Unexpectedly Becoming the Student Council President

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"Good reaction."

The girl nodded with a satisfied expression.

I couldn't help but be delighted.

After all, I had finally obtained the unique ability I had long desired.

"What's your name?"

I asked, looking at the girl.

Her long golden hair fluttered in the gentle breeze created by the crack.

Since it seemed like we would be seeing each other often, it was better to exchange names.

"I don't have a name."

"You don't?"

"Hmm, maybe I should come up with one now…."

The girl stroked her chin thoughtfully, then spoke as if she had an idea.

"Since I'm a Golden Sheep…"

With a flourish, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and placed her thumb and index finger under her chin.

"Call me 'Geumyang'!"

She said this with a confident smile and a glint of pride in her eyes.

She seemed very pleased with the name, thinking her sense of naming was excellent.

'Geumyang…'

"Why the face?"

"The name is a bit…"

I couldn't bring myself to say it was corny.

Geumyang glared at me with sharp eyes.

"You dare not understand the supreme naming sense of mine…?"

"The name feels strong and charismatic. It's pretty good."

"Hmm?"

"The more I think about it, the better it sounds."

"Oh."

I couldn't argue with her about a name she liked.

As I uttered a white lie, Geumyang's face gradually brightened.

She wiped under her nose with her finger, nodding in satisfaction.

"Hmm… You do know something."

Geumyang puffed up with pride.

It was clear that despite her grandiosity, she carried no real weight.

"Alright, then."

As Geumyang removed her hand from mine, the crack condensed into a line and vanished.

At the same time, the sensation of activating my unique ability faded away completely.

"Did the sensation disappear…?"

The feeling of having something and then losing it was disconcerting.

"You may have reached the minimum threshold, but you overused your spatial abilities right from the start. That likely caused severe side effects. It's not surprising the sensation vanished."

"So I lacked the capacity?"

"Yes, it's proof that you haven't yet grown enough to properly use spatial abilities."

That was something I hadn't considered.

"Anyway, my unique ability is still intact?"

"Of course."

Her clear answer eased my concerns.

I could finally be at peace.

"By the way…, kiddo? I have a question."

'Kiddo?'

Thinking about it, if Geumyang's story was true, she was much older than me.

I decided not to argue.

"What is it?"

"Ahem!"

Geumyang covered her mouth with her fist and cleared her throat.

"Well…"

She put a hand to her mouth and cautiously asked,

"Did Luffy become the Pirate King…?"

Luffy?

Oh.

"You mean One Piece?"

"Yes, that's it!"

One Piece.

The manga about a man named Luffy on his journey to become the Pirate King.

"It was discontinued."

"What?"

"The world went to hell. The author's whereabouts are unknown now. It's an old story."

I shrugged as I answered.

A brief silence followed.

Thud. Geumyang slumped to the ground.

Her face showed utter despair.

"So this is what despair feels like…."

An existence some called a god.

The Golden Sheep tasted despair for the first time.

...

To test my unique ability, we decided to move to another location.

Geumyang and I headed to a training facility in Neo Seoul. It was a commercial establishment where you could rent a spacious private training room, ensuring privacy.

Originally, Geumyang said she could traverse spaces and move to the training facility instantly.

But she wanted to explore Neo Seoul, so we walked along the roads. Since it had been a while since she set foot in this world, I understood.

Geumyang's usual attire was a white dress, so I lent her my clothes. Because of our size difference, she ended up wearing an oversized coat, which draped loosely down to her elbows.

She couldn't even wear my pants as they didn't fit.

"I wanted to wear a uniform too…"

She muttered wistfully, glancing at me.

Was she asking me to buy her a uniform?

"We can talk about that later."

I didn't have the funds for it at the moment. Besides, I was eager to test my unique ability.

We arrived at the training facility and rented a private training room.

It was quite spacious.

It seemed to be worth the price.

Since it was my first time here, I didn't expect it to be this good.

In the center of the training room.

Geumyang and I stood facing each other closely.

"Come to think of it, you said you've been sticking around me?"

"Yes."

"Have you been watching my every move?"

I asked while checking the state of the Iron Dragon Staff.

If what Geumyang said was true, she might have been spying on my entire private life.

"Yes. From when you were little, being held by a robot. I was watching only you."

Hmm.

I see.

That's a long time….

"Well, then. If there's nothing special, let's quickly test my unique ability…."

"If you're worried about me finding videos of older women in mating boxes, don't worry. I've long realized that such things cause strong embarrassment when spoken aloud."

"I want to die."

Someone please strangle me.

Any image I had built was meaningless in front of Geumyang from the start.

"You mustn't die. Now, then."

Geumyang chuckled and extended her hand to me.

"Kiddo, give me your hand."

"?"

What kind of treatment is this…?

"You're experiencing side effects now, so you can't use your unique ability. You need to hold my hand to use it like before."

She seemed to be referring to the time when she made a crack appear over my hand, saying she would let me control space.

"Any physical contact will do, but hands are the most convenient."

"When will these side effects go away?"

"Usually within a day. But you've been in a state of magic depletion recently, haven't you?"

"When magic is depleted, does it prevent side effects from recovering too?"

Geumyang nodded.

"Most problems related to magic work that way. The reason I couldn't appear before was because you were in that state."

So at least for today, I had to touch her to use my unique ability through her.

I quietly extended my hand and took Geumyang's hand. It was smooth and small.

A question suddenly came to mind.

"Wait. Then not being able to use my unique ability now isn't a penalty?"

"That's already passed. You just couldn't feel it because you were in a state of magic depletion."

"?"

It's already passed?

"Penalties from spatial abilities affect the magic circuits."

"So if I'm in a state of magic depletion, I won't experience the penalties?"

