Became a Dark Merchant in the Academy - Chapter 202



201 – Student Council President Election_5

The road leading from the central square of Laplace Academy to the central square was crowded with people.

It was so crowded that it felt like if you got lost you would be lost forever.

The reason was the announcement of candidates’ pledges, one of the three major events in the Laplace Cadet President election that was about to begin.

“Seo, Seong-hyeon, come on, don’t be nervous. Oh, got it?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll record the video of you talking.”

“Good luck, senior!”

“cheer up.”

“Don’t be nervous. You know you made a mistake here, right? You’re creating a bad history, so do it right.”

“Because I believe that Seonghyeon can do it.”

“I’ll cheer you on from afar.”

On the outskirts of the crowd.

On the way to the candidates’ waiting room.

The support team members had faces that looked even more nervous than mine.

At first glance, it seemed like it was them, not me, who was announcing the pledge.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”

But the candidate is me.

He snickered and eased their tension a bit.

“Then I’ll be back.”

Then he waved his hand slightly and moved to the candidate waiting room temporarily set up at the back of the square.

The waiting room for the candidates that was set up like that was a temporary place, but it was obvious that money had been spent on it.

The size was about 30 to 40 pyeong, and there were chairs, sofas, and desks placed here and there.

The appearance was like a combination of an emotional cafe and a hotel suite.

Besides that, there were snacks and drinks on the desk.

I guess it’s meant to be a way for the candidates to relax by talking to each other during the waiting time.

But it didn’t seem easy.

As soon as you enter.

“…”

The chairman of the board of directors lying on the bed at the very back of the waiting room.

“ha.”

Tachibana Rie was sighing with a helpless expression on her face while sitting on the sofa in the center.

“Tsk.”

This was because the sharp gazes of the candidates who had entered the waiting room before me, including Lee Won-jun, who was standing with his arms crossed by the window, were fixed on me.

Perhaps, since he has built up a certain level of recognition through the Autumn Martial Arts Festival, the LA incident, the National Academy terrorist attack, and the internship, he may be perceived as a competitor or rival.

I don’t know if it’s an opponent that doesn’t require restraint.

There is no way we can laugh and chat happily in this situation.

Because I know that fact well.

I also adjusted to the mood, looked around, and sat down at a suitable distance from them.

And then there was some time to kill before the event started.

“senior!!!”

As soon as I heard a familiar voice, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

When I turned my head, Yukina was running towards me, laughing like an idiot.

**

The Laplace Academy Student Council President elections are a bit different from those of other academies because of the power and name value they possess.

Once a candidate has registered, national election authorities and academy officials gather to review the candidate’s qualifications.

If they pass the qualification examination, the names and photos of the candidates who passed will be posted on the Academy website, cafes, and other Internet sites, as well as on the Academy notice board, to announce the start of the full-scale election and begin the election campaign.

From then on, things were different.

Candidates are required to participate in three events during the campaign period.

The three events are called presentations, discussions, and speeches, respectively.

The meaning was as follows:

Announcement, announcement of promise.

Discussion, improvisation.

Speech, proof.

If you just hear the name, you might think other academies do this too.

It’s the 21st century now.

While other academies simply record and videotape pledge announcements, debates, and speeches, Laplace Academy required students to do these things themselves in a plaza or auditorium filled with numerous academy students, much like the agora in ancient Greece.

‘Can’t we just take it easy?’

Laplace Academy’s third-year broadcasting club. Vice-president Ail Harment grumbled softly.

As the acting deputy director of the broadcasting department, there were so many things to prepare for those three events.

From noble mtl dot com

The Academy claims that the reason for holding such a tedious event is to test the candidates’ true character, their ability to serve the Academy and the cadets, their political skills, and their ability to improvise.

Because of that, just like in any political election, we can see that it has created a cycle where as soon as an election is over, preparations begin for the next election.

It was also because I wondered if it was really necessary to do this as competition and preparation only intensified.

‘I guess I’ll have to do it anyway.’

But I couldn’t help it.

The rules were the rules, and Ale Harment had plans to go into broadcasting in the future.

There weren’t many cases where I could do a live broadcast on such a large scale at the cadet level, so I accepted the inconvenience as an experience for the future.

A considerable amount of money was also paid there as compensation.

It was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t easy to fill with recording, but it wasn’t a minor inconvenience that I couldn’t stand.

‘I wonder what these candidates will look like this year. They were pretty funny the year before last.’

There was another reason.

Those three events are called the Hell of Three Lives.

The reason was as follows.

The order is set, but the schedule is not.

There was talk that the Academy would make a decision and announce it during the election campaign period.

Because of that, there is no rehearsal, no script, no expected questions, and no opportunity to correct them.

He is truly the king of improvisation.

