I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

I had to gather the vacant chairwoman and committee members, so I called everyone who was invited to the party again that day.

“Hey, have you been skipping workouts more often lately?”

And I said that to Nam Da-un, who I ran into.

“No, it’s just… I’ve been busy lately…”

Right. It’s just that various things kept popping up, so I couldn’t make it.

Of course, I’m not saying it’s bad that I have an excuse… but now I’ve built enough stamina to jog around the playground easily, and I didn’t lose when I fought the ball; I even improved to the point where I could tie, but my stamina is still below average.

No, even if we consider average, I was weaker than those three who openly tackled me. Moreover, the physical strength I worked so hard on had no use in my conscious mind.

I managed to get a bit healthier and started eating a little less than the other kids, but… how should I put it… I felt a bit of skepticism now.

I thought, wouldn’t it be fine as long as I don’t gain weight to an ugly extent? Now, I could truly say that there was no one who would physically harm me.

“……”

But I can’t say that in front of Nam Da-un, who was looking down at me.

Even if I couldn’t say it was my will, I was in a position where I was pulled by Ha Neul and Sua to ask for workouts, so it was on us, after all.

I’d have to keep going out to exercise until they were satisfied.

Ah, I really don’t want to.

“… I’ll come after the situation is resolved.”

I said that while subtly avoiding eye contact, and Nam Da-un sighed deeply.

“Yeah, since you’re still lacking in stamina in many areas. Just do a little more and then quit.”

Just how long it meant by “a little more,” and what that completed stamina level was, I had no way of knowing.

I just nodded lightly.

Then I turned my body as if fleeing the scene.

The place where we gathered was, just like last time, the mansion’s lobby. Now, with only Yang Hye-in left as the maid, whatever we talked about here wouldn’t leak out, and above all, I felt comfortable because it was firmly recognized as my home.

The space was wide enough for us to gather.

… Only Yang Hye-in, who had suddenly prepared chairs and tables at my request, must have had a tough time.

I was scared to ask if she did all this by herself, but… no way, right? She must have asked for help from the outsourced staff guarding the place. If she looked like Yang Hye-in, they’d probably have to lend a hand when asked.

… I should probably increase the number of maids soon.

Anyway, looking at the kids sitting in a place prepared with a few tables and simple snacks, it felt like a small banquet was being held.

Of course, they were all in school uniforms.

In works like this, when scenes like these come up, the kids typically sitting there are usually aristocrats or wealthy students… but most of the kids sitting here come from lives that are quite far from that atmosphere. They all seemed a bit nervous, looking around. It seems it was hard to shake off the awkwardness from the last time we gathered.

Should I regularly hold these gatherings?

Let’s just keep that thought for now.
I climbed a few steps of the central staircase leading to the second floor and looked at the audience.

“Alright, attention!”

With a clap, their gazes turned my way.

Nervous, slightly trembling glances. Eyes full of curiosity about what I’d say. And a somewhat indifferent gaze as if they hadn’t intended to come here in the first place yet somehow ended up sitting.

Each student’s face was colored with different emotions. Well, it doesn’t matter. If just a few among them agree to my proposal, it’ll be a success.

“Thank you for gathering on my request. I have something to discuss concerning the student council, so I asked you all to come together.”

A small group of people related to the student council, meaning excluding Ryu Ba-da and a few library committee members, reacted as if they had no idea what I was talking about.

Well, most of the kids here are scholarship students. They’ve faced open discrimination and neglect at school, so it wouldn’t have been easy for them to be involved with the student council. Even if it’s just a ghost organization where names are listed, at least a line gets etched in their records. I wouldn’t be surprised if they said it was just a scheme for their own group.

Still, considering that this student council had people like Son Ah-reum and Ryu Ba-da involved, it seems it was slightly better, but looking at how most of the chairperson ended up transferring due to unbearable pressure, this can’t be considered perfect.

“I will take the vacant position of vice-chairperson in the student council.”

The kids who initially showed no particular interest had sparkled eyes when I said that.

Yeah, of course.

To emphasize again, the kids here are mostly scholarship students.

They work hard to study due to tuition fees… but since they entered as scholarship students from the very beginning, they must have been doing quite well in their previous schools too.

They were kids who were confident about their studies but were only diminished after being neglected here.

Perhaps the reason the ‘wealthy’ students looked down on the scholarship students isn’t solely calculated; there must also be emotional aspects involved. It’s not easy to attain good grades simply by pouring money into it. If someone like me, who doesn’t need to take tests to get average scores, exists, it wouldn’t be possible for teachers at this school to change scores with bribes. There might be some leaks of exam questions, but…

And the scholarship students, regardless of whether the questions are leaked or not, are originally the ones who naturally score well.

The reasons behind looking down on others also include ‘I’m good because I am,’ but also ‘I want to bring the decent ones down.’ There are always people who say things like “That’s just theoretical and has no meaning” or “You could have just moved forward instead of worrying.”

Whether one is richer or more capable, who’s superior is determined by whether I have the power to ‘look down’ on others.

And when I, the leader of this faction, become vice-chairperson, that ‘power to look down’ will emerge.

Moreover, since some of the students must have heard rumors that the student council is in a paralyzed state, they looked eagerly at me.

They’ve been living for months being disregarded. If given a chance to turn the tables, they’d surely welcome it.

Whether that’s a desirable thing or not is another matter.

“Originally, the position of vice-chairperson isn’t that powerful… but… looking at the current situation in the school, you know what I mean, right?”

A light chuckle ran through the audience.

Seeing that they realized I wasn’t calling them out for their faults eased the tense atmosphere slightly. This is a good thing. I don’t want a situation where no one steps forward when I ask for volunteers.

“I’ll probably be the one deciding most of the important positions in the school. Since it has come to this, I’m thinking of selecting people from this gathering. Oh, of course, I’m not looking to become close with you all in just one day. We’ll regularly get together to think about who fits into which position.”

I paused for a moment. Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes.

It’s not that they don’t want to step up; they can’t because they lack power.

… Although I’m not one of them, most of those who ‘intentionally’ came to this school were those type of people. People who want to expand their lives with their capability because they lack the money.

So naturally, when they sense power coming, they won’t just let it sit idle.

“However, while everyone here seems to be loosely tied together, it appears that many of you haven’t even declared your allegiance yet. So today, let’s take our time to get to know each other. Originally, this gathering should have formed much earlier, but I guess last time didn’t allow for such time.”

Originally, without factions or anything, I just wanted to create a group where wealthy students couldn’t look down on others to a significant extent.

But what can I do? The world won’t just leave me be.

Instead, I need to create a solid foundation so I don’t need to exert my strength directly, allowing for a more peaceful school life in the future.

And the student council will become that foundation.

To do that, I need to possess enough power.

So let’s finish all this before the vacation starts.

That was my thought.
…Could that really be as easy as we think?

“……”

With Sara’s words, I looked back at the audience. Everyone was still looking at me. It seemed they thought I still had more to say.

… Well, I wonder, could it really be that easy?

Feeling the eyes of the students gazing at me with strange enthusiasm, I shivered slightly.

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