Greg's eyelids hadn't even been closed for a few seconds when the three boys exchanged knowing looks. With synchronized expressions, they rose from their seats and began sauntering toward the corner where he sat.
Before long, they stood before him in a loose semi-circle, effectively pinning him and his chair into the corner in a silent display of intimidation.
The one with short brown hair spoke first. "Hey, Greg. Now that you've been kicked out of your family, you're just a commoner, aren't you? If that's the case, shouldn't you be standing up to greet us nobles properly?"
A taller boy immediately chimed in:
"Exactly. And we heard... that your level is still pathetically stuck around LV10? With that kind of strength, you're going to have a hard time surviving in this academy."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice just enough to ensure those nearby could still hear.
"Tell you what. Since you're new to the Student Council and don't know the ropes, just do exactly what we tell you from now on. If you handle our chores well, maybe... when we're in a good mood, we'll give you some pointers on how to survive here. How about it? It's a rare opportunity for someone like you."
The third boy, a red-haired youth with a sturdier build, grinned and added:
"Oh, right. About that incident mentioned in the academy news—can you tell us how you managed to steal that kill? Don't worry, we won't tell anyone and make you look bad. Hahaha!"
The three of them spoke one after another, their coordination perfect, their words dripping with the typical noble disdain for commoners.
Damn, I really should hand my villain role over to you guys.
These lines, this acting, this suicidal spirit... it's a textbook-level performance of being punchable.
Although Greg had originally intended to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary trouble within the Student Council, he had his limits.
Now that these people were literally shoving their faces in front of him to provoke him, continuing to endure in silence wouldn't be 'low-profile'—it would be spineless.
He, Greg Sass, could be cautious and he could lay low, but there was no reason to let these nameless extras walk all over him!
Just as the anger began to boil in Greg's chest and he prepared to open his eyes to teach these three arrogant fools a lesson—
A cold, yet unquestionable voice of authority, one that seemed capable of freezing the air itself, rang out without warning in the noisy room, reaching everyone's ears clearly.
"Get yourselves outside and stand there."
The voice wasn't loud, but it acted like an ice blade, precisely cutting through the three boys' relentless taunting and causing the other whispers in the room to vanish instantly.
Hearing this, looks of gloating satisfaction appeared on the faces of the three boys surrounding Greg.
In their minds, the President was undoubtedly addressing Greg Sass—the newcomer who had the audacity to try and sleep the moment he arrived and showed such disrespect to his seniors!
Simultaneously, the three boys cast looks of mockery and pity at Greg, who remained seated, as if to say: 'Kid, you're finished.'
Seeing this, Greg pointed at himself in confusion. "What? Are you talking to me?"
In the next second, he was about to stand up in a rage and say: 'You're not my wife, what right do you have to make me stand in the hall!'
"Not you."
Vivian's voice came again.
Her gaze remained calmly fixed on the documents in her hand. She only slightly lifted her eyelids, her ice-blue eyes like a frozen lake as they swept over the three boys who were looking at Greg with triumphant expressions. In a tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation, she added:
"The other three."
"..."
Time seemed to freeze once again.
The entire Student Council room fell into a deathly silence.
You could have heard a pin drop.
The expressions on the three boys' faces shifted like a rapidly overturning palette—from triumphant red to startled white, then to an unbelievable flush, finally settling into a gray hue of shame, embarrassment, and deep confusion.
Their mouths hung open, eyes wide, looking back and forth between Vivian and the equally stunned Greg. Their brains seemed to have stopped functioning under the impact of this sudden reversal.
"N-Not Greg Sass?! It's... us?!"
For a moment, they couldn't comprehend it.
Why?!
Didn't the President hate Greg Sass?!
We were clearly helping her teach this undisciplined guy a lesson!
Why did she stop us?! And... make us stand outside?!
Immense confusion and the shame of being publicly slapped in the face gnawed at their hearts like venomous snakes.
The brown-haired boy seemed to want to struggle, attempting to explain and salvage a shred of dignity.
"P-President... we were just... we saw him sleeping as soon as he came in, and he didn't even greet his seniors. He's far too undisciplined, so..."
