Volume 7 Chapter 45 Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
The meet had ended with roaring success—and just a trace of lingering grudges. Each person processed the events in their own way, taking a moment of rest. And so, a new week arrived.
The day of the student council president election was finally here.
At the academy, the atmosphere was electric. The buzz around the upcoming election filled the air, especially since it was scheduled to begin that very afternoon. Naturally, Randy—one of the candidates—was at the center of the commotion.
"Yawnnn~... So sleepy..."
Yawning without a hint of restraint, Randy stared blankly out the classroom window. His posture was anything but what one would expect from a student running for office. Yet he remained unbothered.
The day before had been a holiday, filled with a lively photo session and, afterward, a small celebration in honor of the long-awaited photocopier finally being completed. In the end, it had turned into a late night.
While the celebration itself was tame, unexpected events kept cropping up, pushing everything else back. By the time they finished sorting through the photos and editing the lookbook, it was well past midnight.
"I told you it was better to celebrate after the election..." Liz puffed her cheeks in protest.
Randy only responded with another yawn and a long stretch. "It's fine. The best time to party is when you feel like it."
Hearing his completely unrepentant answer, Liz tilted her head with an unimpressed expression. "You don't sound cool at all."
She shifted her gaze toward Ellie, who was nodding off at her desk, mumbling incoherent words like "mushy mushy..."
"It's not good for Ellie to stay up that late. It's bad for her skin, you know?"
Despite Liz's concern, Randy looked back at the sleeping girl and said with a lazy smile, "Yeah, I told her the same thing. But she didn't listen."
Still grumbling, Liz crossed her arms. Randy glanced at her again and chuckled softly.
"...What is it?"
"Nothing."
Liz leaned back a bit, pouting. But Randy grinned, already reading her expression.
"You've got that 'I wanted to be with you too' face."
At that, Liz's cheeks instantly flushed red.
"B-Because it's not fair... Just the two of you..."
As her voice trailed off, Randy gently patted her head. Just then, sensing a gaze, he turned to find Ellie staring at them with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Now that's an energetic way to start the morning."
"That's not it!" Liz snapped back, flustered. Ellie simply grinned.
"Really? Then I guess I'll flirt with Randy instead."
Suppressing a yawn, Ellie grabbed Randy's arm.
"Wha—?! N-No, that's my turn!" Liz hurriedly clung to Randy's other arm.
"Oh? Is it really okay for a proper young lady to do that in public?"
"W-Well, Ellie is...!"
As Liz floundered, Ellie proudly declared, "It's fine, because I'm a great magician!"
"...That doesn't even make sense."
"It's all about who makes the first move," Ellie said smugly.
One girl puffed out her cheeks in frustration. The other pulled with glee. Both clung to Randy, each calling his name over and over again.
With both of his arms occupied, Randy let out a long sigh.
"...This isn't good. Not here..."
"Randy!"
A voice—stern and clearly unamused—cut through his fantasy. He was being shaken.
"...Victor?!"
Before he knew it, he was looking up at the math instructor, who was glaring down at him with narrowed eyes.
"What exactly did you mean by 'not here'?"
"I-I meant... sleeping! It's bad to sleep in class..."
The teacher, stroking his thick Kaiser-style mustache, gave a tight-lipped smile.
"So you do understand."
"Y-Yes. Of course."
"And yet you still fall asleep. That means you think it's fine to ignore my class, yes?"
With a popping vein in his forehead, the teacher continued to stroke his mustache menacingly. Randy forced a strained smile.
"N-No! I wasn't asleep. I was, uh... deeply focused."
The teacher's eyebrows twitched upward as he exaggerated a shrug. "Then surely you can answer question two on the board?"
"U-Um... Three?"
As the silence stretched, Randy heard Liz sigh dramatically beside him. The teacher's unimpressed glare cut through him.
"Stand. Now."
"...Yes, sir."
* * *
"I can't believe you actually fell asleep today of all days... The day of the election."
Cecilia crossed her arms and let out a long sigh. "This guy's hopeless."
"'Hopeless' is putting it lightly," Luke added, sighing in unison. "At this point, he's practically a walking disaster."
Despite their scolding, Randy remained entirely unbothered.
"Haha, disaster, huh? I like the sound of that. Here—have a reward."
He cheerfully pulled a random stone from his pocket and handed it to Catherine.
"I found this pretty one the other day."
"...I don't want it."
Even as Catherine stared at him with narrowed eyes, Randy pressed the stone into her hand anyway, then turned to Luke with a smug grin.
"Hey, dumb Luke. Those who know, know."
"That was sarcasm," Luke replied with a deadpan face.
"You're the idiot," Randy shot back without missing a beat.
The group collectively let out another sigh. Randy, still full of energy, pointed at Catherine and added, "Sarcasm or not, that was my beautiful stone. Give it back."
"You just gave it to me yourself."
"And now I want it back, stupid."
Liz let out a soft breath. The casual back-and-forth was exactly like yesterday during the photo session.
Catherine noticed her and spoke with a relaxed expression.
"You don't need to worry."