"No, the penalties accumulate until you experience them. When your magic returns, you will fully experience the accumulated penalties."

"Then?"

"I transferred the penalties you were supposed to endure to myself. Do you think I hugged you for no reason?"

Transferred the penalties.

In other words, Geumyang absorbed the penalties I was supposed to experience through the act of hugging.

So, touching Geumyang is the condition for transferring penalties?

"And, the spatial ability is originally my authority! I don't experience penalties!"

"Then what exactly is my penalty?"

"Well, your unique ability will return tomorrow, so you'll experience it then. I'm sure you won't be able to resist seeking my embrace."

I wasn't sure what the penalty was exactly, but…

'Will it hurt terribly?'

A sense of foreboding crept over me.

At that moment,

Sss.

'Oh, it works.'

Once again, I felt the sensation of my unique ability flowing through me. Raising my hand to control it, a crack formed in the air with a 'crack.'

Whirr.

A gentle, warm breeze flowed from the crack, ruffling mine and Geumyang's hair.

"By the way, I should mention."

"What?"

"I can no longer exert significant power in this world. I have already transferred my authority to you. I can only fully utilize my abilities in my labyrinth, beyond space."

In short, Geumyang was saying she was weak in this world.

"Keep that in mind. Today's training is not your full power."

"Got it."

After that, Geumyang taught me the first form of the unique ability, Space Control.

'Spatial Leap.'

It involved creating a crack that linked two points.

By crossing the crack, you could move to the other side.

'I can't get the hang of this.'

It was incredibly difficult to precisely set the location where the crack would appear.

'Geumyang called it 'coordinate setting.'

As a result, I kept leaping to unintended locations instead of the designated ones.

Sometimes, I even ended up outside the training facility.

Geumyang explained that the feeling of setting coordinates and leaping would become more proficient the more I used the magic formula.

Sweat poured down my body like rain. Setting coordinates, creating cracks, and leaping through them was not just challenging but also painful.

It felt like using muscles I had never used before at the gym for the first time.

Thus, I practiced spatial leaping repeatedly within the training room.

Sweat also flowed from my hand, clasped with Geumyang's.

However, rather than letting go of the slippery hand, Geumyang interlocked her fingers with mine, ensuring a firmer grip. She didn't want my concentration to break.

After a day of holding hands and training, the sky beyond the window had turned dark.

"Huff, huff…."

As I collapsed to the floor, panting heavily, Geumyang let go of my hand. The sensation of the spatial ability flowing through my body vanished as if a light had been turned off.

Geumyang sat on my abdomen, her weight providing a moderate sense of pressure.

"Are you exhausted?"

"A little rest should do…"

Under the light, Geumyang's sharp eyes looked down at me.

Amused by my exhausted state, her face carried a subtle smile.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you look quite funny collapsed like that."

"..."

Was she teasing me?

Geumyang turned her head forward and closed her eyes with a smile.

"Well, that's enough for today."

"I could do this all day."

"Rest for now. You can train properly with your own abilities tomorrow. Excessive use of magic today isn't a wise choice."

"…I suppose you're right."

Indeed.

Using my abilities directly without relying on Geumyang would yield better results.

So.

'It's better to train properly tomorrow. Holding her hand all the time is a bit awkward anyway.'

I propped myself up on my elbows and slowly raised my upper body. As my balance shifted, Geumyang opened her eyes and looked down at me.

"Are you getting up?"

"How about we get some dinner?"

"Dinner… I don't have any particular cravings. But yes, proper nutrition and energy intake are essential. Let's go."

Geumyang replied indifferently.

'Does she not have much of an appetite?'

That question vanished once we ordered udon at the restaurant.

"What heavenly taste is this…!"

"It's just regular udon."

"This is the first time I've tasted something so delicious in my life!! How is this flavor so exquisitely savory?"

Geumyang's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks flushed as she got excited.

When Geumyang arrived in this world, it was after the Pacific Hole had formed and before Neo Seoul was established.

She had likely only had snacks and simple foods.

She had probably never tasted proper cooking.

Hence, her reaction was unexpectedly intense.

'Thank goodness there are no other customers.'

It was late, so we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Watching Geumyang's enthusiastic reaction to the udon, I couldn't help but smile.

Ah, she really is from another world.

"This crispy exterior and juicy inside… What is this fierce dish!?"

"Ah… that is called 'chicken'."

"Chicken…!"

The owner, sensing Geumyang's intense reaction, answered with a smile.

The owner had dropped out of the academy and opened a restaurant, becoming an adult last year. He seemed to think Geumyang's expression of 'chicken being delicious' was her way of complimenting him.

'Is this her first time eating chicken?'

From our earlier conversation, it seemed Geumyang had never eaten cooked food. Naturally, she had never tasted freshly fried chicken.

Finally, after trying all the side dishes, Geumyang closed her eyes, savoring the pleasant aftertaste.

"This is what happiness feels like…. I am happy to be in this world…."

Leaning back in her chair, patting her stomach contentedly, Geumyang smiled, her body seeming to melt like slime.

In the morning, her prickly personality had been troubling, but now she seemed endearing.

"Let's head back if you're done eating."

"Indeed. I look forward to tomorrow…."

She seemed to be eagerly anticipating what she would eat tomorrow.

We went into an alley, and Geumyang created a crack to transport us directly to my room.

'These abilities are amazing.'

Geumyang said goodbye and disappeared into space.

Maybe because I was so exhausted,

I fell asleep immediately after washing up.

  *

The next day.

Training facility.

"Argh!!"

As a result of overusing my spatial control, I experienced excruciating pain as if my magic circuits were burning.

However, when Geumyang slipped into my arms and hugged me, the pain from the penalty miraculously subsided rapidly.

To read until the final chapter. p atreon.com/casca02