Chapter 156 – Student Council Presidential Election (6)

The election season had begun.

It had always been a major event, even beyond the academy.

But this time, the commotion was even greater.

“The simulated exam we took together with other classes…! They said it was to select first-year candidates for the presidency, and in the end, it turned out to be true!”

“Wow, this is crazy. Something big is about to happen this year. This ultra-conservative academy actually allowing this?”

Two first-year cadets had been accepted as candidates.

It was an unprecedented event in the academy’s history.

However, something seemed odd.

For some reason, the candidate numbers jumped from 3 to 5.

The assigned numbers were 1, 2, 6, and 7.

Why?

There were undoubtedly hidden circumstances behind this.

But the students didn’t care.

Why bother with such a minor detail?

In the face of such a shocking event, anything insignificant went unnoticed.

After all, teenagers loved the unexpected.

For them, the important thing was that a new topic of conversation had emerged.

In the hallways of the faculty building, election posters were displayed.

== ==

Number 6, Leon van Reinhardt

– An academy of the students, by the students, for the students. –

== ==

A young man with sharp features and blazing golden hair.

Even though it was just an identification photo, his image looked like something out of a painting.

“God, how does Leon keep getting more handsome over time? That ‘visual genius’ title really suits him.”

“Is that all you care about? Don’t forget he’s already been named the future Hero. If anyone deserves to be president, who else could it be?”

A group of students gazed at his poster as if hypnotized.

Meanwhile, the male cadets clicked their tongues in frustration.

They muttered among themselves, clearly annoyed.

“Ugh, look at these idiots. Drooling over a pretty face and voting without thinking. Don’t they know an election should be based on a candidate’s policies?”

“Exactly. And what kind of slogan is that? ‘An academy of the students, by the students, for the students’… It sounds nice, but it doesn’t say anything concrete.”

“That’s what I’m saying. And what does being the future Hero have to do with being student council president? All because he received some oracle. If I had to choose, I’d rather vote for him.”

One of the cadets crossed his arms and nodded toward another poster with his chin.

The others followed his gaze to the poster next to Leon’s.

== ==

7. Kang Geom-Ma.

– Void. –

== ==

“……”

Even though it was midday, the poster had a gloomy aura. The portrait on it seemed to absorb the light around it.

When their eyes met with those in the image, a shiver ran down the student’s spine.

If he had seen this at night, he probably would have bolted on the spot.

But setting aside the intimidating expression—

The slogan. What the hell was that?

The student looked at the other posters in order: 1, 2, 6.

Even if they were generic phrases, at least every other candidate had something written.

But Kang Geom-Ma’s… Only two words. Void.

Wouldn’t it have been better to leave it completely blank?

If they wanted to emphasize the absence of a slogan, wouldn’t it make more sense to write nothing at all?

Confused, the cadet frowned.

He couldn’t grasp the intention.

And yet… why did he feel like he could trust it?

He pondered for a moment.

And in the end, he reached his own conclusion. In place of saying too much, it was better to remain silent.

That had to be the idea behind the poster.

After all, that was Kang Geom-Ma.

And besides—

“Faster than words, his sashimi.”

It was a phrase that had spread across news portals and forums, perfectly describing Kang Geom-Ma’s personality.

He didn’t speak with words.

He spoke with his knife.

At first, everyone saw him as a reckless madman.

And to top it off, his weapon of choice was a sashimi knife bought at a cheap store.

It was as if he was declaring that a true master never blames their equipment.

That attitude had its own appeal.

The student rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His decision was made.

Did it really matter that his poster didn’t have a slogan?

No.

The path of a true man didn’t need embellishments.

And without a doubt, he would support Kang Geom-Ma.

***

“Hey! Kang Geom-Ma! Are you insane!? Who the hell writes a campaign slogan like that? They already changed the rules, and we can’t even do proper advertising!”

Ryozo shouted, pointing at the freshly printed campaign poster. Huffing in frustration, she continued.

“If you were going to do this, you might as well have left it blank! What does ‘Void’ even mean? Void! Don’t you know people can decide their vote based on details like these?”

Speedweapon tried to calm her down, but Saki shot him a death glare.

Her pupils, vertically slit like an angry cat’s, flashed with fury.

“S-S-Saki, calm down. You’re the club leader, right? Surely you have a brilliant strategy behind this… Right, President?”

Speedweapon turned to me. He looked desperate, practically begging me to say something.

But I simply shook my head.

“I didn’t really think about it.”

“President!”

This time, it was Speedweapon who raised his voice, clearly outraged.

It was definitely fun messing with him.

His reactions were priceless.

I smirked slightly and added.

“I was just joking. I just thought that instead of putting a bunch of empty words, it was better to leave it like this.”

In my past life, working at the fish market, I had dealt with several politicians.

One of them, a veteran congressman with five terms under his belt, once told me something when he was drunk.

….

—■■, tell me, do you know the easiest way for a politician to win votes?

He thumped his alcohol-reddened chest as he spoke.

—Honesty, honesty! Those who see the people as sheep don’t last more than one term. But if you never lie, sooner or later, people will recognize it.

Hearing the word “sheep” come from a politician’s mouth left a strange feeling in me.

—Remember this! If you’re going to lie, it’s better to say nothing at all. If you keep your mouth shut, you’re already halfway there. Have the sages of old ever been wrong? Come on, ■■, you’ve reached the peak of your craft, surely you understand what I mean.

‘I don’t think you and I are the same. I’m just a cook.’

—Oh, please! Don’t be so modest. That almost sounds arrogant. Do you think I don’t know your nickname? “The best swordsman in the country.” They say you’re a master with the blade in your field.

