"Anyway, I'm sorry... for grabbing your collar earlier."
"Don't be, I actually liked it." She mumbled under her breath.
I couldn't quite catch the sentence. "Hm? What was that?"
Shimotsuki panicked. "N-nothing. I mean, yeah. Apology accepted."
I rubbed my temples until the dull ache behind my eyes eased a little.
"So tell me. How do I even become the First Seat?" I asked, because pretending I hadn't already imagined a thousand impossible ways felt dishonest.
Shimotsuki folded her hands, calm as ever.
"There are two ways," she said plainly.
"One is the easy way. The one you might hope for."
My mouth tightened. "Which is…?"
"That you're acknowledged." she replied.
"Not just by students and staff, but by the Council itself. If the Council decides you belong in that room, they'll seat you. They'll give you the authority if they see you fit to lead them."
She let the words hang.
"But of course, the current High Council won't. Atleast four of them would be against you. I don't recommend it."
I felt the air leave my lungs a little.
"So what's the other way?" I asked, because I already suspected the answer.
She gave the faintest nod.
"You build your own Council." Her voice was flat and factual. This is definitely the harder option.
"You gather people who will stand with you, win the trust of the academy, and replace the current seats. You're gonna have to overthrow them."
"Overthrow?" The word tasted loud and heavy coming out of my mouth. It felt like a cliff I hadn't agreed to jump off. "You're saying I have to… take it by force?"
Shimotsuki didn't flinch.
"Not take it through chaos for chaos' sake," she said.
"Build something better, make it undeniable. Achieve everyone's ideals. Win the students. Win the staff. Force the alumni to choose. Force the Board to recognize the need for change. Or make the current Council collapse on its own incompetence and corruption until there's no one left to defend it."
She folded her hands tighter, the memokeeper's poise settling over her like a cloak.
"Either way, you create a new center of power. One that would win trust."
I looked at her, trying to measure the distance between the plan and my feet.
"I don't even know if I can do that," I admitted. It felt like admitting I might fail at breathing.
"No one expects you to do it alone," she said.
"I will help you. Aria will help. Alejandro, Lyna, Mari, Clara, Sera, Nayuta, Shayne... they'll help. They already care about you. They'll follow you if you give them something real to fight for."
Her gaze was steady, almost tender in its conviction. "You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be real."
I let out a sound that might've been a laugh and maybe a sob. "That… still sounds impossible."
Shimotsuki rose, smoothing her skirt.
"It will be difficult," she agreed.
"Dangerous, too. But I will plan it. I will draft the steps, find the leverage points, anticipate the counters... I'm not asking you to decide now."
She stepped closer, and for a second, I felt like I'm seeing a side of Shimotsuki that she's never shown to me.
That's right. It was the glimpse of a person called The Memokeeper. Why am I doubting her abilities, in the first place?
"Go," she said. "Rest. Recuperate properly. You need strength for what's coming."
Her voice was quiet but absolute. "When my plan is ready, I'll inform you. Then we do this together."
I wanted to ask a dozen questions. Such as when, how, who, what if, but the urge to lean into the bench and close my eyes won instead.
"Okay," I said finally, because it felt like the only honest thing.
"I'll trust you."
She nodded once, like a promise.
"Good. Prepare yourself, Faulker. I'll handle the rest for now."
I watched her walk away through the shifting light, feeling the weight of a future I hadn't asked for settle onto my shoulders. It was terrifying. It was exhausting. But behind the fear there was a small, stubborn ember that wouldn't go out.
When I stepped into the dorm, the first thing I heard wasn't silence.
It was chaos.
Nayuta's voice was sharp and insistent, while Shayne's was loud enough to rattle the air itself.
Alejandro sat cross-legged on his bed, quietly flipping through a book, pretending not to exist.
"I'm telling you," Shayne declared, jabbing a finger toward Nayuta, "the beach is where real people go to relax. Sun, waves, music, and everyone actually having fun. You can't top that!"
Nayuta rolled his eyes, arms crossed, expression unimpressed.
"Fun? You mean sand in your shoes, salt in your hair, and heat that makes you wish for death? No thanks. The mountains have clean air, calm views, and—" he leaned forward, smirking, "—a private hot spring. You can't top this because it's literally on the mountain, technically a peak by definition."
"I can and I will!" Shayne fired back immediately.
"At least at the beach, you can swim. You ever tried swimming in a hot spring? You'll cook yourself like soup."
Alejandro turned a page and sighed quietly, like he'd already heard this entire argument play out a hundred times.
I dropped my bag by my desk and blinked at the scene.
"What's this about?" I asked, because I knew better than to assume it was about anything important. Though, part of me kind of regretted it
Both heads turned toward me at once, like they'd just found a referee.
"Faulker!" they said in unison.
Nayuta pointed at Shayne dramatically. "Tell this idiot that mountains are better."
Shayne countered instantly. "No, no, no — tell him that the beach is obviously superior."
I stared at them, then glanced at Alejandro.
"And you?" I asked.
Alejandro looked up briefly.
"Doesn't matter to me," he said with that calm neutrality he always carried. "As long as nobody dies to either sunburn or altitude sickness."
"Thanks for the help, genius." I muttered.
"Come on, Faulker," Shayne pressed, grinning.
"You're the deciding vote here. Beach or mountain?"
"Wait—" I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Deciding what, exactly?"
Nayuta frowned. "You didn't see the group chat?"
