Chapter 156: Student Council Election (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 156: Student Council Election (6)
Election season had begun. It was already a massive topic of discussion even outside the Academy, but this particular election was causing an even greater stir.
"The rumor was true! That joint mock exam we took last time was actually to select a presidential candidate from the first-year cadets!"
"Wow, that's insane. Something crazy is definitely going to happen this year. The conservative Academy doing this?"
First-year cadets running for office—and two of them, no less! It was an unprecedented, monumental event in the Academy's history.
However, there was one strange detail. For some reason, the candidate numbers skipped right over <No. 3>, <No. 4>, and <No. 5>.
Instead, they jumped from <No. 1> and <No. 2> straight to <No. 6> and <No. 7>. The candidate numbers were oddly sparse.
What was the reason? While there were undoubtedly hidden circumstances at play, the cadets didn't really care. What did a few missing numbers matter? In the face of such a shocking development, minor details were easily overlooked.
Teenagers were always drawn to the unusual and sensational. They were perfectly content just having fresh gossip to chew on.
In the center of the faculty building's hallway, the election posters were on display.
* * *
No. 6, Leon von Reinhardt
\- An Academy of the cadets, by the cadets, for the cadets -
* * *
Sharp, striking features and blazing blonde hair. Even though it was just an ID photo, it looked like a masterpiece painted on canvas.
"Oh my gosh, how does Leon get more handsome by the day? 'Face genius' is the only way to describe him."
"Is that all? He's already a hero destined to be the next Hero. If someone like him doesn't become president, who will?"
A group of female cadets stared at the poster as if spellbound. Nearby, the male cadets furrowed their brows, whispering discontentedly among themselves.
"Ugh, look at those fangirls. Swooning just because a guy is handsome. They're totally going to vote for him based on looks alone. An election is supposed to be about evaluating policies and pledges! Seriously, they don't know the first thing about politics. And what is that slogan anyway? 'Of the cadets, by the cadets, for the cadets.' It's so abstract, it doesn't actually mean anything."
"Exactly. What does being the next Hero have to do with being the student council president anyway? He just happened to receive an oracle, that's all. Honestly, I'd rather vote for him than Leon."
The male cadet crossed his arms and gestured with his chin toward another poster. The cadet beside him shifted his gaze past Leon's poster.
* * *
No. 7, Kang Geomma.
\- Blank -
* * *
"……."
Even though it was broad daylight, the poster seemed shrouded in deep, ominous shadows. Making eye contact with the person in the photo sent a sudden chill down his spine. If he had seen this picture in the middle of the night, he probably would have wet his pants.
Sure, his resting face was always terrifying, but what was up with that slogan? The male cadet scanned the other three posters lined up in a row.
Even if they were just generic platitudes, Candidates <No. 1>, <No. 2>, and <No. 6> all had something written. The male cadet looked back at No. 7.
Blank. Just those five letters were printed right there. If he wanted it blank, wouldn't it have been better to just leave it empty? Did he write "blank" to literally mean it was blank?
His mind was in a muddle. He couldn't fathom the intention behind it at all. And yet... why did it feel strangely trustworthy?
The male cadet fell into deep thought before arriving at his own conclusion.
'Rather than spouting empty platitudes, I'd rather say nothing at all.' That had to be it. After all, the person on the poster was Kang Geomma.
Furthermore—
"Sashimi Faster Than Words"
—was a phrase coined on the Academy networks that perfectly captured Kang Geomma's personality. He was a man whose blade spoke before his mouth did.
At first, people had thought he was just some crazy lunatic.
To make matters worse, his armament was a sashimi knife. Yet, as if to prove the old adage that a true master never blames his tools, he frequently used a cheap Daixo sashimi knife. That was where the romance lay.
The male cadet rubbed the bridge of his nose, his thoughts settling. He had made up his mind on how to cast his vote.
Who cared if there wasn't a slogan? He decided to throw his support behind the real man walking the path of absolute dominance.
