In the main game, not all the daily lives of the characters were shown in detail.

Of course, the game did have a “daily life” section. You could attend classes, visit the library to study, or walk around the campus talking to other students. Some quests even involved running errands for teachers.

How you interacted with certain characters determined how much your bond gauge increased, and based on the level of that gauge, you could experience special events with that character at specific points. Maybe you’d go on a date or run into them by coincidence somewhere... and at the very end, you might even get to kiss them.

In your first playthrough, there was a limitation—time. You couldn’t talk to everyone in one go. But in the second playthrough, there were no limits. You could chat with everyone endlessly, and in the end, you could choose any heroine or male character you wanted. Choosing a male character didn’t trigger a BL (boys' love) route—it just ended as a friendship. Still, some players enjoyed reading too much into those friendships.

The main story didn’t really hinge on these romantic endings, though. They were just a fun extra, a service provided by the developers so players could romance their favorite heroine.

In the sequel, if you carried over your save data, the story would continue with the heroine you romanced in the first game. And if you didn’t have a save file, the game would ask who you ended up with. Still, romance didn’t heavily influence the main plot, and the game could even forget about the romance entirely as it progressed. By the end, you could end up with a different character.

But... things wouldn’t work like that in real life.

In the game, it was all about game mechanics. In reality, switching relationships wasn’t that simple. Women wouldn’t just overlook that, and there would definitely be friction between characters. Plus, now that I was here, the relationships between the characters were already changing drastically.

...Would the original plot even unfold as intended? It felt like things had already gone way off course. Knowing the original plot might not even help at this point.

"Sylvia," Alice called to me, snapping me out of my thoughts as I sat at my desk, preparing for class.

"Yes?"

"What are you going to do about the student council?" Alice asked, skipping any pleasantries.

Ah, right. There was a student council, too. Alice had been part of it in the original game.

In this academy, the student council members were chosen by the student council president, except for the president themselves, who was elected by the students. Naturally, the president was always someone popular or well-connected—or both. That meant it was practically impossible for a commoner to become president. Unsurprisingly, there were no commoners on the council either.

In some ways, the student council reflected the politics of the empire. Most commoners didn’t have the time or means to vote, let alone know the candidates. The emperor, as the head of the government, appointed most of the ministers, who were typically nobles. Similarly, nobles were the only ones with enough money and time to run for parliament. While nobles were vastly outnumbered by commoners, the nobles’ voting turnout was disproportionately higher. This system carried over into the academy.

Even if commoner students wanted to elect a commoner president, the commoners attending the academy were typically from families already connected to nobles. They had to pass two rounds of exams just to get in—once before taking the test and once after.

With such a setup, it was customary for high-ranking nobles to be recommended for student council positions as soon as they enrolled. If they wanted the position, they’d get it. If they didn’t want it, no one would force them.

Alice would be recommended, as in the original game.

"I haven’t given it much thought," I said, pulling out the textbook for our first class.

In the game, joining the student council was optional. Joining increased Alice’s bond gauge, unlocked specific events and items, and gave access to the character cards feature. Completing the student council quest was also necessary to obtain the silver medal for clearing all quests. Plus, it helped boost Alice’s affection in the first playthrough.

In short, joining the student council added some minor events to the daily life portion of the game and granted access to the student council room. But in the second playthrough, with unlimited action points, you didn’t need to join since you could max out Alice’s affection through other events.

And I didn’t need to collect platinum medals here—this wasn’t a game.

"Then I’ll go ahead and put your name in as well," Alice said without waiting for my response.

"..."

I paused and turned to look at her. She stared back, as if asking why I was making a big deal out of it.

"What? You don’t want to do it?" she asked, sounding confused.

Hmm... Honestly, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. As I’d explained, the student council was basically a reflection of the rigid, entrenched power dynamics of noble society. Even in the game, Leo, as a baron’s son, faced several events where he was dismissed or ignored. Alice usually stepped in to defend him, citing his noble title granted by the emperor.

