It was pretty obvious that Seo didn’t like Rose, but to go to this extent… How did she even know that Rose was weak with spice?
“Let’s go in…” Seo said, tugging me along.
Seo led the way confidently into the restaurant, not seeming to notice the apprehension written on both Rose’s and my faces.
The atmosphere inside was warm and inviting, with the savory aroma of spicy broth filling the air.
“Seo, are you sure about this place?” I asked cautiously, glancing at Rose, who was eyeing the menu with a mix of curiosity and mild concern.
Seo turned back with a mischievous grin. “Don’t worry, this place sells really delicious ramen.”
‘That’s exactly why I’m worried!’
“This place only sells noodles?” Rose asked as she scanned through the menu. Although there were a bunch of different varieties, at its core, it was still ramen.
Of course, there were some side dishes like a few desserts and different types of drinks, but all the main dishes were essentially ramen.
“Yes,” Seo replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “But it’s worth it. The flavors are exquisite.”
“Hm~”
Rose looked skeptical but didn’t say anything further. We took our seats, and a waiter promptly came to take our orders.
Seo, without hesitation, ordered the spiciest ramen on the menu.
I followed suit, knowing I could handle the heat.
Meanwhile, Rose seemed to be contemplating what to pick.
“Try this…” Seo pointed at a bowl of oozingly red noodles with a crimson black soup.
“Is it good?” Rose asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
“Yes,” Seo replied, a hint of mischief in her tone.
‘This girl… Just how much does she hate Rose?’ I thought, observing the exchange. Although that version is probably the most delicious, it’s also the hottest.
I don’t know what happened between the two of them while I was out, but Seo was clearly holding quite the grudge. She even knew Rose had no tolerance for spice.
Seeing the future trouble ahead, I had no choice but to intervene. ‘I’m sorry Seo, but I’ll have to ruin your fun or whatever little revenge you have for today…’
“Why don’t you pick this one instead?” I said, pointing at a slightly milder version of the one Seo suggested. Though even if it’s the milder version, it was still at an extreme spice level.
“This?” Rose seemed confused why I suggested the one with the golden broth instead of the red one like Seo and I had.
“Yes, since this place only sells spicy ramen, I think it would be best for you to try out the milder versions first, Rose.”
“S-spicy…?” Rose stammered, her eyes widening slightly as she realized the implications.
Immediately, she looked at Seo with a slight glare, her golden eyes darkening. Meanwhile, Seo maintained her usual emotionless look, but it was clear she was enjoying Rose’s reaction. If Seo and I weren’t close, I wouldn’t have noticed the subtle changes in her expressions. But now, just one glance was enough for me to understand what she was trying to imply.
‘She was one scary girl.’
Seo’s eyes then turned to me. “You’ve been here before, Riley?” she asked, surprised at how I knew this place only sold spicy ramen.
“No, but I have heard about it…” I said, using the best excuse I could think of on the spot.
“I see,” she replied casually. It seemed she was slightly disappointed that I had ruined her plans, but still satisfied she had managed to bring Rose here.
“I’ll just have this then….” Rose said, ordering the ramen I had suggested while staring daggers at Seo. Our lunch hadn’t even started yet, and a new storm was already brewing between these two.
As we waited for our food, the tension was palpable. Seo seemed content with her minor victory, while Rose was clearly frustrated.
I tried to diffuse the situation by engaging in small talk, but it was evident that both girls were preoccupied with their silent battle.
When our ramen arrived, the spicy aroma filled the air. Rose eyed her bowl cautiously before taking a small sip of the broth.
Almost instantly, her face turned a shade of pink, and she reached for her water glass, gulping it down quickly.
“It’s… quite spicy” Rose managed to say, trying to maintain her composure.
Seo subtly smirked for a moment with a hint of satisfaction, taking a bite of her own ramen without any visible reaction to the heat.
I took a bite of my ramen as well, feeling the familiar burn of the spice. It was intense but manageable for me.
