The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 108

The sun rose.

Was that the dawn marking the end of the long, long night? The light was so dazzling that Lucy felt faint for a brief moment.

“Good work, young Lady Lucy.”

It had been thirty days since the start of her probation. After a long hardship, she finally reached the morning of her escape.

Bell Maya, who stopped by Lucy’s room the moment she arrived at work, handed back the room key that she was personally managing.

And the door, which had been tightly closed for nearly a month, finally slowly opened. It was impossible to describe just how special the sunlight that came in through the crack of the door was to her.

“Your probation has now ended. You can now freely come and go from the dormitory according to your schedule. However, you still need to strictly abide by the internal regulations of the school.”

“Finally…!!”

It was all the fault of a momentary lapse in her emotions, leading to a tantrum that forced her to live in a hell for nearly an entire month. Trapped in the corner of her room, staring blankly up at the ceiling, she regretted her actions over and over again.

Even Bell Maya, who had the insight to pinpoint exactly what type of punishment Lucy would suffer from the most, had grown tired of it.

Lucy herself was unaware of how profoundly that one tantrum of hers had such a massive effect on the student council election. However, she was able to recognize that after a month of not going outside, the entire school’s atmosphere had changed quite a bit.

More than ten days had already passed since the day each candidate declared their candidacy for the student council president. And the period before the elections, which had many various rumors circulating for quite some time, was finally coming to an end.

The day of voting was coming closer, and the outcome had already been decided to some extent. Doing any more activities for one’s campaign wouldn’t have much meaning.

“The smell of flowers…”

Of course, to Lucy, who had come out to the rose garden to look up at the sky with her hat tight on her head… news about the current situation wasn’t important to her at all.

Savoring the outside air that she hadn’t breathed in for a long time, she stretched widely and let out a high-pitched noise.

Since she hadn’t gone outside for a while, Lucy wanted to go to all sorts of different places… But the first place she wanted to visit was already been decided.

***

“Third year student of the magic department, Ed Rothstaylor.”

Would I get caught up in the incident of my death, or would I return back to my normal life? As I’d been a key figure at the center of all sorts of major incidents, I’d been investigated and questioned to the point that I was completely sick of it.

During the student council president election, the number of interrogations I’d been put through easily surpasses the double digits.

I went to testify not only to the investigation and inspection departments within the school, but also to various faculty members as well. I even went to an official investigation led by the third dean, and was busy giving my testimonies and writing them down on countless sheets of papers.

Whenever I thought that the questioning finally reached its end, I needed to go in and go through another investigation. And just like that, I was forced to go through the entire investigative process over and over again. I was completely sick of it all.

Finally, when all the investigations were finally coming to an end, I followed Dean McDowell into Trix Hall as he assured me that it would be the last one I needed to cooperate with.

How the heck could he be so sure that the investigation would be the final one? I already knew how those things ended up going.

With that thought in mind, I followed Dean McDowell… before realizing that the conversation was, in fact, truly going to be the last.

Needless to say, Head Dean McDowell guided me to the largest room at the top of Trix Hall. The Headmaster’s office.

“Sit somewhere comfortable.”

Inside, Headmaster Obel Forsyth was seated. The one that held the authority to close all incidents within the school.

Guardian Obel.

Hair cut short with clean brown skin. Even though he was nearing his sixtieth birthday, he still looked quite young. In fact, compared to the older professors he was considered to be on the younger side. He was someone recognized for his skills rather than his age.

As I sat down on the guest sofa, Headmaster Obel gathered magic power. The tea set suddenly began to move on its own, a cup of fragrant tea alighting gently on the conference table.

Headmaster Obel was someone that believed in minimizing the need of secretarial staff as much as possible. He was the type of person to open the car door himself.

“I have read through all the documents regarding the incident. You must have gone through a lot. As you were a victim of this incident, I apologize for the inexperience of our security management within the school. I am truly sorry for the pain you experienced.”

Obel sat in the Headmaster’s chair as he continued to acknowledge the difficulties I went through, apologizing for the shortcomings of the school.

In fact, it was like he was giving pleasantries to try and soften my heart, even just a little. Regardless, he was being considerate of me, so there wasn’t a need for me to think too harshly of him.

“No, it’s alright. They had meticulously and deliberately prepared for such an assassination… It seems like it would have been difficult to prevent even with a higher level of security.”

