Chapter 14 – Rule 8. The Leader Maintains Dignity Even at Exchange Meetings (3)

 

 

 

“The recreation will be conducted on a points system! Each game victory earns 1 point! The school with the highest points at the end will be the winner! So, Ahsung High V.S. Mayeon High, who will come out on top? Let’s all enjoy it together!”

 

As the host shouted, special effects spread across the stage.

 

The Disciplinary Committee members clapped in unison.

 

Ahsung High V.S. Mayeon High.

 

It was a very blatant expression.

 

Most students, except for a few innocent ones, quickly realized the hidden meaning behind the recreation planned by Ahsung High.

 

“So, they want to challenge us.”

 

“Arrogant Ahsung High folks.”

 

This wasn’t just a simple recreation; it was a pride battle between the Disciplinary Committees of each school.

 

Both sides were eager for this.

 

“They’re making it interesting.”

 

“Glad you see it that way.”

 

Lee Jae-ho of Mayeon High adjusted his glasses.

 

Ahn Woo-jin of Ahsung High shrugged his shoulders.

 

“You didn’t rig the games, did you?”

 

“Do you think we’d stoop to such low tricks? This is a matter of pride. If you’re uncomfortable, you can change the game events.”

 

“Fine. Let’s see who comes out on top.”

 

Perhaps because they were showing their true intentions, the initial awkwardness had already dissipated.

 

Thus began the battle between Ahsung High and Mayeon High.

 

“Let’s start with something simple… a quiz!”

 

From the first to the fourth games, the Disciplinary Committee members competed in various events.

 

A quiz everyone could participate in, target hitting, magic power battles, and more.

 

The atmosphere heated up.

 

Ahsung High: 1

 

Mayeon High: 3

 

Mayeon High led in points, and the serious competition began from the fifth event.

 

“From the fifth game onward, it’s a representative match! Each side will choose their most capable representative to compete!”

 

The host shouted with a smile.

 

“First, we need one person from each side who claims to have the best memory. Please step forward!”

 

At the host’s call, Jae-ho showed interest.

 

“A memory competition? Good. Go, Seogi!”

 

Jae-ho sent out his secretary.

 

“Park Minhyuk, I choose you!”

 

“Whaaat!?”

 

Park Minhyuk, the secretary of Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee, shuddered at Woo-jin’s declaration.

 

“M-me…?”

 

“You have the best memory, don’t you?”

 

“But, even so, in front of all these people…? Leader, this is…!”

 

“Get up there. The honor of our Disciplinary Committee rests on your shoulders.”

 

“Ugh….”

 

Muttering, “If it’s the leader’s order, I have no choice…,” Minhyuk reluctantly headed to the stage.

 

The secretaries of Mayeon High and Ahsung High stood on stage.

 

‘Oh no….’

 

Minhyuk felt immense pressure and his legs trembled.

 

“Both committees have chosen their secretaries! What an exciting lineup! Let’s move on to the fifth game! This game is… the ‘Card Flip’ game!”

 

Committee members brought out a table. The screen behind the stage showed the table.
Over 100 cards were scattered on it, all facedown.

 

“Each side will take turns flipping cards to find matching pairs. The side with the most pairs wins! There are two full decks on the table! This will require incredible memory and concentration. Are both participants ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Y-yes….”

 

“Then, let’s determine the order…. Okay, Mayeon High’s secretary will go first! Ready, set, go!”

 

After several rounds of flipping cards and assessing the pairs, Minhyuk, who initially trembled with fear, began to focus on the game.

 

“This card with this card… and…”

 

With cautious but confident movements, Minhyuk flipped cards unhesitatingly, earning admiration from Ahsung High members.

 

In contrast, the expressions of Mayeon High members hardened.

 

Flipping all the cards with ease, the match ended quickly.

 

“Unbelievable! Ahsung High’s secretary Park Minhyuk wins by a landslide! Ahsung High scores! They’re closing the gap rapidly!”
“Ugh.”

 

Jae-ho frowned and clenched his fist.
Meanwhile, Woo-jin hid his rising smile behind a propped fist.

