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The day after finalizing the selection and tentative acquisition of a Mecha Soldier, I headed straight to the student council room to submit the “Mecha Soldier Manufacturing Permit.”

This permit also served as an authorization to use the university division’s facilities. Apparently, it was extremely rare for a student to customize and rebuild a Mecha Soldier across both the high school and university divisions. Thanks to the Professor proactively reviewing the permit in advance, I had no trouble preparing the necessary documents.

Now that the paperwork was ready, the next issue was whether the student council would accept it without resistance. If Melua or Estea were present, there wouldn’t be any problems, but things could get tricky if Ignis was there. In the worst case, I might have to leave and consult Melua about it.

The student council room, located in the center of the second floor of the school building, wasn’t a place frequently visited by students. I arrived without encountering a single person along the way.

“…Permission granted. Enter.”

When I knocked on the door, Ignis’ voice responded from inside. It seemed I had arrived at a rather unfortunate moment. Perhaps the fact that I hadn’t run into anyone in the hallway was related. With that thought in mind, I stepped inside, only to be met with an openly annoyed expression from Ignis, who was lounging on the reception sofa.

“…What’s the lone human among the mongrels doing here?”

Talking to Ignis here wasn’t a wise choice. It would be better to pretend I had come to see Estea or Melua and leave for now.

“The truth is—”
“Ignis.”

Just as I was about to speak, Estea’s sharp voice cut in. I hadn’t noticed her before since she had been obscured by the bookshelves at the back, but it seemed she was present as well.

“Your statement just now—I don’t expect to correct your personal views, but as a remark made within the student council room, it is unacceptable.”

With the sharp sound of her heels clicking against the floor, Estea approached Ignis, her gaze piercing.

“Revise your statement immediately to something more appropriate.”
“…Just because you’re the student council president, don’t think you can order me around¹.”
“This isn’t an order. It’s a request.”

As Ignis stood up in frustration, Estea did not budge an inch.

“…I don’t have time to entertain your goody-two-shoes logic every damn time. You deal with that pathetic commoner.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Ignis pushed past me and opened the door.

“Wait, Ignis. If you refuse to fulfill your duties as a member of the student council, then what is the point of having a vice president—”
“Duties, work—call it whatever you want, but it’s all just menial tasks. The fact that I reign as the representative of the students is already more than enough of a contribution to the student council.”

With his hand still on the door, Ignis muttered in a low, contemptuous tone.

“That is not because of you, but because of the influence of your family. If we are to abide by the principles of this academy, then your own character and conduct should—”
“I don’t recall asking for a lecture. I’ll be taking my leave.”

Well, I had tried to step aside, thinking I could avoid getting involved, but he still ended up shoving past me. He remained as unpleasant as ever, but at least he was leaving the student council room. That made things easier.

“…I apologize.”

Estea bowed her head as she waited for the sound of Ignis’ footsteps to fade.

“Is that something like a habit of yours?”
“…A habit…?”

She seemed unsure of what I was pointing out.

“I know it’s not your fault, so you don’t have to apologize.”
“…Ah, I see. That’s what you meant.”

When I rephrased it, Estea let out a small, wry smile and leaned against the student council president’s desk.

“You have your hands full with him, huh?”
“Did Melua tell you something again?”
“That scene just now told me more than enough.”

Melua would probably tell me everything if I asked, but I wasn’t so dense that I needed to hear it spelled out. I shrugged slightly, and Estea furrowed her brows in mild exasperation.

“At this rate, it’ll be difficult for us to gain the support of the commoner students, no matter what the noble students think of him.”
“…Yes. That’s why they created Class F—to segregate them.”
“Do you think that actually solves anything?”

The demi-human discrimination that had started last year was essentially a way to create a group deemed acceptable to look down upon, directing dissatisfaction toward them.

“At the very least, by creating ‘manufactured weaklings,’ they can deceive the general student body. And in reality, it seems to have worked last year.”
“Worked…?”

Estea lowered her gaze sorrowfully.

“…Many students from Class F, unable to endure the discrimination, ended up leaving this school. The demi-human students who stayed have changed their majors to avoid standing out.”

Ah… Perhaps that explains why the engineering department, my own major, feels much calmer compared to others. It might be because many students sought refuge from discrimination there.

“If things continue like this, this academy will fall into ruin. We cannot allow such discrimination to persist indefinitely.”
“…Yeah. It would be ideal if we, the representatives of Class F, could put up a good fight and prove our abilities to as many people as possible.”

Vannabelle and the others were strongly conscious of that goal. I, too, had resolved to fight so that Alfe and Hom wouldn’t have to suffer from baseless discrimination.

“I have high expectations for you. As the student council president, I have no intention of losing, though.”
“That’s for the best.”

Sensing Estea’s complex emotions, I smiled. She, in turn, picked up on my gesture and returned a small smile.

“…By the way, that document you have—is it a Mecha Soldier manufacturing permit?”
“Yeah. I want to get it approved in time for the Zersteller. If not, passing the second selection round will be difficult.”
“Melua mentioned it as well, and I believe it’s a very wise decision.”

Saying that, Estea moved over to her desk, opened a drawer, and took out an approval stamp.

“As of this moment, I am granting my approval under my authority.”
“Already? That quickly?”

I had assumed there would be more bureaucratic steps, so I was surprised that she approved it on the spot.

“Knowing you, you’ve already secured the Professor’s backing, haven’t you? The next person this permit needs to go to is the Professor, and I will be delivering it myself.”
“…No wonder things are moving so fast.”
“That’s for the best, isn’t it?”

Estea mimicked my earlier words with a playful smile². Had she heard about me from Melua? The atmosphere felt much more comfortable now. Usually, Estea wore a stern expression, but I felt that this smiling version of her was far more true to herself.

1. Robinxen: Doesn’t she literally outrank you??? What’s the point of the ranks you love so much if you can’t order people lower?!
2. Robinxen: She is starting to grow on me.

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