“From my point of view, I’m quite grateful that you can say that. But still… The reality is different.”

On Obel’s desk were piles of documents that the school had investigated and reported back to him.

He was well aware of all the testimonies I had given.

In reality, it was difficult for a person that had climbed all the way to the top of the pyramid to have a complete understanding of the smaller details.

However, Obel was a perfectionist that had read through every single report, not missing a single word.

As a member of management, he had a great attitude. But he was also a person that didn’t want to be a subordinate to another. Most individuals that left their names in the history books were the same.

“After getting stabbed by the dagger that had been engraved with a deadly poison, and even falling off the cliff… You said that it was thanks to ‘Dell Heim’s Hourglass’ that you survived? I can’t even begin to ask you how you were able to get your hands on such a high-end magically engineered device. After all, it’s not something that an average student would be carrying around.”

“I don’t have any intentions of hiding it. I made it myself.”

“The methods to craft it are surprisingly simple compared to other magically engineered items, but the materials needed for it aren’t easily available. Also, the amount of time you would have spent on the production process itself wouldn’t be trivial.”

“I asked someone I knew personally to help. And I ended up spending nearly the entirety of winter vacation making it.”

After saying that, Headmaster Obel narrowed his eyes and didn’t ask any further questions.

Having the insight on the level of Obel, it would be easy enough to figure out that I had some type of contact with the Elte Company when I mentioned the material procurement. He must already have figured out enough information about me.

He didn’t want to end up on the bad side of the Elte Company, and he was also well aware of the fact that Lortel would only lose power the more she was unnecessarily involved in the incident.

“Since the incident, you have been adrift in a cave at the bottom of the cliff… Before being found and saved by Yennekar Palerover. And right after, you immediately went over to the podium where Tanya Rothstaylor was speaking to defend and take her side. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I will say it outright. Your explanation feels rather contrived.”

Obel put down the papers, leaning back in his chair.

“To me, it seems like you had been quietly hiding yourself until things had calmed down. Does that sound accurate?”

“How should I answer that? If that’s truly your opinion, then the only thing I can tell you is that you are wrong.”

“The reason I summoned you for something that could have been dealt with through paperwork was with the intention to put an end to all of this meaningless back and forth.”

I’d only been making consistent statements, so even if he did read through such a large pile of documents, the contents of it should have all been similar.

I was stabbed by Kadek and Nox before falling off the cliff, barely surviving by drifting away. Those were all the facts that I stated.

“I don’t know the reasoning behind the internal strife of aristocratic families. Especially within House Rothstaylor. When such things happen, terrible incidents such as getting stabbed to death or the disappearance of an individual will often take place. It’s an unfortunate truth, but either way, from my point of view there’s no way for me to know what’s truly taking place behind the scenes—or how to deal with it. That’s why I don’t have the desire to delve any deeper into this matter.”

“However, in this case the issue is that it took place on campus. And since I am the person in charge of this school, at the bare minimum I need to accurately make a statement about the circumstances of what took place and report it to the imperial family.”

“What you’re saying makes sense.”

“However, looking at what you did and inferring what had happened… It seems that you had wanted to remain as ‘dead’ on the outside… Well, even so, a few months from now, your rumors will spread from Acken Island all the way to distant lands.”

He was definitely someone that had not been the headmaster for only a few days. Usually, for someone like him—who has been holding such a position for several decades—there were going to be a few snakes wriggling around inside him.

Without that kind of ability and insight, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

“From my point of view, the correct decision would be to announce your survival to the entire world. The basic report of your death has already been reported to the imperial family, but we could just correct and re-report all of that.”

“That is true. Even for Silvenia, a land of learning, it would still be a good idea to act as a proper example of a subject to the empire. Strictly observing their duty to report all related information to the imperial family.”

“There’s a much simpler reason than that. It’s about us evading responsibility for this incident. It’s a bit frank to say it as such, but I won’t beat around the bush.”

If a report were made to the imperial family, the news would be delivered to Krepin right away. After all, he held an important seat within the imperial family. From my point of view, that wouldn’t be a good thing.

“Kadek and Nox, who were charged with your assassination, have escaped from Acken Island. It smells as if someone working beneath the surface has gotten involved, but I won’t delve into it. The problem is that the school itself will ultimately have to take the blame for it.”

