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Chapter 84: Tomato’s Declaration of Victory

The Night of the Founding Festival.

A boy who had slipped out of the boycott let out a sigh.

To be exact, it was a girl.

“This is such a hassle.”

The one disguised as Hannon was none other than Hania Rapidedia, the daughter of the Empire's Knight Commander.

After discovering that Isabel was after Hannon, she realized the situation could become troublesome and decided to join the boycott.

Since she looked like Hannon, no one questioned her appearance.

She had subdued and captured a few boycott participants in the process, then sighed again.

Hannon, however, had already clashed with Isabel’s group and slipped away.

‘He could have given me a heads-up.’

She regretted getting involved and only suffering for it. All she wanted now was to head back and take a nice bath.

“Hania.”

As she trudged along, a voice called out, stopping her in her tracks.

The voice’s owner was none other than Iris.

Her jet-black hair fluttered in the moonlight, and her ruby-like eyes shimmered under its glow, framed by long lashes reminiscent of a Persian cat.

“What’s with this look?”

Iris saw through Hania’s disguise immediately.

Hania, who was supposed to be waiting in the dormitory, was caught off guard and couldn’t respond right away, her lips parting wordlessly.

This only solidified Iris’s suspicions.

Her half-lidded gaze swept over Hania, simultaneously sweetly alluring and chillingly sharp.

“Hania, you’re not the kind of girl who lies to me, right?”

Iris’s warning came in a soft, low tone.

Hania was her loyal subordinate.

To lie to Iris was as grave as a mortal sin.

Hania bowed her head.

“Yes, of course not.”

Even though she had promised to keep things secret from Hannon, there was no way out of this one.

She confessed everything to Iris, from Hannon being the mastermind of the boycott to covering for him by saying he likely did it for Iris’s sake.

After reflecting on Hania’s story, Iris remained silent.

The quiet unnerved Hania, who fidgeted anxiously.

“…I see.”

Iris turned without another word.

“Ah, Iris, wait for me!”

Hania hurriedly removed her wig and contact lenses as she chased after Iris.

For some reason, Iris felt a deep warmth in her chest—a stark contrast to the cold emptiness she usually felt during the Founding Festival.

* * *

Due to the unexpected boycott, Zerion Academy fell into chaos.

Although the professors and assistants eventually arrived to restore order, the true credit for resolving the situation went to Isabel and her friends.

They managed to mediate and subdue what could have escalated into a major conflict between the boycott participants and the student council.

As a result, Isabel’s stature soared significantly.

Most of the boycott members were captured and handed over to the professors and assistants for questioning.

Moreover, corruption scandals within Zerion Academy were brought to light.

The education department and the student council faced harsh criticism.

Several students were suspended, including Rojamin, the boycott leader, who calmly accepted his suspension.

Unlike in the original scenario, where he protested unfairly, this time, he seemed resigned.

Even as he was escorted to the dormitory, Rojamin told the gathered crowd of students:

“Run well.”

It was unclear who he was addressing, but with those words, he was taken away.

Simultaneously, the scandal left Sylvester Drapen, the student council president, in a precarious position.

Though the incidents occurred before his tenure, students still held him accountable for turning a blind eye to long-standing corruption.

Already criticized for his perceived incompetence, Sylvester faced mounting backlash and eventually resigned from his position.

“No matter how you look at it, me staying will only make things worse. Sorry for running away like this,”

He said with a bitter smile.

“Maybe I’ve been running from everything since the beginning.”

Leaving only his desolate silhouette behind, Sylvester returned to being an ordinary student.

With both the president and vice president gone, the student council was thrown into disarray.

However, the council was temporarily suspended as imperial auditors conducted an investigation into Zerion Academy.

The audit extended to professors, assistant professors, and teaching assistants alike, leaving the academy in an unsettled state.

Although announcements about new faculty were made, time was needed before they could take office.

Thus, a wind of change swept through Zerion Academy.

The boycott’s goal had, in a way, been achieved.

Due to the turmoil, the academy declared three days of independent study.

Students, being accustomed to self-discipline, didn’t see this as an issue.

On the first day of independent study, I found myself dragged outside immediately upon arriving, facing a rather awkward situation.

“Lightning Sweet Potato.”

“Hannon.”

“You.”

Standing before me were Seron Parmia, Iris Hysirion, and Isabel Luna.

Each had their own reasons for being there, but all three seemed to have converged on me.

Should I run?

“Don’t even think about escaping,”

Seron snapped, instantly catching on to my pattern.

They had blocked every possible escape route.

Some gratitude for all I’ve done!

‘Still, while Seron and Isabel make sense…’

I glanced at Iris, puzzled.

