Episode 156 Presidential Election (6)
The election season has begun. It was originally a big issue that surpassed the Academy. But this election caused an even bigger stir.
“The rumor that the mock exam we had with the class last time was to choose a student body president candidate from among the first-year students was true!”
“Wow, this is crazy. I wonder what’s going to happen this year in this conservative Academy?”
Two first-year cadets running for election! It was an unprecedented event in the history of the Academy.
However, there was one strange thing. For some reason, it jumped over the symbols <3>, <4>, and <5>.
<1>, <2>, <6>, <7>. The candidate numbers were like this.
Why? There were unknown circumstances involved, but the cadets didn’t care. What’s the big deal? In the face of a breakthrough, small things tend to get buried.
The more unusual and novel something was, the more excited the teenagers were. They were happy to be given new gossip.
A permanent poster displayed in the center of the hallway of the faculty building.
== ==
Number 6, Leon Van Reinhardt
– An Academy of the Cadets, by the Cadets, for the Cadets –
== ==
A handsome man with cool features and blazing blond hair. Even though it’s an ID photo, there’s no separate frame.
“Wow, Leon is getting more and more handsome by the day. He really deserves the title of face genius.”
“Is that all? He’s already a hero who’s been chosen as the next warrior. If it weren’t for someone like him, who would sit in the chairman’s seat?”
The female students stared at the election posters as if they were possessed. The male students frowned. They muttered in discontent.
“Oh, you idiots. If someone is a little handsome, you go, “Hell, hell~”. I told you, you vote for them just by looking at their faces. Of course, elections are about looking at the policies and pledges they put forward. Anyway, these guys don’t know politics, politics. And what’s that campaign slogan? ‘Of the cadets, by the cadets, for the cadets.’ It’s just abstract, and you don’t know what it means.”
“That’s what I’m saying. What does being the next hero have to do with being the student council president? It’s just a word of advice. If you’re going to vote for Leon, you might as well vote for him.”
The male cadet with his arms crossed gestured to another election poster. The cadets nearby looked over at poster number 6.
== ==
Number 7, Kanggeomma.
– gap –
== ==
“… … .”
Even though it was broad daylight, the shadows on the election poster were thick. My eyes met with the person on the poster. A chill ran down my skin. If I had seen this picture at night, my pants would have turned yellow.
Yes, that’s the impression. What’s that election slogan? The male student scanned the three posters lined up in front.
Although it was ceremonial –
Blank. Just two letters stuck in there. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to leave it blank? Since it says blank, does that mean it’s blank?
My mind was in disarray. I couldn’t figure out what he meant. But… why did I strangely feel like I believed him?
The male student was lost in thought. And he came to his own conclusion.
Rather than say something good, I’d rather not say anything at all. That’s what I thought it meant. The person in the poster was Kang Geum-ma.
also-
“Sashimi faster than words”
―It was a comment that accurately captured Kanggeomma’s personality in portals and other places. He spoke with his sword first, not his mouth.
At first I thought it was some kind of nonsense.
Moreover, the weapon is sashimi. As if to emphasize that a master does not blame his equipment, he often used Daiso sashimi knives. That was the romantic point.
The male student stopped thinking and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He made up his mind on how to cast his vote.
What if there were no such thing as stationery? I decided to give him strength as he walks the path of a real man.
* * *
“Hey! Ganggeomma! Are you crazy!? Who would write an election slogan like this? It’s already impossible to campaign because the school rules have changed!”
Ryozo shouted. Her index finger was outstretched, pointing to the election posters she had been handed out. She continued to speak, grumbling.
“No, if that’s the case, then just leave it blank. What’s a blank, a blank! Don’t you know that people’s hearts are swayed by such trivial things?”
Weapon intervened. Saki glared at him. Her pupils were long and vertical, like those of an angry stray cat.
“S, S, Saki. Calm down. You’re the manager. You must have some kind of winning strategy hidden inside. Right, manager?”
Weapon suddenly turned to me. His gaze was desperate, as if telling me to hurry up and say something. But I shook my head.
“I didn’t think much of it?”
“Chief!”
This time, the weapon shouted loudly. As expected, the weapon was fun to tease. The impact was excellent.
I added with a small smile.
“I’m just joking. I think it’s better to just leave out all the flashy words.”
I worked at a sushi restaurant in my previous life and dealt with politicians. One of them was a five-term congressman who said something while slightly drunk.
… … .
– ■■, you. Do you know what the easiest way for our politicians to win votes is?
The five-term congressman said, pounding his reddened chest.
– Honesty, honesty! Those thugs who see the people as pigs and dogs will be finished in the first line. But if you don’t lie, they will eventually find out.
It felt really strange to hear the word pig and dog coming out of a politician’s mouth.
– Remember this! It’s better to say nothing than to lie. Stay silent and you’re halfway there. Has the old sage ever been wrong? ■■, you’re at the top of your field like me, so don’t you know that?
‘Are you and I the same? I’m just a cook.’
– Oh, you. If you are too humble, you will end up looking arrogant. ‘The best swordsman in the country’, did you think I didn’t know that title? I heard you are a well-known swordsman in this world.
‘… Even if you take me on a plane, there is no service.’
– Haha, don’t worry. You’re getting to taste the best craftsmanship in the country, so why should you be saving money?
