The escalating situation was entirely unexpected for Simon.
After meeting with the Kizen headquarters staff on the first day and hearing the news, he had gathered the student council members to discuss the fallout. Perhaps because they had already anticipated this, their reactions were calm and composed.
"It’s actually for the best," Meirin said. "My written grades dropped a bit because of student council work, so I’m going to use this opportunity to focus on studying."
"I was so busy with the council that I barely attended my club!" Kamibarez clapped her hands. "I’m going to focus a little more on my club activities!"
"They’re really unsealing me like this?" Dick chimed in. "I’m bringing back all the businesses I had to pull out of because of official duties!"
Laughter filled the room as they discussed what they would do with their newly acquired free time. They were only taking one semester off anyway, and knowing Simon would reclaim the presidency in their third year put their minds at ease.
The group decided to hold study sessions three times a week.
"The important thing is that all four of us get together. We don’t necessarily have to go to the student council room, right?"
"I’m in!"
Since they had an excuse for the four of them to keep gathering, there was no problem. However, the rest of the student body was in a much bigger uproar than Simon’s group, the ones actually involved.
Given Simon’s immense popularity as acting president, hearing that he had been ousted without any context only fueled their anger.
Lorraine, who had been listening to Simon’s story while sipping a strawberry shake, let out a soft sigh.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them."
"No, no." Simon waved his hands dismissively.
Even as the daughter of Kizen’s President, Lorraine was still just a student. She couldn’t possibly exert influence over a faculty meeting.
"I actually think it’s a relief things turned out this way," he said.
Simon looked down at his legs. They didn’t hinder his daily life, and he could walk fine, but he hadn’t completely recovered from his injuries.
They still throbbed intermittently, and running sent sharp flares of pain through them.
If he had accepted Balak’s challenge in this state, it would have been a guaranteed defeat. Of course, he couldn’t guarantee a victory even in peak condition.
"It’s better to be the challenger than the challenged. And besides..."
According to the upperclassmen, the second semester of the second year was the prime time for a Kizen student.
While there were individual differences, it was generally the period when they learned the most and grew the strongest during their three years. Students who capitalized on this time usually maintained high rankings until graduation.
On the other hand, students who fell behind frequently saw their rankings overtaken by lower-ranked peers rising from the bottom.
Since he was stepping down from the student council for a while, Simon planned to focus entirely on his studies.
His immediate priorities were mastering the resistance system of Venomology and crafting a Bone Dragon. Acquiring these two things came first.
"A Bone Dragon. That’s so like you." Lorraine closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I don’t think there’s a single student who operates a Bone Dragon, even among the third-years. It’s not going to be an easy challenge, so will you be okay?"
Simon nodded. "It won’t be easy, but I’ll pull it off. It’s a promise I made to Nephthys when she sent me the materials. Plus, I’ve gained some confidence in dragon magic after crafting a Dragonian."
Lorraine smiled warmly. "Yeah. If it’s you, Simon, it’s definitely possible."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Simon awkwardly scratched his cheek and changed the subject. "How have you been lately, Lorraine?"
"Me? I’ve been alright." She placed a hand on the choker around her neck.
It was Nephthys’s failsafe to make Lorraine, a wielder of immensely powerful supernatural abilities, focus on her classes like an ordinary student. A necklace that sealed her powers.
At the same time, her authority was restricted during the semester, preventing her from throwing her weight around the school.
"I can take this off during vacations. I fought enemies using my abilities to my heart’s content, and I even went to Kizen headquarters to make my presence known."
"You must have been busy."
"Yeah. But..." She lowered her hand and gripped her cup again. "I think I finally understand why my mom told me to seal my abilities and experience school life."
Lorraine was a natural-born powerhouse. All she had to do was imbue her summons with her power and send them out, and the battle would be over.
What need was there to create stronger summons? Why obsess over the details?
Without a reason or desire to grow stronger, she had stagnated for a long time.
However, running around trying to keep up with her classes while her abilities were sealed had forced her to identify her shortcomings. It had improved her efficiency and speed even when using her powers in actual combat.
She had become stronger than before. Ultimately, she had gained more from sealing her abilities than from relying on them.
"That’s great!" Simon was genuinely happy for her, as if it were his own success.
The two had a lot in common. Neither was particularly talkative, but once they started, they shared all the stories they had piled up. Their conversation flowed endlessly.
Watching them talk in the corner of the cafe, several students whispered among themselves.
"Those two over there are Simon and Lorraine, right?"
"It really is."
"Looks like he’s already preparing to fight Balak. Is he planning to drag Lorraine into it?"
Because the student council issue was so prominent, everything Simon did was instantly connected to it.
Eventually, feeling burdened by the stares, Simon and Lorraine stood up to find a quieter place.
Meanwhile, an unusual situation was unfolding across the Kizen campus.
"Reinstate Simon Polentia as student council president!"
"Explain this unfair treatment!"
Sparked by the sudden change in leadership, the first-years had risen up like wildfire, organizing a massive picket protest.
They raised their voices, waving signs near the student union building and the faculty meeting room.
It was rare for first-years, who were usually too busy just trying to survive, to take such an active interest in school affairs. The professors reacted with bewilderment at the unexpectedly fierce backlash.
From an empty lecture hall, a group of students watched the first-years fighting on the front lines.
"They’re really going at it."
"Yeah, they are."
It was the second-years.