I blinked. "No, I've been busy earlier. Don't have the opportunity to."
Shayne clapped his hands together.
"Then let me enlighten you, my friend! After the final exam, we've got a full week off. Finally, a proper holiday. The group's planning to spend it together."
Nayuta leaned in, eyes gleaming. "And the debate is where."
Shayne pointed at himself proudly. "I say we hit the beach. Clear skies, volleyball match, fireworks at night, everyone chilling by the waves."
Nayuta crossed his arms, chin high. "And I say the mountains. Private cabins, hot spring, and a sense of peace from other tourists."
They both turned to me again, expectant.
I let out a slow breath, taking in the sight of my roommates. One loud and carefree, one smug and stubborn, and one just wishing the argument would end.
"…You two are really making this a war," I said.
"Obviously," Shayne replied. "This is important."
"Extremely important," Nayuta agreed, with that teasing grin that made it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
I couldn't help but smile a little. They're always fighting for the littlest thing ever.
"Honestly… I've never been to either," I admitted. "So I don't really know which one's better."
That earned me three different reactions at once. Shayne blinked, his grin faltering.
"Wait—you've never been to the beach?"
Nayuta tilted his head, genuinely surprised. "Or the mountains?"
Alejandro finally looked up from his book, eyebrows slightly raised. "Even stay-at-home introvert like me had seen one. You've seen neither?"
I shrugged. "Nope. Closest thing I've seen to a beach is the desktop wallpaper. You know, the Microsoft ones..."
For a second, the room went quiet. Then Shayne conceived an idea of most ingenious to get me to choose the beach.
"All the more reason you should go choose beach, Faulker. There's more to do at the beach. You can build sandcastles, you can play volleyball, and even surfing."
"—and the blinding heat, the noisy crowds, and the overpriced food," Nayuta interrupted flatly.
"Don't listen to him, Faulker. The mountains are where peace actually exists. Why would you spend a holiday being tired instead of resting? You'll finally be able to breathe."
They started arguing again immediately, their voices overlapping like a broken duet.
I leaned back on my chair, watching Nayuta and Shayne go back and forth like a ping-pong match.
"Hey," I said finally, cutting in before Shayne could shout another poetic line about seagulls.
"What if we just… do both?"
That got their attention. Shayne blinked. "Both?"
"Yeah," I said. "Two days at the beach, two days at the mountain. That makes four. Then we'll have two days for travel, and the last day we use to come back here before classes start again."
Nayuta's eyes lit up with interest. "You're saying we alternate?"
I shook my head. "No, we do it in order. Beach first, then mountain. That way, if we get sunburned or exhausted from swimming, we can relax in a hot spring after. Also, spending like 5 days at either place will definitely have the opposite effect."
Shayne rubbed his chin, thinking it over. "Huh… I can't even argue with that logic."
Alejandro smiled faintly. "I've been thinking the same thing, honestly." he said, closing his book. "I just waited until someone's competent enough to notice."
Nayuta grinned. "Then it's settled."
I leaned back against the wall, watching the two of them continue bickering over which destination had the "better view." A small smile tugged at my lips before I spoke.
"You know," I said quietly, "if I think about it… this'll be my first time spending a holiday with a group."
The room went a little quieter. Shayne looked over, his grin softening. "Wait, seriously?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. Usually I'd just stay at home during holidays, weekends and staycation. I'd… just pass the time. Read, nap, or even play some games."
Nayuta tilted his head. "So you've never gone on a trip with friends before?"
"Not once." I admitted, smiling faintly. "Guess I just didn't have people I could call 'friends' back then."
Shayne leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand.
"Well, you've got us now," he said, voice unusually sincere for him.
Alejandro nodded, still calm as ever. "Mhm. All the more reason for you to enjoy it."
Nayuta beamed. "Yeah, no more boring room holidays for you."
I chuckled under my breath.
Their reactions were so typical, yet… something about it felt warm. For the first time in a long while, the thought of the holidays doesn't feel hollow.
Alejandro glanced at Shayne, one eyebrow raised.
"What about your cool kids group? Don't you usually hang out with them?"
Shayne shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
"Yeah, they planned to fly overseas during this holiday."
Nayuta's ears perked up. "Overseas? That sounds fun. Where to?"
"France," Shayne continued.
"They're planning to stroll around the city. Watch the Mona Lisa, see the Eiffel Tower, take photos and all that."
Alejandro tilted his head. "So you said no?"
"Yeah," Shayne replied, grinning a little.
"I'd prefer going to the beach with you guys. France isn't for me."
Nayuta laughed.
"What, did a croissant break your heart or something?"
Shayne chuckled. "No particular reason. Just not my thing. Now, if they were flying to Las Vegas or Japan, then I'd definitely go."
While we kept talking and joking around, none of us noticed the figure standing outside the door, who was listening in on the conversation.
The figure stayed silent, unmoving. Perhaps it's been following me around after the talk I had with Shimotsuki, I just didn't notice it.
When Shayne mentioned the beach again, followed by Nayuta's insistence on the mountain, the shadow tilted its head slightly.
There was only one beach in the state we're currently residing in, and only one mountain known for its hot spring resort.
To him, the locations might be predictable.
And the proof for that, is that's all he needed.
He stepped back quietly. His footsteps faded into the corridor, slow and measured, until the hall fell silent again.
Inside, we were still laughing, unaware that someone had already marked where we'd be.
But more importantly, whom does the figure belong to?