Ch. 129 - The Announcement of the Prez

Ji Niang’s gaze swept across the room. She hadn't given a second thought to the fact that the Class President position had been pre-assigned. In her mind, if anyone had a problem with it, they could deal with it.

At the Witch School, power was the only currency that truly mattered.

The Class President wasn't just a paper-pusher; they were supposed to be the strongest individual in the room, the voice of the collective.

Administrative skills were a distant second to raw capability. The Academy didn't just tolerate competition between classes or within them; it practically subsidized it.

Strength was the only foundation for authority.

"Come on up, Yang Yuehan," Ji Niang said, her eyes landing on me. "Say a few words to your classmates."

The entire room pivoted. Everyone knew there was a Class President. After all, I was the one who had dragged them all into the group chats, but most of them hadn't seen me in the flesh yet.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Standing in front of a hundred people and pretending I wasn't nervous was a bold-faced lie, but since the spotlight was already on me, I couldn't exactly hide. I had to set the tone.

I stood up and stepped toward the podium. Since I was already in the front row, it was barely a two-step journey.

"Hi, everyone. I’m Yang Yuehan, and I’ll be serving as your Class President for Section 14," I began. I kept my voice steady, projecting to the back of the hall. "I know we’ve already 'met' digitally, but it’s great to finally see all of you in person. I hope we can all push each other to reach the next level. If you run into any trouble on campus or have questions about the curriculum, feel free to reach out. I’ll do my best to help you navigate this place."

I gave a polite, respectful bow to wrap up the intro. My phrasing felt solid enough—I hadn't stuttered or tripped over my words, which I counted as a win in my book.

Hong Chenyi was the first to start clapping, acting as a one-woman hype crew. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and soon a wave of polite applause filled the room.

As the noise died down, I glanced at Ji Niang to see if she had anything else for me.

If not, I was ready to bolt back to my seat; being stared at by a hundred girls felt a bit like being a lab specimen under a microscope.

"Wait! Ma'am!"

A sharp voice cut through the air, drawing every eye to the back of the room.

A girl was standing there, her posture stiff and her tone dripping with resentment. "I've been talking to girls in other sections, and they all got to vote for their President. Ours was just... decided for us. That doesn't seem right."

I recognized that energy immediately. This was the ringleader of the "clique" Hong Chenyi had warned me about.

"I appreciate your honesty," I said, cutting in before things could escalate. I forced a calm smile. "I did say I was here to help solve problems. Are you suggesting you have a better candidate in mind? I’m all ears."

"I... I’m questioning your qualifications!" the girl stuttered, clearly not expecting me to call her bluff so directly.

She wasn't bold enough to nominate herself on the spot, so she pivoted back to skepticism. "What makes you so special that you get hand-picked while the rest of us are just supposed to follow?"

"We’re all freshmen here," I replied, taking a slow breath to stay grounded. "We’ve all left our old lives behind to step into the world of Transcendence. We’re all starting from zero. The only difference is that I arrived on campus a bit earlier and had some time to acclimate to how things work here."

I paused, scanning the room. "If there comes a day when you feel I’m not fit for this role, I won't cling to it. But right now, I have the layout of the land, and I can offer you support. If you're struggling with the basics, you can ask me, and I—"

Suddenly, Ji Niang held up a hand, cutting me off mid-sentence.

I’d been trying to play the "diplomat" card, to win them over with logic and earn my seat through cooperation, but Ji Niang clearly had a different pedagogical approach in mind.

I had planned to play it cool—to take the lead, smooth over the dissent, and solidify my position as Class President through diplomacy.

I figured I’d have plenty of time to power up in the shadows until no one dared question me. After all, strength is the ultimate argument.

But Ji Niang wasn't about to sit around and wait for me to win a popularity contest. She didn't do "patient." To her, picking a leader was a binary choice, and she had zero interest in wasting her morning on a debate.

"As for how the President was chosen—I don't care how the other sections do things. In my class, you follow my rules," Ji Niang said. Her tone had shifted, shedding its earlier warmth for something cold and sharp.

The sudden change caught everyone off guard, but she wasn't done.

"Shortly after the semester begins, the Academy holds the first Freshman Trials," she continued. "Specifically, a duel between the Class Presidents of every section. Let me be clear: combat between Transcendents can be fatal. And in case you were wondering, the President of Section 1 is Tan Han—the top-ranked recruit of your year."

She let that hang in the air. The moment she mentioned the risk of death, I saw the color drain from their faces.

Fear and hesitation took over. Clearly, I wasn't in a room full of battle-hungry sociopaths, but then again, that’s to be expected.

"Snap out of it," Ji Niang barked. "Since no one else is volunteering for a potential deathmatch, the matter is settled."

She made it sound so final that the "objection" from earlier felt like a distant memory. Was she the type to listen to complaints? Not even a little.

