Academy Retirement Diary of the Student Council President

"Sea, did you just come in from outside?"

‘Judging by the timing of her words, did she just arrive?’

Assuming she arrived earlier than I expected... Lee Seol-hwa, having figured out the whole truth, would have fired ice magic straight at my face by now. I thought there were no CCTVs in the lab, but unfortunately, looking up now, I see one working just fine.

Turning my head slightly to look behind Yun Sea, I could see messy, scattered pieces of flesh that hadn't been cleaned up yet. Behind her, a white-haired middle-aged woman was covering her mouth and staring at me.

Seeing her face, I knew instinctively.

‘So that's what she looks like. Yun Sea's birth mother.’

That person is Yun Sea's biological mother, who wasn't detailed much even in the original work.

Thanks to Yun Sea's memories flowing into me, I know it very well.

Yun Seong-ho, who had plenty of wealth due to Potion patents but was considered merely a rich commoner, not from a prestigious family.

Madam Kim Gyeoul, thought to be an ability user from a fallen prestigious family... but whose insignificant abilities quickly demoted her from the family's hope to a daughter for a strategic marriage.

The meeting of these two was fateful.

Their marriage took place immediately, filling the Kim family's lack of funds. Yun Seong-ho joined the Kim family, and it seemed like it would be a simple win-win relationship...

Unfortunately, the big problem was that the Kim family only saw Yun Seong-ho as a rich commoner.

‘It was truly disgusting how, as soon as Yun Seong-ho's Yuseong Group became a conglomerate so renowned it made the Kim family seem utterly insignificant, her family immediately started demanding he discard Madam Kim Gyeoul and marry another child.’

I can feel their disgusting intention to latch onto him like leeches even from here.

Yun Seong-ho did refuse the offer, having seen through the Kim family's dark intentions to control the Yuseong Group... but the problem came next.

Blinded by jealousy, the Kim family started picking fights inall sorts of ways, claiming Madam Kim Gyeoul couldn't observe dining etiquette whenever she appeared at official events... or giving her the wrong dress code to humiliate her when she arrived at parties.

Critically, they began to mentally wear down Madam Kim Gyeoul by broadcasting infidelity scandals using the broadcasting station owned by the family. This seemed to be the fatal blow, as Madam Kim Gyeoul developed a severe misanthropy and started living like a shut-in, confined to her room.

‘And the starting point of those infidelity scandals was me.’

The reason was simple. While the entire family, including Yun Seong-ho, had white hair and blue eyes, I alone did not.

Based on that, the Kim family mass-produced infidelity scandals, and thanks to them, Madam Kim Gyeoul just stayed cooped up in her room like a hikikomori, passively watching whatever happened to me... something like that.

‘That person has her own story... but at least from Yun Sea's perspective, she's not someone to just let go.’

Hmm, the talk about Madam Kim Gyeoul seems to have gone on too long... Anyway, after having that thought just now, what happened was this.

"Untie me right now."

"No. You have to at least tell me what happened here."

I'm currently being interrogated by Lee Seol-hwa while completely bound.

I thought she had just arrived since she didn't immediately blast me with ice magic, but it's quite disappointing to have fallen for her trap.

...

...

...

‘I'm trapped in ice, but I don't feel like I'm getting frostbite or anything.’

While she used weak ice to avoid injuring me, the overwhelming difference in power is such that she subdued me, who was resisting with all my might, using just three fingers.

‘Yun Seong-ho was C-Rank, so he was easy to beat, but how am I supposed to win against Lee Seol-hwa, who's at the top of A-Rank? If I beat Lee Seol-hwa, who's called the next S-Rank at this age, then I'd be the next S-Rank.’

Even if I wanted to use the effect of the [Eye of Suggestion], I've never used its effect against someone with similar Mana to mine, so I can't guarantee success.

With Psychokinesis whose limits I haven't even tested and a pistol out of bullets, there's no way I can beat Lee Seol-hwa.

‘Why did she really come here?’

I should have dealt with Madam Kim Gyeoul before killing all the researchers.

".......It's quite pathetic how you only crawl out now that your life is in danger, Mother."

"......!"

This is problematic... but the fact that something has gone perfectly wrong just annoys me.

To the point where even Yun Sea's usual way of speaking breaks down.

If she had just stayed cooped up in her room, everything would have ended perfectly.

"Sea, what are you saying to your paren—......"

"Be quiet. I told you never to appear before my eyes again."

