CHAPTER 4 Act 2

We, the representatives, do not need to attend class during school hours since the school is aware that we are all quite busy. All we need to do is take and pass the exams, and we'll be alright. Although, maintaining good grades, on the other hand, is a challenge.

Ragardless, I have the opportunity to remain in the room and figure out what Zei's plan is.

A minute had passed, and practically everyone had left the room.

"Um, you're not going with me to meet Mr. Wyte?"

"No. I know you are capable of handling it, Mr. Arson," I say.

"All right, you owe me this one."

I put my trust in him and knew he didn't need me to solve the issue regarding Mr. Seid's case.

He did give me the details after his conversation with Mr. Seid, and the result was unexpected, though.

In the meantime, Mr. Seid has been extremely fortunate, but his good fortune will soon run out. Given his perspective, I'm not sure how he'll handle the upcoming situation. This will become an issue for him since other organizations will now make a move and target him directly.

The attempt to capture Mr. Seid is now meaningless because others have already taken action. I can't have complete control over this situation, so we'll probably take a step back. Besides, Mr. Seid was already rejecting us. Moreover, other organizations will interpret this as rivalry, which I believe is exaggerated.

Competition among representatives is common. The winner will reign supreme, while the loser will appear foolish.

That was a high-risk, high-reward situation.

However, in this case, I infer that Mr. Seid was not going to take sides with any of us, which is unusual for a student. If you don't have any organization at this school, you'll need to be extremely self-aware, both mentally and physically. However, many students struggle to deal with the pressure.

The majority of students here are from any organization, while non-organization students make up about 2% of the student body. Those two percent include new students who are essentially ordinary people, as well as some who have been thrown out of their own organization.

It is difficult to exist in an environment where you do not belong, which is why people will strive to conform and attach themselves to others in order to be accepted.

Why is there such a thing?

It's simple to answer that—human mindset. If you are not with them or you are different, they view you as odd and strange. And with human instinct, they will try to get rid of you since you are a danger that could harm and change them.

That's why I'm stunned by Mr. Seid's persistence, since he wanted to attempt not to include himself in us while also being with us.

That's rather ironic.

On top of that, there's a problem with Zei's appearance. That's why I'm concerned about her as well.

Light and the Gale Family see each other as not a threat...yet—but Zei's absence from the organization will have a significant influence on them. And I'm sure, higher-ups in the Gale Family will attempt to persuade Zei to side with us.

However, I will be the one to oppose the idea since I do not want to force Zei and bring her any further issues.

Anyway, I'm standing at the entrance, and Zei initially saw straight through me.

"Why are you still here? Do you want me to explain everything to you?" she said.

Zei went on my side and carefully leant on the wall. I stared at her but didn't say anything.

"Ms. Zei and Ms. Auguron," the President calls and asks, "Could you please quit talking; and get right to the subject, Ms. Zei?"

He draws our attention with his sharp voice.

"All right, since everyone except Esper has left, may we consider Esper in this discussion?"

"Hoh? Is this something crucial that Esper needed to hear? If that's fine with you, it's not an issue at all."

"Thank you," Zei said.

I know the President is being considerate of me, but I wonder how this conversation will turn out.

"Firstly, Mr. President, I believe you are the perpetrator of Mr. Seid's mysteriously disappeared things; am I correct?"

Zei moved to the corner and is peering through the window.

"Hm? You accuse me right away? Don't you think it's rude and insulting?"

"What are you talking about, Zei?" I asked.

I had no intention of interfering with their talk, but it took me off guard.

"If I examine this closely, I believe the Student Council was more suspicious," she remarked.

"Suspicious? Let me tell you, Ms. Zei Wyte, don't overstep your bounds since you don't have any organization backing you up."

"I'm fully aware of that. Okay, let's suppose we don't know who's behind all of this, but one thing I can say for certain since I received some information."

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"Hmm, what is it?"

"You're from the Demise Family, if I'm not mistaken."

"You did a lot of research, didn't you?"

"Regardless, I won't get into details here, but I'll tell you one thing," she pauses before adding, "...Love."

Suddenly, the light atmosphere becomes heavy.

And the President said with a deep tone, "...What's your point, Ms. Zei?"

There was a really tight air that enveloped this place.

'Love?'

I heard some rumors back when I was in my first year, but I ignored them since they were simply made-up things. Is there a connection between what Zei said and the President?

This is not the time to discuss why, but it's almost as if the President realizes it straight away.

"You were the Demise Family's representative back then, and you joined Student Council in your first year, what a great start; is there a reason for this? Of course there is, no?"

Zei was correct, the President was a representative, but because he had joined the Student Council, he was going to lose his title and leave the Demise Family for the rest of his school life. It was a condition that if you joined the Student Council, you would not have access to your Family. And if you abandon your obligations as a member of Student Council, the entire organization will condemn you and eventually make you suffer. So many of us did not want to take the risk of joining.

"A reason, you say?" the President said, "From your confidence, I genuinely think you know the answer."

"...More or less, I could say. Anyway, your overall objective is to get rid of all Families, right?"

"Alright fine," he says and adds, "is that what you want to hear from me?"

"..."

"..."

That response confuses me even more. Is he agreeing with Zei's statement, or not?

"You're a bit elusive, Mr. Reginald," Zei remarks.

"I'm telling you what's on my mind, and to be honest, you're a serious impediment because you know my past."