I glanced at Rose, who was struggling but determined to keep up appearances.
As we continued eating, I tried to steer the conversation towards safer topics, like upcoming events at the academy and recent lectures.
Seo and Rose responded politely, but the underlying tension between them was palpable.
“Your tongue is quite delicate, isn’t it, Miss Rose…” Seo suddenly said, watching Rose struggle to finish even half of the ramen she ordered.
“And I believe your personality is the delicate one here, Miss Seo,” Rose retorted, her voice steady despite the lingering burn of the spicy broth.
The two girls continued to snarl at each other, their words laced with barely concealed hostility. I sighed, looking at them both.
Despite my best efforts to ease the tension, it seemed nothing would work at this point.
They wouldn’t even tell me why they were mad at each other.
Although I had an idea of what might have happened, I couldn’t understand the full context behind their animosity.
Sigh…!
Anyway, why did Rose even try to invite me out for lunch in the first place?
Although her character revolved around randomness, it didn’t mean that each and every one
of her actions was done on a whim alone; she must have had something she wanted to discuss
or request from me.
‘Does she want me to teach her the concept of love again?’ I wondered.
The chances weren’t far from reality.
As whimsical as she was, Rose was also stubborn.
I had a feeling she had a plan in mind to ensure I wouldn’t say no to her request this time.
The system had also notified me of my special power affecting her last time, though I didn’t know to what extent that applied.
She wasn’t a full-on genocidal yandere like my fiancée, but considering that my ability only worked on evil people, the likelihood of Rose doing something out of line to achieve her goals
was high.
There’s always the option to indulge myself and take advantage of her request, but… that would only be cheating and a disrespect to her and to myself.
What she’s basically asking me to do is to cheat behind Liyana’s back, which is something I can’t afford to do and isn’t something I would want to do.
As much as I feared Liyana, I never hated her-that’s just a fact. I mean, can one even hate a nuclear bomb for being destructive?
Liyana was a dragon, and not just any dragon but the world-ending dragon, the final boss of
the story.
It was only natural for her to do evil things.
I may die to her someday, but that’s why I’m working my ass off to change that.
Giving up all my progress for senseless selfishness would just be stupid.
I can’t allow myself to think of anything other than getting stronger at the moment.
Lucas is still a 50/50 option for my survival-whether he grows to be the best version of
himself remains to be seen.
So, in the end, I can only trust no one but myself.
“Riley…”
Rose suddenly called out to me, her voice cutting through the lingering tension between her
and Seo.
Taking a sip of her cold water, she looked at me with a gentle gaze.
She then placed something hard and metallic on the table before gently pushing it towards
me.
It had a circular design with a diamond stone embedded at the center, flanked by six wings- the symbol of the god of light.
There was only one thing in the academy that had this design: the student council brooch.
In the game, this exquisite yet grand brooch was always worn by the student council members
of the academy.
‘Well, all except for Alice…’
“Do you know what this is?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied. Even if I hadn’t been transmigrated into this world, I would have to be living
under a rock to not recognize such a brooch. Practically everyone in the academy knows it;
after all, it is the very symbol of authority and power here.
‘How’d she even get such a brooch?’
“This is the brooch of a student council member,” Rose explained, her fingers lightly tracing
the intricate design. “Riley…. Why don’t you join the student council with me?”
“Excuse me?” I blinked in surprise, my mind racing.
The student council was a prestigious and influential group within the academy, wielding
significant power and resources.
Being part of it would grant me access to knowledge, training, and connections that could be invaluable in my quest to survive and grow stronger.
But the student council wasn’t just some elected group here in the academy to help out
professors and sort out school problems.
In the academy, they actually had power-political power at that.
I remember my mother grilling me about this case whenever she personally taught me in my
studies.
Whoever controls the student council practically controls the student body. And not even the principal could just ignore such a presence.
Just being part of one grants you a guaranteed position not just in the academy but also in life.
That also comes with responsibilities and expectations.