“……”

“Even though you were excommunicated, a former aristocrat had still been assassinated within our school. And his younger sister was labeled as the culprit, while the criminals themselves managed to escape with the help of some outside force. But now, as things have turned out, as long as we reveal the fact that you’re still alive the school would no longer be forced to take such responsibility. So, it’s only natural for us to want to make it clear that there weren’t any casualties.”

In the end, once you reached a high position there was no choice but to react sensitively when it comes to taking responsibility,

Even Obel, who was said to have risen to the ranks of an archmage, was still a part of a bureaucratic society. Unable to avoid the weight of responsibility.

If a corrected report were made to the imperial family, the news would reach Krepin at a much faster rate than a mere rumor would.

That was because Krepin also served as one of the closest aides to the Emperor Kroel. Nearly every piece of news that came to the imperial family also reaches his ears.

“That is why I have called you one last time.”

Obel’s speech seemed all over the place, but in truth it was rather straightforward.

We were going to put everything aside and discuss it one final time.

Summing up all of what he said, he dropped it on me rather bluntly.

He would report my survival to the imperial family. In doing so, from the school’s perspective, the responsibility on their part will be reduced.

But looking at what I said in the investigations, it seemed to him like I wanted to be recognized as a ‘dead person’ for the time being. That way, I would be safe for at least a few months.

But from the school’s perspective, doing so would be difficult. That was why he wanted to make the report. And now he wanted to know what I thought.

He called upon me to read my intentions, understand my stance, and finally ask my opinion.

He was able to grasp all that by merely reading the reports given to him. He had a much deeper understanding of the situation than the other academic staff members.

Asking about why my family’s internal strife had come all the way to the school, resulting in an excommunicated child like me to be attacked… he didn’t bother with such questions. In the first place, there were already so many other different issues taking place behind the scenes in the school. He understood that fact well.

“If the goal is to finish things as quietly as possible, it might be better to defer the report of my survival.”

I spoke my part coherently.

“As you might have guessed… my father, Krepin Rothstaylor, the head of House Rothstaylor and one who holds great power within the imperial family, was the one who instigated my death.”

“As I told you, I have no intention of delving into the internal affairs of your family.”

“What I want to say is… if my survival is made public, many other assassination attempts will be repeated. If it’s something he wants, he will do whatever he can to make sure it happens… In the end, through whatever means necessary, he will accomplish his task.”

In the long run, it would only increase the number of cases the school would have to deal with.

Ultimately, the only choice I had was to align my position with the school’s as much as possible.

“And there won’t be any issues with putting off the report of my survival until a later date. There are many excuses available to use. It took time to certify all the facts, it’s taking lots of time to look over and review each and every document, the disappearance of the messenger due to bad weather… Well, things like that. If you make excuses as such, you can wait and decide at a later date whether or not you want to report my survival.”

“I wonder if there’s any reason to take such a risk.”

“Rather, I believe this is reducing the risk. You are merely observing the situation.”

I continued talking slowly as I tapped the teacup with my finger.

Close your eyes and imagine.

Krepin Rothstaylor, sitting in a royal office, looking over the documents he received.

All sorts of things were reported, but the only thing that caught his eye was… the most important piece of information. The confirmation of Ed Rothstaylor’s death.

“House Rothstaylor holds a key position with the imperial family… Surprisingly, this incident won’t be taken too seriously. In fact, if it’s covered up no one would even bat an eye.”

“……”

“Of course, the decision is ultimately up to you, Headmaster Obel. You can always make a report of my survival later on if necessary. So, is there truly any risk to it?”

After saying all of that, I closed my mouth. I was giving Headmaster Obel time to think things over.

Headmaster Obel continued to sit silently for a while… before he suddenly smirked and started to smile.

“Did you say your name was Ed Rothstaylor?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard that your grades have risen sharply, and your evaluation among students has rebounded quite surprisingly.”

He was no longer talking about my survival. What conclusion did he come to?

“Looking at the fact your evaluation among the top students within our school is quite good, you are definitely a son of the prestigious House Rothstaylor.”

“But right now, I have been excommunicated…”

“Regardless of that fact. Also, isn’t your younger sister Tanya Rothstaylor also on a winning streak these days? In fact, isn’t it already safe to say that she will be the next student council president? As I always say, Silvenia is always on the side of the students. And if they’re an exemplary student, that is even more the case.”

