Chapter 96 — Intentional Division
1
Student Council President.
In the game Manus remembered, the Student Council President and the Student Council were some of the most influential positions in the academy, second only to the professors.
You know that feeling.
The sense of dread when an older prefect stood guard at the school gate, their authority unquestionable.
The developers had once mentioned that during their school days, these figures wielded even greater power.
They had become allies with the teachers, a terrifying presence that oppressed the freedom-seeking students.
“How are you going to handle it?”
“-Hmm?”
Kael responded absentmindedly to Anais’s question.
Anais stood before Kael, her arms crossed.
Kael took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering.
She looked at Anais’s tapping fingers, intending to say she wasn’t interested.
Kael just wanted to continue with her current life.
But just as she was about to speak, Anais leaned in closer and said,
“Please participate in the Student Council President election.”
“What? But… I wasn’t planning on running.”
“You can drop out in the middle if you want. The election involves a comprehensive evaluation. One of the tests includes… a magic duel.”
“Anais, I…”
Anais frowned.
Sure, she knew it was rude, but—.
“I want us to compete with everything on the line, Kael.”
“I don’t want to hurt a friend—”
Her words acted as a spark—.
“Why do you always assume you’re on top?!”
Anais’s red hair flared up, charged with mana.
Kael was hit head-on by her fiery anger and fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, what was going on?
While Kael was frozen, Anais vented her frustrations about Kael and Manus.
“You’re insufferable. You and Manus.”
“Hey, hey, what’s going on? Anais, calm down. Kael, are you okay?”
Kael just blinked, still bewildered by the situation.
She might have been too shocked for any emotions to surface just yet.
Pearson tried to mediate, stepping between them, but the situation didn’t improve.
Anais turned to leave the clubroom, seething with anger.
Kael couldn’t understand her friend’s feelings.
A friend.
To Kael, a friend was someone who would have your back no matter what.
‘Why all of a sudden…’
This didn’t make any sense, no matter how rationally she tried to think about it.
What had triggered Anais?
What made her start hating both herself and Manus?
But more than anything—.
“-Take it back.”
Kael stood up from her seat.
Her eyes were now glinting with hostility.
Anais stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Her eyes flickered for a moment but quickly locked onto Kael’s.
The pride of Flois.
A youthful stubbornness that everyone experiences at least once in their lives sharpened the confrontation between her and Kael.
“What do you mean? What exactly should I take back?”
“I don’t care if you insult me. But I can’t stand it when you insult Senior, not even as a friend.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Such great senior love you’ve got there. You and him… both of you are so annoying. That condescending attitude. Comrades? Only in words. You probably just see us as underlings.”
“I’ve never thought of you as an underling! Neither has Senior—!”
She couldn’t hold it in any longer.
She had told Senior not to act like that, that he was doing so much for them, yet she was saying these things!
Kael’s hair also began to flutter with mana.
Seeing this, Emerson quickly stood up.
“What are you two doing? Why are you fighting each other right now?!”
“Comrades? Don’t make me laugh. We don’t need to climb the tower together.”
Bang!
Anais slammed the door behind her as she left.
“…Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?”
“Kael, are you okay?”
“I’ll go after her. Sorry—!”
Pearson chased after Anais, leaving the atmosphere completely shattered.
The upperclassmen were already gone, and now the first-years were divided.
Emerson approached Kael, speaking gently.
She knew Kael’s earlier words might have been a bit tactless.
“…She probably felt hurt when you said you couldn’t fight a friend.”
“Even so, I can’t back down from this.”
“Sigh… Do what you want. I’m out of this.”
Eventually, Emerson raised her hands in defeat.
Kael slumped back into her seat, letting out a deep sigh.
Then she declared,
“-I’ll participate.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I need to ask Anais something.”
If fighting her was really what Anais wanted, Kael would oblige.
Her eyes glowed with a fierce determination.
It was a feeling she had never experienced before.
It was strange and unsettling, yet undeniably powerful.
#2
Pearson hurried after the girl with the red hair.
Why had she acted that way?
He had so many questions.
Pearson had been close friends with Anais for a long time.
She wasn’t someone who would act out of the blue like this.
He needed to find out why, what had happened, and if someone had influenced her in ways they didn’t know about.
“Hey, Anais! Where are you going?!”
“…”
She didn’t answer, just kept her head down and continued walking.
Frustrated, Pearson grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.
He was about to shout but found himself at a loss for words.
Her face was flushed red.
Her expression was twisted with suppressed sorrow.
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying.
Her lips, trembling as she tried to hold back her sobs, made her look pitiful and, in a way, even made him angry.
“Why are you like this? Why are you the one who’s angry and crying—?!”
“Sob, I… I…”
She choked out her words, trying to speak between sobs.
Pearson, feeling a pang of frustration, grabbed her wrist and led her to a quieter place.
Anais couldn’t stop crying as she was dragged along.
They ended up in a spot where a cool breeze blew.
It was the place Manus often visited, where he would always sit and ponder.
Pearson looked Anais in the eyes and carefully spoke.