Thanks to that earlier statement, Lee Seol-hwa can't seem to press me further either.

‘Yun Sea, I don't know how you really feel about these people.’

Yun Sea is so soft-hearted that even while brainwashed, she willingly sacrificed her life to save the world to protect her cute juniors. In this situation, even if Yun Sea returned, if Lee Seol-hwa and Madam Kim Gyeoul sincerely apologized....... she would probably accept their apology.

‘But, unfortunately, I can't hear your voice.’

That time, the self-hypnosis she cast on me like an oath in front of the mirror.

She muttered in front of the mirror, asking me to take care of things.

‘If I leave this world, will you return to the empty body? Or will you disappear like vapor, or be forgotten?’

The latter is probably more likely. Back then, Yun Sea reflected in the mirror turned to dust and disappeared.

‘In that case....... I think I need to be a little selfish, Yun Sea.’

She should have just laughed happily with the Protagonist and fought the Final Boss. The price for obsessing over a mob extra like me... I will make her pay it all.

"Haa...... If you want to know the truth about the incident..... I killed them. I trapped those people inside a transparent barrier made of psychokinesis. Then I hypnotized them to see each other as enemies, making them shoot each other dead. Still, since they were former Heroes, I blew them up spectacularly with a bomb."

".........!!!!"

As I stated the plain facts, Lee Seol-hwa and Madam Kim Gyeoul couldn't hide their bewildered expressions, their eyes trembling visibly.

"Why the reaction? Those trash are the scumbags who subjected my body to all sorts of biological torture along with Yun Seong-ho during my childhood. It was only natural to kill them."

Even when I kindly explained the circumstances like this, the intensity of the ice binding me only increased. Lee Seol-hwa couldn't say anything.

"And..... well, Chairman Yun Seong-ho fell off a cliff and died. The world will probably know it as 'Chairman Yun Seong-ho, who brought a revolution to the pharmaceutical world, tragically fell off a cliff due to sudden unintended acceleration during a late-night drive....' The reality is, he died without even feeling all the pain I suffered."

"........."

Crackle-creak...!

The ice's intensity grows stronger, along with the very dangerous sign of sensation fading from my limbs. My intuition screamed that I needed to quickly shake Lee Seol-hwa's mental state.

"What's wrong? A Hero like you would have carried out summary execution long ago on an evil person like me who killed a blood-related family member, even if estranged."

"Be quiet...."

"Don't tell me, are you trying to atone for the childhood abuse now?"

"Please, be quiet....!"

Crack-creak...!

'.........!'

Instantly, the ice binding my body rose up to my chin.

‘This is dangerous.’

I can't even lift a finger.

I knew well that Lee Seol-hwa had no intention of killing me... but if things continue like this, I'll go straight to prison.

The chance to even help the Protagonist will disappear.

‘It's fortunate that Psychokinesis is an ability I can use without moving my hands.’

But, can I break this ice.......

‘It doesn't seem like ice meant to kill, so it's worth a gamble.’

"Hypocrite, what's the difference between you and Yun Seong-ho?"

"..........!!"

Now is the time. Now that Lee Seol-hwa's mental state is severely cracked. This is the only chance I have to break free from this ice restraint.

Quickly focusing my mind, I deployed a powerful psychokinetic barrier around my body.

Crash!

Then, Lee Seol-hwa's ice shattered powerlessly.

"Sea, I really.....!"

Startled, Lee Seol-hwa thought I was aiming for Madam Kim Gyeoul and instantly flew behind her, taking a protective stance. Unfortunately, my target wasn't her.

Click!

A pistol was suddenly in my hand.

As I slowly started to leave the lab and head towards the house, Lee Seol-hwa shouted, asking what I was doing, but it wasn't particularly important.

Bang, Bang!

I shot the frozen part near the entrance door to break it. Breaking it that much should allow me to open it normally by hand.

Crack-creeeak...!!

‘Ah, I should have just taken Madam Kim Gyeoul and left.’

Lee Seol-hwa blocked the instantly frozen laboratory entrance.

Of course, she'd be dumbfounded. Even from my perspective, this was a considerably insane gamble.

"You, that magic circle is....."

Unfortunately, there was a way to ensure victory on my side... though.

"It's a magic circle set to crush my head instantly if my body is completely restrained or suppressed."

As I revealed the magic circle's identity, Lee Seol-hwa froze on the spot.

