Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Ah...... I see."

Yoo Si-eun showed a rare moment of visible surprise in the conference room before falling silent.

Jin Se-hee wore a look of intrigue that quickly reverted to her characteristically rigid expression.

Seo Hyun-woo stole a sidelong glance at Jin Se-hee before turning his eyes toward the conference room entrance.

'I'm not sure if it worked. I did put on the authoritarian atmosphere Jin Se-hee wanted, but......'

During that morning's Rank Battle, Seo Hyun-woo had deliberately crafted a serious atmosphere.

He had acted as cold and imposing as possible, trying to look like the original Seo Hyun-woo.

Hadn't he even used a sharp tone in front of Baek Seo-yeon and the Department Heads to make it seem natural?

'She managed to reclaim her Department Head position without any issues. On the surface, nothing seems off. I'll need to keep watching a little longer.'

Jin Se-hee, as she was now, couldn't help but be interested in Seo Hyun-woo in one form or another.

Otherwise, she could never have arrived at the conclusion that the two of them were dating.

If Seo Hyun-woo could maintain their relationship at just the right distance, she might even become his ally.

TAP TAP TAP, KNOCK KNOCK.

Rough footsteps and a knock echoed through the conference room.

At the same time, Baek Seo-yeon and the Department Heads turned their gazes toward the entrance.

But Seo Hyun-woo already knew who was coming, so he wasn't particularly curious.

'So the new Special Department's Department Head has finally been decided.'

The conference room door opened.

Beyond it, a female student wearing the black uniform adorned with only a gold insignia revealed herself.

She had received the Special Department's Department Head position belatedly, on Seo Hyun-woo's orders.

"Hello! Nice to meet you all. I'm Irev Kanashuel, and I was appointed Special Department Head on short notice today!"

The energetic voice made the Department Heads swallow an awkward silence.

Baek Seo-yeon stared at the female student who had just inherited the Special Department Head position with visible curiosity.

Seo Hyun-woo wore a mildly surprised expression before slowly nodding.

"Did the Rank Battle go well?"

"Yes, President."

"Did you receive a proper handover?"

"Yes. I'm currently looking for students to fill the Special Department's Secretary and Team Leader positions."

"You work fast. Take a seat for now. I assume you've been informed about the former Special Department Head's situation?"

"Yes. I'm also well aware it needs to be kept confidential."

Irev Kanashuel, the newly appointed Special Department Head as of today, took the empty seat with a bright smile.

Neatly groomed sky-blue hair, pale yellow eyes that seemed to hold starlight, and an innocent yet cheerful face.

Above all, her considerably ample chest, narrow waist, and thick lower body traced their contours through the uniform.

"That's sufficient for introductions. Let's begin the closing meeting."

Seo Hyun-woo flipped open the first page of his document folder and skimmed through the key items.

He had already known An Jung-hoon would step down from his Department Head position in this manner.

Naturally, he had also predicted that Irev Kanashuel would be his successor.

It was simply that the exact date had never been specified in the story, so he only recalled the general sequence.

"An urgent notice came down from the Administrative Office regarding the former Special Department Head. Normally the reason for a demotion should be kept confidential, but they've determined that the Student Council officers need to be aware."

"In addition, the Department Heads must ensure their subordinates are properly managed so that unfounded rumors don't spread. As you already know, there have been cases where false rumors caused harm. The same issue must not arise again."

Baek Seo-yeon added her own remarks after Seo Hyun-woo and surveyed the Department Heads.

She was alluding to the rumors that had circulated about herself and Seo Hyun-woo.

Since Seo Hyun-woo had already issued a warning about it, no major problems were likely to arise.

"If there are no questions, we'll move on to the next notice. It concerns the feral instinct rampages of transformation-type Awakened. The person who should be paying the most attention to this isn't here."

Seo Hyun-woo let out a small sigh and glanced at the empty seat.

This was something Min Ha-young needed to handle, so there was no point in bringing it up now.

However, the meeting minutes would be relayed to Min Ha-young separately, so a brief explanation would suffice.

"To put it simply, the Administrative Office plans to introduce a new training system to improve control over feral instinct. The Chairman said he'd be personally consulting the Scarlet Dragon King."

"I didn't expect a Setinos Hunter to come up here."

"The Scarlet Dragon King......"

The Scarlet Dragon King.

One of the seven Setinos Hunters, and a transformation-type Awakened capable of transforming into a dragon.

Hunters who could transform into dragons were not common, but even among them, a hierarchy was inescapable.

The Scarlet Dragon King was the strongest among them—didn't he even carry the title of the most powerful transformation-type Awakened?

"Depending on the circumstances, the Transformation Department Head may end up meeting the Scarlet Dragon King in person."

"That's hardly good news for the person in question."

"Pfft......"

The sudden laughter made everyone turn toward Jin Se-hee.

Catching their stares, Jin Se-hee quickly cleared her throat and put on a stiff expression.

She had burst out laughing involuntarily, knowing Min Ha-young was in for a hard time.

"Separately from this, the Security Department needs to conduct more thorough patrols. Please pay maximum attention to student safety issues, including feral instinct rampages among transformation-type Awakened."

"Understood."

At Yoo Si-eun's reply, Seo Hyun-woo nodded and moved on to the next notice.

This one contained details regarding the Security Department's internal inspection.

"The Administrative Office has listed several improvement items in their internal inspection report of the Security Department. They're demanding immediate correction regarding budget embezzlement and malpractice by some members."

"......I apologize. This happened because I failed to manage things properly. Corrections are currently underway."