 

“Vice-Leader, it’s time to secure our victory.”
“Huh?”

 

Jae-ho had no intention of letting Ahsung High gain the upper hand.

 

“The games might be rigged in favor of Ahsung High. We need to intervene here.”

 

After whispering to the Vice-Leader, Jae-ho looked at Woo-jin.

 

“Hey, Leader Ahn Woo-jin. You said we could choose the game events, right?”

 

Jae-ho asked, looking at Woo-jin.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then….”

 

Jae-ho whispered instructions to Shin Ga-yeon.

 

“…Understood.”

 

Ga-yeon went up on stage and whispered to the host. The committee members looked puzzled.

 

The host glanced at Woo-jin, who nodded. Then, the host handed the microphone and the cue cards to Ga-yeon.

 

“From now on, I will take over as the host, and the remaining games will be decided by Mayeon High.”

 

The Mayeon High members cheered in unison.

 

Although this was a ‘recreation’ under the guise of a ‘Disciplinary Committee battle,’ Ahsung High ultimately organized the events.

 

The suspicion that the games might be increasingly favorable to Ahsung High as they progressed was shared among Mayeon High members.

 

The announcement that their Vice-Leader would decide the game events was naturally welcomed.

 

In such a place where the original purpose of fun had faded and only the intention to determine superiority remained, the change of host mattered little.

 

The original host, feeling regretful that he could not continue, stepped down from the stage.
Now, only Mayeon High’s Vice-Leader, Shin Ga-yeon, remained on stage.

 

“There are two games left. Mayeon High will decide both. The next game is… a mental arithmetic competition. Please send out your best representatives for mental arithmetic.”

 

A mental arithmetic competition.

 

It was easy to create problems on the spot and highly fair.

 

The firm resolve of Mayeon High to allow no unfair advantage for Ahsung High was clear to the Disciplinary Committee members.

 

“A mental arithmetic competition, huh? Good. I trust you, Treasurer!”

 

Jae-ho sent out his treasurer.

 

“Park Minhyuk, come back. Go, Yoo Doha!”

 

“Hmph.”

 

Woo-jin also sent out his treasurer.

 

Yoo Doha, the treasurer of Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee, snorted and went up to the stage.

 

Thus, the treasurers of each school stood side by side on the stage.

 

“Go, Jin-du! Go, Jin-du!”

 

“Our genius of Mayeon High!”

 

“Master of mental arithmetic!”

 

Mayeon High’s Disciplinary Committee cheered loudly.

 

Mayeon High’s treasurer, Goo Jin-du.

 

He was a math genius who had swept math competitions since childhood and was a master of mental arithmetic with exceptional cognitive skills.

 

That’s why Mayeon High chose mental arithmetic as the game event, trusting in Jin-du.

 

“I will present the problems and manage the proceedings.”

 

Ga-yeon approached the Ahsung High Disciplinary Committee member sitting by the computer and began creating calculation problems with him.

 

Meanwhile, Jin-du looked at Doha.

 

‘Yoo Doha…. I knew you’d be here, but to meet like this…’

 

Jin-du knew Yoo Doha.

 

‘Ever since we were young, I always wanted to beat you.’

 

Once, when Yoo Doha participated in a math competition, she took first place, surpassing Jin-du.

 

It was the sudden rise of a supernova.

 

For Jin-du, who thought he was unmatched among his peers in mathematics, it was a shocking experience.

 

He poured all his energy into studying, determined to beat Doha.

 

But Doha never entered another competition.

 

Thus, Jin-du had been chasing Doha’s shadow, harboring a desire to surpass her.

 

Then last year,

 

He heard that Doha had become the treasurer of the Disciplinary Committee.

 

Why would such a genius become a club treasurer?

 

Did she give up on the path of mathematics?

 

With those questions, Jin-du decided to become the treasurer of Mayeon High’s Disciplinary Committee.

 

He wanted to understand why the genius Yoo Doha chose that path.

 

“Are you the treasurer of Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee?”

 

Goo Jin-du spoke to Doha.

