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I managed to rescue the heroine who would clear the scenario.

But I was still faced with another problem.

The problem was that the number of students willing to boycott the student council was still insufficient.

To be honest, I was completely at a loss about where to find them.

‘For now…’

I recalled the existing members of the boycott and made a list.

I made sure to inform Rozamin about those individuals.

They were originally dissatisfied with the student council and the academy.

If they felt inclined, they would surely listen to Rozamin’s words.

Among them, I planned to persuade the main faction.

‘They’ll show themselves as Bickamon, not Hanon.’

However, the one I was meeting this time would definitely be better off as Hanon.

*Rustle—*

As I opened the familiar door, an unfamiliar sight unfolded before me.

Books were strewn about, and various materials were in disarray.

And there was a boy sitting in the chair usually occupied by another.

This was the student council.

The student council in which the vice president, Nikita, was absent.

“Oh, Hanon, you’re here?”

The man who was moving a feather pen with a pained expression looked up and showed a welcoming smile.

With soft blonde hair and a handsome face that stood out, his name was:

Silvester Drapen.

He was the president of Jerion Academy’s student council.

Additionally, he was the youngest son of Duke Drapen, one of the four great dukes of the Empire.

This was also the reason why the Duke of Robliju was deliberately trying to bring down the student council.

‘Drapen is part of the 1st Prince Faction.’

If they were to bring the council down, all the blame would fall on the student council president, Silvester.

If Silvester fell, Iris would regain the authority of the council, which would also help in politics.

My gaze returned to Silvester.

Silvester’s nickname was: The Useless Slacker.

Born to the Drapen family, he had inherited nothing.

His personal abilities weren’t that impressive either.

But he rose to the presidency due to the Drapen backing and his decent appearance.

‘It’s likely there weren’t any suitable candidates among the 3rd years, either.’

Thus far, he had offloaded many responsibilities onto Nikita, the vice president.

But with Nikita absent due to the recent incident, a flood of work had piled up.

While it was manageable during the semester, the beginning of the semester brought a mountain of tasks for the student council.

However, Nikita had managed this alongside her training.

Suddenly, I realized Nikita’s capabilities.

“You’re working hard.”

Despite the student council being somewhat less active since Nikita’s departure, I had continued to attend regularly.

To instigate a boycott, I needed constant updates on the current student council.

And today, I had a specific reason for visiting.

“Poara.”

“Ah, yes, senior!”

Poara, who was diligently sorting through last year’s documents, hurriedly responded to my call.

The contractor of the Spirit Sovereign.

A key figure in the student council boycott of Act 4.

Poara Silin.

I assisted her to prevent her from spilling any documents while smiling brightly.

“Let’s have a quick chat later, okay?”

You want to join our student council boycott?

***

After finishing up with the student council tasks, I left school with Poara.

“Yes, that’s right. That incident happened last time.”

Poara was conversing with spirits invisible to me.

It was a scene I had seen many times, yet it never ceased to fascinate me.

It felt like watching someone converse with ghosts.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Senior, the spirits are really chatty today.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

The spirits were always a source of support for Poara.

It was important to take care of them.

As I made a lighthearted comment, Poara smiled through her glasses.

Initially, there had been a lot of anxiousness on her part.

But after a semester had passed, she seemed to have adapted well to the academy.

It felt as though she had grown to carry the weight of being the Spirit Sovereign’s contractor.

‘Now that I possess the Flame’s Flame, too.’

Unfortunately, the spirits still didn’t show themselves before me.

The affinity for spirits in Bickamon was nearly hopeless.

“So, what’s the special reason you called me?”

Fortunately, Poara brought up the main topic first.

“Poara, do you remember the conversation we had last time?”

“If it’s about our last conversation…”

“It’s about favoring my request.”

Poara blinked in surprise.

Then she clenched her fists and nodded eagerly.

“Yes, of course! Thanks to you, I was able to contract with the Spirit Sovereign! Just let me know!”

What a reliable junior she is.

I smiled brightly.

“Poara, a group trying to refuse the student council has recently emerged.”

“A boycott?”

