Chapter 64: Meeting (1)
"Hmm, she looks pretty"
Finally, she\'d evolved from a decorative succubus to a practical one! When I playfully ran my fingers along her lips, she responded by teasingly licking them, as if she had fully embraced her succubus nature.
I checked the time; it was 10 in the morning. I must have overslept after staying up late enjoying\' Liliana\'s company until the early hours.
"Huh? What\'s this?" My smartwatch blinked with an unread message. It had arrived this morning.
[Soorin Noona: Hoyeon, sorry for interrupting your downtime. Contact me when you read this.]
Huh? Moon Soorin? What\'s going on all of a sudden?
It seemed urgent, so I replied immediately.
[Me: What\'s up, Noona?]
Ping!
She must have been quite urgent because her reply came instantly.
[Soorin Noona: I\'m really sorry, but can you come to the student council room around 1 PM? We\'ve got a regular student council meeting]
[Me: Hmm? Today?]
Despite the incident during the first-year dungeon practice that led to casualties just yesterday, they were calling me in already.
[Soorin Noona: Yeah, but feel free to decline if you\'re too tired. Alice said she can make it.]
[Me: I\'ll come. I\'m not that tired, really.]
[Soorin Noona: Thanks. See you later.]
"Hmm Something smells fishy."
Logically, it didn\'t make sense. Today was supposed to be a day off due to yesterday\'s first-year dungeon incident that resulted in casualties. Second and third-year students had no dungeon practice, so they wouldn\'t be tired, but the first-year student council members, including me and Alice, must be wiped out.
"Well, neither of us gets tired that easily."
But the aftermath of the steamy all-night sex left me more worn out than the incident itself. Meanwhile, Alice had nothing to fret over.
"Ugh" Liliana, still half-asleep, heard my muttering and tossed and turned in bed, "Haam Master?"
Seemed like she hadn\'t fully woken up yet. Liliana snuggled up to me, her eyes half-closed. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes Master Huh?"
I playfully tugged at her cheeks, stretching them out. Only then did Liliana suddenly snap fully awake, pulling away from me. "What What are you doing, you crazy bastard?!"
"Um, you were the one clinging to me."
"Aagh!" Blushing, Liliana scurried into the room, slamming the door behind her. Maybe she remembered what happened last night.
Well, she\'ll be fine once I\'m gone today.
I checked my messages again. There was a message from Professor Im Sol.
[Professor Im Sol: Oh~ You\'ve dealt with ogres? You\'re still in one piece, right? Once you regain your senses, come by my lab~]
"This is nuts. Seriously."
Why do all the women around me seem like they\'re off their rocker? Well, it\'s natural to be worried when your disciple gets trapped in a dungeon, but she could\'ve at least shown some concern. But how does she know about that? I wonder.
With a hint of unease, I opened EveryDay. My name appeared in numerous top-rated posts.
-
[Hayoung Noona\'s News Update! Mention of 1st-year Student Lee Hoyeon!]
I was dispatched to an emergency situation caused by a terrorist attack during Victoria Academy\'s dungeon training, led by the Pandemic organization. We remain dedicated to eliminating demons and paying tribute to the incident\'s victims.
Amidst such adversity, tales of heroes emerge. Here\'s the incredible story: a student saved the life of saint hunter Baek Ahyeong, caught in crossfire during dungeon practice. In a dire situation that even Baek considered hopeless, this anonymous student single-handedly vanquished three ogres at once, while Baek suffered severe internal injuries.
I won\'t unveil the source just yet, but expect this student to soon gain fame. Gimme a shout please, hoho
#HayoungAssociationNews #VictoriaAcademy #TerroristAttack #Mourning #Hunter #BaekAhyeong #FutureS-RankHunter #Hero #A-Class
[As mentioned earlier, people witnessed the student who ventured into the dungeon with Baek Ahyeong, taking on three ogres. A snapshot of them together emerged, seemingly snapped on the sly during the incident. Zooming in, you can spot Lee Hoyeon, the student, drenched in blood, indicating a fierce showdown, aligning with Hayoung Noona\'s version.]