* * *
"Hey! Kang Geomma! Are you out of your mind?! Who on earth writes an election slogan like this? Especially now, when the school rules have changed and we can't even campaign!"
Ryozo yelled, her index finger pointing accusingly at a copy of the printed election poster. She continued to fume, huffing and puffing.
"I mean, if you were going to do this, you should have just left it empty! What the hell is 'Blank' supposed to mean?! Don't you know that voters' minds are swayed by tiny details like this?"
Weapon stepped in to mediate, only to receive a sharp glare from Saki. Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits like an angry wildcat's.
"S-S-Saki, calm down. He's our Chief. I'm sure he has some kind of secret winning strategy. Right, Chief?"
Weapon whipped around to look at me. His eyes practically begged me to say something, anything, to save him. But I simply shook my head.
"I didn't really think about it."
"Chief!"
This time, it was Weapon who yelled. As expected, teasing Weapon was always a delight. His reactions were top-tier.
I chuckled softly and added,
"Just kidding. I just figured leaving it empty was better than writing some flashy, superficial slogan."
In my past life, working at a raw fish restaurant, I had dealt with my fair share of politicians. Among them, there was a piece of advice a five-term assemblyman had given me while thoroughly wasted.
…….
—■■, my friend. Do you know what the easiest way for us politicians to win the hearts of the voters is?
The five-term assemblyman had thumped his flushed, barrel chest as he spoke.
—Honesty! Absolute honesty! Those scoundrels who view the public as mere dogs and pigs only last a single term. But if you refuse to lie, the people will eventually recognize your sincerity.
Hearing the words "dogs and pigs" come out of a politician's mouth had felt quite strange.
—Keep this in mind! If you're going to lie, you're better off saying nothing at all. Silence is golden, after all. Have the words of the ancient sages ever been wrong? ■■, you're at the absolute peak of your field just like me, so surely you understand?
'Are you really comparing me to yourself, Assemblyman? I'm just a chef.'
—Tsk, come now. Excessive humility borders on arrogance. 'The Nation's Best Swordsman'—did you think I wouldn't know your title? I hear you're a renowned master of the blade in that world.
'...Flattery won't get you any free side dishes, you know.'
—Haha, don't you worry! I'm tasting the finest craftsmanship in the country; how could I possibly pinch pennies!
A few days later, I saw that assemblyman on the news—specifically, a clip of him delivering a flying dropkick to another politician.
Being honest was well and good, but being too unfiltered was definitely a problem.
…….
"...No, but still. Why write 'Blank' of all things? Wouldn't it have been better to just leave it completely empty?"
Weapon said, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Ah, that was a mistake. They told me I had to write something. Apparently, they wouldn't accept a blank submission. So I just wrote 'Blank,' thinking they'd get the hint and leave it empty. I had no idea they'd print the word 'Blank' on the actual poster."
"……."
Weapon hung his head and massaged his temples. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. He could tell the Chief wasn't lying.
It was already spilled milk. Wasting time crying over it was pointless; what they needed now was a swift response.
"Saki, you made that pre-voting app a while ago, right? What do the approval ratings look like for the other candidates right now?"
Saki replied, her fingers flying across her laptop keyboard in a blur.
"Senior Kim Woo-jin is at 23%, Senior Den is at 8%, and Leon is in first place with 35%."
"Leon's approval rating is way higher than we predicted. What's the trend? Is there any chance the dynamics will shift?"
Saki shook her head.
"It'll probably stay like this until election day. Even with a margin of error, it'll only fluctuate by about three to four percent. The seniors aren't putting up much of a fight... but I guess that just shows how unrivaled Leon's popularity is."
"Seriously, does Leon think he's the only one living in this world? He acts like he's the main character of some story..."
Weapon grumbled, a hint of envy laced in his petulant tone. He sighed and scratched his head vigorously.
"Well, student elections are basically popularity contests anyway. If you add up the approval ratings of those three, it's sixty-six percent, which means our Chief..."
