I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“So this is the list you made…?”

As I handed over the list, the Chairwoman let out a sound that seemed to choke her.

“It’s not that I made it, it’s just the list for this time.”

Of course, the list was packed with the committee members and chairs I recommended. They were all kids invited to my birthday party. There were quite a few empty spots, so you could say it practically devoured the entire Student Council.

It’s no wonder the Chairwoman was freaking out like that.

“……”

She placed the list she was holding on the desk, rubbed her face, and let out a deep sigh.

“Um… you know there are other grades among the student council members, right?”

She asked as she removed her hands from her face. The glasses that had been pushed up to her forehead slipped back down and perched upon her nose. She seemed so overwhelmed that she didn’t even think to straighten her slightly crooked glasses.

“I know.”

That’s why I mixed in the upper grades even if it was just a handful.

Of course, it wasn’t a lot. Since the invitation circulated among the students in this school, it’s quite rare for a different grade or gender to mix in. At most, you’d have exceptions like the Library Committee Member Ryu Ba-da, or the siblings of the kids who received invitations, going to the same school… It was about that level.

Naturally, I expected backlash, hence the list I provided.

No, I suppose making them rebel was the real purpose.

I mean, the Student Council, which hasn’t been able to function properly until now, getting all worked up just because a few commoners got involved? That’s hilarious.

“Well, there are still third-year members…”

“Tell them to focus on their entrance exams.”

Those students will be in exam mode after the summer vacation anyway. No matter how rich they are, they have to at least pretend to study during exam season. Unlike the school tests, the college entrance exams can’t just be hidden away carelessly.

“Weren’t most of them transferred?”

“That’s true among the committee members. There are plenty who still attend this school among the grades above you, even if those transferred sisters are many.”

Which means that, no matter what the committee members say, an upperclassman who isn’t a committee member could very well ignore them.

“If there’s a student who openly rebels, just say I created this list. If they have complaints, they can come and ask me directly. Oh, and if any upper-grade scholarship students want to meet with me, you can send them my way.”

At this point, no one will stand up for this school out of a sense of justice. If they’re scholarship students from other grades, it means they endured the first year and moved up.

I don’t think of other grades as inherently normal. It’s just that those who ignored me or those who are bullies are probably the same as those who looked down on the scholarship students and used them like servants.

I have no sympathy for anyone who suffers a disadvantage.

“You really plan to take over this school, huh…”

“Who’s absorbing what?”

I sighed deeply as I said that.

“I just want to have a comfortable school life here.”

“……Really?”

The Chairwoman looked at the list I gave her with an expression of disbelief.

What.

Why.

What.

Those kids will make my school days enjoyable, so what’s the problem?

Yeah, I know there’s still a bit left to do in the future. But once this Student Council is established, there won’t be much for me to handle anymore. I can just step back and monitor whether the Chairwoman is acting foolishly or not, checking periodically to see if everything is running smoothly.

How perfect is this plan?

Well, there isn’t really a plan, but…

“Anyway, you’ll agree to set it up according to this list, right? By the way, the remaining two chairs agree.”

As I turned to look back, Son Ah-reum nodded vigorously.

Ryu Ba-da stared blankly for a moment, then quickly realized what I said and nodded as well.

“Since all the chairs agree, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“……Yeah. If that’s really your thinking.”

The Chairwoman let out a long sigh.

Thus, I was able to pass the remaining semester and school year without a single thought of worry.

*

…How great would it have been if that were a happy ending?

Reflecting on the expression of the Chairwoman as she looked at my list, I should have known that things wouldn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped.

I was sure that my plan was perfect, but…

Isn’t it strange to think that such a plan would go smoothly…?

Then why didn’t someone tell me in advance!?

Would you have listened if I had?

…Damn, I can’t refute that.

No, but it was Sara who first encouraged me.

She said she wouldn’t be the one doing the work, yet here she is asking me to take on a position or something.

…..

Hello?

While I was deep in thought,

BANG!

The desk shook, making me flinch.