"I'm fortunate to know some of it, and I expected that everyone in the organization would know it, but that isn't the case."

"Then? Is that why you want Esper here?"

"Not quite; I'd want Esper to observe our conversation for future purposes."

"Is that so? This is getting a little bothersome."

"I'm sorry for that, but I'll assure you—I'm not against your plans. Do what you think is good."

"Good? What's so good about it?" the President makes a sarcastic remark, "...So you're basically watching me from behind, huh?"

"No—I will surely close my eyes."

"I see. You're going to ignore me."

"That is the case. And one more thing: sometimes we make a hasty decision that isn't in line with our plans."

"Hmm, you're telling me that my plans aren't going to happen?"

"Yes, because your adversary isn't only one. You have to fill out different options."

"I'm already aware, Ms. Zei. Well, if you look closely, we are in the same situation."

"Probably... you're not mistaken."

"However, there isn't much time, so I'll have to move quickly."

"Very well said."

Then they went silent after that.

The president was currently in his third year. So he meant that he didn't have any time left for him. I'm curious whether the president will actually try to get rid of the Families.

"Er, uhm.." I cut in.

"..."

"..."

"Have you trusted me with this, Zei?"

"Likely."

"Do you think I won't report this to higher-ups?"

"I believe you, Esper; if you want to report this, go ahead and give me the Gale Family's response."

"But..."

Zei... might end up in trouble.

"You're supposed to report, isn't it?" she said.

Right now, I'm in a pickle. So, what should I do?

If I try to make a decision... Then...

"I didn't have any proof yet so I don't have to report this."

With a stern look, I gazed at the President.

My statement isn't entirely untrue, though.

"You're too nice, Ms. Esper Auguron," the President stated.

I've known the president since she solved the case involving Ms. Hunt and myself a year ago. He was a great help to me that day, and I considered him a close friend. However, I was unaware of his goals the entire time.

If I make a hasty judgment here, it will almost certainly backfire on me. True, this is something I should be concerned about, but I need some time to watch and consider my next steps.

"Don't get me wrong, as I previously stated, I don't have any proo—"

"That's alright, Esper; there's no need for you to feel embarrassed about it; you're too apparent, and you're really thoughtful," the President remarked.

"..."

With his direct and honest compliment, I immediately went speechless.

"By the way, Mr. President, you know how serious I am about starting my own Family," Zei speaks.

"Yeah. Is that your choice?

"I won't go into details, but don't get in my way as I don't get in your way."

"...If you look into it, isn't that contradicting what you said earlier?" he replied and added, "You said that I'm trying to get rid of Families."

As Mr. President points out, Zei's thinking was rather complicated. Her statement are obviously laced with secrets and caution.

"Sort of."

"So, basically, you want me to move first, as if I'm a pawn?"

"Is that your perspective? Technically, you don't have enough time because you're in your third year, so it's my opportunity to use this as an example."

"You're getting cunning Ms. Zei..." Mr. President said, "If you want to form your own Family, go ahead; likewise, I won't stop you."

"..."

Again, I'm not sure how Zei can say all of this when she doesn't reveal all of the details. She exudes confidence, as though her plans are just getting started.

"That was unexpected, but thank you."

"Not at all, and this is an excellent opportunity since I wanted someone to follow up on my unfinished business; I presume you intended to take down someone, don't you?"

Zei paused for a moment and said, "You're imagining things, Mr. President."

"Well, I don't want to delve more into it," he answered. "Another thing, are you recruiting Mr. Seid?"

'Mr. Seid?'

Come to think of it, I suppose Zei has already contacted Mr. Seid, and she will be recruiting him in the same way that many organizations did.

"Recently, I attempted to persuade Mr. Seid, but he is so tenacious."

'Thought so.'

"I see. Are you still going to try to convince him?"

"Mr. Seid will definitely need an organization at the end of the day, and if he doesn't join any of them, he will probably form his own."

"If that's the case, don't you think it's really intriguing to see?"

"In a sense."

I'll agree with Zei's reasoning since I believe that Mr. Seid will definitely need a companion to stand alongside him.

Mr. Seid was not your average man, but he was still human. There's always a problem that he can't handle on his own.

"That's all I had to say to you, Mr. President," Zei concluded.

"Alright. If you're done, I'll have to take care of some things."

"Oh wait," Zei abruptly said, "I just wanted you to know that I'll be attending school starting tomorrow."

"Really, Zei?" I called out to her.

"Um, didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Oh my, are you going to enroll in school?"

"There's no need; Principal Eve registered me here a year ago."

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed.

That comes as a shock to me. A year ago... does it mean...?

"Um, I enrolled in my first year here and studied mostly on my own."

"How did you get your grades, though?"

"There aren't any."

"Is it lonely moving up to a new grade without any friends?"

"Certainly not."

"Who, then, is your teacher?"

"My mother."

"..."

"..."

'Wait, she mean the Principal?!"

Zei hasn't looked at me directly till now, but I can tell how serious her responses are.

"That sounds rough." I mumble.

"You don't have to be sad like that, Esper."

"You two, are you not going back?" Mr. President intervenes, "This room is not for student who want to skip classess."

"Yes, Mr. President," I answered, "we're going back."

"I appreciate your time," Zei expressed gratitude.

And with that, we concluded our chat, but I still have a lot of questions in my thoughts.

"Zei..." I call out to her as we walk down the hallway.

"Hm?"