After the small disturbance caused by those three fools was quelled, a superficial peace returned to the Student Council room.
Greg breathed a secret sigh of relief, feeling like he could finally huddle in his corner and make up for some of his severe lack of sleep.
He adjusted himself into a position on the hardwood chair that was at least marginally comfortable. His eyelids began to droop heavily as his consciousness drifted toward a hazy slumber...
However, just as his awareness was about to sink into the edge of darkness, a slight prickle of biological instinct warning of danger shot from the back of his neck without warning.
Greg's sleepiness vanished instantly.
He slowly lifted his eyelids, following the source of that cold gaze—
Greg: "..."
The moment their eyes met, the last bit of wishful thinking in his heart shattered.
Of course.
The owner of that gaze, cold as a polar cold front, was none other than the blue-haired princess sitting in the President's chair—Vivian.
She was currently tilting her head slightly, her ice-blue eyes staring directly at the corner where he sat.
Greg understood instantly.
What had just happened wasn't any kind of special treatment for him.
She simply... disliked anyone publicly violating the rules and order she maintained in her presence.
Impartial and iron-faced.
Tch, that really is her style.
Just as Greg was feeling his scalp tingle under Vivian's icy stare and began to seriously consider sitting up straight and pretending to admire the scenery to back down—
"P-President!"
A noticeably nervous voice suddenly rang out in the quiet room, breaking the silent stalemate between Greg and Vivian.
Yelena, who had been surrounded by girls and blushing at their gossip just a moment ago, had broken free from the circle at some point. Like a startled but brave little deer, she rushed to Greg's side with hurried steps that didn't match her petite frame. She turned to face Vivian, puffed out her small chest, and spoke in the clearest, loudest voice she could muster:
"I-I'll take Greg Sass with me right now to patrol the campus's disciplinary situation! We'll get him familiar with the daily patrol route and things to watch out for!"
She nodded vigorously after speaking, as if to reinforce the credibility of her words. Her round face still held a lingering flush, but her eyes were filled with earnestness.
Vivian's gaze slowly shifted from Greg's face to Yelena.
Her ice-blue eyes lingered on Yelena's small face, which was written with seriousness and a hint of guilt, for about two seconds.
Then, she gave an almost imperceptible, tiny nod.
"Mhm."
Her voice remained cold and flat.
"After I finish the work at hand, I will go as well."
She added a sentence, her gaze falling back to a new document she had picked up from the desk.
Was that... approval?
Greg breathed a secret sigh of relief, while silently giving a thumbs-up to this Tiny Senior beside him who had cleverly de-escalated the situation at the critical moment.
Nicely done, Tiny Senior!
If it weren't for your quick reaction, I'd probably be out there with those three brothers in misfortune, facing the wall in reflection in the hallway and being stared at by every passing student...
"Yes! President!"
Yelena acted as if she had received a royal pardon, quickly responding before discreetly tugging on Greg's sleeve. Her eyes signaled: Let's go, let's go!
Greg followed her lead immediately, rising from his chair.
The two of them, one after the other, quickly and quietly exited the Student Council office, gently closing the door behind them.
Once outside, Greg stretched his stiff neck. He glanced at the other end of the corridor where the three boys were still standing facing the wall, their backs radiating a sense of being done with life.
Without any hesitation, Greg flashed a villainous smile full of mockery and delight at their backs before turning away in high spirits to catch up with Yelena, who had already walked some distance ahead.
The time was now 8:10 AM.
The sun had fully risen, casting golden light over the academy's stone paths, lawns, and building walls, chasing away the last of the morning chill.
The academy had become lively. Students carrying books moved in groups of three or five, hurrying toward different teaching buildings. Faint shouts and magical explosions drifted from the direction of the training grounds, and the benches in front of the library were filled with early risers focused on their studies.
The air was filled with youthful vitality and the unique, busy atmosphere of a campus.
The two walked along the tree-lined path toward the teaching buildings and main activity areas, beginning their nominal disciplinary patrol.
After walking for a while, Greg caught a glimpse of Yelena out of the corner of his eye as she struggled to keep up with his pace.
This Tiny Senior still seemed a bit nervous; her round eyes occasionally darted around, and her hands unconsciously fidgeted with the hem of her uniform.
Greg thought for a moment and decided it was necessary to check in on this ally who had just helped him out tremendously.
"By the way, Senior Yelena."
Greg slowed his pace to match hers, speaking in a conversational tone. "Is it... really okay for you to be walking so close to me?"
"Eh?"
Yelena didn't seem to register the question at first. She looked up at Greg in confusion, her round eyes full of bewilderment. "O-Okay? What do you mean by... that?"
"Whether it was when we arrived this morning or just now as we walked out together, I felt like the other girls were looking at us with very strange expressions."
Greg continued:
"And you, Senior Yelena... you probably aren't very good at handling these kinds of situations, are you?"
After hearing this, Yelena's fair little face turned beet red again, this time with even the tips of her ears and her neck tinged with a faint pink.
She clearly realized what Greg was referring to. She waved her hands in a panic, her speech speed naturally increasing:
"I-It's fine! Really! Because... because I'm just helping a junior in need! As a senior, it's perfectly normal to look after and guide a junior who just joined the Student Council, especially... uh, a junior in a unique situation! It's... it's my duty! So there's absolutely no problem!"
She tried hard to make her words sound righteous, but her large eyes, which were darting around due to shyness, and her increasingly quiet voice betrayed her internal unrest.
Having said that, she seemed to remember something. She suddenly stopped, looked up, and stared at Greg with those moist round eyes that held a hint of imperceptible anxiety and inquiry. Her voice became even smaller, almost a mumble:
"O-Or rather... Greg, do you hate... this? Do you hate walking with me, or hate being looked at by others with those strange eyes because you're close to me...?"
Rate on N.U.
