Chapter 70: Someone's Going to Step in It "I'm looking to join the Red Team."
I walked into the second-year classroom where the Red Team leader was and flashed a smile. The upperclassman in front of me blushed and pointed toward where Scarlet was sitting.
Kuu— Scarlet.
Perhaps because she occupied the "respected senior heroine" position, even her posture while sitting and reading a book was perfectly straight and flawless.
A black-haired beauty who excelled in both literary and martial arts—the model student.
In many ways, you could call her a slightly nerfed female version of Akito.
It wasn't that Scarlet was lacking; it was just that Akito was too overpowered as the protagonist. Much like Yukina, she had a well-rounded "hexagon" of stats with no weaknesses, and her unique trait provided a party buff, making her a very useful heroine to have.
Her character was the quintessential high-achieving student council president type who could do everything.
Personally, I think wearing a wide headband with neat, long hair is a look even celebrities struggle to pull off unless it's for a concept photoshoot, but Scarlet made it look natural.
"Hello, I'm Seo Yeon-woo from Class 1-A."
Scarlet, who was always helpful, gentle, and unable to tolerate injustice, looked up from her book and gave me a smi—
Wait, why the look of annoyance?
Her expression was mostly blank, save for a slight furrow of her brow, but this was a character who was supposed to radiate hope and respect to everyone around her with a soft smile.
For a character like her to lose her expression entirely meant she hated my guts.
Come on, love me like you love Akito. I haven't even done anything to you seniors, so why the hate?
Did Shiori and the Samurai get to her first and talk trash behind my back? I heard they followed Akito to Blue Lagoon.
"Ah... so you're Seo Yeon-woo. Nice to meet you. I'm Scarlet Elfrixon."
"Yes, I've heard a lot about you. You're even more beautiful in person."
"Oh... thanks..."
Was complimenting her looks too forward?
In the game, when Akito complimented her by saying, "It's because you're cute, Senior," she would blush brightly as if hearing it for the first time and stammer, "M-me? No... I'm just ordinary..." Where did that Scarlet go?
Seeing her expression harden, I quickly changed the subject.
"I came because I want to join the Red Team."
"Huh? You want to join our team?"
What was with this temperature difference between how she treated Akito and me?
Hey, if you keep acting so displeased, I'm going to get annoyed too.
In the game, Scarlet was the type to boost everyone's morale, saying she'd gained a thousand-strong army no matter who joined. And it wasn't just lip service for Akito; she was a natural-born leader who gave fair and encouraging words to everyone. So why was she discriminating against me?
There was definitely a faction out to get me.
Was it Shiori? The Samurai? Or what was his name—Clyde? Cloud? Did the Black Team leader spread rumors about me?
Scarlet looked away, appearing slightly flustered as she searched for words.
"If someone's been talking about me, it's all nonsense, so don't believe it."
"Huh? I've only heard the teachers praising you..."
"Oh, well, that's not nonsense, so you can believe that."
Then what was the problem?
Her anxious demeanor made it look like she was just searching for an excuse to kick me out. And as much as I liked Scarlet, it was hard to stomach being treated like a nuisance and being so openly disliked.
"If you don't want to take me, you don't have to."
"Eh? No, it's not that... Uh, you said Class A? The application is..."
"It's fine. I don't really want to be somewhere I'm not wanted. It's better for both of us, right?"
Seeing her fumble unlike her usual self, her entire body language screaming rejection, I gave a nod and a smile before turning around.
I heard Scarlet's voice calling after me as I left the room, but I pretended not to hear and walked out.
Why did I do that...?
After sending Yeon-woo away, Scarlet was deeply shocked as she reflected on her behavior.
She loved people.
She loved seeing people smile, seeing them happy, and seeing the world change through good deeds. Even if someone was a villain others cursed, she would first try to understand their heart. Scarlet was fundamentally a person who believed in and empathized with others.
"Hello, I'm Seo Yeon-woo from Class 1-A."
When she had looked up at the sound of that attractive, mid-range voice, Scarlet had been thrown into a state of confusion by an emotion she had never felt before.
Being naturally kind-hearted, this was the first time Scarlet had ever felt such visceral revulsion toward another person.
The moment she locked eyes with the handsome boy, a wave of unpleasantness dominated her mind—a feeling she had never experienced in her life. The surging malice was something that should have been impossible for someone like Scarlet.
Seo Yeon-woo, the student the teachers couldn't stop praising.
In the first year, the names Akito, Shizuka, and Yeon-woo were frequently heard even by the second-year students.
In fact, August, the advisor for her club, evaluated Yeon-woo even more highly than Akito.
'Seo Yeon-woo. That student is incredibly smart. Moreover, he has the social savvy to swallow his pride when necessary. Usually, when someone has talent, they tend to become stiff or arrogant in some way... but the fact that he can easily discard his pride or his own will depending on the need is what's truly terrifying about him. Out of the three currently famous students, he's the one I'd least want as an enemy.'
Seo Yeon-woo was someone so formidable that August—one of the mages she respected most—said he wouldn't want him as an enemy.
Scarlet, who felt a sense of responsibility for the Red Team in a different way than Clyde of the Black Team, had thought it would be great if he joined.
However, the moment she actually saw him, the malice rising through her confused mind warned her that she must not let him into the Red Team.
Anger, loathing, discomfort, annoyance, contempt—
Faced with such powerful negative emotions for the first time, she was seized by a sense of horror, as if her body had been taken over by a stranger. That horror was projected entirely onto the handsome man before her.
Every time Yeon-woo spoke with a smile, Scarlet's body trembled. And at the end, when he saw right through her fumbling state and gave a cold smile before saying it was fine, her heart sank.
"What's wrong? Are there bad rumors about him?"
Seeing her act so out of character, a close friend asked with a tilted head.