"Whatever you do, the magic circle's activation speed is faster. To stop me, you'll have to end my life, Ms. Lee Seol-hwa."

"Sea, you really....!"

"I know how you got here. The fact that you've lived with guilt towards Mother and me ever since the moment you felt disgusted and ran away from home."

"Okay, I get it, so first undo that magic cir—....."

"You must have been happy thinking you could atone, right? Even though you ran away like a coward, doing nothing when I was experimented on as a child. Oh, but that person didn't resent you. She thought you ran away because of me."

As I said that, the eyes of Madam Kim Gyeoul, watching me from afar, also began to waver.

"Instead of resenting the family that created scandals just because her hair and eye color were different, she cursed her only daughter. Even at the moment she was subjected to torture-like abuse by the one called her older sister right before her eyes, what kind of mother hides in her room like a coward?"

"N-no. Sea...."

"Shut up! Because of your damn attitude, I (Yun Sea) was forcibly implanted with monster blood, corpses, body parts, and even monster eyes by that bastard Yun Seong-ho!!"

As I said that, activating the [Eye of Suggestion] as if to show it had been overused, with bloody tears streaming down, the two looked completely mentally broken.

‘Good, the strength of the ice on the door has weakened too.’

I can break through that with psychokinesis.

"Well, the experiments Yun Seong-ho conducted were extremely secret anyway... and thanks to this Magic Eye, I was able to kill Chairman Yun Seong-ho, so let's overlook the human experimentation matter... You two, if you want to atone that badly..... I'll give you a chance."

"......."

At my words, the two silently stared intently at me.

"Give up the inheritance. And then, whether you play the hero of justice... or hole up in your room like a shut-in, do whatever you want, just don't appear before me again."

"Th-that's...."

"Stabbing me with every possible wound, and now reaching out a hand asking for reconciliation. It's truly disgusting and filthy."

"........I will do as you wish, if that's what you want."

It was essentially a very rude statement telling her to hand over the inheritance and get lost... but Madam Kim Gyeoul weakly uttered her agreement before fainting and collapsing.

"Mom!"

Naturally, Lee Seol-hwa also flew to catch the falling Madam Kim Gyeoul, and in that interval, I opened the lab door, finishing my preparations to enter the house.

"And, including this underground lab.... today's events never happened, okay?"

Slaaaam!

Right after I said that and closed the iron door, a text message arrived from Mr. Deokbae.

[010-1256-1257]

[Young Miss, it's Deokbae. Miss Seol-hwa and Madam Kim left without any particular action, but....]

‘Ah, Deokbae.’

[010-1256-1257]

[I think I'm going to freeze to death, Young Miss]

Come to think of it, Mr. Deokbae's legs were frozen earlier too.

I quickly thawed his legs, briefly explained what needed to be done going forward, and sent him home.

Since Mr. Deokbae was Yun Seong-ho's personal secretary, he received a high salary, and Yun Seong-ho even issued him a resident registration card, so he was no longer a nameless orphan but a proper citizen of the Republic of Korea.

‘Anyway, it seems Lee Seol-hwa really feels very sorry towards Yun Sea.’

If it were me, I would have turned her into frozen meat and rocket-shipped her to prison long ago. She must be suffering considerably from guilt.

‘She doesn't suit me. Yun Sea, maybe, but not me.’

However, Yun Sea is no longer here.

Only I, the player who played the game, remain.

Tap, Tap-tap!

Using Yun Seong-ho's fingerprint, I had already secured all the data from his smartphone.

The history of being threatened by most guilds, including the Spiral Guild, information about hiring unheard-of mercenary guilds to send assassins after competitors, and the ugly underside of the Yuseong Group, which I thought was just a large corporation.

"So then...... with these secret ledgers, what shall we do~♪"

...

...

...

And, the next day.

[Yuseong Group Chairman Yun Seong-ho, Falls Off Cliff Due to Sudden Vehicle Acceleration]

[Stock Price of Foreign Car Company Used by Chairman Yun Seong-ho Drops 18%, Expected to Continue Falling]

[Kim Deokbae Becomes Interim Chairman, Filling the Void Left by Chairman Yun Seong-ho's Death]

[Kim Family, "Naturally, Since a Member of Our Family Died, Someone from Our Kim Family, Not an Outsider, Should Take the Yuseong Chairman Position"]

[Interim Chairman Kim Deokbae to Hold Emergency Press Conference on December 30th After Three-Day Funeral]

The world was in an uproar over Yun Seong-ho's death.