“What happened? Why are you like this? Did you get mentally attacked in the tower?”
“…It’s not that.”
“Then what? Did Kael secretly do something wrong? Did she threaten you? Or was it senior Manus?”
“It’s nothing like that—!”
“…Then why are you acting like this? We’ve known each other for years, you can tell me.”
Anais recalled the thoughts she had struggled with all night, and even throughout the day.
It had been a rather extreme method.
Yes, she knew she had done something wrong.
The way her heart felt like it was being torn apart proved that much.
But even so, she had no other choice.
She had to push herself using Kael’s personality against her.
“The truth is, I asked Nia for a favor.”
“What? What favor?”
“I asked her to set this all up.”
Pearson was speechless.
So… she had orchestrated this situation?
Could this even be real?
“So you fought like that on purpose? Why didn’t you just ask nicely? Huh?”
“If I did, do you think that sweet girl would seriously fight me?”
“…”
Pearson was both impressed by her cunning and shocked by her recklessness.
If her last words had that much of an impact on Kael, she must have been deeply affected…
Pearson scratched his head and sighed.
Anais was still crying.
She couldn’t possibly feel good about this.
Pearson let out another sigh and looked at his delicate friend.
What should he do?
In the end, all he could do was hold her close as she wept.
“Ugh, what can I do? I’ll just have to support you.”
“…Thanks.”
“Then how about this? Let’s go to Manus and apologize.”
Anais looked up.
She knew that Kael’s anger stemmed not from what she had said about herself, but from her words about Manus.
So she needed to apologize in advance.
And maybe Manus was the one who could fill the gaps in her strategy.
Pearson remembered the advice Manus had given him inside the tower.
So he added,
“Remember how Senior’s words in the tower got me into Class A? He might kick us out, but when you’re desperate, you have to cling to him. Don’t you think?”
“…Kael might go to him first. I don’t have the face to show him now. Forget it.”
“Oh, come on. You never know what’ll happen. What if Manus ends up really disliking you? Better to go now.”
“Ugh, alright. But slowly!”
Pearson took her hand and started walking again.
As she was dragged along, Anais wiped her tears with her sleeve and slowly regained her composure.
The back of the boy she had known since childhood.
He had grown up so much, so quickly, becoming so reliable.
But given her personality, she hated showing weakness.
She would have to apologize to Kael eventually, but until the Student Council President election, they were opponents.
She couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
“I’m fine now.”
“Got it together? That’s good. Let’s hurry before Kael gets there first.”
“Uh…”
“Huh? What, are you going to cry again?”
“No, you idiot! I was just… just trying to say… thank you.”
“Oh… Well, hey, it’s what friends do. We’re lifelong friends, aren’t we?”
Anais chuckled at his words.
Yes, having a friend you could always rely on was a great thing.
And thinking of Pearson as that friend filled her with relief.
Pearson, always by her side with his easygoing attitude despite her volatile nature.
Anais walked on, now aware that her tears had stopped flowing.
Toward the place where Manus was training so hard.
#3
His breath caught in his throat.
Every time he threw a punch or kick, it felt like he was moving through thick mud.
But Manus didn’t stop.
It was far more fun than sitting and studying or practicing magic.
He was starting to understand why people got addicted to exercise.
Moving his limbs vigorously, accelerating his mana to release invisible energy.
It was an exhilarating sensation that shook up his peaceful, monotonous life.
“You worked hard today. It’s only been two days, but you’re already getting the hang of physical work. How’s it going?”
“It’s… surprisingly enjoyable.”
“That’s encouraging. Melanie seems to be keeping up well too…”
Today’s lesson was on the basics of combat.
He learned how to use his feet, fists, and various parts of his body.
What should have been a basic exercise taking months to master was being handled surprisingly well by both Manus and Melanie.
“Handling spirits means you’re likely continuing the fundamentals of Martial Arts Magic. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Understood, Professor.”
“Make sure to cool down and get some rest.”
As usual, Jennifer quickly vanished.
Manus cast a recovery spell on himself, brushed off the dust, and stood up.
Melanie, with the help of her spirits, managed to get up as well.
She bowed deeply to Manus.
She always carried herself with such politeness, and it was starting to grow on him.
The fact that they were walking the same path also helped form a sense of camaraderie.
“Thank you for today. I’ll be heading off now.”
“Take care.”
Melanie shuffled away, chatting with her spirits.
She seemed to have finally learned how to communicate with them effectively, her face bright.
Now, it was time for him to take care of his own tasks.
He hadn’t written to his sister in a while, and he needed to check in with his father and mother.
They were probably eager to hear how he had done on the evaluations.
“Seniorrrrrr—!”
He had so much to do, but fate seemed to have other plans as two figures came running toward him from afar.
Or maybe it was just some bored juniors looking to bother him because their lives weren’t as exciting as his.
He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore juniors who were approaching with such enthusiasm.
Manus stood there, hands on his hips, as he watched Anais and Pearson approach.
For some reason, he had a feeling he’d be offering them some advice once again.
–TL Notes–
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