And then again, another BANG!, this time with enough force that it seemed like someone was hitting the bookshelf hard enough to rattle the windows.

“Uh……”

The Chairwoman and Son Ah-reum, who were watching that scene, looked a bit dazed.

“……Aren’t your arms sore? That’s a mahogany desk, you know.”

Isn’t your arm supposed to hurt when you hit a desk or what?

When I glanced at the source of the second noise, Sohee had a somewhat awkward expression as she lowered her arm.

It looked like she got heated after seeing the student strike the desk for the first time and decided to follow suit. As evidence, she seemed stiff and frozen just across my desk.

So… who was that again?

Was she a second-year from the track team?

Well, it seems the members of the Student Council are not fond of her, at all.

Is she the type who likes to run hard outside? Because honestly, despite being from a wealthy family, she had quite the tan for someone with short, boyish hair.

Well, considering it from Sara’s perspective, she might be an upperclassman, but still.

“…..So you were the one who filled the vacant sports committee members without asking the opinions of the sports clubs?”

Only after realizing all eyes were on her did she snap back to reality, putting on a cocky voice to say that.

But it was a cockiness that couldn’t be helped; no matter how you looked at it, she couldn’t bring herself to meet the gaze of Sohee, who practically screamed ‘a complete delinquent.’

Sure, she looked fit and strong, having the build of a track athlete, but really, she was just as rich as the rest. I had heard the information beforehand before we bumped into each other.

She must be among the rare earnest members of the track team who don’t get involved in faction fights, which probably makes her more hostile towards me.

The fact that she boldly came to confront me showed that she probably doesn’t know what position I hold.

“Yeah, I did fill it.”

And there are no track members among them.

I would later find out that for fairness’ sake, committee members are often drawn from club activities, mainly so that budgets are allocated evenly among the various clubs, preventing one club from monopolizing the funds.

The reason the football team’s vice president clung onto Nam Da-un before was not because they wanted him specifically but because there was simply no one from the football team on the sports committee.

No matter how good your grades are, if no one is actually going to the matches, it holds no meaning. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nam Da-un was the reason the school football team maintains its performance.

On the other hand, it seems the track team has produced a fair number of actual athletes. Well, I wouldn’t know how well they perform because I have no interest in it.

“Are you mad that there are no track members on this committee?”

“What…!”

No matter how many committee members there are, you can’t fill the entire committee with sports club members. Some sports clubs are bound to be left out. This is simply unavoidable.

Yet, the track team has not missed a chance to join the committee even once.

I suppose it has always been passed down like this up till now.

“Don’t you think it’s time the rotation went to other clubs?”

Of course, I didn’t think that way. But in a roundabout way, I learned this from Son Ah-reum, who later complimented me for it.

Thanks to that, I’m now using it well as a logical argument.

“The track team is a traditional and high-performing club.”

“I know. Of course, I’m not thinking of cutting the budget.”

In fact, I don’t harbor any ill feelings toward them at all. The track team was one of the clubs I rejected when Ha Neul and Sua were looking for one to join.

But putting all feelings aside, I knew that if I made budget decisions based on emotions, that could later become a weapon against me.

So, it’s best to play fair.

The gaze of the track team shifted back toward Sohee.

Sohee shot her a glare as if to say, “What are you looking at?”

“……If you’re still not convinced—”

While I was speaking, the door of the Student Council Room creaked open.

“……What is it? Isn’t this a bad time to come?”

“No, what are you talking about? Over here.”

“……I could have sworn I said I wouldn’t have you work when I was the chair.”

“……Just handle this one thing for me.”

As I pointed at the track team member, he sighed deeply and slowly walked over this way, making it evident he didn’t want to do this at all.

“……So, if you’re still not convinced, how about you have a chat with the sports committee chair over there?”

As I pointed behind her, she turned around, looking like she had just been caught in a trap, her expression one of surprise.

“—Huh.”

And she froze, swallowing hard.

…Looks like putting a good-looking guy in the position of the sports committee chair was an incredibly smart move.

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