Suddenly, a jolt of realization struck Weapon. His head snapped up reflexively, and he locked eyes with Saki.
She was already staring back at him. As if on cue, they muttered in unison:
""Thirty-four percent?""
* * *
...Time continued to march on, and soon, it was the day before the election.
Morning, Star Class.
Abel rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly out the window. The weather had been consistently gloomy throughout the election season. A clear, cloudless autumn sky was nowhere to be seen this year.
Today, the clouds hung even lower and heavier than usual. Massive gray shrouds drifted sluggishly across the sky, looking as if they might unleash a thunderstorm at any moment.
"The weather this autumn is really terrible..."
Even so, the shrill squeals of the female cadets pierced through her thoughts.
Abel's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She snapped her head around toward the source of the noise. At the center of the commotion was Leon von Reinhardt.
'There he goes again.'
It was always like this, but lately, it had gotten exceptionally bad. It was all because of the upcoming election.
Leon's approval rating was truly overwhelming. He had easily crushed the two seniors from the current student council. For all intents and purposes, his victory was practically guaranteed.
'Why is everyone so obsessed with him? I just don't get it...'
Just as she was about to look away from Leon, who was completely surrounded by girls,
"Boo!"
Someone grabbed her shoulders from behind. Abel barely flinched. Her reaction was lukewarm at best; instead, she slowly turned to glare at the culprit with half-closed eyes.
"Rachel."
At Abel's icy tone, Rachel quickly pulled her hands back and offered an awkward chuckle.
"It was just a joke, a joke! Don't look at me with those scary eyes."
"Sigh."
Abel let out a heavy sigh. Since this happened multiple times a day, she had long since grown used to it.
Rachel quickly slid into the seat next to her.
"Abel, who are you going to vote for?"
"Don't you know the basic principles of voting? It's supposed to be a secret ballot. Who goes around asking people who they're voting for...?"
"Oh, come on! Not between the two of us!"
What do you mean, 'between us'? Abel thought. Meanwhile, Rachel continued to chatter away.
"Then how about this? On the count of three, we say it at the same time. One, two, three!"
"No."
Abel shut her down instantly. She had no intention of getting swept up in Rachel's antics. She needed to nip this in the bud.
"Hmm, is that so~?"
Rachel let out a knowing hum, shrugging her shoulders with an air of mock understanding.
"It's obviously No. 7! Kang Geom—mph!"
Two hands clamped firmly over Rachel's mouth, cutting her off. Muffled protests leaked through the gaps in Abel's fingers as Rachel's face flushed bright red.
Had Abel's grip always been this terrifyingly strong? Rachel felt like she was about to suffocate. Only after Rachel stopped thrashing did Abel finally release her grip.
"Cough, cough!"
Rachel coughed hoarsely, her eyes tearing up. She wiped the moisture from her eyes.
Abel casually dusted off her hands as if nothing had happened. Rachel wisely chose not to pry any further.
Rumble...
The dark clouds churned, and a deafening roar began to echo across the sky.
"What's with the weather all of a sudden? I get that it's been cloudy for days, but this thunder is..."
Rachel muttered. Abel, too, looked up at the sky outside.
It wasn't just a typical gloomy day. There was something deeply unnatural about this—as if some external force was at play rather than a simple weather anomaly.
Whoosh.
A chilling wind rattled the windows violently, making the glass vibrate as if it might shatter at any moment. The sky was darkening rapidly before their very eyes.
'This is definitely...'
A cold shiver ran down the back of her neck. This was no mere whim of nature. It was a harbinger of something. An ominous premonition gripped her mind.
Abel looked around the classroom. The other cadets were still completely preoccupied with crowding around Leon. The only other person who seemed to have noticed was Rachel.
Abel asked, "Rachel, doesn't this feel familiar?"
"Yeah..."
Rachel nodded, her eyes fixed on the window. She swallowed hard before speaking.
"It feels just like... the Uninhabited Island Survival Training."
It was then.
—RUM
—BLE
—KABOOM!