The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 31
EP.31 Student Council (1)
The game didn’t show every detail of the characters’ daily lives. Of course, there were sections where the daily life aspect was present—attending classes, going to the library to study, or wandering around the school talking to other students. There were even quests where you run errands for teachers.
The way you interacted with certain characters during this process could affect the level of your relationships with them. If your relationship gauge with a character reached a certain level, specific events could happen with that character at certain times. These events could be anything from going on a date to running into each other by chance somewhere… and sometimes, they even end in a kiss.
In the first playthrough, because of the game’s “limited time” mechanic, it was impossible to talk to everyone. But in the second playthrough, this restriction was lifted, allowing unlimited conversations. Eventually, you could choose any heroine or even one of the male characters as your partner. Choosing a male character didn’t lead to a BL route or anything like that… it was more of a friendship ending. Although, some players really milked that concept.
Since the story’s actual ending was fixed, the relationship events before the finale were more about having fun with someone, either as a romantic partner or a close friend. It was not exactly crucial to the main plot. It was more of a service the developers provided for players who wanted to romance their favorite heroine.
In the sequel, if you linked your save data from the first game, it carried over the storyline as if you were still dating the heroine from the previous game. If there was no save file, the game asked whom you were with at the start of the story. Regardless of your choice, the main plot proceeded similarly. Sometimes, the romantic subplot faded away and the player could switch to another character by the end.
However… that kind of indifference in relationships was only allowed because it was a game. Things wouldn’t be that simple here. You couldn’t just stop dating someone and go back to being friends without any issues. It would be strange if there were no conflicts among the female characters as well.
And now, the dynamics between the characters had drastically changed because of my presence.
…Would things really go as they did in the original? Honestly, hadn’t everything already gone off track? I was not sure how much knowing the original story would help me at this point.
“Sylvia.”
I was thinking about class when Alice, who was sitting next to me, spoke up.
“Yes?”
As soon as I responded, Alice asked without waiting for a pause.
“What are you going to do about the student council?”
…Right. The student council.
I had almost forgotten about it.
Alice had been part of the student council in the original game too.
The student council members were one hundred percent selected by recommendation from the student council president. The president was the only one chosen purely by vote. Of course, the student council president was usually someone with a good reputation, a wide network, or both.
In other words, it was nearly impossible for a commoner to become the student council president. Naturally, there were no commoners in the student council either.
In some ways, this wasn’t much different from the political scene in this country. Most commoners were too busy working to vote. Even if they could, they wouldn’t know who’s who. The Emperor served as the head of the executive branch, so most appointed ministers were nobles. Nobles were also the ones with the money and time to run for parliament and campaign. Though nobles made up a fraction of the population compared to commoners, the voter turnout for nobles was overwhelmingly higher. This political landscape was reflected in the academy attended by their children.
Even if the commoner students wanted to elect a commoner as the student council president… the commoner families that could afford to send their children here were likely to have connections with the nobility. After all, there were two stages of filtering—before and after the entrance exams—that ensure only certain people got in.
In any case, the student council operated in such a way that when a high-ranking noble child enrolled, it was customary for the student council president to recommend them for a council position. However, this wasn’t just a formality. If they accepted, they were genuinely allowed to take on the role. No one was forced into it if they didn’t want to, either.
Alice, whether in the original story or here, would certainly be recommended.
“I haven’t thought about it yet.”
I replied while pulling out my textbook for the first class.
In the original game, joining the student council was optional. However, joining had its perks, such as increasing Alice’s affection gauge, unlocking events and items exclusive to the student council, and most importantly, being a requirement for completing the character card system.
Additionally, joining the student council was treated as a hidden quest. If you wanted the silver medal for completing all quests, joining the council was mandatory. On top of that, raising Alice’s affection also had the subtle benefit of freeing up more action points to increase the affection of other characters during the first playthrough. The rewards for the student council quests were also moderately helpful during the first playthrough.
On the other hand, in the second playthrough, there was little reason to join. The only thing you gained was some extra slice-of-life events and access to the student council room. But with unlimited action points in the second playthrough, it was easy to max out Alice’s affection just by completing her main events.
And here, there was no reason for me to try and earn a platinum medal. This was reality, not a game.
“Really? Should I just go ahead and put your name in as well?”
“…”
But Alice seemed to have a different opinion.
When I stopped moving and turned to stare at her, Alice looked back at me with a questioning gaze.
“What? You don’t want to?”
Alice asked, looking puzzled.
Hmm…
Honestly, I didn’t feel like joining at all.
As you could probably tell from the explanation, the student council at this academy existed as a microcosm of how deeply powerful the noble class was in society—both in the game and outside of it.