“Do you remember the incident regarding Nikita-senpai?”

Poara’s expression darkened immediately.

While not as much as I, Poara had gotten along well with Nikita.

Nikita treated her juniors fairly, so Poara followed her quite closely.

Soon enough, quite some time had passed, yet Nikita’s absence still felt heavy.

Perhaps that was why Poara felt troubled about the incident involving Nikita.

“It seems they’re trying to use that incident as an excuse to initiate the boycott.”

“How dare they…! Nikita-senpai worked so hard to improve the school!

To use her suffering like that, they’re unbelievable scum!”

I could sense the deep resentment from Poara.

It suddenly reminded me that Poara had changed significantly.

She had once been the one to lead the boycott.

But now, she stood firmly on the side of the student council, feeling angered.

“Exactly, which is why I need you to infiltrate the boycott group.”

“Pardon?”

Poara reflexively asked in confusion.

Just moments ago, she had been heated about Nikita’s matter.

For her to be told to participate in a boycott was unthinkable.

Thus, I had to persuade her carefully.

“Listen closely. As a member of the student council, if you express your dissatisfaction with the council, how do you think the boycott group will react?”

“…They’d probably welcome me with open arms?”

“Exactly! You’d be a useful spy and a justification for them. But on the flip side, as a member of the student council, you.”

“Oh, you mean to act as a spy!”

Poara nodded, her expression understanding.

“Correct.”

Of course, Poara would ultimately lead the boycott group under my direction.

But as long as I made it clear that her role was that of a spy for the student council, she could withdraw anytime.

“B-but can I really pull off a spy’s role?”

Poara was someone who didn’t steer far from her usual self.

A pure-hearted young man.

That was the most fitting description for Poara.

To ask someone like him to act as a spy was quite a daunting task.

“What are you saying? Poara, you can do it better than anyone else.”

“R-really?”

“Of course, above all, you have invisible spirits by your side, right? If you use their eyes, gathering information will be a breeze.”

“…Do you think the spirits will help with that?”

Without a doubt, they would assist.

While Poara seemed to love and cherish the spirits, spirits are beings with a distinct hierarchy.

As long as she was a contractor of the Spirit Sovereign, they would help her with anything that didn’t lead to her demise.

“Trust me. Poara, you’re the junior I trust the most in the student council.”

“A-ah, umm…”

Feeling bashful, Poara cleared her throat.

I really didn’t want to see a guy get flustered.

I decided to stop the compliments here.

‘How I miss the days of praising Nikita.’

Nikita, I hope I can hear some news about you later.

Meanwhile, Poara puffed out her chest with determination.

Confidence radiated from her eyes.

“Yes, senpai! Just trust me! I’ll carry out the role of a spy splendidly!”

Such a straightforward and dependable Poara.

“Thank you.”

With that, I seamlessly integrated Poara into the boycott group.

Now, all that remained was to draw in the other key figures of the boycott.

Fortunately, I knew their weaknesses that could sway them to join.

And wielding this leverage was the hopeless Bickamon.

The third-rate villain, Bickamon Niflheim.

I shall successfully carry this boycott to fruition.

***

Preparations for the boycott continued smoothly.

Initially, the numbers had been quite lacking, but thanks to Rozamin and Aeling, who were impressed by my words, they worked hard and gathered members for the boycott.

As a result, even those whom I pressured with their weaknesses ended up joining the boycott with tears in their eyes.

“What a vile guy, how did he find out about the poem I wrote for my first love…?”

“Ugh, I never liked the student council, but using that as an excuse is just too much.”

“How did he know about the map I drew in the carriage after eating shells?”

Victims were emerging here and there, but the boycott numbers were filling up nicely.

Thanks to that, I thought the scheduled boycott date would be without issues.

‘Now all that’s left is for Iris to make contact.’

I was thinking of leaving Iris’s contact to Rozamin as much as possible.

Of course, since the scenario is a tightrope walk, I planned to keep an eye on it secretly.

While I initially thought everything was going smoothly, I soon faced an unexpected issue.

“Good morning! Morning training again, huh? You really are diligent.”

