Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Generally, in any novel, the more heroines there are, the more diverse their personalities and backgrounds become.

In this world, the number of heroines reached six, so that rule could readily be applied.

In other words, among them, it was entirely possible for at least one heroine to be out of her mind.

'Normally, the proper term would be crazy bitch, but......... after meeting Kang Jin-ha, she leaves the cult and tries hard to live a decent life. It wasn't like she wanted to go insane.'

However, even taking such factors into account, he had no desire to get entangled with her.

Regardless of the reasons, it was a fact that she had manufactured illegal drugs through the cult and distributed them to the market.

On top of that, she had expanded her forces and inflicted tremendous harm upon innocent citizens and Awakened alike.

'There's nothing I can do at this stage. I still need to advance the story, and wiping out the cult in Korea won't solve everything. There are branches of the cult in other countries, too.'

The Craxis Cult.

That was the name of the cult where the heroine referred to as a crazy bitch served as its leader.

Breaking away from Christianity, Buddhism, and other religions, it was a cult that worshipped not a god but a Great Demon.

As the leader of the Korean branch, she was probably carrying out orders while half-brainwashed.

'Victims are appearing even now, but there's no way to help them. The followers operate covertly in small numbers, so finding them isn't easy. Finding the cult leader is obviously even harder.'

Seo Hyun-woo had already given up on anything related to the Craxis Cult.

From the start, it was practically an enemy to Kang Jin-ha and himself, and all he needed to do was place the Korean branch's cult leader at Kang Jin-ha's side and be done with it.

Above all, the Craxis Cult was an enemy that Kang Jin-ha had to deal with, not a problem that concerned him.

'Creating a connection with a Setinos Hunter isn't easy. That's why I need Kang Jin-ha. He's the protagonist, so he's bound to attract the attention of the Setinos Hunters.'

Seo Hyun-woo had been eyeing an opportunity to make contact with Miterich's chairman, one of the Setinos Hunters.

However, he felt that alone was insufficient, which was why he had been formulating a plan to use Kang Jin-ha.

'Among the Setinos Hunters, the Scarlet Dragon King and the White Saint have the highest potential. The others would be more difficult.'

As a fellow transformation-type Awakened, the Scarlet Dragon King would show great interest in Kang Jin-ha.

But the White Saint was different.

Since she was a heroine, regardless of how he approached her, she would inevitably end up connected to Kang Jin-ha.

'How am I supposed to insert myself into that? There aren't many opportunities. If push comes to shove, I'll need to at least build a rapport with one of the two.......'

"As you instructed, President, all old or worn-out equipment has been replaced, and I've cleared out unnecessary items to maximize the use of space. However, I don't think we can replace combat equipment frequently due to budget concerns."

"......Student safety takes priority over the budget. I'll report that matter to the Chancellor separately."

Seo Hyun-woo stopped his train of thought and answered immediately.

Upon hearing the answer, Choi Jae-yeon brought his Battle Watch up to the reader mounted beside the door.

A signal tone sounded and the lock on the equipment storage room disengaged.

"It's definitely improved a lot compared to before. But the space is still cramped. The Enhancement Department sees a lot of close-quarters combat, so equipment management needs to be thorough. And we also need to check whether it's properly compatible with the Barrier System......."

Seo Hyun-woo entered the equipment storage room first and began examining it meticulously.

Baek Seo-yeon followed silently behind, re-inspecting every spot Seo Hyun-woo's gaze had passed over.

Choi Jae-yeon watched the two of them from behind for a brief moment before slowly following.

'I really can't just leave things as they are. I'll look for an opening and either ask outright or find a way to get closer. I may be outshined by the President, but I can't afford to be left out.'

***

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon finished lunch and headed straight toward the building that housed the Security Department.

Unlike the Enhancement Department, the Security Department had a considerable number of items to inspect.

Having operated outside the Student Council's oversight and under the Security Office's direction for so long, it had lacked the time and conditions to fix its chronic problems.

'The Security Department isn't a place for training and self-improvement like the other departments. It was created so that students could autonomously resolve problems that arise within Miterich. Because of that, it ended up being run in a somewhat military fashion, and things like budget embezzlement and bad practices have been passed down.'

Seo Hyun-woo received greetings from the Security Department members as he quickly passed by.

The number of students in the Security Department was smaller compared to the other departments.

Since they assisted with the Security Office's duties and only performed supplementary tasks, it had been deemed unnecessary to maintain a large headcount.

However, that misguided judgment had shaken the Security Department's foundations, and the vicious cycle had repeated itself until now.

'It'd be nice if I could get a little closer to Yoo Si-eun through this opportunity, but......... it's probably going to be difficult. She'll try to be as careful as possible to hide the fact that she's a member of the Rebellion.'

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon immediately spotted something and fixed their gazes.

Near the Security Department's main entrance, the department members had gathered together.

Yoo Si-eun, the Security Department Head, along with members holding senior positions, had come out in advance to greet them.

"Vice President, can't something be done about that? People are going to think I'm the chairman of Miterich."