‘I appreciate the flattery, but I don’t give discounts for it.’

—Hahaha! Don’t worry, when it comes to experiencing the best talent in the country, how could I skimp on expenses?

A few days later, I saw that congressman on the news.

He had dropkicked another congressman in the middle of a session.

Being honest is good, but being too consistent is a problem.

…..

“But still, writing ‘Void’ as your slogan… Wouldn’t it have been better to just leave it completely blank?”

Speedweapon asked, bewildered.

“Oh, that was a mistake. They told me I had to write something. If I left the space blank, they wouldn’t accept it. So I put ‘Void,’ thinking they would erase it later… But I never imagined they’d leave it like that on the poster.”

“……”

Speedweapon lowered his head and rubbed his forehead.

He seemed like he wanted to say something but held back.

Because, as ridiculous as it sounded, he didn’t feel like I was lying.

Either way, there was nothing we could do now.

The damage was done.

Now, the important thing was to act fast.

“Saki, you recently created an app for early voting, right? How are the polls looking right now?”

Saki started typing on her laptop without taking her eyes off the screen.

Her fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard.

“Senior Kim Woo-Jin has 23%. Senior Den has 8%. And Leon is in first place with 35%.”

“Leon’s numbers are much higher than we expected… Do you think the trend will change?”

Saki shook her head.

“It’ll probably stay like this until election day. At most, the variation will be around 3 or 4%. It looks like the seniors have completely lost their momentum… Leon’s popularity is just overwhelming.”

“That guy… Has life just handed him everything on a silver platter? He really is the damn protagonist…”

Speedweapon muttered, frustrated.

His voice carried a hint of envy. He scratched his head in resignation and sighed.

“Well, in the end, this is a student election. Meaning, a popularity contest. If we add up those three’s percentages… they reach 66%. Which means our president has…”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Speedweapon’s mind like lightning.

His face stiffened, and he abruptly lifted his head.

He looked at Saki.

And as if they had rehearsed it in advance, they both said in unison.

“34%!?”

***

…And so, time continued to pass until, before they knew it, the eve of the election arrived.

That morning, in the Star Class.

Abel rested her face on one hand, gazing absentmindedly out the window.

The entire election period had been filled with cloudy days.

Not a single clear autumn sky had been seen this year.

And today, the clouds seemed heavier than usual.

Those gray masses crept slowly, threatening to unleash storms at any moment.

“This autumn has had terrible weather…”

Meanwhile, the sharp screams of female students rang in her ears.

Abel furrowed her brows slightly.

She turned her head sharply.

At the center of all the noise was Leon van Reinhardt.

‘Add again with the same thing.’

It had always been like this, but lately, it had gotten even worse.

All because of the upcoming student council election.

Leon had overwhelming support.

He effortlessly crushed the two seniors who were part of the current student council.

He was practically guaranteed to be the next president.

‘Why are they so obsessed with him? I don’t get it…’

Just as she was about to look away from Leon—

“Boo!”

Someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

Abel barely reacted, with only a slight twitch.

Instead of being startled, she simply narrowed her eyes and glared coldly at the culprit.

“Rachel.”

Her voice was icy.

Rachel, startled, immediately let go of her shoulder.

She let out a nervous laugh.

“It was just a joke, a joke~ Don’t look at me like that, it’s scary~”

“Haah.”

Abel let out a deep sigh.

Rachel did this multiple times a day.

She was already used to it.

Rachel quickly slid into the seat next to her.

“Abel, who are you going to vote for?”

“Don’t you know the three principles of voting? Equality, direct voting, and secrecy. Who even asks something like that…?”

“Oh, come on! It doesn’t count between us~!”

Between us what?

Rachel kept babbling on and on.

“Then how about this? On the count of three, we say it at the same time.”

“No.”

Abel replied instantly.

She wasn’t going to let Rachel drag her into this.

She had to shut it down immediately.

“Hmm~ I see~”

Rachel let out a strange nasal sound.

She shrugged with feigned understanding.

“It must be number 7. Kang Geom-M—! …Mmph!”

Two hands covered her mouth in an instant.

“Mmmpf! Mmmmph!”

Only a muffled sound leaked through Abel’s fingers.

Rachel’s face turned red like a tomato.

Since when did Abel have this much strength?

She could barely breathe.

Only when Rachel stopped struggling did Abel loosen her grip.

“Cough, cough!”

Rachel coughed violently. Her eyes were watery. She wiped them with her sleeve.

Abel, on the other hand, simply dusted off her hands as if nothing had happened.

Rachel didn’t ask anything else.

Rumble…

The black clouds began to stir.

A deep thunderclap rumbled across the sky.

“What’s up with this weather all of a sudden? It’s been cloudy for days, but… thunder?”

Rachel muttered to herself.

Abel also looked out the window.

A bad feeling crept into her mind.

That the sky was gray was nothing new, but this time, it felt different.

As if it weren’t a natural phenomenon, but the result of some unknown force.

Fwoosh—

A gust of wind slammed violently against the window.

The glass vibrated with such intensity that it seemed like it might shatter.

The sky darkened more and more with each passing second.

‘This is definitely…’

A chill ran down Abel’s spine. This wasn’t just a whimsical autumn storm.

Something was about to happen.

A sense of unease clung to her mind.

Abel looked around.

The other cadets were still gathered around Leon, completely oblivious to the situation.

Rachel was the only one who seemed to retain some sense of awareness.

Abel asked her.

“Rachel, doesn’t this seem familiar to you?”

“Yes…”

Rachel nodded, frowning at the sky. She hesitated for a moment before responding.

“It looks a lot like what happened during the survival training on the deserted island.”

Just then—

Boom!

Crack! Rumble!