This was because it was a place where those who were tempted by the name of the Laplace Academy student council president went to experience hardships and create collections of nonsense and embarrassing stories, while demanding skilled politicians or feats that could be possible at the cadet level.

Not only that, but even after the election is over and you are elected, if you seriously break what you said here, it could be grounds for impeachment.

So, even though I am usually a strong-willed person and don’t get particularly nervous, it was natural to sweat like rain in front of those three events for fear of making a mistake in my speech.

It was also quite fun to watch, as a member of the broadcasting department, those who were supposed to do well in the academy experience failure.

‘But no one seems nervous at all.’

Ail Harment, who went behind the stage in the plaza under the pretext of checking the broadcast equipment to see who would write the next black history, was a little surprised.

The announcement, the first of the three live events in Hell, is an event that is known for its rules, as it is held as soon as the election campaign begins, so everyone may have been preparing for it.

Even if the event content is something that can be done simply by saying what you have prepared.

It’s not like there are a lot of people listening.

At least a few hundred, and at most a few thousand was the norm.

There, the broadcast was watched by the general public as if it were a collection of the dark history of students from prestigious academies, so in reality, there were many cases where the number of viewers exceeded tens of thousands.

It might have been better if there had been a rehearsal or a script.

There is no such thing.

How many times has an ordinary person, let alone a seasoned politician, had the opportunity to stand in front of such a large crowd in such a situation?

Of course, it was right to be nervous.

Last year, the election ended in March with a vote of confidence, so no such event was held.

Even just two years ago, if you looked backstage, wasn’t it common to see candidates panicking and mumbling their words?

But this year, far from being tense, most people felt calm, as if they were at a meditation center.

‘The former chairman is an experienced person, Tachibana Rie is the daughter of the Eastern Army Alliance’s chieftain, Xiaolong is the grandson of the overlord, Lee Won-jun is the son of the chairman of the Lee Won Group, and Lee Seong-hyeon is said to be something great because they’ve been talking about it on TV and in the newspapers…’

Of course, there were some parts that were understandable if you tried to understand them.

But the other candidates were also extremely calm, and the pink-haired girl who was clinging to Lee Seong-hyeon and making a fuss about it was incomprehensible.

“Senior, I’m so nervous. I think I’ll make a mistake while I’m like this. That’s why I need your courage potion!”

“Really? That’s not good.”

“Ugh, a cold reaction. That’s not bad either. At times like these, if you say things like ‘Yukina can do it’, ‘Yukina, be brave’, and pat my head, my favorability rating will go up. That way I can access the hidden ending. Aren’t you going to retrieve my hidden hidden CG?! There’s even a hot spring event scene in the hidden CG!?!”

“What about the hidden hidden… I don’t really want to raise your favorability rating or anything like that.”

“What!? How could you do that? What happened to the oath we made that day!!”

“under…”

I know that it doesn’t matter whether I understand it or not.

But she was so quiet.

Even though he clearly said with his mouth that he was nervous, he was talking very loudly.

There was no fooling Ale Harment’s eyes, who had become so good at telling the difference between those who were nervous and those who weren’t after years of working in broadcasting.

‘I feel like I’ve been in this situation dozens of times.’

I heard that he was a freshman with no special career or anything.

He was more unique than anyone else gathered here.

That’s why Ale Harment absentmindedly stared at the pink-haired Ishihara Yukina.

How long have I been looking at it?

Feeling her gaze, Yukina Ishihara turned her head to look at Ail Harment.

Eyes meeting.

Ale Harment turned his head hastily.

“What’s on my face?”

Yukina Ishihara tilted her head, then walked towards him with quick steps and opened her mouth.

“Oh, no. That’s not it. I… I’m sorry.”

We didn’t know each other to begin with, and it was a mistake to stare at the woman’s face.

He bowed his head urgently.

“Really? That’s good. More importantly, aren’t you a student at Laplace Academy too?”

“That’s true. But why is that…”

“Oh, so that means I also have the right to vote for student body president?”

I wonder if there is a cadet who doesn’t have one.

Ale Harment nodded.

“I see. Then please remember symbol number 7, Ishihara Yukina.”

Yukina Ishihara pushed her face toward Ale Harment, as if she was glad.

‘What, what is it!!?’

Ale Harment blushed and took a step back at the sudden action, the sudden scent and beautiful face.

“I am destined to become vice president.”

Yukina smiled and whispered something unintelligible.

‘Vice President? What is that…’

“It’s definitely this!!”

And then, as if he wasn’t even going to give me time to think about those incomprehensible words, he grabbed his right hand with both of his and shook it up and down.

He too, for a moment, returned to his original position.

A storm.

Ale Harment was momentarily taken aback.

I just looked at my right hand.

‘…’

Dozens of times.

Or something unusual.

Not even a single thought of that remained in my mind, and as if under a spell, only the voice rang in my ears, and I just sat there blankly.