"It may not be quite to that extent, but you are still the head of the Student Council. I believe this level of reception is well-deserved."

"I don't want that kind of treatment at my age. I have no idea what they expect from a mere Student Council President."

"......If you feel that strongly, I'll relay the message to the Department Heads separately."

Seo Hyun-woo nodded and looked at Yoo Si-eun, who stood motionless.

She gave a similar impression to Baek Seo-yeon, yet not a trace of emotion could be found in her expression or speech.

Only Kang Jin-ha would be able to bring a rich range of emotions and hope for life to Yoo Si-eun.

"I've finished preparations in advance so you can inspect quickly. The issues you pointed out are currently being addressed."

"I'll have the Department Head guide me only. The rest of you, return to your duties."

At Seo Hyun-woo's instruction, every member except Yoo Si-eun filed back into the Security Department.

Seo Hyun-woo paused briefly before slowly speaking.

"You still haven't resolved the issues I flagged?"

"I apologize. Regarding the budget embezzlement case, we're currently conducting a thorough audit of the ledgers. As for the misconduct case, it's taking some time to identify the members involved."

"Then have you definitively taken care of everything else?"

"Yes. The duty rotation and personnel management matters have been adjusted to a reasonable degree. All Battle Watches and combat equipment have completed inspection."

"Then let's verify the completed items first."

"Understood."

Yoo Si-eun gave a slight bow and set off first.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon followed immediately behind, running through the items to inspect in their minds.

Of course, Seo Hyun-woo had a few additional considerations beyond just that.

'Yoo Si-eun carries the most weight among the heroines. If I touch things the wrong way, it'll affect Kang Jin-ha too. For now, I'll observe the situation and decide on a course of action.'

***

'As expected, the President has changed a lot compared to before. There are far too many things that don't match the rumors. Or maybe the rumors themselves were wrong.'

Yoo Si-eun glanced sideways at Seo Hyun-woo as he reviewed the duty logs, lost in thought.

When she had first seen Seo Hyun-woo at the morning meeting, hadn't she been quite tense, doing nothing but reading the room?

But contrary to her expectations, he had not shown any authoritarian or fastidious behavior.

He had merely said a few threatening words to the Department Heads who had tried to make a mockery of the Student Council President and Vice Student Council President.

'The Vice President seems to have a similar personality to the President. Unless it's necessary, she doesn't step in, and she only shows dedication to her work. But when it's time to prove herself, she steps up decisively and finishes things. In some ways, she seems even more ruthless than the President.'

Baek Seo-yeon was checking the Security Department's personnel structure through the monitor.

Yoo Si-eun suddenly felt as though she saw herself reflected in Baek Seo-yeon.

Apart from their hair color and the shape of their faces, weren't their demeanor and presence remarkably similar?

'At my current level, I probably can't beat the President... Can I beat the Vice President, then?'

Yoo Si-eun deliberated briefly before quickly reaching a conclusion.

She might be able to hold out against Baek Seo-yeon for a while, but she couldn't be certain of victory.

After all, Baek Seo-yeon had only ever lost to Seo Hyun-woo and had never been defeated by any other student.

'The undisputed number one strongest in school, and the number two who's lost only to that number one......... So that's why rumors of them dating have spread?'

Yoo Si-eun slowly nodded as she looked between the two of them.

Since becoming Student Council President, Seo Hyun-woo had never relinquished his seat to anyone, and Baek Seo-yeon continued to aim for that very position.

If they were not only engaging in constant Rank Battles but also sharing the same duties, wouldn't the distance between them naturally close?

'Setting that aside, they actually seem to suit each other quite well. They have a lot in common. They recently filmed Miterich's promotional video together, too. Maybe they really are dating.......'

"The duty rotation is definitely much better organized now than before. Once more personnel are brought in, things should get more comfortable."

"There don't seem to be issues with personnel management, either. The Battle results, promotion process, and evaluations of each member's abilities are all recorded in detail."

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon vacated their seats the moment the inspection was done.

The members who had been waiting nearby immediately responded, beginning to organize the computers and file binders.

"Now I'll need to look into the budget embezzlement and misconduct cases."

"Yes. I've prepared a space in the Department Head's office. Would you follow me this way?"

Yoo Si-eun moved first as she always did, stepping out of the administrative office.

She was about to head to the Department Head's office when a familiar face caught her eye.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon also recognized the face and stopped in their tracks.

"Oh, hello. It's been a while."

Kang Jin-ha greeted the three of them and bowed his head.

Yoo Si-eun belatedly realized why Kang Jin-ha had come to the Security Department and was about to say something.

But Seo Hyun-woo spoke first, bringing up the reason himself.

"......I see. I suppose it is about time for him to come to the Security Department."

"President, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm talking about him. He came to see the Security Department Head because he's interested in becoming a Security Department member."

At Seo Hyun-woo's answer, Yoo Si-eun and Kang Jin-ha couldn't hide their surprise and turned their heads simultaneously.

Neither of them had ever told anyone else about this.

So how could Seo Hyun-woo have possibly known?

"There's no need to be that surprised. A Student Council President should have at least this much perceptiveness."