It was the same morning training with Aisha.

Recently, an unexpected participant had joined the training.

The owner of honey blonde hair clad in shorts and a light coat, right next to me.

Isabel Luna.

She was there.

“…”

Aisha quietly looked my way.

It was a question of how this happened.

I had no clue.

Isabel had declared that she would stop me from proceeding that day.

Naturally, I interpreted that as her intent to disrupt the boycott incident.

However, it seemed that she had other plans in mind as well.

‘Is she perhaps thinking about changing me fundamentally?’

Isabel stood next to me with a bright smile.

Her smile contained the intent of turning my anger into positive energy.

A sudden headache throbbed through me.

Such a cheery main heroine.

Well, that was also a reason why I liked Isabel.

Since that day when she personally killed Nikita,

Lucas had been deeply wounded.

This wound kept growing until it ultimately broke Lucas.

In the climax of Act 4, Isabel would comfort and uplift this shattered Lucas.

And finally, as she saw Lucas rise again, Isabel would harbor feelings for him.

That scene was one I adored as well, having enjoyed the Fire Butterfly arc.

It was a scene where Isabel, who had always been a childhood friend, awakened as the main heroine.

As someone playing the protagonist, there was no way I could dislike that scene.

‘Huh?’

As I pondered this, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

Right now, in this world, there is no Lucas.

Instead, I was assuming part of Lucas’s role to progress the scenario.

And right now.

I must look like someone angered by Nikita’s death to Isabel.

Even if this was something that coincidentally fell into my lap as I orchestrated things,

it was the only way for Isabel to perceive me.

If that were the case, as the scenario unfolded, I would be following the same path as Lucas.

Isabel would develop feelings for me.

‘No, it’s not the same.’

Lucas was Isabel’s childhood friend.

While I was her rival.

Seeing me shedding my grievances might give her a sense of satisfaction, but

I would not develop feelings for her.

‘That’s something I don’t need to worry about.’

The real issue is, given that I’m replacing Lucas’s role, it seems Isabel plans to stick around my side for a while longer.

“……Aisha, let’s train.”

But there’s nothing I could do.

Even with Isabel joining in, we couldn’t skip the training.

Aisha nodded her head.

We proceeded with our regular training routine.

Surprisingly, Isabel kept up well with the training.

She, too, was a top-tier talent in the 2nd year of martial arts.

Naturally, she could follow along with most training.

However, it was a problem that our training wasn’t just any ordinary training.

“Ugh, huh? Are you all serious? You’re putting this much effort into it?”

Isabel gasped at the sight of the dozens of kilo iron bags strapped to our backs and arms.

Aisha and I exchanged glances.

And a grin appeared on both our faces.

“Wow, complaining about just this much?”

“I guess Isabel-senpai is a bit weak?”

A vein quietly throbbed on Isabel’s forehead.

Being a martial arts student, she took pride in her prowess.

This was quite the blow to her ego.

“Weak, you say?”

Isabel gripped the iron bags tightly and rose from the ground.

“I’ve never heard such words before!”

Now that’s more like it.

“Aisha, let’s continue.”

“Right, senpai.”

We resolutely pressed on with our morning training.

Isabel hung on desperately, but ultimately, she collapsed halfway through.

Since we were intentionally pushing ourselves to mess with her, we decided to cut the training short.

“Ugh, huuh.”

Isabel, with her trembling legs, made her way back to the dorm.

Watching her, I stepped up beside her.

Isabel flinched at my approach.

“You don’t have to help me!”

“I’m not planning to.”

What a strange thing to say. I just had to get past her.

Since the boys’ dorm was quite a distance away compared to the girls’, I just wanted to head on ahead.

To wash up and not be late, I needed to move quickly.

Isabel stared at me wide-eyed, her face dazed.

Then, she wore an expression that reminded me of our relationship anew.

“Senpai, I’ll help you.”

“Uh, thanks…”

Then Isabel too quietly received Aisha’s support.

“You don’t smell at all.”

As Aisha quietly commented, Isabel’s face turned beet red as she merely looked down.