"The Security Department's issues are being watched not only by the Administrative Office but by the Chancellor as well. I'll let it slide this time, but if problems like this arise again, disciplinary action will be unavoidable. Submit a report once the corrections are complete."

"Yes, understood."

Seo Hyun-woo held his gaze on Yoo Si-eun before turning back to the document folder.

Of course, he needed to minimize anything that could cause harm to Yoo Si-eun.

That was the only way to ensure the story's progression went unhindered.

But as Student Council President with duties to fulfill, he couldn't simply stand by and do nothing.

"Vice President, what's the status on the Security Department's personnel replenishment request?"

"As far as I know, the Administrative Office has put the proposal on hold."

"How irritating. No matter how many problems the Security Department has, they should at least fill the headcount."

"......I'll make another request to the Administrative Office."

"They'll just put it on hold again. I'll submit a report directly to the Chancellor."

With those final words, Seo Hyun-woo closed the document folder entirely.

The Department Heads glanced around cautiously before following his lead and closing their own folders.

As the closing meeting showed signs of ending, someone immediately raised a hand to speak.

"Um, sorry, but would it be okay to request a Rank Battle right now?"

"......?"

"What did you just say?"

"Hah......"

Irev Kanashuel looked at Seo Hyun-woo with a smile in her eyes.

Seo Hyun-woo let out a dry laugh but quickly returned to an impassive expression.

This too had been a predetermined event, and he already knew how it would end.

"Bold of you. Are you sure about this?"

"There's nothing against the rules, is there?"

"There isn't. What I'm asking is whether you can handle it."

"Won't we find out once we try? I'm not exactly on the weak side, you know."

"If you're that insistent, I can't stop you."

Seo Hyun-woo glanced at Baek Seo-yeon, then shook his head.

Irev Kanashuel's Rank Battle had definitely been explicitly mentioned in the story.

And since the person who had witnessed that Rank Battle spoke of it directly, the outcome wouldn't change.

"I'd like to request a Rank Battle against the Vice President. You can choose the time and place, Vice President."

"Huh?"

"Uh......"

"......"

Seo Hyun-woo already knew, so he wasn't particularly surprised.

But the Department Heads fixed their eyes on Irev Kanashuel with expressions of disbelief.

Baek Seo-yeon in particular—her perpetually cold face now tinged with visible bewilderment.

'I can see why they'd be confused. Department Heads aim to become Student Council President, not Vice President.'

Of course, the Vice President outranked the Department Heads in the hierarchy.

But the position felt more like a supporting role to the Student Council President, and in practice, the Vice President was treated similarly to the Department Heads.

In other words, the Department Heads had no real reason to go after the Vice President's seat.

"I don't mind, but I'd like to hear your answer first. What's your reason for aiming for the Vice President position?"

"Um...... I'm not sure if I should say this, but I'll go ahead. I want to watch the President more closely."

"......Is this preemptively confessing that you have feelings for the President?"

Jin Se-hee's remark instantly froze the atmosphere in the conference room.

There had been quite a number of female students who had asked Seo Hyun-woo for his contact information.

But an outright confession like this was a first, wasn't it?

"How amusing. We can proceed with the Rank Battle immediately, yes?"

Baek Seo-yeon fixed Irev Kanashuel with a sharp gaze.

The Department Heads instinctively felt a sense of alarm and stole glances at Baek Seo-yeon.

Her expression was already frigid to begin with, and now with those piercing eyes, it looked as if killing intent was radiating from her.

"Works for me. So where should we do this?"

"......I'll be waiting at the entrance to the indoor training grounds."

Baek Seo-yeon rose from her seat at once and was the first to leave the conference room.

The Department Heads stood up one by one, cautiously following after her.

Seo Hyun-woo watched Irev Kanashuel for a brief moment before recalling the predetermined future.

'Part of me wants to stop her, but...... there's nothing I can do. If it's not a major event, there's no need for me to intervene. Looking at it this way, Seo Hyun-woo seems just as popular as Kang Jin-ha.'

***

Inside Miterich's indoor sparring room.

Baek Seo-yeon, dressed in her battle suit, stared at Irev Kanashuel across from her.

She had fought with the Department Heads on several occasions, but she never expected to receive a Rank Battle request like this.

Beyond being absurd, the girl was so brazenly audacious that it actually sparked her fighting spirit.

[Special Department Head Irev Kanashuel has requested a Rank Battle.]

[Do you accept?]

'What? She wants to watch the President up close? What a joke.'

Baek Seo-yeon didn't even glance at her Battle Watch before accepting.

Her mind was already consumed with thoughts of how to crush that top-heavy girl.

One thing was certain—aside from Seo Hyun-woo, she had never lost to another student.

[Battle request accepted.]

[Barrier System deploying.]

CRACKLE—! SNAP—!

The moment the Barrier System deployed, Baek Seo-yeon immediately fired off a bolt of silver-white lightning.

Irev Kanashuel tried to transform her body to endure the attack, but a tingling sensation was already boring through her entire body.

Contrary to her expectations, she had failed to nullify the silver-white lightning.

"Uh...... huh?"

"Are you messing with me right now? You can't even withstand this, yet you requested a Rank Battle?"

Baek Seo-yeon spoke informally to a Department Head-ranked student for the first time as she slowly advanced.

Irev Kanashuel tried desperately to manipulate her wavering body, but the silver-white lightning surged back even more violently.

In other words, she could no longer move—by all rights, she had already lost.

"Um...... can I surrender?"

"Who said you could? I'm not done yet."