 

To Doha, Jin-du would be a stranger.

 

That’s why he spoke to her that way.

 

“What of it?”

 

“Pitiful…”

 

“What did you say?”

 

In their private conversation, Doha’s eyes narrowed.

 

“As a committee member, you’re stuck serving someone far inferior to Vice-Leader Oh Baek-seo. An idiot who fell for a trivial provocateur’s taunt. I wouldn’t be able to stay under someone like that. The leader should be someone worthy of respect.”

 

Jin-du smiled insincerely.

 

“In that regard, our Leader Lee Jae-ho is a superior person. He’s a genius in the fifth rank and excels in combat. A leader worthy of my respect, unlike a certain deficient Disciplinary Committee.”

 

Jin-du was a follower of Lee Jae-ho.

 

He supported Jae-ho’s belief in gaining an upper hand over Ahsung High through strength.

 

Moreover, Jin-du had been looking forward to competing with Yoo Doha again.
So, he belittled Ahsung High’s leader and provoked Doha as much as he could.

 

In other words, it was an attempt at psychological dominance.

 

However,

 

“Ha! How childish.”

 

“What?”

 

It didn’t work on Doha.

 

She grinned, showing her white teeth.

 

“I remember you, Goo Jin-du…. Weren’t you once called a math genius?”

 

“…So what?”

 

Jin-du felt a brief gratitude that Doha remembered him, but it was short-lived.

 

“It was laughable. At best, you were treated as a talented fool.”

 

“What?”

 

“A wise person bows as they grow taller. You, on the other hand, have become an arrogant fool.”

 

Doha’s arrogant laughter left Jin-du stunned.

 

His face darkened as he glared at her.

 

“…Are you confident? Confident you can beat me.”

 

“Hmph.”

 

Doha answered with a snort, as if it was obvious.

 

Soon, Ga-yeon spoke into the microphone.

 

“All the problems are ready. When the problem appears on the screen, press the buzzer and give your answer. The first person to solve the problem gets the point.”

 

Ga-yeon activated the recording function on her smartphone to verify the answers.

 

“Here comes the first problem.”

 

The white screen on the stage filled with numbers.

 

“What is the answer to the following multiplication?”

 

Buzz!

 

“162,726,355,641,251,339,887,408.”

 

“…!?”

 

As soon as the problem appeared on the screen, the buzzer was pressed, and the answer was immediately recited.

 

At such an unbelievable speed, all the committee members, including Goo Jin-du, were astonished.

 

The one who got the correct answer was Yoo Doha, the treasurer of Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee.

 

‘I haven’t even finished reading the problem…?’

 

Jin-du could perform mental arithmetic on long strings of numbers within four seconds.
However, Yoo Doha’s mental arithmetic speed was on another level.

 

“What is the answer to the next problem!?”

 

Buzz!

 

“63,535,204,842,302,171,750,112,507,137,882.”

 

“Next problem!”

 

Buzz!

 

“729,217,309,281,496,226,404,840,339,658,521,620,358.”

 

“The answer to the next multiplication problem…?”

 

Buzz!

 

Buzz!

 

Buzz!

 

With each problem that appeared, Doha immediately pressed the buzzer and nonchalantly recited the answers.

 

Due to the high numerical values, she quickly read the numbers like, “One six two seven two six three five five…”

 

After verifying with a computer calculator, all the numbers Doha recited were correct.

 

Just to be sure, the host, Ga-yeon, even played back the recordings on the device to confirm. Each time, the amazement only grew.

 

Thus, ten problems ended in an instant.

 

Mayeon High’s Goo Jin-du: 0 points

 

Ahsung High’s Yoo Doha: 10 points

 

It was a decisive victory for Yoo Doha.

 

“…Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee treasurer, Yoo Doha, wins. This ties the score between Mayeon High and Ahsung High.”

 

The members of Mayeon High’s Disciplinary Committee, who had been confident of victory, were all in shock.

 

Jae-ho and even Vice-Leader Ga-yeon were no exception.

 

“Wow!!”

 

“Amazing!

 

“Senior Doha, you’re incredible!”