It was a meaningful statement, but I didn’t ask about the implications of it.

However, it felt as if I was being subtly recognized by Obel.

“I’ll see you again. Any student with talent is always welcome here. I’ll remember your name.”

***

While I was being interrogated by the school, most of my time was spent here in the education district. Because of that, I hardly had any time to go back to my precious camp.

Now that most of the interrogations had been completed, the election would be finalized two days after the voting.

The first thing I wanted to do was fix my camp back up to its normal condition, as it had been neglected for quite some time. I wanted to quickly head back to the North Forest.

After leaving the headmaster’s office, I said farewell to the head dean. Once I was told I could leave, I went down to the first floor of Trix Hall.

Trix Hall, which could be considered the center of academic administration, was always busy.

Then, the moment I tried to leave the crowd to head back to the main street of the education district—

“I was waiting for you. I was surprised to hear that the headmaster had personally called on you, older brother.”

Should I say that she felt like a completely different person now? Tanya Rothstaylor, who felt even more aloof than usual, was sitting on a wooden bench in front of Trix Hall.

Fluffy blonde hair with elegant eyes.

She was neatly dressed in her school uniform and a cloak that was embroiled with beautiful golden frames. Apparently, she had been spending a lot of her time outdoors.

It went without saying, but right now her schedule should be completely full. It must have been rather inconvenient for her to come all the way here just to wait for me.

That was because Tanya’s stocks had soared rather high within the past few weeks. Now that she had gained enough authority to be called the next student council president, it wasn’t surprising that she had a lot of followers.

What was funny was that Kylie Eckner was the first of her followers to come back and follow her… but knowing that girl’s true identity, I couldn’t help but laugh…

And after constantly hearing Merilda complain about the girl, I couldn’t help but remember her.

“I heard news of the election, it seems your victory is almost certain. Congratulations. The day where you can finally see the light has come.”

“I can’t get complacent yet.”

It was rare to see Tanya smiling so brightly and innocently like she is now. She was in a position where she had to value her dignity wherever and whenever. And now that she was going to become the student council president, that was even more the case.

The situation taking place before the election seemed to have gone as expected.

In the end, three major factors played a large role in Tanya’s victory.

First off, her innocence was proven.

Without succumbing to adversity, she constantly spoke of her innocence until the very end. She even continued to try and act proudly, as much as she could, in front of the public audience that loudly booed her.

There seemed to be quite a few people that were influenced by that. And it seemed that she had also received quite a few apologies from those that booed her, calling her a murderer.

Secondly, many of the top students in each grade declared their support for Tanya.

Between all four grades and all three departments, there were a total of twelve top students.

Among them, Wade, Joseph, Clevius, Elvira, Yennekar, Atalanta, and Dorothy all openly supported her. The support of the top students in each grade had much significance, as it considerably influenced the students in their departments as well.

Such a push of support had a great influence on her taking the lead.

Finally, the downfall of Lortel, who had been supported heavily at the start of the election, was the final push.

Should I say that was all the result of Lortel, who had grown up in a world of business and politics?

Lortel drove the political battle to the point where the election was only between her and Tanya in the end.

She always mentioned Tanya’s name in public, and was openly conscious of Tanya as a rival… She made everyone that was paying attention to the election turn their focus to the battle between herself and Lortel.

After doing so, she resigned in a disgraceful manner by launching a scandal in regard to the embezzlement of company funds as well as the tyranny of business partners. All sorts of accusations and attacks were directed at her, yet when she stepped down from the podium I definitely saw her smirking.

As soon as Lortel left the spotlight, Tanya became the center of attention. The other small candidates didn’t even have the chance to step in. And Tanya, who also had the official support of the princess, completely dominated the public sentiment.

As a result, two days before the voting… everywhere within the school, only Tanya’s supporters remained.

Student council president, Tanya Rothstaylor. At that point, her title was pretty much decided.

“Since I’m busy with the election and you’ve been being interrogated, we haven’t had much time to talk, right?”

“Still, is it alright for you to wait for me here during such an important time? We can talk again once the election is finished.”

“But I think I’ll become a lot busier after I become the student council president.”

Looking at the bright smile on her face, I couldn’t see the gloomy expression that was there before.

To me, who had only seen her as ‘The lesser of two evils, the esteemed daughter’ it was quite refreshing to see her like that. Her graceful and young appearance left quite the impression on me.

