Chapter 7

After the Student Council President left ahead of us, we arrived at school safely without going through any incidents. Well, technically, nothing truly eventful happened.

When I tried to pass through the school gates, I was briefly stopped because I wasn’t wearing a uniform, but Inna stepped in to vouch for me, and whoever it was—either the security guard or one of the teachers—let me go without much hassle.

It was much the same once we got to the classroom. Most of the students were about to say something to me, but when Inna walked in, everyone quickly turned their attention to greet her instead.

Inna, who kept glancing at me amidst all this, seemed to be basking in the adoration of everyone around her, looking every bit the school idol.

She had plenty of friends nearby, and even the teachers, or whoever they were, seemed particularly favorable toward her.

No one offered me any kind gesture as I stood there cluelessly, unsure where to sit.

On one hand, there was Inna, celebrated by everyone. And on the other hand, there was me, ignored by all.

Could it be that Inna enjoys this stark contrast between us? Or am I just imagining it?

Regardless, slowly scanning the empty desks, it wasn’t too hard to find mine. There was the one with “Why didn’t you just d*e, X Shin-a~?” carved into it in sharp letters. That was obviously mine.

Compared to other students, my chair was broken, and some mysterious liquid was seeping out from my desk. Looking at them, I mulled over in my mind.

“It’s such a classic approach.”

It’s almost laughable how easily this situation could be resolved. I could’ve just asked for help from the woman who’d been flaunting her overwhelming influence over the school ever since I arrived. She’d been rather kind to me, showing off the kind of favoritism that practically radiated power.

If I hadn’t seen her profile indicating a manipulative streak—using others through persuasion—I might have asked her for help. Instead, I kept quiet, letting her gaze at me in concern while I kept thinking.

Why would she put on such an act if it was all just for show? To pretend she cares for me when she’s clearly made a break from our past. Unless… she knows I’m aware of her underhanded nature.

Actually, I had a suspicion.

“Pretending to lose one’s memory only works when there’s something else to manipulate.”

It wouldn’t take long for someone like an old friend to start suspecting something’s up with me. Not more than a day, probably.

First things first, I’d need to address the relationship I have with the school’s “demon king” who enjoys bullying others to isolate them.

As I took a few steps towards Inna’s desk, someone grabbed my wrist.

In this classroom, unlike the regular world outside where only the protagonist and a few others exist, most people here held their own distinct presence. This girl too must be one of those heroines.

[Seo Yu-ri]

[Role: Sub-Heroine in the百合 DLC.]

[Ability: Deceit.]

“Let’s go outside. Don’t you want to?”

“Hmm… sure.”

I glanced absentmindedly at the characters floating above her head. Though I briefly lost composure upon seeing it, it really wasn’t that surprising. In romantic visual novels, there typically aren’t more than four or five heroines in the main story.

The reason why most students here don’t meld into the background like regular characters is that this world isn’t just limited to the main story’s heroines. It includes DLC heroines too—something I hadn’t anticipated in this unfamiliar visual novel world.

Before following the brown-haired girl out, I glanced at Inna briefly. She stared at Seo Yu-ri with a mixture of hatred and resentment, accusing her silently of disrupting her plans.

Did Inna really want me to confront her? Her eyes met mine, and then, with a casual smile, she turned away.

*

Morning assembly time was approaching. Normally, students would sit at their desks, but instead, we sat side by side near the stairway leading to the rooftop.

“Let’s cut to the chase. There’s not much time anyway. I hate all this underhanded bullying stuff, but if I get involved, I’ll just become another victim. So what do you say we team up until we can overthrow the queen responsible for all this bullying?”

“I never expected anyone else to help. I just wanted to confront her, that’s all.”

“I can’t rely on anyone either, and there’s no guarantee that others stepping in would improve the situation.”

“Still, there’s no assurance this will change anything either, right?”

