CHAPTER 6 Act 2

My talk with Mr. Seid left me with a slew of unanswered questions. Mr. Seid's remark was definitely a message to the Organizations as a whole. I have no idea what he was thinking, but I'm sure he thought it numerous times before he made that move.

His words lingered in my head throughout class till our lunch break.

Since Mr. Seid did not say that I couldn't tell anybody, I intend to notify the President in advance so that he is aware. So, without incident, I proceeded to the Student Council Room. And from there, I met Ms. Lou Leyand, our Student Council Secretary, exactly on her way out of the room. Ms. Leyand is also my classmate, though she isn't always in class because she's assisting the Student Council with various issues.

"Oh, it's you, Hana! How's the class?" In her concern, she asked me.

We're not friends, but she's an acquaintance of mine as we were classmates since our first year. Furthermore, as everybody can tell, all of the Student Council members addressed me as 'Hana,' and Mr. President was behind that. They do it to tease me at first, but they eventually get used to it. Of course, it was embarrassing for me at the beginning, but now it doesn't bother me at all.

"It's like usual, nothing to talk about," I replied.

Even if we aren't close, I can guarantee she is reliable as a member of Student Council. She was nice, yet she could easily read you. She possesses intelligence as well as the attractiveness of a noble lady.

She took the exam, and apparently, her marks were higher than mine. Even though she is frequently absent and occasionally skips classes, she is capable of achieving higher grades.

Competing in class is not in my mind, but I feel like my class has many excellent students, which has left me feeling overwhelmed till now.

"Has there been any news?"

When she spoke this term, I understood she was referring to the information I'd obtained. I usually acquire information for them, and it's not a difficult task for me. Ms. Leyand, on the other hand, has an underling under her command who can watch the surroundings and acquire information too. I recall she had one person she relied on in our class. So, even though I gather information, I can tell she does have intel as well.

"Yes, but first, may I speak with the President?"

"That's not a probelm; you may," she said with a wide smile. "By the way, before you go, if you happen to know where Vice President is, please inform me directly, alrighty?"

She waved at me and then walked away.

Her sentence makes me wonder when she said it, or whether I was too deluded about it. I hope that my assumption was wrong.

I knocked, entered the room, and greeted the President. When I walked in, he was on the phone with someone, but it ended right after.

"What brings you here, Hana?"

He asked while sitting in his chair, diverting his eyes to my direction.

"Uhm, I have something to tell you ahead of time."

"What exactly is it?"

"I'll get right to it; erm, Mr. Seid wants to form an Orgnaization."

I'm determined he had to know this.

"Oh... he has such lofty goals, doesn't he?" He said, then shifted his gaze to the papers on his table.

But hold on, something wasn't quite right.

"...Wait a minute, why aren't you surprised?"

His reaction is a little noticeable to me.

"Hm?"

"Yes, it appears that you already knew something beforehand."

He soon fell silent, making a stern face. Shortly he said, "Fine, I'll tell you something."

He gets up and walks over to the sofa, where he sits.

"Mr. Seid talked to me the other day; I'm not going to say what he said, but he definitely provided me with the details of what he wanted."

"Why did you talk to him? Do you think it's odd? At first, he said he didn't give a crap about the Organization thing, and now he's building his own Family."

"Indeed, it's unusual, but he's only doing what he wants, Hana. It makes more sense that his actions didn't contradict what he said; he said he doesn't want to join any of them, so he's making his own. There's nothing wrong with what he's doing right now, isn't there?"

Of course I am aware, but it appears like Mr. Seid is plotting something other than the letter he was discussing. Definitely, despite that, the President knew something and wanted to watch from the sidelines. I can't push this conversation on him.

"Okay then. If you said so."

"..."

But still, I'll have to keep a close check on everything.

For almost five seconds, our conversation was interrupted when a woman walked in.

"I heard about this plan from Steve."

A pleasant voice enters the room. It has a generous yet intimidating tone coming from a respectable woman.

"But I'm guessing Mr. Seid wasn't worried even though we knew," she went on.