“I think there will be many opportunities to talk, but I think it’s absolutely necessary that I tell you this.”

“You’ve already said that so much that I’m sick of hearing it now.”

During the declaration of candidacy… The image of her burying her face in her hands as she burst into tears was still vivid in my mind.

Maybe Tanya herself had also remembered that moment, as she suddenly started to blush, shaking her head.

“N-Never mind… And… Actually… I’ve finally been able to organize my thoughts. And since all of the relatively important work I need to do is nearly finished, I thought it was about time that I talked to you… I can’t pretend like I don’t know forever.”

“Organized?”

“The one behind your murder…”

That’s right.

Tanya… there was no way she didn’t think about it.

If it wasn’t her that wanted me dead, then who was it? It was obvious that within the family, there was only one person that could exert such influence over Kadek and Nox.

“Was it… Father…?”

I didn’t bother to answer aloud.

Tanya was a girl that longed for the glory of House Rothstaylor more than anyone, and lived her entire life with Father as her role model.

Now that the situation had become like this, it was impossible for her to continue living without knowing the truth.

As I nodded, Tanya lowered her head.

After all, I needed to briefly explain to her the circumstances as to why I had no choice but to hide all that time.

Especially since she was someone that had direct contact with House Rothstaylor.

And to do that… I had no choice but to talk about Krepin’s true identity.

“While staying at the royal residence, I talked a lot with Princess Penia. Especially about you, older brother.”

However, it was Tanya who changed the topic.

“You talked about me?”

“Yes. Princess Penia… said that it looked as if you were deliberately trying to get out of our House.”

“……”

“At first, I wondered what in the world she meant by that. Now, however, I’m starting to understand. Because… I feel like you were only able to find your true self after coming to Silvenia.”

As I sat on the bench, I scratched my chin. Tanya’s story wasn’t worth listening to anymore.

“So, I just wanted to ask you. Maybe… the reason behind you trying to get out of our House by whatever means necessary… Was it related to that ‘drawer’…?”

“…Drawer…?”

“The drawer… the one in your room that you never let me get close to or open. At some point, you even locked it with a key. Even now, back at the Rothstaylor Mansion, it should still be there…”

From that point, it was completely unknown territory.

In , Ed Rothstaylor was a character that was nothing more than a passing villain that got thrown out at the start.

The history of his past wasn’t explained in any depth and it wasn’t something one would consider very important.

So, there wasn’t much I could say to that.

“Well… I don’t remember.”

That was all I could respond with.

Tanya looked at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. Seeing her act so calmly, I could tell that over that short amount of time she had grown.

“Wouldn’t it be better to talk about what to do next rather than my depressing past? Tanya, now that you are the student council president… All that’s left for you to do is enter the light.”

“I’m not sure. When I think about taking office, I feel like there are still other things for me to deal with instead right now…”

Either way, Tanya survived.

Not for the prestige of the Rothstaylor name, but she took the seat of the student council president entirely for herself. There was no guarantee that the road ahead of her would be smooth, but at the very least I could give her my support.

“But still, I have a question… I thought it would be stupid to ask, so I tried to bear with it but… I can’t hold it in much longer. So can I ask you about it?”

“What is it?”

“Uhm… The reason you took my side when I declared my candidacy…”

Tanya seemed embarrassed to ask such a question with her own mouth, as she blushed and glanced away from me. It was an odd question.

“If you had to keep hiding… then there shouldn’t have been a reason to show yourself. It’s like… you couldn’t stand seeing the injustice I was going through… or something like that… Was that the case…?”

“You’re right. That’s what happened.”

Tanya lowered her shoulders. She had overreacted.

“We’re family.”

“……”

“I should always be on your side.”

At those words, Tanya gently closed her eyes, then smiled.

“The person that stood by my side during the biggest crisis I will ever face in my life. A connection that I will keep with me for the remainder of my life. It’s a phrase I saw in a social studies textbook… It wasn’t a great book, yet that phrase still stuck in my memory.”

“……”

“Well, I’m the student council president now. It’s probably not a great attitude to have, as I’ll be taking on a lot of public work… But still it’s fine to be a little biased, right? After all, I’m only human.”

Tanya grinned as she stood up from the bench and turned around, still talking.

“Tell me when you’re in a crisis. I will do anything I can to help you, too.”