The council members were not just figureheads; they actively participated in the governance
and protection of the academy.
It would mean getting involved in the complex politics and power struggles that were part
and parcel of the council’s duties.
Here, being part of the student council means power and authority. And now this whimsical woman in front of me was offering me such power.
In the game, Rose’s role in the second act-where the political plays were brewing-wasn’t
that significant, except for a few minor roles in the main scenario.
A majority of her involvement was in her own scenarios.
The grand fest hasn’t passed yet, so how come she has a brooch now?
Was Snow given one as well?
Did the story go haywire again without my knowledge?
These questions swirled in my mind as I held the brooch, feeling its weight both literally and metaphorically. Rose seemed to notice my hesitation and leaned in slightly.
“You’re wondering how I got this, aren’t you?” she said, her voice soft but confident. “It’s not
entirely a secret, but let’s just say my family has its ways of ensuring their interests are well-
represented within the academy. The council president saw the potential in my abilities and offered me a position earlier than usual”
I nodded slowly, trying to process this new information.
If Rose was already a member of the student council, it meant that the dynamics within the
academy were shifting faster than I anticipated.
This could be both an opportunity and a threat.
But if she’s entering the fray this early, she knows she’ll attract the other future candidates’
attention as well, right?
Not to mention, her time limit only lasts until the early parts of the second act, which is the
second semester.
Once the current student president steps down, her position, and her role, would also be over.
Rose continued, “Snow hasn’t received her brooch yet, but she’s on the council’s radar. They’re watching her closely, just as they are watching you.” “Me…?” I asked, surprised. I was pretty sure I did nothing to warrant the attention of the
student council. Well, except for the case back with Alice, I had never done anything to attract the student president’s attention.
“Yes, you. It seems you have quite the peculiar background, Riley, and the president is quite interested,” she said with a smile.
Dorothy interested in my background? Did she find out my connection with the duke? I was
pretty sure the Heaven family sorted out and hid the fact that I’m connected with them, right? Rose leaned back, her smile never fading. “Dorothy is very thorough in her investigations. She
likes to know everything about potential council members. Your connection to the Heaven family, while hidden from most, isn’t something she’d overlook easily.”
I felt a chill run down my spine. If Dorothy knew about my ties to the duke, it could complicate things. The Heaven family had gone to great lengths to ensure my identity was kept under wraps.
If word got out, it could jeopardize everything I had been working towards. “You don’t need to worry too much,” Rose said, sensing my unease. “Dorothy’s interest isn’t
necessarily a bad thing. It means she sees potential in you, potential that could be valuable to the council.”
There were many implications as to why Dorothy suddenly wanted me to join her party, but if there’s one thing that comes to mind, the best way to make use of me and Rose’s influence is
would be to… re-establish her position with a stronger backing.
“Does the president want to run again next semester?” “Correct~”
“I see” I replied, trying to steady my nerves.
So just like in the game she was bound to become another mini boss as well huh although
slightly faster than expected, it seems Lucas’s main scenario with her was moving along fine,
all except for the sudden intervention with Rose that is.
Once Lucas get’s invited by Snow next semester the main scenario would begin.
“But why bring this up now? Why offer me the brooch?”
“Because I want to screw her over~” Rose said casually with a smile.
“Huh?”
I stared at her, baffled by her blunt admission.
Rose’s smile widened at my confusion. “You see, Riley, I’m planning to run for the presidency
next semester, and I want you to be my ally. This invitation isn’t from the current president herself, but from me.” “And I want you to be by my side. You know the benefits of being a member, right? Knowledge, power, strength, authority, and influence-you can have it all,” she said with a
knowing gaze.
“You don’t even have to do anything. You just have to stay by my side and support me throughout the process, and you shall reap all the benefits~”
The way she spoke, it felt as if she already assumed she would become president.
“So what do you say~?”
Like a snake ensnaring its prey, Rose looked at me with a mix of charm and calculation. Her proposal was tempting, but I knew there was more to it than just standing by her side.