After Aira became Damien's girlfriend.
Aira approached the election preparations looking comfortable and happy.
And indeed.
Aira, whose relationship with Damien had successfully blossomed, conducted her election campaign with great skill and without hesitation.
'So she really was preoccupied because of her unrequited love….'
She was even more confident and charismatic than the version I had seen in the second timeline.
It was like giving wings to a tiger [a proverb about adding strength to something already powerful].
And.
"Emil, Emil."
"Hmm?"
"Look, …they're walking home together."
"You're right, there's nothing strange about it. It's normal for a couple to walk home together."
"Still, they've been going home together every day lately."
"We walk home together every day too, don't we?"
"...."
"Ah…."
Sierra fell silent at my words, and I, too, swallowed my words in embarrassment.
We avoided each other's gaze for a moment, enveloped in an awkward silence.
That day, we returned to the dormitory with an inexplicable tension amidst the awkward atmosphere.
Anyway.
Everything seemed to be going well for Aira.
'Damien seems to be treating her better than I expected.'
Already several days had passed since the two became a couple.
And the day after Aira and Damien started dating, I recalled the words Damien had spoken to me.
…His words that he had accepted Aira's confession to survive.
Although it sounded like he didn't particularly like Aira, Damien faithfully fulfilled his duties as a boyfriend.
And so, Aira, looking happy, proceeded with the student council election without any hitches.
The result.
She was elected as the student council president.
'Is today the inauguration ceremony?'
The day after the student council president election ended.
Today was the day Aira, who was elected by vote, would inherit the badge from the previous president and be inaugurated as the student council president.
Thanks to that, the first period class today was vacant for the inauguration ceremony.
Perhaps because of this, the usual path to school was quiet.
"Did I come out a bit early…?"
Of course, there was a reason I came out earlier than my usual commute time.
The election helpers still had to assist as event helpers for the inauguration ceremony.
So today, for the first time in a while, I headed to the academy alone.
Usually, Sierra would appear here and talk to me.
It seemed she intended to come out a bit later.
Just as I thought I was heading to the academy alone.
"Oh, is that Emil? You're up early."
Turning my head at the voice calling from behind me, I saw Aira walking toward me.
"You're up early? Senior-nim, you're only attending the event."
"Hmm, but my eyes opened early. So I came out a little early today."
She looked like an elementary school student going on a picnic.
'She must be that excited.'
Aira's desire to become student council president was, after all, largely influenced by Damien.
Because she had a crush on him, she aimed for the same position as him, the student council president.
And today, Aira had achieved yet another desired outcome.
'She was incredibly happy about it in the second timeline too.'
At that time, I helped her get elected president, making her feel indebted to me.
I used that to make progress.
In the end, things did work out with Aira, but….
'No, let's not recall what happened next.'
With Sierra not by my side, unpleasant thoughts began to creep in.
So, to suppress those negative thoughts as much as possible, I chatted with Aira as we headed to the academy.
"So, the President is pickier about food than I thought."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"But that part of him is also cute…."
The conversation was mainly about bragging about her boyfriend.
Just then.
"Hmm…?"
"What's wrong?"
"Up ahead…, there are people gathered…."
The academy gate, visible in the distance.
People were gathered there.
It felt like they were murmuring, surrounding something as if a celebrity had appeared.
"Is that…, a Professor-nim…?"
As if having good eyesight, Aira managed to distinguish the person far away.
Just then.
"Huh…?"
Aira's voice, tinged with doubt, escaped her lips.
*Pitter-patter-patter!*
Aira immediately dashed forward.
"S-Senior-nim!"
I haphazardly chased after Aira.
'Why is she running like that?'
Although we were getting closer to the main building, Aira's back blocked my view, so I couldn't see the exact situation.
But soon.
*Pitter-patter-patter!*
*Pitter-patter!*
*Pitter, patter….*
As Aira's running speed decreased, I finally managed to catch up to her side and could see the front of the academy's main building.
"Why on earth did you run…."
And the moment I caught my breath and confirmed what was in front of us.
"Huh…?"
I, too, swallowed my breath, just like Aira had a moment ago.
"First, send the children back!"
"Everyone! Stop looking! There's nothing good to see! Everyone, return to your dorms!"
Students surrounding something in front of the building.
At the center, two Professor-nims were frantically shouting at the students.
And the reason they had gathered here.
"President-nim…."
Aira's dazed murmur was heard.
'What in the world…, is this….'
In the main building, Damien was dead, his neck hanged by a rope.
Two Professors were frantically lowering Damien's body.
"President-nim…."
"S-Senior-nim! To the dorms, first━!"
"No, …no! President-nim━!!"
Aira, witnessing the sight, ran into the crowd as if screaming.
