Inside a stone building located in an unknown place.
There, the figures of a man and a woman can be seen.
The vice president of the new student council, Diggers, and the current student council president, Alkine.
No matter how you look at it, they didn’t seem like they were close.
After all, one of them is trapped inside a massive birdcage, so unless they were indulging in some perverse play, it’s hard to call them close.
In fact, they weren’t particularly close.
To be precise, they had known each other for a long time, but they were probably estranged.
One side had sticky love, while the other side had a straightforward sense of camaraderie.
Even when they acted together, there might have been an unspoken distance.
If you think about it, it’s no surprise that this situation happened due to their estrangement. It makes you think… you really have to be careful about who you get close to.
‘How much time has passed?’
Alkine, who had been sitting weakly inside the birdcage, thought to herself.
It hadn’t been long since she was kidnapped and brought here.
However, due to the psychological toll, it felt like an incredibly long time.
“President, do you remember when we first met? Back then, I…”
“When we first entered the rift, I was busy trying to keep up, but you, president, were leading the way, and you were so amazing.”
“The day you appointed me as vice president, I was so happy that I stayed up all night. Did you know that?”
Maybe because of that, Alkine suddenly realized that she had started listening to a voice she had been trying to ignore.
But now, she didn’t feel the need to block her ears again.
At this point, there was nothing she could do other than listen to his story.
His rambling talk was about trivial things.
He talked about eating lunch with her, or moving to the student council after the lecture.
Whatever it was, it was a story of things they did together with the student council president, Alkine.
She had vaguely known, but it was clear that he had feelings for Alkine.
‘The problem is that those feelings are completely twisted.’
If it had been a healthy affection, it wouldn’t have suddenly disappeared and this situation wouldn’t have happened.
As if he had noticed her thoughts, his stories began to turn in a more negative direction.
“If that arrogant guy hadn’t come that day, we would have kept being happy… he ruined everything.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the president. It’s all that guy’s fault.”
“The president was just blinded for a moment, right?”
“Ah… but it was all fate, wasn’t it? In the end, I gained power and took the president.”
His words, spoken as if interpreting everything in his own way, came under the assumption that he was the only one who was right.
But maybe it was because the name of the man who had always exceeded expectations came up, she couldn’t help but feel a bit interested.
Though she wasn’t truly interested, her mouth, which she had been trying to keep shut, opened involuntarily.
Since she had no hope of being rescued quickly, perhaps her despair led her to speak.
But it was a bad move.
“How did you get that power?”
…Even in a powerless state, his tone didn’t change.
“President…”
His twisted affection began with the intention to break her, the proud one.
The unpleasant energy emanating from his body surrounded her.
She felt surrounded by cold, ominous energy, yet for some reason, she couldn’t move her body.
“I wanted to enjoy the original president a little more. But seeing you act strong even in your weakened state… I can’t stand it anymore.”
“W-wait, Diggers. What are you trying to do…?”
His hand slowly approached her as she couldn’t move.
Before she knew it, his hand, having entered the birdcage, lightly touched her face.
Diggers, seeing her body twitch and her eyes trembling, chuckled.
“Looks like the president is scared too, huh? After all, you’re human.”
Now I know. The president told me.
All.
His words revealed that he wasn’t truly understanding her, but merely memorizing information. The apparent affection felt even colder.
No, at this point, it couldn’t even be called affection.
“I want the president to walk the same path as me.”
“What… What do you mean? Diggers. Calm down and let’s talk…”
“I’m going to force my energy into the president’s body. It might be painful for a while… but please bear with it. You’ll feel better soon.”
No normal person would call that twisted emotion affection.
If she were to walk the same path as him, her life as a human would be over.
‘What a foolish thought.’
It was a mere illusion that he didn’t intend to harm her.
He had been planning this from the start.
But because he didn’t consider it an act of harm, she hadn’t realized it.
Is this the end? Is it ending so emptily?
Not being able to do anything, not receiving any help, and then it all ends.
‘If I had known this was going to happen, I should have lived more freely.’
Maybe because it was so sudden, it didn’t feel real. She prepared herself surprisingly calmly for the end.
…And then.
The moment she tried to close her eyes weakly, Diggers’ expression suddenly hardened, and he quickly turned his head.
At the end of his gaze was the only door in the room… Beyond it, there was a vague loud noise coming through.
…It seems like a guest has arrived. I didn’t expect them to come this quickly.
A guest? The only ones who could come this quickly would be the members of the student council who were exploring together.
Once she thought that, her whole body froze with cold dread.
The moment they opened that door, they would have to face this man in front of them.
Diggers, who was not only skilled but also held the position of vice president.
Now, with his demonic powers, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“Don’t worry. President. I’ll make sure to handle it properly so you can leave without regret.”
And… Diggers showed no mercy to the comrades who had been with him.
The only person he had affection for was Alkine.
If things went this way…
“No… Don’t come…”
She desperately tried to speak, but the noise beyond the door only grew closer.
Despite the obvious tragedy, she couldn’t do anything.
And then, after a while, a loud sound, as if coming right from the door, ended the noise, and she could feel something approaching.
It wasn’t the presence of many people.
If it was from the student council, there shouldn’t be this few of them.
“Wait… this is…”
Bang!
By the time Diggers realized something was wrong, the door had already opened.
And what appeared beyond it was…
“Screeech! Rudion! Stop pulling me towards you like that!”
“I’m not trying to do that, I swear. It’s just how it happens when we move around. But does it smell? I don’t think I’ve sweated much.”
“This isn’t the problem… sigh, never mind.”
Alkine had vaguely remembered, but she never expected Rudion to actually come.
And there, in his arms, was Seria, blushing a bit.
The expressions of Alkine and Diggers changed dramatically when they saw this.
No matter what, Rudion had significance to both of them.
Especially Alkine’s expression was something to behold.
She was caught off guard by the sudden shift from despair to hope, and her dumbfounded face could probably be called the most foolish expression of her life.
“Ah, President! Are you okay? Was there any problem?”
It was only when he called out to her with genuine concern that she managed to snap out of it.
And once her emotions were somewhat sorted out, what she felt wasn’t joy or relief.
…What is this feeling?
For some reason, she felt an unpleasant discomfort.
Every time she looked at Seria in Rudion’s arms, her chest tightened.
She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, yet she couldn’t suppress the discomfort.
Did she know?
That this feeling was similar to the emotions Diggers harbored.
She had hidden herself and had developed restraint as a habit, so her desires didn’t often show.
But she was still a person, a girl full of emotions at this age.
The attention she had received while being helped by someone with extraordinary abilities was deeper affection than she had thought, and beneath her doll collection, which she had thought was just a girlish hobby, there was a sense of ownership.
And now, with those two things overlapping, the emotion she felt… was probably obsession.
[The affinity system has been unlocked!]
[Reaching certain affinity levels will grant special rewards and unique stats.]
[Current Affinity: 17/100]
[3 more to the next reward.]
Well… whether she realized that she was obsessed or not didn’t matter anymore.
‘Affinity…?’
Right now, understanding her own feelings would probably be too much for her.