Although she had accidentally made a slight sound, Vivian still did not raise her head, though the fingers gripping her pen seemed to tighten somewhat.
The others, seemingly preoccupied by the shocking news, did not notice what was happening over there either.
On the other side of the conference table, the trio of boys exhaled a collective sigh of relief the moment they heard those words, their faces even showing expressions bordering on gratitude.
This terrifying figure was actually leaving!
We won't have to tremble in fear under his reign of terror every day anymore!
Yelena, on the other hand, reacted with utter shock. Her light brown eyes widened instantly, her small mouth opening slightly in disbelief:
"W-Why?! Junior, is... is life here making you unhappy? If you have any problems, I can help you!"
The girls who had just scattered also chimed in immediately, offering advice all at once:
"Yeah, exactly! Student Greg, if you have any difficulties or dissatisfaction, you can just say so! We'll all help you!"
"Is the work too exhausting? We can help share the burden!"
"Don't leave, Young Master Greg! Without you, the Student Council will be so boring!"
Greg calmly pulled his hand out from the grasp of a girl who had quietly crept close again without him noticing.
A slightly apologetic smile appeared on his face as he explained:
"Thank you all so much for your concern and for trying to keep me, Seniors. During my time in the Student Council, thanks to everyone's care, I've learned a lot and had a great time. My choice to leave isn't because this place is bad."
He paused before offering his prepared reason:
"Mainly, I recently received a notice from the academy that I've been chosen in advance as one of the Second-year Representatives to represent the academy in this year's Hundred Academy Exchange."
His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone sincere:
"I know my own situation well. I can manage practical combat, but compared to the true elites, there's still a huge gap in my theoretical knowledge."
"So, in the precious time before the exchange officially begins, I want to focus all my energy on patching up my weaknesses and making the most thorough preparations. I hope everyone can understand."
It had to be said that when he wasn't acting like a complete scumbag, Greg was remarkably good at maintaining the image of a model student.
This reason was practically beyond reproach.
It showed that his resignation stemmed from ambition while also elevating his stance, making it impossible to refute.
Sure enough, after hearing this, the regret in the girls' eyes was quickly replaced by admiration and praise:
"So that's why! Student Greg has already been chosen as a representative? That's amazing!"
"As expected of the person who single-handedly subjugated the Undead Knight! The academy really has great foresight!"
"Voluntarily training extra to improve himself for the exchange... Student Greg is so responsible!"
"We support you! You must bring glory to the academy at the exchange!"
Even Yelena, upon hearing that Greg had become an exchange representative and chose to resign only to prepare better, saw the initial surprise and desire to keep him on her face transform into understanding and support.
She even nodded forcefully, her light brown eyes sparkling:
"I understand, Junior Greg! Fighting on behalf of the academy indeed requires full preparation. I will definitely work hard to become one of the Third-year Representatives too!"
To her, Greg had completely transformed from a junior who needed her care into a role model she needed to learn from!
Greg nodded as he looked at Yelena's enthusiastic expression. Then, leaning in slightly toward Yelena, he spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear:
"Senior Yelena, lastly... may I ask one more favor of you?"
"Of course!"
Yelena agreed almost without hesitation, even feeling a touch of joy that Greg needed her help:
"Go ahead, Junior! As long as I can do it, I'll definitely help!"
Greg then continued whispering in Yelena's ear. Except for Yelena, who was right next to him, no one else in the office could hear a single word.
They could only watch as Yelena listened, her eyes widening slightly with a mixture of surprise and comprehension before she gave Greg a firm nod.
Meanwhile, Vivian, who had been quietly monitoring Greg's every move out of the corner of her eye, imperceptibly tightened her fingers around her quill pen once again as he leaned in to whisper to Yelena.
"What are they saying?"
An emotion blending curiosity with an anxiety of being excluded—which she refused to admit—gnawed at her heart like tiny ants.
She felt an itch in her heart, as if scratched by a feather, desperately longing to know what the two were whispering about.
However, her impulsive, out-of-control behavior in the classroom this morning echoed in her mind like an alarm bell at this moment.
"Calm down. That isn't how I should be. My emotions and actions shouldn't be influenced by him anymore. Whatever they say or do has nothing to do with me. I just need to focus on the work at hand."
She forcefully suppressed the urge to look up, her ice-blue eyes fixing even more rigidly onto the documents before her, attempting to fill her somewhat tangled thoughts with dry regulations and data to transform herself back into that calm Student Council President.
At that moment, having received Greg's secret instruction, Yelena put on her sweet, endearing smile once again.
She clapped her hands, the crisp sound drawing everyone's attention in the office:
"Um, everyone! I just remembered a temporary notice from the academy!"
Blinking, she continued:
"The academy's Logistics Department just received a shipment of Moonlight Flower Tea said to be traded from an Elf caravan! It's prepared for an upcoming important event, but the professor in charge of inspecting it had an unexpected matter come up and asked our Student Council to send people over to help count it. And... we can even taste test it while we're at it!"
Hearing that there was something good to sample, the girls' eyes lit up immediately, and they chimed in with enthusiasm.
"Moonlight Flower Tea? I've heard of that! Supposedly, it relaxes the mind and improves skin condition!"
"Yelena, let's go quickly! If we're late, there won't be any left!"
"President, please excuse us for a moment!"
Although the trio of boys had little interest in refreshments, being able to temporarily escape this office with Greg in it was a dream come true.
They scrambled to their feet as well, chiming in, "Yes, yes, yes, let's go quickly!"
Yelena turned to Vivian and asked, "President, may we go do this now?"
Vivian finally raised her head. Her ice-blue eyes calmly looked at Yelena, swept over the expectant and excited crowd, and lastly brushed imperceptibly past Greg standing at the doorway.
She nodded, her voice cold and unruffled:
"Mm, go ahead. Count carefully and keep good records."
"Yes! President!"
Yelena gave a cheerful response and waved her small hand. "Alright everyone, let's go!"
With that, she took the lead toward the door, and the other Student Council members filed out right behind her.
The office door opened and closed. The bustling footsteps and excited chatter quickly faded into the distance, vanishing down the end of the corridor.
In the blink of an eye, the formerly bustling Student Council office grew spacious and quiet.
Sunlight from the setting sun filtered through the stained-glass window, casting broad patches of vibrant, colorful light and shadow across the carpet.
Now, only two people remained.
Greg standing at the doorway, and Vivian, still poised in the President's seat with documents spread before her, as if isolated from the rest of the world.
Rate on N.U.