***
Damien was dead.
"...."
After his body was taken care of and all schedules were canceled.
A day passed.
"...."
Damien's warm presence still lingered in her mind.
The vivid memory of holding his hand, laughing, and chatting with him resurfaced.
Because of that, Aira couldn't truly grasp the reality.
"President-nim…."
She hadn't even been able to change his title yet.
Suddenly, he was dead.
"...."
Because of it, Aira remained holed up in her dormitory room, staring blankly.
Wishing that all of this was just a dream.
That she was still sleeping, and when she opened her eyes, it would be the morning of the inauguration ceremony.
That she had merely had a trivial nightmare on what should have been her happiest day.
She earnestly wished for it to be so.
But.
"...."
No matter how much time passed, the dream did not break.
After spending the night awake, the next day.
"Hey~, it feels like the weekend's over."
"It was quite a mess yesterday, wasn't it?"
"Ugh…, it's a bit scary…."
"So, yesterday's assignments will be carried over to today, right?"
"Ah, they should make an exception for that."
The students headed towards the academy, looking no different from usual.
"...."
Their appearance felt strange to Aira.
Clearly, Damien had died yesterday.
All the students must know that fact.
Yet everyone was acting as if nothing had happened.
Turning away from them, Aira gritted her teeth and went to find the Professor-nims.
*Knock-knock-knock-knock!*
*Rattle!*
"…Aira, what's wrong?"
"Who is it, exactly…."
"...."
"Who, why…! Why did they do it━!!"
Aira asked, her pent-up sorrow bursting forth in front of the Professors.
It definitely wasn't suicide.
It was murder.
A culprit exists.
If this wasn't a nightmare, Aira had to find the culprit.
She wanted to find them and ask why.
Why on earth they had killed Damien.
But.
"We don't know yet, Aira."
"...."
"It only happened yesterday. The investigation is still ongoing. So please wait a little. We will definitely catch the culprit."
Contrary to her wishes, the culprit's identity was not easily revealed.
"...."
In the end, she returned to the classroom without having learned anything.
After that, the day was no different from usual.
The inauguration ceremony was omitted, but she became the student council president and handled various tasks.
She attended classes taught by the Professor-nims as usual and ate lunch as usual.
The only differences were.
That Damien was no longer here.
That the academy's dismissal time had been moved earlier due to the murder.
And that the dormitory had begun stricter inspections and headcount checks.
"...."
And so, another day passed.
Leaving behind only the unbelievable truth that Damien was dead.
A day like any other passed by.
"Who…, on earth…."
Aira lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
What she saw before her eyes was the usual ceiling.
But Aira, beyond that.
Was thinking of the culprit who killed Damien.
"Who…."
Aira bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.
Alongside the sorrow of losing Damien, an equal amount of rage surged within her.
She wanted to kill them.
She had to find them, and somehow, with her own hands.
She wanted to kill them.
Aira repeated this thought over and over in her mind.
Just then.
*Knock-knock.*
"...Who is it?"
[....]
Someone knocked on the door, but there was no reply.
"...."
Sensing that something was amiss, Aira immediately got out of bed and approached the door.
She gently opened the door.
"Wha…?"
There was no one at the door.
Only a note lay forlornly on the floor.
"...."
Aira, after checking the note.
Her eyes wide, hastily put on her clothes.
And carefully slipped out of the dormitory, avoiding people's eyes.
***
"Hello, you came out faster than I expected?"
"...."
Aira, who had moved to the location written on the note, looked at the girl who had summoned her.
"You…, you're definitely President-nim's…."
"Yes, my name is Mari. You remember, right?"
"Yes…."
Damien's younger sister, Mari Clozet.
She was gently smiling at Aira under the moonlight.
Aira, looking at her, carefully asked.
"…Is it true that you know the person who killed President-nim?"
The reason she had rushed out in the middle of the night, disregarding everything.
It was because of a single line written on the note.
[I know the culprit who killed Damien.]
How she knew it.
Such a minor reason wasn't important.
Why it was Damien's younger sister who knew it.
That wasn't important either.
For Aira, only the identity of the culprit mattered.
"Answer me…, who killed President-nim…, who killed Damien?"
Aira, suppressing her rising fury, asked Mari directly.
"I can't tell you right now."
"What…?"
"There's a condition."
"A condition…? You…, in this situation where your brother is dead…! Are you trying to bargain with his death!"
"Yes, exactly."
Despite Aira's scolding, Mari didn't flinch.
She simply smiled sweetly and conveyed her purpose to Aira.
"Confess to Emil. Then you'll naturally learn the answer."
"What…?"
Aira, seemingly flustered by the absurd suggestion, swallowed her words.
Mari looked at such an Aira and smiled, seemingly amused.