Volume 7 Chapter 7-2 Ideas Come Suddenly
"You're making a face that's not like you."
Randy, smiling at Gardo's easy victory, reveals the weight he felt... was all in his head.
"Nervous?"
"Frankly, I was licking my wounds."
Randy's wry smile speaks of the weight of the word 'recommendation.' Having been recommended by the instructor, he couldn't shame his mentor. It's a pride-swelling thought, but Randy knows what he's capable of once he stands tall.
"Understand what it means to aim for that position?"
"Yeah, sort of."
Randy nods, and Gardo silently nods back. If Randy were to become president... Gardo and Burk recommended Randy, and the students, everyone, chose Randy as their leader. That means Randy is elevated by everyone's expectations.
"It's not about climbing up. It's about being lifted up, right?"
"You get it, don't you!"
Burk laughs heartily, getting up to pat Randy on the shoulder.
"Victor, don't overthink it! Just be yourself, do as you please!"
Amidst the talk of being pushed up, Burk's "do as you please" comment stuns everyone, including Randy, Liz, and Ellie, who are frozen in shock, but Burk just keeps laughing heartily.
"Lacking in words."
Gardo, giving Burk a dumbfounded look, then pats Randy's shoulder instead.
"Don't overcomplicate things. You already know, don't you?"
Laughing, Gardo continues, "That you can be pushed up by others,"
"I'm not cut out for that..."
Randy looks away, embarrassed, but both instructors shake their heads at the same time.
"At least here, there are 2 people who believe in you."
Randy looks back to find, of course, Liz and Ellie smiling at him.
"Don't lose sight. No matter what you aim for, you are you. As long as you don't forget that, our recommendation isn't just a piece of paper... It's light enough to laugh about."
Saying this, Gardo and Burk both give Randy a strong pat on the back.
"Got it? Now hurry back. We're busy preparing for class."
"Come whenever you feel like it! I'll hire you as a temporary instructor!"
Pushed from behind, Randy deeply bowed to the two and left the training grounds.
After leaving the training grounds, Randy and the others walked toward the school building, silently crossing the vast sports field.
Gardo and Burk told him not to worry about the weight of the recommendation.
"I think I took it too lightly..."
"They say it's fine to think lightly about it, right?"
"It'll turn out the way it turns out, right?"
The right thing is to do as you please, and only with everyone's support can you become president, they say.
"Well, even if I try to act all high and mighty, I'll probably mess up, so I can only do what I can."
As Randy muttered, a group of new students, likely heading to the training grounds, passed by. Everyone was shocked by Randy and mesmerized by Liz and Ellie's beauty, reactions that would soon become common.
Randy suddenly turned to look at them. In his line of sight was the training ground they had just visited.
"Wasn't that the 4th of the Seven Wonders...?"
Randy muttered quietly in the center of the sports field, and Liz nodded, looking around. "Come to think of it..."
"It's nostalgic. They made an entrance around here, didn't they?"
As Ellie said, this was the place where they had headed toward the Tower of Time, the last of the 'Seven Wonders,' not the 'Tower of the New Moon.'
"A lot has happened since then..."
Randy stopped, feeling nostalgic, and Ellie laughed, calling him an old man.
"I've always been watching your back."
Liz smiled as the wind swept through her hair.
"That's right. Your stupidity drew people in, one by one, didn't it?"
At first, it was just Liz, Ellie, and Randy. Then Cecilia joined, followed by Luke, Annabelle, Cory... and before he knew it, even Catherine, whom he once thought was an enemy, the former prince of the Empire, and his easy-going friend Wayne──so many different people had gathered around Randy.
"I thought we were all standing side by side..."
"Yes. Just recently, we finally managed to line up. But even so..."
Liz took Randy's hand as she said that.
"It's all about Randy."
"I see."
Embarrassed, Ellie, unlike Liz, only lightly tugged at Randy's sleeve. It was such a typical move for them, and Randy muttered, "I see..." and smiled.
"Then, should we run the election however we want?"
As Randy started walking, he smiled and said, "We'll make sashes and posters..." but suddenly stopped, frozen in place.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you eat something weird?"
The two of them leaned in, worried, and Randy muttered, "This is it..."
"This isn't about the election... no, wait, maybe it's fine, since we're doing whatever we want?"
Mumbling to himself, Randy suddenly beamed, raising his arms and looking up at the sky. "Anyway, the idea just hit me!"
"It's going to get busy from here on out!"
"I don't really understand, but..."
"It's starting to feel like it!"
As the lunch break was ending, in the middle of the sports field, the idea that had struck Randy. Little did anyone know, this spark of inspiration would not only push the development of the new town forward but also have a huge impact on the election.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!