If it were the Scarlet her friend knew, even if she were to reject someone, she wouldn't have hurt them like that. If there was something she didn't like, she would have addressed it on the spot, speaking skillfully and tactfully. Scarlet's behavior was strange enough to make even her friend question it.
"I'm scared..."
Terrified of the loathing she felt toward Yeon-woo, the usually confident Scarlet vanished, and she whispered like a frightened girl.
And as her friend watched this, she misunderstood Yeon-woo's involvement, and bad rumors began to spread among the upperclassmen.
Forget it. I'm not doing it. This is ridiculous.
I want to live in a world where Extras aren't discriminated against. If it were Akito, Scarlet would be hugging him and pampering him by now.
What exactly was the problem? I was supposed to be in the "beloved junior" position with the seniors.
Now the only one left was White Rim.
To think Akito would choose Blue Lagoon.
A combination of the reckless Park Yu-jeong and the protagonist Akito... terrifying. I have to avoid any match where those two appear together.
There was a lot to gain from Red... well, this is reality, not a game, so I should be able to grab what I need with some flexibility. What does the team matter? I'll just join anywhere.
"No."
"Why? I'm handsome."
"I just don't like you."
Mer, the leader of White Rim, rejected me with an expressionless face.
Damn it, did Clyde really do something?
Mer, who had ash-gray hair falling to her shoulders and a monochromatic personality to match her lack of expression, simply ignored me after her rejection and continued eating.
"Wait, can you really decide on team members like that?"
"Yes. I'm the leader."
"Why don't you like me? I'm handsome."
"I just... don't. Don't come."
"...Fine, I don't like you either, Senior! You're just a background character with no presence anyway! I hate you!"
Feeling hurt, I acted like a child and stomped away.
Wow—so does that mean only Black is left?
After I told Clyde to his face that I didn't want to join his team?
Um... Senior Clyde. I finally understand how you felt back then. I was very rude, wasn't I?
... ...
Aaaaah! No way! I don't want to be under that arrogant prick.
The Black Team is already packed with his sycophants; it's enough to give me cancer. When I first played the game and joined the Black Team without thinking, I felt like vomiting every time an event triggered, to the point where I started a new save.
But if I join the Blue Team, I'll have to watch Akito pick up all the heroines in real-time...
Sigh.
And so, time passed without me picking a team, and I ended up in the group of unselected leftovers.
"So these are all the students who haven't decided yet."
"Excuse me, I have a question."
When I raised my hand toward August, who had gathered all the leftovers to finalize the teams, he looked at me with curiosity.
"...Why are you here?"
"Because I haven't picked a team... I assume?"
"Why?"
"I know, right? I'm curious too."
Those who hadn't decided on a team by now had to be assigned here and now. There were about twenty people gathered for various reasons: some lacked motivation, some had messed up while trying to switch teams and missed the deadline, and some, like me, were here due to complicated circumstances.
"So, what is your question?"
"What if... it's not that I didn't pick, but that I was rejected?"
"You should have behaved better in your daily life."
"...I wasn't asking for a critique of my character."
I was supposed to be the beloved junior! Stop slandering me!
August looked at me with a calm gaze and placed a lottery box in front of us.
"First, the team leaders will choose who they want to take. Regardless, everyone must belong to a team, so if you aren't chosen, you'll have to leave it to luck."
I didn't know there was a "leftover rescue policy" since Akito always had to pick a team by default due to the system.
The seniors acting as team leaders stepped forward.
I had poked around the Black Team, but Clyde had rejected me too—I must have really made a bad impression. I had nowhere to go.
"Yeon-woo, why didn't you come to me?"
Willas, the leader of Blue Lagoon—the only one I hadn't approached and who had expressed interest—looked at me with regret the moment he saw me.
Because Akito and Park Yu-jeong are there.
And don't call out to me so longingly when you're built like a tank. It's creepy and gives off gay vibes.
Despite everything, Blue Lagoon wasn't bad. Willas was a good guy, even if his rough appearance and warm personality were a bit of a mismatch, and the team had many unique characters, making it fun. Plus, I could obtain some decent magic there.
"I'll choose Yeon-woo."
"I refuse."
"Why?!"
"Willas, follow the order."
"Ah, sorry."
August stopped Willas with a calm voice, and each team began picking members one by one.
It was actually kind of fun, like a sports draft.
But it's only fun if you get picked; for a rejected rookie, it's hell.
"Regretting it now?"
Clyde sneered at me and picked a boy.
Regret, my ass. I'm still glad I'm not on your team.
Scarlet stepped forward and began a pleasant speech about doing our best together, but her complexion paled the moment our eyes met.
Now she was actually recoiling in horror.
At this point, I was starting to wonder if I'd done something to her without realizing it.
"I don't like you."
"I don't like you either, Senior. Just pick me."
"No."
Mer went out of her way to throw a rejection at me before picking another first-year.
Willas, of course, tried to pick me, and when I refused, he looked devastated and picked someone who looked like an upperclassman instead.
"That seems to be most of it. The remaining six will be assigned to teams by lottery."
None of the four teams had filled their rosters yet.
Under August's gaze, I stepped forward and reached into the lottery box.
"Do you have anything to say to the team leaders?"
"Yes. I have a ton, but I only get one sentence, right?"
"Keep it short."
As I rummaged through the few remaining slips in the box, I made eye contact with the leaders.
"You know what? One of you has to take me. Just so you know... someone's going to step in deep shit today."
"I'd welcome it!"
When I announced that I was going to cause a mess, all the leaders except Willas looked disgusted.
Please, anyone but Blue Lagoon.
"Ah..."
Seeing the small red tag in my hand, Scarlet looked utterly despondent and hung her head.
Did you hate it that much? I'll make sure you hate me even more from now on.
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