SRC 21

Chapter 21

I clenched both my hands tightly and took a fighting stance.

“If it goes well, I’ll consider getting you a job at the Magic Tower too.”

Somehow, the Magic Tower gave off an image of having a lot of work.
It seemed a bit far from my dream of becoming a rich, unemployed person thanks to my brother-in-law.
But if I wanted to make a living, it wouldn’t hurt to keep paths open anywhere.

“If I show my talent, then consider it.”

Noah patted my head as if he was proud of me again.
Even though Noah was a year younger, his senior-like aura was extraordinary.

“Noah, you’re passing grade, but it’s a pity.”
“Huh? What did I pass?”

Seeing Noah’s confused expression, I shook my head and said it was nothing.
Personality and skill were excellent, but like Liam, Noah didn’t show much affection for his sister.
Maybe it was because Noah was naturally good at hiding his true feelings.
I wasn’t sure if it was okay to push Noah like this.
It seemed I should also put Noah on hold.

“I mean passing grade as a teacher.”

I changed the direction of the conversation for no reason.
Noah smiled as if that was obvious.

“A genius like me isn’t common, you know.”

Not wrong.
I wanted to say something like that too.
Someday, when I could use magic skillfully, I wanted to say that even to my juniors.

“It’s an honor to learn from a genius.”

Noah laughed again, holding his stomach at my flattery.
I couldn’t understand what was so funny about what I said.

Even though Noah was put on hold as a potential brother-in-law, I decided to continue classes with him as a teacher.
Dreaming that someday, I too would become a genius.

Both Liam and Noah failed the test.
Now, only one candidate remained to verify: Aiden Carter.

He had been so busy that I hadn’t even passed by him once since the freshman welcome event.
Of course, the 3rd-year building and 1st-year building were far apart.

I stood in front of a classroom holding a parchment filled with details.
The nameplate naturally read, “Student Council Room.”

It had already been a month since I started attending the academy, and April was approaching.
It was the season to recruit for the student council.

The only way to meet Aiden, a ghost member who didn’t even come to club activities, seemed to be to apply for the student council.

With a trembling heart, I knocked on the student council room door.

Knock knock.

“Yes?”

A clear, pleasant voice came from inside.
It was a welcome voice.

Carefully, I opened the door and entered. As expected, my sister was sitting there, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork.

“Sis!”
“Olivia? What are you doing here?”

Surprised, she got up and welcomed me warmly.

Besides my sister, two other students were in the student council room.
They were so busy wrestling with documents that they barely glanced at me, then immediately returned their attention to the papers.

“I was curious about what the student council is like.”

“You, you don’t mean…”

Gasp.
Had my sister noticed that I was planning to enter the student council to get close to Aiden?

I swallowed nervously.

“Do you want to follow me wherever I go?”

Ah, so that’s what she meant.
I breathed a sigh of relief internally.

Thinking about it, it made sense she would misunderstand. I hadn’t even joined the club for a legitimate reason.

“Sorry, but I don’t recommend joining the student council for that reason.”

My sister expressed refusal with a troubled look.

“Why?”

At my innocent question, she pointed to the mountain of papers piled on her desk.

“Think carefully if you don’t want to end up like this. You already have classes, club activities, advanced lessons with Noah, and magic studies with Lucas. You don’t have much free time left, do you?”

Seeing the scene in front of me, I couldn’t argue with that.
Trying to find time to meet the main character candidates left me no free time at all.
Looking around, my real goal wasn’t even visible.

“What about the student council president?”

I asked casually, pretending I wasn’t interested, so as not to reveal that I was after Aiden.

“That senior is rarely in the council room because they go around the school meddling in various things.”

I see.
That meant catching Aiden would require going all over the school.
It seemed better to look for another opportunity than to join the student council.

“So that’s why work piles up.”
“Not necessarily. That senior appears suddenly, handles things quickly, and disappears just as fast.”

Was he some kind of hero?
Aiden seemed to have some hidden ability.

“Hmm, the student council seems tough.”

In the end, I had no choice but to give up.

“If your sacrifices for the academy aren’t unnecessarily excessive, it’s better not to join.”
“Why did you join that place?”
“At first, everything seems like a grand cause.”

My sister had clearly been tricked by someone.
There was a high chance it was Aiden.
So, the one who troubled my sister like this was none other than Aiden Carter!

Determined, I put the application form back and left the student council room after greeting my sister.

“Then, sis, I’ll give up the student council. See you at home.”
“Yeah, that’s a wise decision.”

After closing the door, I let out a deep sigh.
The clock on the wall showed there was still time before lunch.

I debated returning to the classroom but decided to try finding Aiden.
Where could he be meddling in student matters?

The 3rd-year classrooms seemed most likely, so I headed there.
Wearing my 1st-year uniform again, I tried to stay in the shadows so as not to draw attention.

Eventually, I reached the athletic field.
There, in the 3rd-year exclusive field, students were playing magical soccer together.

They mainly used magic in the ball to levitate it in the air and shoot it into each other’s goals.
I didn’t know the details, only that if the ball touched the ground, it was considered out.

In the middle, I spotted a familiar silver hair flowing in the wind.
A male student with long hair tied back was spinning mid-air to kick the ball powerfully.

The ball he kicked flew cleanly through the students and into the goal.
He had skill, popularity enough to be student council president, and athletic ability.

Hiding in the bushes, I mentally gave Aiden some plus points.

Last time, when asked directly if he liked my sister, he played it cool, but I didn’t know his true feelings.

Since I rarely had the chance to encounter Aiden, following him first seemed best to gather more information.
Finding a chance to talk could come later.

After a while, I took out a small notebook from my pocket and jotted a note.

“Main character candidate 3, has athletic ability.”

Just as I put away my quill and notebook, a voice came from behind.

“Main character candidate?”

Could I have misheard?
I tried to hide deeper in the bushes.

But a hand grabbed the back of my neck, stopping me.

“This is the 3rd-year building. What are you doing here?”

I felt like a student caught causing trouble.
But what did I do wrong? I was just satisfying my curiosity.

“I was just passing by and saw the seniors being active for a moment.”
“Is there a route to pass through the 3rd-year building?”
“Oh, I passed by after visiting the student council room.”
“The 1st-year building is in the opposite direction.”
“Oh no, did I take the wrong route?”

I played innocent and surprised.
Aiden seemed suspicious but let it go.

“You said you visited the student council room? For what?”

I had to keep quiet about my canceled student council application.

“Uh, to see my sister…?”
“Too bad. I thought you were running for office.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Of course not.”

Did this guy see the parchment I was hiding?
I was sweating nervously.

“Then what’s this about main character candidate 3?”