As for me, no one would dare ignore me. In some fantasy novels, you’d hear about “dukes older than the royal family,” but in this game’s setting, the empire’s founding was practically a creation myth. There wasn’t a name older than “Fangryphon” in this world.

Still... I really didn’t want to join. The student council might have been treated like a minor quest in the game, but in reality, it would involve a lot of work. Not to mention, I’d be surrounded by high-ranking nobles, which would make maintaining my usual facade even harder.

"...You don’t want to?" Alice asked, her expression softening slightly. She looked almost disappointed.

In the original game, Alice had seamlessly become part of the student council, but there must have been a moment when she was first asked to join.

And it’s not like Alice had a wide circle of noble friends to rely on.

Oh well. If things go wrong, I could always rewind time.

"Fine. I’ll come with you after class," I said.

"That’s the spirit. You were going to get an invitation anyway, right?"

She had a point. An invitation would probably arrive soon if it hadn’t already. It might even be waiting at my dorm right now.

Before I could share that thought with Alice, someone else interrupted us.

"Sylvia!"

It was Claire, of course.

"..."

What should I say? I wasn’t the kind of person who greeted people often. Usually, the only person I’d greet was the emperor, and even then, it was with stiff, formal phrases like “I hope Your Majesty is well” or “It’s an honor to see Your Majesty.” I rarely exchanged casual greetings.

My character didn’t typically bother with greetings. Even when Jaiden or Lucas acted rowdy right next to me, I’d just ignore them—that was the persona I maintained. The emperor’s children, and Alice, usually chatted away without needing me to chime in.

"Ah, hello...?" I awkwardly replied.

At least Claire was keeping her promise not to call me “sister,” which was commendable.

"You can say hello as many times as you like, but it won’t change anything," Alice chimed in, clearly amused.

"Sylvia doesn’t usually respond to greetings. She rarely initiates them herself," she explained with a playful smile.

Nice, Alice.

That’s right. I was maintaining a "cool beauty" persona. I wasn’t going to “dere” anytime soon, so I guess "cool beauty" suited me better than "kuudere."

The kind of character that smiles and responds warmly to greetings would only emerge after I’ve grown closer to my friends.

Sure, I already felt some affection toward them, but they didn’t know that yet. For now, keeping up my character was important.

Who knows? Maybe one day I’d reach the point where, after finishing the final battle, I’d look at my companions and say something like, "I don’t know what expression to make in times like these."

Someone might even compare me to a certain character from Evangelion, but hey, that anime doesn’t exist in this world.

"Was that what it was?" Claire sighed with relief, as if she’d been worried I didn’t like her.

"Oh dear, that would be a problem," came another voice, inserting itself into the conversation.

Without even needing to see the speaker, I knew from the tone alone that it was Charlotte.

Her movements were graceful, her platinum blonde hair swaying as she sat beside Alice. Every gesture was like a perfectly crafted scene from a painting.

As she hung her school bag on the side of the desk, Charlotte added, "It’s always better for someone of royal status to be polite, even to those of lower rank. After all, everyone deserves respect, no matter their title."

"Hello, Charlotte," Alice greeted her casually.

"I hope you’ve been well, Alice," Charlotte responded with equal grace.

It was a pleasant scene to watch. In the early chapters of the original game, Alice had always been tense and serious.

Apparently, my efforts to boost her confidence had paid off.

...It was impressive that Charlotte maintained the same level of formality with me, despite how rude I’d been to her father.

"And Sylvia," Alice began, turning back to me, "even our father greets people first sometimes. Like when he meets a duke from a former royal family."

He may greet them, but he never bows.

And most of those dukes were on the emperor’s list for future purges. Even though the kingdoms had been part of the empire for centuries, the regional differences were still deeply ingrained. People from those areas often harbored strong resentment toward the capital and the northern territories.

"...I always try to act with courtesy," I replied.

"Saying ‘hello’ doesn’t mean you’re being courteous..." Alice sighed, shaking her head.