Chapter 134

If I had heard the word “wait,” even if it were after school, it was a matter of principle to wait. However, just like last time, there was one person whose approval was required first, before accepting any real commissions.

Though my statement was close to acting first and reporting later, the person in question was considered dangerous from the very profile provided by the system, leaving me no choice but to proceed cautiously.

Although not an official part of the student council, this person held so much authority that even official student council members recognized her as a “queen.” If she chose to, she could easily block any commission I wished to take.

Frankly, commissions are mostly about helping others, so one wouldn’t likely object to someone aiding others. But Inna was a different kind of woman in many aspects.

“Did you finish all you needed to do? Once you’re done, let’s decide what to do after school. Yesterday we went to a karaoke bar, right? How about an arcade today? Since we’ll be stamp collecting anyway, going to the arcade could be pretty fun.”

“…Inna, the thing I said earlier wasn’t about waiting to hang out but rather my way of gently saying I’ll have to decline our hangout.”

The moment I conveyed this to Inna as soon as I entered our classroom, her previously radiant face froze as soon as she heard Gain’s comment nearby.

“…No way. With exams over, what else could you possibly have to do?”

Yet, a faint glimmer of hope lingered in her eyes, as she expected that I would say otherwise.

Realizing beforehand that such a situation might arise, I had already warned Inna. And now, it felt unjustly unfair to me.

I expected Gain to help convince Inna, but she merely gave me a sidelong glance and shrugged as if telling me to handle it myself. It was yet another instance of her being Inna’s friend, not mine.

If I were to announce taking on a student council or commission task in the middle of the classroom, it would surely cause trouble for the student council president who permitted this. Besides, speaking about the student council while facing Inna now was somewhat awkward since she strongly guarded against even the mention of the “student council,” despite being once known as the queen of our old school.

Though unlikely, what if this situation was staged by Inna, aware that I had just visited the exclusive request room of the student council?

As improbable as it might seem, as Sherlock Holmes once said, when all the impossible has been eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

“…Since you have something far more important to attend to, there’s nothing I can do… alright. If you must, even best friends should be able to accommodate each other to this extent.”

Before I could suspect anything more, Inna quickly accepted and gave me a mournful look. Since she wouldn’t even call me by name, when had we ever become best friends?

Even if we were called friends, given the little time we’d shared, I was willing to acknowledge it to some extent. But no matter what, we were nowhere near best friends.

“…Hey, no matter what, aren’t best friends supposed to be on our side?”

“Who says there can only be one best friend?”

When Gain, incredulous at Inna’s claim, questioned her, Inna instead retorted as if Gain’s reaction was strange.

But truly, Inna was right to some extent.

For someone like Inna, who had many friends, it was reasonable for her to consider several people as best friends.

If a person had only a few friends, it would naturally follow that they’d have only one close friend. On the other hand, if someone with dozens of friends considered 10% of them as best friends, they could easily have ten best friends.

“You… no, wait. If that’s the case, aren’t we just good friends?”

“Of course. If it weren’t you two, then who else could be my best friends? So why are you guys trying to steal me away?”

While Inna and Gain conversed harmoniously about who their best friends were, I wasn’t standing idly by.

I’d been pulled down and seated by Sora, who had shown a deep interest in my hair and makeup.

“It’s okay for best friends to act like this.”

“Not anymore.”

“If you have any important date or something, I’ll help you look perfect for it, so don’t worry!”

Despite hearing the sounds of myself being “removed” from her best friends list earlier, Sora declared confidently, tightening her fists.

The commission was nowhere near something where my appearance mattered. It wasn’t like the money-earning type from real mercenary guilds.

However, I felt the need to avoid any unnecessary disputes and accepted hesitantly, fearing that if I refused Sora’s offer, I might have to explain why I was seeing someone important.

“Please take care of it.”

“…Sora, I wanted to do it myself.”

“Trust me!”

Sora, clearly aware that she was being removed from my list of best friends earlier, showed no concern. Truly befitting someone who’s Inna’s friend.

[Kim So-ra’s karma is increasing.]

Pondering about the meaning of the sudden notification, I wondered why it was appearing now, after so much time interacting with her.

I had no idea what the “karma increase” entailed or why it was only happening now, so I could only hope it wasn’t something ominous.

*

I was asked to come to Kim Ha-neul’s classroom after school. Could I perhaps meet her as well? Trying to mask her excitement, the art club president carefully headed toward the classroom where the student council president might be waiting.

Unlike other classes that sent students home early since the exams were over and the vacation was coming up, her class ended 30 minutes later, leaving the student council president potentially waiting for longer than expected, with a hint of apology in her heart.

However, standing outside the classroom, the person she saw was neither the person she admired, nor someone waiting for her.

Instead, it was someone who had hostile relations with the student council and someone who could never take on commissions handled by the student council.

A girl with striking blond hair yet a somewhat sharp aspect saw the art club president, muttered, “Oh, it’s really the student council president’s side, not the other people. Eric, you’re such a… If you’re worried about me meeting others, don’t be. So, well done. Be rude to her.”

Having heard the statement about “the student council president” versus “the other side,” the art club president couldn’t mask her surprise, but the girl didn’t particularly care and walked away, showing no interest in someone who wasn’t her concern.

With a half-trembling heart, the art club president pushed open the door, only to find the same face she’d seen last time, rather than the student council president.

‘That name was definitely…’

At the sound of the door opening, the girl turned. It was unmistakably the same face from the school trip, someone who’d used the dorm room merely for sleeping because of her lack of socialization.

“Erica?”

Her name had slipped her mind momentarily but returned quickly, leading the art club president to instinctively utter it.

If the student council president, her supposed rival, had been present, she’d have felt a pang of disappointment. If Inna from earlier had been there, she would have reacted with anger. But neither was in that room.

“Ah, hearing your name after so long was a bit startling. So you’re the one who submitted this request to the student council, right?”

Not calling someone by their name, what else could one possibly call them? This question came briefly to the art club president’s mind as she nodded willingly.

Although she had hoped it would be the student council president, she hadn’t exactly expected her to show up. Besides, there was no reason to be upset over the girl who had turned up to help resolve her issue.

Even though the student council president’s actions seemed a bit underhanded, the girl suggested,

“It might be better if we talked somewhere else instead of here. Have you had dinner yet? Do you have a favorite food?”

“…You really expect me to treat you to a meal?”

“Of course. You stayed late because of me, and you’re here to help with my consultation.”

Though the girl expected little more than paying for a cup of coffee, Erica’s words caught her off guard.

Was she generous because of her wealthy background, or just overly kind-hearted? However, Erica quickly hid her confusion.

Whether Erica had money or was a generous fool, it made no difference to her.

Thinking of the tangled relationships involving Kang Yu-ri and Inna, it oddly made her feel sorry for Kim Ha-neul, envying his involvement with such personalities. What must he have done in a past life?

While silently lamenting Kim Ha-neul’s unwarranted good luck with women, Erica skillfully packed up her bag beside her desk.