That person was Principal Eve, who had unexpectedly and silently entered the Student Council Room.

"Oh, Ms. Eve, it's a pleasure to have you here; why did you decide to pay a visit?" Mr. President immediately inquired after a brief pause.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Well, I'm only passing by," the Principal gave an insipid reply.

"What are the odds. Although, madam, you're not good at lying."

It is. Principal Eve would not go to this room without informing us first. Therefore, perhaps she was here for something.

"I'm not lying; it makes more sense if I say someone called me out here while I was simply passing by."

"Hoh? It looks like that girl was behind this."

Mr. President was referring to Ms. Leyand.

"Don't be too upset; I'll take this chance to see what you're up to, Mr. Reginald. Apologies for overhearing your chat, but I heard you spoke with Mr. Seid, right? To be honest, it leads me to think."

"What's wrong in talking to him?"

"I'm not sure what you and Mr. Seid talked about but..."

Principal Eve walked over and sat directly next to Mr. President.

When she passed me, I was instantly distracted by her sweet perfume. It was a delicate and lovely smell, but it was utterly enough to stun me.

"...whatever the case, if you're planning to destroy the Families or the Organizations, and go that far, we must eliminate you, Mr. Reginald."

My eyes filled with disbelief after Principal Eve said that, and I couldn't say anything. I can't help but gaze at them since it's not my place to interrupt their chat.

"Oh, I'm not sure what you're on about, madam, but I'm concerned, how'd you say?"

Mr. President eventually gives me a look that tells me I need to acquire something for Principal Eve. Ms. Steward, who typically serves the guests, was not present. So I go straight to where the tea belongs and instead serve them.

Ms. Eve smiled at me, so I smiled back, making me feel more embarrassed somehow. Even though I used to serve the President, there's still a lot of pressure when serving the Principal. She didn't say anything else to me after that. Now that I think about it, is it okay for me to hear this?

"I'll have my information, so please be cautious from now on, Mr. Reginald; information is more vital than anything else in our business; whether you say it's true or not, it's still disappointing on my side."

Basically, the Principal assists Mr. President in his current position, and keeping the title of President is not as easy as it may sound, so you'll need to get support from the Principal.

"It saddens me to hear that Ms. Eve did not actually trust Student Council; nonetheless, I believe there is a misunderstanding, madam; Student Council would always support any group, fairly."

That's true. That is why the Student Council was established in the first place.

"You're right, of course you would say that. And just so you know, I've been keeping an eye on you since you've become Student Council President, and so until you graduate; please fulfill your promises, Mr. Reginald."

"..." Mr. President remains silent.

I simply stand in the corner, looking at them from a distance. Hearing their conversation perplexes and suffocates me little by little. This is the first time I've heard the Principal become very upset over something, especially with the President himself. And I'm pretty sure the President knew that.

"By the way, now that you're here, Principal Eve, do you know why some of the Representatives haven't been to meetings in the last few days?"

To break the stillness, Mr. President shifted the conversation.

"Hm, representatives? I thought it was natural for the Representatives to be absent; or maybe are you talking about Ms. Hollows? "

"You did know for sure, madam."

"I recently heard that from someone..."

True, Ms. Hollows was not in class, and this was brought out to me as well when I spoke with some other Representatives.

"...why did you brought that up?"

"Well, she seems a bit slack and hasn't been able to attend any single meeting or class since then; she's not the sort of person to be missing; I heard she took a test, but do you have any clue, Ms. Eve, why she is doing this?"

Mr. President's statements confuse me. However, Ms. Hollows took an exam, which remained with me; yet, Ms. Hollows was not in the room on the day of the exam.

I almost ask them out loud, but I restrain myself. I understood I couldn't disrupt their conversation.

I had a feeling there was something wrong with Ms. Hollows, which was why she wasn't attending any meetings or our class right now. It's a cause for concern because she was one of the most influential students and an honor student.