Her wide smile was far from the villainous person she used to be… I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

***

“It’s nice to have a family.”

“…How long have you been there?”

“Since you started talking about strange things with Tanya.”

There was still a lot left to do before the election.Yet despite that, Tanya had made the time to see me. Because of that, she ended up also having to leave in a hurry.

It was only after she completely disappeared from my view that the girl sitting on the opposite bench stood up and walked my way.

On the other side of the bench that I was sitting on, a girl smiled like a fox with her hands behind her back… The deputy representative of the Elte Company, the fallen student council president candidate.

As I covered my face and let out a sigh, Lortel let out a happy laugh.

“Well, it’s better to live a life only hearing the things you want to hear. It’s quite a skill to pretend to not know anything when there’s something you don’t want to reveal.”

I helped Tanya… That’s right. Compared to the fated ordeal that Tanya was supposed to face, she was going through all too much.

In other words, it was all due to a feeling of sympathy… and being the only person in the vast world that I shared the same blood with. Family wasn’t something that came along so easily, so when your only sibling in the entire world showed up, it was hard to let them go.

However, human behavior wasn’t always driven by emotion. When I spoke with Tanya, I told her I only acted because she was family, but… If I were to say I didn’t also take into account her ‘value’… that would be a lie.

Tanya was a girl that lived her entire life admiring the glory of the Rothstaylors. Krepin knew that fact, too.

She was a girl with her whole life attached to House Rothstaylor. Considering her value as an insider, it was indescribable just how valuable she was.

Student council president and an insider of House Rothstaylor. She even had a direct line of connection to the house. That meant she had a great influence when it comes to controlling information going in and out of the house.

The benefits of our special relationship… I did think that I was over-calculating every little aspect of it, but I couldn’t help it.

The confusing part of human relationships… was the fact that they were not made purely off of one emotion.

However, it was always better to only know the good parts of a story.

Only those that already knew about the darkness should know. For example… a girl that had lived a life of calculations ever since she was a small child.

“These days, my notoriety within the school is quite high. Tanya also doesn’t seem to like me that much, so I’ll just have to leave it all in your hands for the time being, Ed.”

“You seem to have a bad habit of getting on the bad side of everyone around you, Lortel.”

“Oh, that’s just an occupational hazard. And when I get to work, I go all out you know.”

“…The rumors about you are quite brutal these days. Are you alright?”

“Rumors don’t affect my money, so what do you think?”

Laughing with a bright expression, Lortel leaned her back on the bench, looking up at the sky.

“Well, I am a villain. As long as I don’t turn you into an enemy, then everything is fine.”

The smile on her face was the same as ever. However, it couldn’t have been easy.

***

Thus, the school entered a new phase.

Student council president Tanya Rothstaylor took her seat on the student council.

Princess Penia, who didn’t want to take the position as president, looked up at the sky from her royal residence. No one knew what direction she would take in the future.

It all depended on the will of the heavens. How would the conflict between the imperial house and House Rothstaylor turn out?

How would the remaining three acts unfold…? All I could do was wait and see.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here… It’s really quite special.”

It had been quite some time since I’d been to the cabin in my camp, but it really was the same as always.

I really missed my camp, which now felt like my own home.

First off, it seemed the inside of my cabin was a mess, so I needed to clean that up. The campfire also needed to be cleaned up again before everything could go back to normal.

But before that…. I wanted to rest.

Creak.

As I entered the dusty cabin, the familiar smell of grass sat heavily on my chest.

Should I rest for a bit? With that thought in mind, I took off my coat and put it on the wooden desk, grabbing a blanket.

“Zzzzz… Pheww…”

“……”

Lucy, who was breathing deeply while sleeping, was already laying on my bed.

As if it were some type of treasure, she hugged the pillow I used to sleep on tightly, sleeping soundly—as if everything in the world was great. It looked as if she came back to her hometown after a few decades.

Seeing her like that, I couldn’t hold back my smile.

I then threw the blanket aside, then laid down in the reclining wooden chair.

I took out a book on elemental studies from my desk, flipping through it, before putting it on my face and falling asleep.

For a while, the cabin was only filled with the sound of me and Lucy breathing.

I had finally returned to my camp. And the first thing I decided to do was get drunk off of that feeling.

Three days later, the news of Tanya’s victory as student council president was announced.