[It\'s almost definitely Lee Hoyeon that Hayoung Noona is talking about, though it\'s not officially confirmed. It\'s a bit tricky to say if this is Victoria Academy\'s way of making stars or if Lee Hoyeon is genuinely this skilled.]
[If he did manage to bring down three ogres solo, it\'s a real testament to his prowess although three does raise an eyebrow. Still, Hayoung Noona has a reputation for trustworthiness.]
[To be honest, I\'m sitting on the fence here. I guess I\'ll hold out for more info.]
Likes: 780 Dislikes: 512
[Wow, this seems real. An exceptional rising star has emerged.]
[Hayoung Noona, I\'m absolutely crushed, lol. She put on such a convincing faade, and now it looks like she\'s cashing in on this.]
[So, what\'s the going rate for peddling a student these days? Must be quite the paycheck.]
[After all that trust-building, she\'s probably just in it for the money now. I\'m unfollowing her.]
[Give her a bit of trust, you guys. There\'s substantial evidence, and you still doubt it. Count me in on the Hoyeon hype train.]
[I had a little chat with my top-tier guild buddies, and they couldn\'t stop chuckling at the idea of a student taking down three ogres. But hey, it\'s not like Hayoung Noona has a reputation for spreading tall tales.]
[Yeah, I did my due diligence too, and my sources suggested Hayoung Noona might have misfired on this one. But hey, she\'d never take a dime for something like this, right?]
[Does it make sense for a 1st-year student to awaken?]
[To take down three ogres, wouldn\'t you need to awaken three times?]
[This one\'s just for fun, folks. No upvotes needed. Can\'t stand looking at this guy\'s face anyway.]
"Who\'s this Hayoung, anyway?"
Now that I think about it, there was a girl in the rescue team who was quite attractive. She\'s a social media star, huh?
"But how did this story get so exaggerated?"
I didn\'t even faced three ogres at once, let alone awakened, so who could have spread such a tale?
"Hmm It\'s probably Baek Ahyeong."
Well, she witnessed a student suddenly start smashing ogres; she might have mistaken it for an awakening.
"But she should tone it down a bit. It\'s already annoying enough."
First, I should head to the student council, and then meet Professor Im Sol.
"Liliana! I\'m heading out!"
"Just go and die somewhere!"
What kind of farewell is that?
After a quick wash-up, I got dressed and left the dormitory. Since the student council was in the club building, I could get there in no time.
***
In the Victoria Academy student council meeting room, even on a day off, passionate arguments were in full swing.
"This makes no sense, Student Council President!" The secretary, a female student, expressed her disbelief as she addressed Moon Soorin, who occupied the head of the table.
"I feel the same way"
"Honestly, how can we proceed with a meeting involving the 1st-years after the dungeon rampage just yesterday?"
The female students on the left, with the student council president at the center, and the male students on the right, were at odds.
"Moreover, the PR department is meant to function as an independent entity under the student council, and we\'ve already considered this matter settled."
"Let\'s be honest, does that even make sense? Besides, the president established the PR department single-handedly when there was no vice president. We can\'t endorse this."
"Enough. Vice President, do you share the same view?" Moon Soorin intervened to quell the heated debate and turned her attention to the vice president.
"It\'s not that but if so many members of the student council have concerns, perhaps there\'s a way to address them, Miss President."
"Sigh"
It was evident to everyone that the vice president was merely sidestepping the issue, and it was more exasperating for it to be so blatant.
I\'m already dealing with a splitting headache. Why does this have to happen?
I didn\'t get a wink of sleep last night due to managing yesterday\'s chaos and then rushing to rescue Lee Hoyeon. I came to this meeting in this state, and now the vice president\'s supporters are complaining about the PR department\'s attendance.
"First of all, it was an act of terrorism, right? Terrorism! Yet, senior students are making life difficult for the freshmen who were caught up in it. Isn\'t that shameful?"
"Both members of the 1st-year PR department returned home perfectly fine! Do they have a legitimate reason not to attend the meeting? I\'m more curious about that."
"Sigh This is a lost cause."
"Very well, since both of them have confirmed they\'ll attend, let\'s put an end to this," Moon Soorin declared, stepping in to halt the ongoing discussion.
