hey, you talk to her.'
'How am I supposed to...'
'You're the closest to the president.'
'Uh, well, yeah, but...'
The student council secretary, who handled duties like Moon Sulin's assistant and was already on friendly terms with her.
"Ahem. Ahem. Um, President?"
Pushed into it, the secretary stood, cautiously offering documents while gauging Moon Sulin's mood.
"Th-this. It's the compiled materials for distributing the [Student Council Finals Commemoration Party Plan] documents."
[Student Council Finals Commemoration Party Plan]
"Ah... I'll take a look."
Moon Sulin's voice was the same as always. Gentle and soft, soothing just to hear—like a healing balm.
Flip—
She flipped through the pages meticulously. Final checks were always her job, so she had to be thorough.
Something caught her eye as she scrutinized the documents.
"What's this? PR Department: Ellis. Lee Ho-yeon."
"The underclassmen are student council affiliates, so I included them for now…."
"Did you ask them?"
"I left papers at the dorm for Cadet Lee Ho-yeon since he's on field training today. Planning to see Miss Ellis in person later."
"Mm... Got it."
Lee Ho-yeon. The name alone conjured those lewd cosplay outfits in her mind. Her fragile focus shattered.
'I'm tired.'
Fatigue hit her like a wave. Doubts crept in—why was she even doing this? If only she had time to grab a meal and chat with him.
Tsk. Moon Sulin clicked her tongue and returned to the documents. But she just wasn't in the mood. And maybe because her spirits were low, she started noticing nitpicks she'd usually ignore.
"...Why's the line spacing off here?"
"Y-yes? Oh, sorry…."
"And this? Page 5…."
"Ah, yes…."
After pointing out a few things, the secretary looked miserable. The watching officers started fake-busywork to avoid eye contact.
Signature Complete!
The secretary's smartwatch chimed. A magic alert for completed signatures. She seized the chance.
"...Looks like Cadet Ho-yeon signed. I'll fetch it myself, President."
"No need. I can just call."
It was a simple offer to save effort, but the secretary shook her head.
"No, no. Rest up, President. I'll be right back!"
"Uh... Okay."
Overwhelmed by the secretary's momentum, Moon Sulin nodded. The secretary bolted from the meeting room like she was escaping.
Glancing around, she saw the officers pretending to work while sneaking peeks. Moon Sulin sighed deeply.
"...Haa. Let's end the meeting here. I'm off today. Sorry."
Once the officers filed out, guilt washed over Moon Sulin. She'd just vented her frustration on them.
"I showed an ugly side."
She vowed to apologize personally later and activated her smartwatch. EveryDay, the community app for gauging cadet opinions. Issues spread fastest here, so she checked it often. Lee Ho-yeon's photos popped up a lot too.
'Come to think of it, he said he'd send it if I messaged.'
A signature meant he was home... Maybe send a message? Scrolling recommendations, she frowned at one.
A title that screamed its poster's tastes. Normally she'd skip it, but today she itched to click. You know those days—when you check clickbait anyway? Today was that day for Moon Sulin.
And there it was: a painfully familiar outfit.
"...Huh?"
That outfit. From Lee Ho-yeon's room.
'Nah, cosplay, right?'
Any normal person would think so. But this sexy succubus getup was academy-famous because the wearer was a Victoria cadet. It had even been a student council meeting topic once: some female cadet streaming lewdly from the dorms. They'd considered a dorm sweep but dropped it over privacy issues. EveryDay had pushback too.
"...Weird."
Too identical for cosplay. The hem, the stretched chest fabric—details her sharp eyes caught perfectly.
"…."
But brooding wouldn't help. She started typing a message to Lee Ho-yeon, then closed the watch.
He'd signed, so they'd meet soon... Opportunity would come.
*
"Student Council Finals Commemoration Party... Man, that sounds like a hassle."
Basically a party celebrating finals, doubling as cadet networking. Fun for attendees, hell for organizers. Endless details to juggle.
"...Did I mess up big time?"
Liliana tugged my clothes timidly, looking up like a rain-soaked puppy.
"Nah, not really. Tsk, whatever. It'd happen anyway."
She pulled that face, and my resolve weakened. Fair enough—Moon Sulin's conquest had stalled. Calling her meant Ellis too, so not all bad. Just hope it didn't clash with Rebecca fetching centaur info... Cross that bridge later. A few days' delay wouldn't kill us.
"Phew, nothing then~."
Liliana shook off guilt instantly at my okay. Absurd, but I'd adapted after all this time.
"Yeah, yeah. Where's Scarlett, anyway?"
She'd moved into our house, but no sign.
"Scarlett—or Scout... no, Scarlett—went house hunting."
"Pick one. You're confusing me."
What even was Scarlett-Scout? Only "S" in common.
"Hmm, Scout's cute, but being out long-term... Scarlett fits better maybe…."
Liliana ignored me, squeezing her eyes shut in thought. I was dying to know the Scout thing, but she was too focused.
"Gotta move fast."
We had cash to burn. Ellis's massages paid well, and rescuing Nam Da-eun netted 30 billion. Any house we wanted.
"No dream spot?"
I'd asked the Nam sisters and Liliana, but still uneasy.
"Dunno. As long as I can stream. Oh, told Scout lots of delivery spots."
"Solid enough."
No weird demands from Liliana? Good. Pricey places fine too—I'd dumped the full 30 billion from Buyer Guild on Scarlett. All dirty money needing laundering, and she was our expert.
'She'll nail it.'
Scarlett never failed.
"Gimme some snacks."
I reached for Liliana's pile.
"Hey, you said no!"
"Just one. Promise."
"You thief! Kyaa!"
House thoughts aside, I teased the snack-hoarding Liliana.
*
"Wow, miss, you've got skills."
Victoria Academy land was pricey and rare. Owners knew it'd appreciate—no rush to sell unless desperate. But desperate sellers existed.
One deal could fund years. The broker, mindset locked in, welcomed a prime client today.
"Contract now—when's move-in?"
"Week tops. I'll call right away."
Elated at the big score, he poured tea, eyeing Scarlett.
"Prime spot, you know? Buy and it only goes up. Even apocalypse-proof."
"Obviously."
Scarlett humored him while checking papers. Per Liliana: delivery-rich. Per Nam Da-eun: academy-close. The rich enclave by academy shops. Lucky find—she'd snapped it up.
"Family at the academy, right? Oh, that famous foreign cadet lives there… who was it?"
Slurp. Rubbing his bald forehead, the broker pondered. Scarlett smiled faintly.
"Cadet Ellis?"
He snapped his fingers.
"Yes! Ellis. Perfect for academy life."
"Thanks."
Scarlett pictured Lee Ho-yeon.
'That playboy needs to shape up.'
How many women? Pitied her ex-boss Ellis. Knowing he fooled around yet staying quiet? Unfathomable. Scarlett had home-field advantage... Ellis didn't. And shyer than she seemed—likely to lose out.
So, loyalty to her old boss plus a little help.
Scarlett smirked. Wonder what face he'd make seeing the house.