Liz blinked in surprise. "Was it that obvious?"
"It was. Totally written all over your face," Catherine said with a dry chuckle. "You're an open book, Liz. Always have been."
After a pause, Catherine looked out the window, her voice quieter.
"I just... wanted to apologize. That's all."
With a small, wry smile, she continued.
"Not that it'll change anything. It's just self-satisfaction."
"...Still."
"Don't worry," Catherine said again, her voice firm. "Seriously. I'm tougher than I look."
"That's right," Liz added. "Miss Catherine's heart is made of adamantite."
"Exactly," Luke nodded. "She doesn't break that easily."
Catherine joined in the playful argument with a pout, cheeks slightly flushed. Randy and Ellie laughed beside her, unfazed by the usual chaos.
Watching the familiar scene unfold, Liz and Cecilia exchanged amused, slightly exasperated smiles—right as the class of Julius, Livia, and Wayne strolled casually through the courtyard.
"Oh, they're late again," Randy murmured, turning to greet them with a small wave.
"Probably stuck listening to another one of the prince's speeches," Luke muttered with a sigh.
Randy glanced at Wayne. Given what happened with Edgar, you'd think Catherine might be just as tense as Liz, especially since Wayne, Edgar, and Arthur all shared a class. But despite it all, Wayne was laughing and chatting with Livia as usual.
"Let me visit your place next time!"
"It's in the north, right? About ten days by carriage?"
The two of them talked like nothing had ever happened.
(Catherine too... but man, Wayne's mental resilience is crazy.)
Randy let out a soft breath. Even during the photo session, Wayne had acted completely normal. Despite everything that had come out, he handled it like it was nothing. That unshakable composure—it was one of Wayne's best traits.
Unable to hold back a small smile, Randy turned toward him.
"...What's with the creepy grin?"
Wayne raised a brow as Randy let out a nasal snort.
"Just glad to see you're not getting bullied or anything."
Everyone around them gave him looks that said "Seriously, this guy..." but Wayne just shrugged and smirked.
"Appreciate your concern. Seems like my umbilical cord's been cut from Julius and hooked onto you now."
"...Umbilical cord upgrade? Seriously?" Randy shot back with narrowed eyes.
"Exactly as it sounds. Julius and you are, well, on totally different levels."
Luke burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Oi, idiot Luke! Don't butt in just because you're lonely!"
"I'm not lonely!" Luke snapped, lips forming a pout.
Randy leaned in close with a teasing grin. "Oh? Really? That so, Luke? Wanna come mess with me, huh?"
"Who the heck would!?" Luke recoiled, shoving Randy away. "Stop saying weird stuff, idiot!"
"Aw, don't be shy," Randy said with a smug chuckle. "Without me, you two are completely hopeless."
His satisfied grin didn't last long.
"Hey, Wayne," Luke said, glancing over. "...Let's team up and beat him."
Wayne nodded, eyes serious. "I'll help. Even if it's just a little."
Veins popping on his forehead, Randy shook his head. "Tch... You guys are seriously hopeless. Even if you multiply two idiots together, you still get one idiot."
"...You really think that's a smart comeback?" Luke deadpanned.
"Then that makes you the idiot," Wayne added, sighing.
Their pointless banter drew collective sighs from the girls nearby. As if on cue, their eyes turned toward the one reliable figure among them—Julius.
Under the pressure of their silent, almost pleading gazes, Julius let out a long sigh.
"Knock it off. People are going to think you're all morons."
The trio turned to him in unison.
"They already do," one of them muttered.
"Yeah, and it's this guy's fault!"
"It's over. Let's just accept it."
Despite their pathetic replies, the perfectly synchronized timing gave their argument an odd sense of unity—as if they'd won the exchange through sheer group effort.
Julius didn't let that slide.
"No, wait, something's off here," he said, stepping forward with a scowl. "If you keep dragging this out, they'll think I'm an idiot too."
He exhaled sharply, but again, the trio turned their attention to him.
"Oh, I see. You're trying to act like you're different from us. That 'I'm not like the others' vibe?"
"Playing it cool, huh?"
"...I didn't say anything," Wayne added hastily, shaking his head. Even he seemed reluctant to go too far, likely out of deference to Julius's royal status.
But Randy and Luke weren't done yet.
"You've got some nerve..." Julius muttered, veins bulging.
"What's with that line? Still trying to act all princely?"
"Right? You're basically the same as us."
"Don't lump me in with you two!"
"Then take a good look in the mirror first."
"You look in the mirror, moron."
"Don't throw that back at me!"
As the back-and-forth derailed into another dumb shouting match, Livia stepped in with mock excitement, throwing light punches into the air. "Oh? Is something about to go down? Shush shush!"
Despite the rising tension, the courtyard held the same noisy energy as always. It was hard to believe today was one of the most important days of the year.
"...Instructor, I've brought them."
Victor's voice rang out.
"Hey! Victor!" Burk shouted loudly, prompting Randy's voice to echo across the courtyard.
"Why me!?"
Just moments remained until the start of the student council president election.
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