Within the student council, tensions had been brewing for some time between Moon Soorin\'s faction and Vice President Shin Dongmin\'s faction. While it hadn\'t started this way, the conflicts had become more frequent ever since Shin Dongmin confessed to Moon Soorin and faced rejection.
Moon Soorin wasn\'t particularly invested in these disputes. What truly bothered her was the fact that Lee Hoyeon, who needed rest after his recent hardships, was being called in on a holiday. The increasing presence of paparazzi added to her frustration, causing her to delete her active social media accounts. It felt like every little thing was contributing to her stress.
"Then, let\'s commence the meeting once the freshmen arrive," Vice President Shin Dongmin remarked, seemingly oblivious to Moon Soorin\'s underlying feelings, as he sat there restlessly.
***
"Alice?" As I strolled from the dorms to the club building, I spotted Alice on the other side of the path, deeply engrossed in her smartwatch.
I dashed over to her. "Hey, where are you going?"
"Ahh! You startled me!"
"Whoops, my bad."
Even with that surprised look, she clutched her heart and gave me an exaggerated glare. Even she looked at me like that I only greeted her.
Heroine Status Window
[Alice]
[Affection: 26]
[Lust: 20]
[Appetite: 30]
[Fatigue: 30]
Current Status: I\'m clearly right here, so where\'s the fountain?
The map of Victoria Academy was glowing on her smartwatch.
"Are you also headed to the student council meeting?" I asked. Since she\'s going, our paths were likely aligned.
"How Oh, the student council?"
"We\'re both in the same PR department, remember?"
"Oh, right. Yes, I\'m going to the student council. Are you too?"
"Yeah, it\'s the meeting today. Since we\'re both headed there, why don\'t we go together?"
"I won\'t stop you from tagging along." She left that hanging and turned in the direction I had come from.
"Hmm? Hey, where are you off to?"
"The student council, of course." Alice gave me a look as if to say, "Don\'t you know that?"
"Just hang on a sec." I peeked at her smartwatch\'s map. "Hey, this is the wrong way. The fountain is in the direction you came from."
"?" She stared at the map for a moment, her head tilted in puzzlement.
Maybe she\'s got a knack for losing her way? I swear this happened before.
"Follow me. Since time\'s ticking, consider me your guide."
"It\'s not guiding; it\'s just that our paths conveniently coincide."
"Yeah, yeah. Let\'s go."
After about three minutes of retracing Alice\'s steps, we reached the club building.
Why\'d she skip this? It\'s literally labeled Clubhouse\' in big letters.
I cast a quick glance at Alice, who seemed to be trying to decode the map and building simultaneously.
"Let\'s hurry inside."
"Sure."
Alice and I entered the club building and hopped into the elevator.
"To the 17th floor."
[Yes, understood.] With a low hum, the elevator started its ascent.
"Do you know why we\'re summoned for this regular meeting?" In the quiet elevator, Alice inquired.
"Huh? Because it\'s the regular meeting?"
"Silly. The PR department has never participated in regular meetings until now. We\'re supposed to operate as an independent entity under the student council."
Did that happen recently? I must\'ve missed the memo. They must\'ve discussed it among themselves and not told me.
"So, given that, they suddenly call in the PR department, which consists of two first-year studentsusfor this regular meeting Something\'s fishy for sure. It\'s probably connected to the vice president. Stay on your toes."
"Thanks."
Why is she thanking me? It\'s a bit awkward now that she\'s suddenly being considerate.
Ding-dong 17th floor. The elevator door swung open, unveiling the student council floor. The student council room, the president\'s office, and a lounge were in plain sight. Inside the meeting room, a crowd had gathered. We ventured into the meeting room.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come on in." Moon Soorin\'s voice echoed. I pushed the door open gently. A sea of unfamiliar faces greeted us. I wondered if it\'s a tradition for girls and guys to sit separately; the left side was all girls, and the right was an all-boys zone.
Alice gave the surroundings a quick once-over and picked a spot on the left.
Should I settle on the right?
Right as I was about to make my move, a sharp voice from the right caught my ear. "Geez, why are the first-year kids the last to arrive at the meeting? Kids these days"
"?"
Who\'s this jerk with the attitude?
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