Did she really have a reason to wait for me like this?

I was looking at Iris when my eyes suddenly met those of Hania, who had been quietly standing behind her.

She flinched slightly, then quietly lowered her head.

‘...Caught.’

Realizing the situation, I sighed internally.

Well, it was inevitable.

Sooner or later, I was bound to be discovered.

‘The problem is...’

They say it’s better to get the scolding over with first.

But I wasn’t sure whose scolding I’d be facing.

The three of them exchanged glances.

All three seemed equally unprepared for this situation, especially since they had all stood up as soon as I arrived.

Clearly, the most mature person here would be the one to back down first.

Then, Iris boldly spoke up.

As expected of the Third Princess, she was as daring as ever.

"Hannon, come to my room after everything’s done today."

The Third Princess didn’t just speak boldly; she practically fired a cannonball.

Iris said this in her usual composed tone before turning around.

Naturally, her “room” referred to her dormitory room in the women’s dorms.

This alone was problematic enough.

The implications of sneaking into the Third Princess’s room were all too clear.

Her bombshell left both Isabel and Seron with their jaws dropped wide open.

Both of them stared at me with looks of pure shock.

"You... you crazy... idiot!"

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Of the two, it was Seron, who knew my true identity, who stammered out some incoherent words.

If I were Hannon, at least I could use the excuse of being her cousin.

But I wasn’t—my true identity was Vikamon.

If word got out that I had secretly entered the Princess’s quarters, it would be as good as a death sentence.

"You’re..."

Before Seron could finish, I immediately raised my hand to clamp it over her mouth.

Seron struggled, her face turning bright red as she remembered my true identity as Vikamon.

Still the same innocent girl at heart.

Slam—

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.

It was Isabel.

She was looking at me with calm yet piercing eyes.

"What were you doing with Lady Iris every night?"

Sleeping, obviously.

But saying that out loud would immediately bury me.

"...I had some business to take care of."

"Oh, I see. 'Business' in the women’s dormitory, huh?"

Isabel smiled sweetly.

"...You even left me to do that business."

We were fighting a battle, but still, I had left her.

"W-What?!"

Seron was glaring at me with wide eyes from the side.

Why was she making this situation even more complicated?

Was it on purpose?

Isabel snorted, turned on her heel, and walked away.

In the end, only Seron was left.

She finally freed herself from my grip and slowly lifted her head.

I quickly avoided her gaze.

"Then, I’ll be off too."

"Where do you think you’re going?"

As I tried to slip away naturally, Seron grabbed my collar firmly.

I couldn’t move far and had to stop, turning back to face her.

"Seron, about what happened yesterday—"

"Forget it. Just be honest with me."

There was no escape.

"Are you senior Vikamon, or are you Hannon?"

In the end, I raised both hands in surrender.

There was no point in trying to deny it anymore, not after Seron had already discovered my identity.

"I’m Vikamon. For certain reasons, I returned to Zerion Academy in this form."

Hearing my answer, Seron bit her lip.

It seemed like she had a lot to say, but she carefully chose her words.

"...Did you come back because of senior Nikita?"

So that’s what had been bothering her.

Seeing her slump as she waited for my answer, I sighed.

"I can’t say it had nothing to do with Nikita, but that’s not the only reason."

Nikita was important, but there was something even more critical to me.

I returned here to prevent this world from ending in a bad ending.

But there was no way I could tell her the truth about that.

"...You still like senior Nikita, didn’t you?"

"That was a long time ago."

And it wasn’t even the current me—it was the old Vikamon.

Besides, I had likely lost the ability to feel love due to the Veil Bandages.

"Right now, I don’t like anyone."

Hearing my answer, Seron fell silent.

Then, out of nowhere, she grabbed my collar and pulled me close.

As my face drew nearer to hers in an instant, she rested her forehead lightly against mine and smiled mischievously.

"Then I guess I don’t have to give up just yet."

I was momentarily stunned.

"You know I’m actually Hannon."

"That doesn’t matter."

Seron released me with a bright expression.

"You’re still the prince I liked, aren’t you?"

"And here I thought I was just a 'sweet potato'."

"Even if you were, I never hated you. I just like you even more now."

Seron said this with a radiant smile.

...This girl.

Did she awaken some boldness through all of this?

She was now throwing out embarrassing lines without hesitation.

"My sweet potato prince."

Seron placed her hands confidently on her hips.

"Brace yourself. I’m not planning to lose in this fight."

Her cheerful laugh was so charming that it even made my heart waver for a moment.

Just what am I supposed to brace myself for?

This battle might turn out to be an unexpectedly difficult one.

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