When Leo joined, there were events where he was often ignored or looked down upon because he was from a baron’s family. Of course, Alice drove the troublemakers away, reminding them that his title had been personally bestowed by the emperor, but still…
Naturally, as a princess, I wouldn’t be ignored. Sometimes in fantasy novels, there’s talk of “ducal families older than the royal family,” but in this game, the founding of the Empire was practically a mythological event akin to “creation.” At least in this world, there was no name older than Fangriffon.
But even so… I still had no desire to join.
While it was portrayed as a simple quest in the game, the student council involved a lot of actual work.
Not to mention, the other council members would all be high-ranking nobles, and maintaining a diplomatic smile in front of them would be exhausting.
“…You don’t want to?”
Alice asked, her expression softening with a hint of disappointment as she gazed at me.
In the original story, Alice eventually ended up in the student council at some point. But even then, there must have been a moment where she had to make the choice to join. Moreover, Alice never really had close friends among the noble families.
Well, I suppose it didn’t matter.
If things went wrong, I could always just turn back time.
“Fine. Shall we go together after class?”
“Yes, that’s the spirit. You’ll get an invitation anyway, won’t you?”
Alice said with a grin.
She wasn’t wrong. I was sure an invitation would come. It might have already been waiting for me at my dorm room.
“Sylvia!”
Before I could voice my thoughts to Alice, someone interrupted our conversation.
“Hello!”
Of course, it was Claire.
“…”
How should I respond to that?
Truth be told, I wasn’t the type to greet others warmly. The only person I regularly greeted was the Emperor, and even then, it was with formal phrases like, “I hope you are doing well,” or “I am at your service, Your Majesty.” Not exactly the most personable greetings.
It was part of my character’s concept, after all. I rarely needed to greet anyone first. Even when Jaden or Lucas were making noise right next to me, my character would just ignore them. As the Emperor’s child, I wasn’t required to engage in morning pleasantries. More often than not, Alice or the other imperial children would initiate the conversation for me.
Thinking about it, even the first time I introduced myself, it wasn’t with a greeting but by stating my name.
Now, trying to offer a friendly greeting felt awkward. If no one else was around, it might be different. But with Alice, who had been watching me all this time, sitting right next to me, fumbling through it would be embarrassing.
“Uh, hi…?”
I mumbled, trying to get the words out.
Still, I had to appreciate Claire for sticking to her word and not calling me “sister” again.
“Even if you greet her like that multiple times, it won’t make a difference.”
Alice, sitting next to me with her chin propped on her hand, said with an amused smile.
“Sylvia doesn’t respond well to greetings. She rarely initiates them herself.”
Nice, Alice.
That was right. The character I was portraying was a cool beauty. Not a tsundere—there was no chance of me ever becoming sweet or soft—but a cool, elegant type.
Smiling and responding warmly to greetings was something that would happen much later, after I’d come to truly cherish my friends.
Honestly, I already felt some level of affection for them before we even met, and I did care about them in my own way. But they didn’t know that yet. For now, it was important to maintain this cool facade.
Perhaps one day, a moment would come when I’d feel comfortable enough to drop the act.
Maybe, after the final battle, I’d be the one saying things like, “I don’t know what expression to wear in situations like this.”
“R-Really? That’s what it was about?”
Claire, who had been worried that I might dislike her, seemed relieved after hearing Alice’s words, letting out a deep breath.
“Oh my, that would be troubling, wouldn’t it?”
Just as the conversation between us started to settle, yet another voice interjected.
Even without hearing the voice, just from the way the words were spoken, anyone could easily tell who it was—Charlotte.
With her beautiful platinum blonde hair slightly curling at the ends, she took her seat beside Alice with a graceful movement, as if it were a scene from a painting. She placed her student bag, which looked like something out of a Japanese subculture, neatly on the side of the desk and spoke.
“For someone of royal blood, it’s better to have a friendly demeanor. Even those with lower titles are worthy of respect.”
“Hello, Charlotte.”
Alice greeted her casually.
“I hope you have been well, Alice.”
Charlotte responded with an equally light and respectful tone. The scene between the two was quite pleasant to watch.
To be honest, Alice, at least in the first game—well, not the first in the series but the first set in the Aetherna Empire—had always worn a stiff, tense expression through the early part of the story. It seems my efforts to boost confidence in her had paid off.
…Charlotte’s attitude towards me, despite my arrogant behavior in front of her father, was also impressive.
“And also, Sylvia.”
After finishing her greeting to Charlotte, Alice turned her attention back to me.
“Your father sometimes takes the initiative to greet others, doesn’t he? Especially when it comes to dukes of former royal bloodlines.”
Though, of course, he never bows his head. Those dukes were all on the waiting list for purging anyway. Even though it’s been hundreds of years since their kingdoms were absorbed into the Empire, those regions still retain their strong regional identities. They even harbor resentment toward both the capital and the northern territories.
“…I always strive to be polite.”
I replied.
“Just because you’re using formal language doesn’t mean you’re actually being polite…”
Alice sighed deeply at my response.