He didn't get to finish.
Vivian didn't even look up. The quill in her hand made a soft scratching sound as she made a small mark on a document, then stopped.
"Do you have an objection to my decision?"
She didn't raise her voice, and there were no extra threats.
But that simple question, paired with those calm, ice-blue eyes that seemed capable of freezing one's soul, made the three boys feel as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them. They were chilled to the bone; all their explanations and complaints were jammed in their throats.
They had no doubt that if they dared to say another word, what awaited them would be far worse than just standing in the hallway.
With this President's uncompromising style, it was entirely possible she would expel them from the Student Council or report them to the academy for disciplinary action.
"...No."
Finally, the sturdiest of the three, the red-haired boy, squeezed out a dry word through gritted teeth.
He lowered his head, avoiding Vivian's gaze and the complex stares of the other members in the room.
"N-No objections."
The other two followed suit like defeated roosters, hanging their heads and whispering their agreement.
"Then go stand outside."
Vivian lowered her head again, her focus returning to her paperwork as if she had just handled a trivial matter. Her tone returned to its usual flatness:
"Face the wall. Do not leave and do not speak until I give you permission."
The three didn't dare delay for a second. With lowered heads and flushed faces, they shuffled stiffly toward the door of the Student Council room.
Their departing backs were the picture of pathetic humiliation.
Creak—
The door opened, the three filed out, and it was gently closed behind them.
Immediately after, the muffled voices of passing students could be heard from outside, filled with curiosity:
"Huh? Isn't that Senior So-and-so from the Student Council? Why are they standing out there?"
"Facing the wall? Did the President make them stand in the hall?"
"What happened? They look so embarrassed..."
"No idea, there seemed to be some commotion inside just now..."
Those fragmented whispers pierced through the door like needles. Even though the door was somewhat soundproof, the faint sounds drifting in made the three outside wish they could find a hole to crawl into.
One could imagine that before long, the news of 'three male Student Council members being publicly punished by President Vivian' would spread throughout the academy, becoming a dark history they would struggle to escape for a long time.
Inside the Student Council room, silence returned, even deeper than before.
Everyone's gaze drifted cautiously and with awe toward the blue-haired girl in the President's chair, before quickly darting away. They pretended to be focused on their work, and even their breathing became noticeably lighter.
The girls around Yelena had long since stopped giggling. They sat upright, their eyes filled with deep reverence for the President's authority and lingering shock from the scene they had just witnessed.
Yelena herself quietly patted her chest, letting out a sigh of relief as she looked at Vivian with eyes full of admiration.
Greg sat in his chair, watching the pathetic figures of the three boys and then looking at the once-again focused Vivian. For a moment, his feelings were complicated.
He certainly didn't feel a shred of sympathy for those three.
They had brought it on themselves.
However, Vivian's intervention, while even more satisfying than the last time, was indeed unexpected.
He had assumed that compared to himself—the one whose engagement had been broken—she would be more likely to side with her own subordinates.
But to his surprise, she didn't allow her personal dislike for him or their disastrous past engagement to let others humiliate or suppress him in such a public setting.
On the contrary, in her capacity as Student Council President, she maintained order, stopped the behavior, and punished the instigators.
This gave Greg a faint sense of gratification.
He wanted to save Vivian and prevent her from reaching a dark end.
But if she wanted to be his enemy, Greg's rescue mission would become meaningless.
Moreover, he didn't want the person he was working so hard to save to be someone who might turn into an enemy at any moment.
But looking at it now, at least Vivian wouldn't stand against him without reason.
This thought made his mood lighten significantly.
"Though..."
Greg looked at Vivian's cold, focused profile and rubbed his chin, a strange feeling rising within him.
"Why does it feel like these 'face-slapping' scenes are always being stolen by the girls around me lately?"
"First, it was the tiny senior Yelena sticking up for me against that noble girl, and now it's my former fiancée Vivian dealing with these three idiots..."
Thinking of this, Greg didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But then again, this feeling of being protected by beautiful girls...
"It... doesn't seem too bad?"
Rate on N.U.