A few days later, I saw the congressman on the news, drop-kicking another congressman.
It’s good to be honest, but it’s also a problem if you’re too consistent.
… … .
“… No, but that’s true. What else is there to write in the blank space? Wouldn’t it have been better to just leave it blank?”
Weapon said with a calm expression.
“Oh, that was a mistake. They told me to write something. They said they wouldn’t accept a blank sheet of paper. So I just wrote a blank sheet of paper. I thought they would erase it. But I didn’t know that it would end up on the election poster.”
“… … .”
Weapon lowered his head and covered his forehead. He stopped himself from saying something. He didn’t sense any falsehood in the words of the chief.
It was already spilled milk. It was a waste of time to pick it up. Quick action was important.
“Saki, you made an early voting app a while ago, right? What are the approval ratings for the other candidates at the moment?”
Saki replied, tapping away at her laptop. Her fingers moved dazzlingly on the keyboard.
“Senior Kim Woo-jin is in first place with 23%, Senior Den is in first place with 8%, and Leon is in first place with 35%.”
“Leon’s approval rating is much higher than we expected. What’s the trend? Do you think things will change a bit?”
Saki shook her head.
“I think it will probably continue like this until election day. Even if there is a margin of error, it would be around 3-4%? I think the seniors are not doing as well as I thought… … That must mean Leon’s popularity is unrivaled.”
“Leon, what about that guy, does he live his life alone? He’s the main character, really… … .”
Weapon grumbled. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. He sighed and scratched his head.
“Well, it’s a children’s election after all, so it’s a popularity vote. First of all, if you add up the approval ratings of the three people, it’s 66%, so our manager… … .”
At that moment, a current flashed through Weapon’s mind. He instinctively raised his head. He looked at Saki.
She also happened to be looking at the weapon at that moment. The two of them muttered together as if they had made a promise.
““34%?””
* * *
… Time continued to pass like that, and before we knew it, it was the day before the election.
Morning, Star class.
Abel stared blankly out the window, his chin resting on his hand. It had been a series of cloudy days throughout the election season. This year, there was no cloudless autumn sky.
Moreover, the clouds were heavier than usual today. Gray masses moved slowly. It seemed as if thunder would strike at any moment.
“The weather is not so good this fall… … .”
In the meantime, the loud noises of the female students screaming pierced my ears.
Abel’s eyebrows arched. She turned her head. At the center of the noise was Leon Van Reinhardt.
‘There it goes again.’
It’s always been like this, but it’s gotten particularly worse recently. It’s because of the upcoming presidential election.
Leon’s approval rating was overwhelming. He easily beat out the two current student council seniors. He was practically certain to become the next president.
‘Why do they do that to him? I don’t understand… … .’
The moment I tried to take my eyes off Leon, who was surrounded by women.
“Wow!”
Someone grabbed Abel’s shoulder. There was a small shiver. Abel’s reaction was lukewarm. Instead, she glared at him.
“Rachel.”
Abel’s cold voice. Rachel took her hand away with a start. She laughed awkwardly.
“It’s just a joke, just a joke. Don’t look so scared.”
“ha.”
Abel let out a deep sigh. He had gotten used to it after doing this several times a day.
Rachel quickly sat down next to me.
“Abel, who will you vote for in the election?”
“Don’t you know the three principles of elections? They are equal, direct, and secret, so who would ask who to vote for…?”
“Hey, what’s going on between us!”
What’s going on? Rachel kept chattering away.
“Then how about this? One, two, three, and say them at the same time.”
“no.”
Abel replied immediately. He didn’t want to get caught up in Rachel’s pace. He had to break it off here.
“Hmm, I see~”
Rachel gave a strange snort. She shrugged her shoulders, pretending to understand.
“Bona Mana Number 7! Strong sword… … Huff!”
Both hands covered Rachel’s mouth. The sound of “uh-uh!” was the only sound that came out through her fingers. Rachel’s face turned bright red.
Was Abel’s grip this strong? It was suffocating. Only when Rachel’s struggling subsided did Abel relax his grip.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Rachel coughed thickly. Her eyes were moist. She wiped her wet eyes.
Abel shook his hand absentmindedly as if nothing had happened. Rachel didn’t ask any more questions.
Kururung…
The dark clouds began to shake, and a loud noise began to ring out from the sky.
“Why is the weather like this all of a sudden? It’s been cloudy for a few days, but what’s with the thunder… .”
Rachel muttered. Abel also looked up at the sky beyond the window.
It was a cloudy day for a day or two, but this time it was a bit strange, as if it wasn’t a natural anomaly but some force was at work.
Phew.
The cold wind knocked fiercely against the window. The glass vibrated as if it would break. The darkness of the sky was growing deeper in real time.
‘This is definitely… … .’
A chill ran down the back of my neck. It wasn’t just a natural whim. It was definitely some kind of omen. Such ominous thoughts lingered in my mind.
Abel looked around. The other cadets were busy surrounding Leon. Rachel was the only one who was still sane.
Abel asked.
“Rachel, doesn’t this look familiar?”
“huh…….”
Rachel nodded and looked out the window. She said, drooling.
“It seems similar to that time, the deserted island survival training.”
That was when.
-Qua
-class
-Over-over-over-over!