"Poor young lady. I didn't realize she wasn't taking any classes. Anyway, Ms. Hollows came to my office and persuaded me to not expel her best friend; really, I admire her conviction and compassion towards her friend."

"Oh I see, that's the reason why..."

I instantly thought this for a while, but I doubt the President didn't know about this. Is he playing ignorant?

"However, Ms. Hollows' actions are ambiguous. Getting back your friend when your friend said that she wanted to leave the school."

"I don't blame her; all she wanted was her friend back."

Now that they've stated it, it's evident to me now why Ms. Hollows' actions are so equivocal.

There was a significant problem with her friend before, which is why the Student Council wanted to expel her from school. But, before we make any announcements, her friend has offered to transfer out. Obviously, that was a shock for Ms. Hollows, but it leaves us confused anyhow.

"Doing what you want does not necessarily end in good, but it makes you appear courageous but then stupid."

"..."

Mr. President was deafeningly silent.

I couldn't argue with Ms. Eve, because that was the truth. That is why, in order to get better outcomes, I handle things myself, neglecting my own personal sentiments.

"Whatever the situation may be, I'm just dropping by to check on you, Mr. Ethan Reginald."

After that, Ms. Eve quickly left, leaving those words.

"By the way, how's your exam?" Mr. President glanced at me and asked to change the subject.

That question startled me because my score paled in comparison to Ms. Leyand's. Her total score is 690, whereas mine is 679. When I think about her ten mistakes, I get really depressed.

"U-uh... I'd say it's not too horrible."

"Is your score 679 correct?"

I'd tried to avoid the question, but that guess surprises me.

"How did you find out?"

"Ms. Leyand gives me the gist."

"Oh well, she's not much of a talker, is she?"

What else can I expect from her?

"I asked her about it."

"Oh... uhm, then why did you ask again? Are you testing my honesty or do you have doubts on her?"

I can't say the reason for his asking.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination."

That raises some concerns for me, though I have nothing to say to him. Even so, there were times when I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"Uh, about that. I'm curious about this. How did Ms. Hollows receive an exam that day? I didn't even see her in the room, much alone all day."

The test is critical, especially for representatives, so they should not miss it. But how did Ms. Hollows manage to get an exam?

"Hm? Just think of what I said, Hana."

The President obviously expected me to answer this riddle. And I'm thinking this quietly.

If I think about it, Ms. Hollows is a Representative, thus she can be present elsewhere. But, according to school policy, taking an examination outside of the classroom is banned, therefore I'm at a loss for ideas at this time.

However...

"Don't tell me she didn't take an exam on test day, but she did take an exam earlier morning, does that make sense?"

I almost think this is too difficult, but I assume the correct answer was obvious. Mr. President didn't say she took an exam 'that day.'

"Hmm, are you thinking this too quickly?"

"It came up in my thoughts."

"Well, you're right; she showed up today and took a special test for absentees."

The special examination is not the same as a retake exam. A special test is given for pupils who have been excused for medical or other reasons. Ms. Hollows has most likely said that she is not feeling well. That's why she managed to take an exam.

I'm surprised she showed up today.

"And guess what? She got a perfect score."

The President abruptly got my attention.

"What?!"

I yelled instinctively, taken aback. She isn't in our class these days, yet she obtained a perfect score? That's...

"You shouldn't call her score into question because she's a representative; also, she didn't cheat since I was there observing her," he reassured.

"..."

I immediately calmed down a tad. But the issue that was on my mind right now was whether her perfect score was also taken into account in our mini game. Mr. President was aware of what was going on in our class since Ms. Leyand stated so herself. And I also think there's nothing wrong with informing others about the game. I intended to inform the President, but Ms. Leyand was quickly ahead of me.

"That game... isn't it entertaining?"

"Umm..."

It was, but it was too obnoxious the way it favors only the honor students.

"Doesn't your class have a lot of excellent students, Hana?"

As I thought, he was thinking the same thing.

"I considered it as well," I answered, genuinely.

"What if Mr. Seid receives a perfect score too?"

"Huh? That... erm..."

"That should be interesting, right?"