She’s wrong, but not entirely. Knowing Inna uses bullying as a way of courting me hints at something else entirely. I envision her outright denying any involvement with a saccharine, “Me? Never!” expression all too easily. But I also didn’t feel the slightest urge to team up with someone who seems no genius herself.

Reading my skepticism, the girl’s tone became slightly more urgent, likely aware the morning assembly would soon begin.

“Alright, here’s the first step in our collaboration. Let’s keep it simple: I’ll exchange desks with you. You can take mine, and I’ll take yours. Of course, if anyone finds out we willingly swapped, I’ll probably face isolation too. So, let’s just say you bullied me into it. What do you think?”

“You’re asking me to take all the backlash, huh? I don’t mind, but it won’t do your reputation any favors either if people think you’re being bullied out of your seat.”

“I can handle that. Besides, her target is you, not me. And trust me, I have no interest in being added to the list of people she’s persecuting. I’d rather not share your plight because of empathy. It’s more about not wanting too many people suffering needlessly. You understand what I mean?”

If I accepted this proposal, I’d definitely be labeled the antagonist of the school. But it would also give me an edge in directions Inna hadn’t considered.

Beating someone smart involves throwing them off guard, and considering that the main protagonist of this world has had his story running for a while now, it’s clear understanding my role in this school is key.

Like becoming the antagonist the protagonist must always confront.

“Alright, I’m in.”

Yeah, the conditions seemed reasonable enough. I nodded, and the girl glanced at her wristwatch.

7:54.

We needed to get back to class soon, so the urgency in her voice heightened. She seems like a model student.

“Let’s seal a pact, then. No guaranty it’ll hold, but it’s better than nothing. We’ll both commit to one thing we want upheld until the bullying queen of this school is defeated. I’ll never betray you as long as you don’t sell me out!”

“I’ll never betray you as long as you don’t fall for me.”

“Then I will never betray you as long as you like me, okay?”

We extended our arms and our three hands briefly intertwined before dropping.

It wasn’t exactly the Peach Garden Oath, but the essence of three people committing to a cause was the same.

…I thought. Then, realizing there should only be two of us, I abruptly turned my head. There, seemingly out of nowhere, stood Inna, waving casually.

“How long have you been here?”

“Since the moment I saw you come out to check on your desk. I’ve heard everything. You plan to collaborate until you defeat the school queen who’s dirtied your desk, right?”

So, her story now is about catching me. Why did she suddenly think this was about her? Seo Yu-ri’s face had turned ghostly white, clearly not expecting the queen herself to approach.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t too shocked. It wasn’t like she was some assassin jumping into our dialogue, but it was still a bit unsettling.

“The school queen… you mean the student council president bullying you? I’ll help bring her down as much as I can.”

She glared at Seo Yu-ri, as if saying, “Don’t utter nonsense.”

Given the situation, where Inna is the school queen, her statement was the equivalent of declaring her own downfall.

Still, it gave me the chance to say what I intended to Inna this morning.

Despite the looming morning assembly, the moment felt ripe for my words.

[Character Scenario 1: The Takedown of the School Queen is now available.]

[Reward on Success: You will distribute 30 favorability points to the heroines involved in your scenario, divided evenly (points exceed the normal maximum limit).]

[Risk on Failure: This will lead to a bad ending, causing a critical fragment to appear.]

[Hint: Gather information from more sources. Someone unexpected might appear.]

A new scenario popped up on the screen.

Apparently, regardless of my own favorability, defeating the queen guarantees a share of my favorability with those involved.

Failure means increased chances of a bad ending.

And the hint suggested that maybe the queen wasn’t Inna or the student council president after all.

Regretting that I had jumped to conclusions based solely on profiles, I swallowed back my intended words.

“Let’s head back to the classroom for now.”

My new mission was to minimize the number of participants and ferret out who the actual school queen was.

Besides, this visual novel wasn’t a battle-based story about combatants, so even if it involved “overthrowing” someone, the conflict would probably be less about fighting…

…and more about the steamy encounters I’d heard often in romance novels.

—

[End of Translation]