After the minor storm sparked by those three fools blew over, a superficial calm returned to the Student Council room.
Greg let out a quiet sigh of relief, feeling he could finally curl up in his corner and make up for some of his severe sleep deprivation.
Adjusting himself into a barely comfortable posture on the hardwood chair, his eyelids began to grow heavy, his consciousness drifting toward hazy sleep...
Yet just as his mind was about to sink into darkness, a faint prickle of biological instinct warning of danger radiated from the back of his neck without warning.
Greg's drowsiness instantly vanished by half.
He slowly raised his eyelids, looking toward the source of that frigid gaze—
Greg: "..."
The moment their eyes met, the last shred of wishful thinking in his heart was shattered.
Sure enough.
The owner of that gaze, as cold as a polar cold front, was none other than the blue-haired princess sitting straight in the President's seat—Vivian.
At this moment, her head was slightly tilted, her ice-blue eyes looking straight toward the corner where he sat.
Greg understood in an instant.
What had just happened was not special treatment for him at all.
She simply... disliked anyone openly violating the rules and order she maintained right in front of her.
Impartial and strictly uncompromising.
Tsk, that really was her style.
Just as Greg's scalp was beginning to tingle under Vivian's chilly stare, leading him to seriously consider giving in, sitting up straight, and pretending to look out the window—
"P-President!"
A voice laced with obvious nervousness suddenly rang out in the quiet room, breaking the silent deadlock between Greg and Vivian.
Yelena—who had been surrounded by girls blushing over gossip just moments ago—had somehow broken free from the circle. Like a startled yet brave little deer, she rushed over to Greg's side with brisk steps that belied her petite frame. Turning to face Vivian, she puffed out her tiny chest and spoke in as clear and loud a voice as she could muster:
"I-I'll take Student Greg right now to, to inspect the campus's disciplinary situation! And familiarize him with the daily patrol route and things to keep in mind!"
She gave a firm nod after finishing, as if reinforcing the credibility of her words. A lingering flush still painted her round face, yet her eyes were filled with earnestness.
Vivian's gaze slowly shifted from Greg's face to Yelena.
Her ice-blue eyes lingered for about two seconds on Yelena's small face, which was written with seriousness and a hint of guilt.
Then, she gave an almost imperceptible, miniscule nod.
"Mm."
Her voice remained cool and plain.
"After finishing the work at hand, I will join as well."
She added a sentence, her gaze falling back onto a newly picked-up document on her desk.
Was this... an approval?
Greg quietly exhaled a sigh of relief, silently giving a thumbs-up to the Tiny Senior beside him who had tactfully defused the situation at the crucial moment.
Nicely done, Tiny Senior!
If not for your quick thinking, I'd probably be keeping those three brothers in misfortune company outside, standing in the hallway facing the wall in reflection while receiving the staring eyes of passing students...
"Yes! President!"
Feeling as though granted a grand pardon, Yelena hurriedly responded, then tugged discreetly on Greg's sleeve, signaling with her eyes: Hurry, let's go!
Greg readily obliged, immediately standing up from his chair.
One after the other, the two quickly and quietly exited the Student Council room, gently shutting the door behind them.
Once outside, Greg stretched his somewhat stiff neck and glanced toward the other end of the hallway, where the three punished boys were still standing facing the wall, their backs radiating pure despair.
Without hesitation, Greg flashed a villainous smile filled with mockery and delight at their backs before turning around in a great mood to catch up with Yelena, who had already walked ahead.
The time had reached ten past eight in the morning.
The sun had fully risen, pouring golden sunlight across the academy's stone pathways, lawns, and building exterior walls, dispersing the morning's final lingering chill.
The academy grew lively as students clutching textbooks gathered in small groups, hurrying off to various teaching buildings. Faint shouts and magic blasts echoed from the direction of the training grounds, while the benches in front of the library were filled with early risers working hard.
The air was filled with youthful vitality and the bustling atmosphere unique to a campus.
The two walked along the tree-lined path toward the teaching buildings and main activity areas, beginning their nominal patrol of the disciplinary situation.
After walking for a distance, Greg glanced out of the corner of his eye at Yelena, who was taking quick steps to keep pace with him.
This Tiny Senior still seemed somewhat nervous, her round eyes occasionally darting around while her hands unconsciously pinched the hem of her uniform jacket.
Greg thought for a moment and felt it necessary to show a little concern for this ally who had just helped him out so much.
"By the way, Senior Yelena."
Greg slowed his pace to match Yelena's, speaking in a casual tone. "Is it... really alright for you to be walking so close to me?"
"Eh?"
Yelena didn't seem to process it immediately, looking up at Greg in confusion, her round eyes filled with bewilderment. "A-Alright? What... do you mean specifically?"
"Whether it was when we arrived this morning or just now as we were walking together, I felt like the other girls were looking at the two of us with really strange eyes."
Greg continued:
"And as for you, Senior Yelena... you probably aren't very good at handling these kinds of situations, right?"
Hearing this, Yelena's fair little face flushed crimson with a whoosh, this time spreading a light pink tint all the way to her ears and neck.
She obviously realized what Greg was referring to as well, waving her hands in slight panic as her speaking speed unconsciously picked up:
"I-It's fine! Really! Because, because I'm just helping a Junior who needs help! As a Senior, taking care of and guiding a junior who just joined the Student Council, especially... um, a junior in a unique situation, is completely normal! I-It's my duty! So there's absolutely no problem at all!"
She tried her best to make her words sound confident and justified, but her large eyes darting about in embarrassment and her voice dropping lower and lower betrayed her inner turmoil.
After saying that, she seemed to remember something, suddenly stopping in her tracks. She looked up at Greg with her moist, round eyes—which held a faint, almost imperceptible trace of anxiety and probing—and her voice grew even softer, almost reduced to a murmur:
"O-Or is it... Student Greg, do you really hate... this? Do you hate walking with me, or hate being looked at with those strange eyes by others just because you're close to me...?"
Rate on N.U.