Fundamentally, the situations of the second-years and the first-years were very different.
The first-years mostly operated within their own campus and were strictly protected, so they rarely encountered upperclassmen outside of club activities.
The second-years, however, participated in departmental life and shared dormitories with the third-years. They had no choice but to walk on eggshells around the seniors they constantly ran into.
Despite this, some second-years were preparing to make a move. The core of this group consisted of students from last year’s Class A—Simon’s former classmates.
"Our classmate went through something like that. How come almost no one among us second-years is speaking up?"
"Probably because they don’t want a target on their backs."
Jamie Victoria, who had been known as the ’Class President’ of Class A.
Cindy Vivace, a Necromancy major and the first student Simon had met in Langerstine.
And Claudia Mendes, a Venomology major, sitting silently and imposingly at the head of the table.
These three were the main pillars of the group.
Besides them, the meeting room was filled with other former Class A students, as well as students who had never even exchanged a word with Simon but had gathered out of sheer camaraderie.
"Are you really going to do this, Claudia?" Cindy asked. "Even if they’re playing dirty and cheap, third-years are third-years. Our time will come if we just endure it for another half a year. Wouldn’t it be better to just curse them behind their backs and let it go?"
Claudia stood up and walked over to the window, watching the first-years wave their signs.
"I don’t like it at all. Those first-years, I mean."
"Huh?"
Claudia clenched her fists tightly. "Readability is the lifeblood of a protest sign! Yellow text on a black background, or red text on a white background! You have to grab people’s attention with color schemes that pop."
"Uh, what?"
"Their outfits are a problem, too. A unified uniform symbolizes unity and solidarity, giving the impression that they won’t back down easily. And instead of blindly protesting at the student union building or the faculty meeting room where no one is around, they need to target places with high foot traffic to get as many people interested in our cause as possible. After that, relocating here when the professors leave work or when the student council arrives is far more advantageous for maximizing influence."
Claudia began to rattle off advice that no one had asked for.
"Instead of just a picket protest, we should go around lecture halls and dormitories collecting signatures to prove exactly how many people agree with our cause. If they just shout like that, their throats will give out and they’ll get exhausted, so they need to have amplification crystal balls ready to go. The best thing to do is drag reporters into this, and if we print out notices to send to the parents under the name of the entire student body, the adults will have no choice but to take action. The one thing Kizen professors are actually afraid of is the parents, and also..."
Suddenly, a masterclass by a protest expert had begun.
Jamie laughed and slapped her shoulder. "As expected, someone with experience is on a whole different level!"
Claudia Mendes was an ordinary student you could find anywhere, just with slightly above-average grades.
However.
She snapped her fingers. "Let’s go."
She was the person who had led the first faculty appointment boycott in Kizen’s three-hundred-year history.
The bold first-year who had tried to drive Byulya out of the school.
Simply put, she was the Queen of Protests.
"I don’t know if we can change the school or not, but we have to prove that we at least have eyes and ears. If we stay silent now, the administration will just keep doing whatever it pleases."
She tied a headband around her forehead, though no one knew when she had prepared it.
"For Simon, let’s do what we can!"
"Yeah!"
The gathered comrades raised their arms and cheered. Cindy Vivace giggled.
"So the ’real deal’ is finally stepping up."
With the addition of Claudia’s group, the first-years’ protest gained massive momentum.
The difference between having second-years with know-how and flying blind was night and day.
A temporary organizational chart was completed in an instant, establishing a chain of command capable of efficiently relaying orders. The newly formed teams led the protests, focusing on locations with high foot traffic.
The impact changed drastically. Acting as supreme commander, Claudia swiftly issued orders tailored to the situation.
"Your group, focus on the fountain area. Get signatures if you can."
"Yes, ma’am!"
"Of course, don’t force signatures or turn up the amplification crystal balls so loud that it annoys people. This is a battle of public opinion, so rather than trying to force them onto our side, just focus on letting them know what we’re advocating for. Got it? Let’s hit all the spots and then gather at five o’clock to march on the student union building."
She slammed her hand on the table with a loud smack.
"According to our intel, today is Senior Balak’s first day of work. That’s when we strike."
The first-years nodded, their expressions full of respect.
"Yes, Senior!"
"Move out!"
The protesters began their demonstration, marching all across the Roc Island campus.
In particular, at the news that Claudia was preparing letters to send to the parents, the third-year professors panicked and sent their underlings to confiscate them.
However, the rumor was fake. The letters were decoys.
And the scenes of the underlings storming in to confiscate and burn the letters were captured perfectly by the memorial crystal balls Claudia had planted. She immediately distributed the footage to the student body, seizing the high ground in the battle of public opinion.
Eventually, the situation escalated to the point where the third-year faculty, who hadn’t seemed like they would even bat an eye, requested a dialogue with Claudia.
Furthermore, the news quickly reached the third-years.
"Simon Polentia has made his move!"
"I heard the ringleader is that vicious girl who led the boycott of Professor Byulya’s class last year. How did he rope her in?"
The school was boiling over before regular classes had even begun.
And that story reached Balak’s ears as well.
Deep in the Venomology underground.
A man sitting inside a cauldron of boiling poison exhaled a heavy breath of venom.
"A-Anyway, that’s what they’re saying."
A student wearing a full-body hazmat suit and a mask finished his report.
Balak slowly stood up, the toxic liquid splashing around him.

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