"A few more logistics before we wrap up," she said. "Your Class President has already been granted a waiver for the foundation courses. Since she won't be in the classroom for daily lectures, we need a Vice President to handle the day-to-day management and coordinate with the instructors. Since someone was so vocal about wanting to lead, I’m happy to give her a shot."

Every head in the room turned toward the girl in the back. It was obvious to everyone—including me—that she was likely the one stirring up drama in the group chat last night.

"W-why is everyone looking at me? I..."

"Stand up, you. State your name for the class." Under Ji Niang’s commanding gaze, the girl stood up involuntarily.

From the sheer panic on her face, it was clear her body was moving against her will.

"I... I'm Tu Xingyue."

"A little more confidence, please. Where was that energy from a moment ago? How do you expect to manage your peers or assist your professors with that voice?"

"I... I am Tu Xingyue! I am honored to serve as Vice President, and I will do my absolute best to fulfill my duties!"

After the initial shock wore off, Tu Xingyue managed to pull herself together.

Ji Niang’s talk of "deadly duels" had clearly terrified her—she didn't want to die. She hadn't mastered a single Transcendental technique yet and had zero confidence in a fight.

But a Vice President? A role that was basically just administration and a teacher's pet? She could do that. She had been a class leader in her old life; she knew the drill.

"Now that the leadership is settled, let's go over the orientation notes and the Academy's code of conduct."

From there, it became the Ji Niang show. I quietly slipped back into my seat and focused on the rules.

In a place like the Witch School, ignorance wasn't an excuse.

If you broke a rule without knowing it, the consequences were likely brutal.

I thought back to the Disciplinary Unit—those girls were absolute monsters in combat. I had zero desire to end up on their radar.

Beside me, Hong Chenyi wouldn't stop whispering. We were literally in the front row, and she was still running her mouth like she wasn't afraid of Ji Niang handing out a magical slap to the face.

"Yuehan... did you know about the duel? You're so calm."

"Yuehan, are you seriously not afraid of dying?"

"Say something! A duel between Presidents? Can you actually win?"

"Talk later," I muttered, barely moving my lips.

I wasn't about to get caught gossiping during Ji Niang's lecture. She moved through the material at breakneck speed, basically skimming the highlights before telling us to find the full manual on the Academy system. It was all on our phones, anyway.

With that, the first assembly was officially over. She gave a few final reminders about tomorrow’s classes, and the room began to clear.

As soon as class was dismissed, a wave of girls headed straight for me. Some looked like they wanted to play "best friends" already, while others were clearly fishing for info.

I didn't really mind. If helping them was the fastest way to build a social circle, I was game. You always crave what you’ve lacked, and having spent years without a real support system, I was willing to take what I could get, even if their friendliness was just a side effect of my new title.

Friendship was just a mutual exchange of value and self-satisfaction anyway, right? At least, that was how I saw it.

Even a "surface-level" friend who greeted you with a smile was better than being invisible. It made the day feel a little brighter.

But before the crowd could swallow me, Ji Niang signaled me over. I gave the girls an apologetic "maybe later" look and jogged up to the podium.

"Yuehan, one more thing. It’s a bit of a headache, but I need you to handle it," she said, handing me a small stack of spare Pacts and a few pens. "A few stragglers skipped out today. Find them and get these signed. Use 'forceful persuasion' if you have to. You can fill them in on the orientation notes if you’re feeling generous, but personally? I don't think anyone should have to pay the bill for their arrogance."

"Understood," I said, taking the materials. It was more grunt work, but I wasn't in a position to say no.

Just as I turned to leave, she called out again. "Wait. Take this. Consider it an advance on that promise I made you."

She reached into her storage gear and tossed something toward me. It was sleek, polished, and beautifully crafted. I fumbled for a second before catching it: a high-end broom.

"Give it a try," she said, already packing her things. "It’ll make your errands go faster. I’ll be waiting for you back at the lab."

"Thank you, Ma'am! Seriously!"

I meant it. This wasn't just some budget trainer; even though it was clearly a used model, it had been maintained perfectly.

The moment my hands gripped the handle, I could feel the quality—the weight and balance were leagues beyond the "senior-citizen" clunkers they used for the flight exams.

I mounted the broom and kicked off. The lift was instant. As I soared toward the ceiling and streaked out the upper windows, a chorus of shocked gasps erupted from the students who hadn't left the room yet.

"Wait... she's flying?!"

"Someone already learned how to fly? On day one?"

"Thank god I didn't try to challenge her for the presidency. Look at that speed!"

"I want to fly... that looks so cool."

"Same. I'm buying a broom the second I get my allowance."

"Wait, is it comfortable? Doesn't the handle... you know... hurt?"

"Duh, it's a Witch School! Witches and brooms go together like coffee and cream. Learn your tropes!"

Ji Niang stepped out of the classroom just as the chatter reached a fever pitch.

The crowd of students scurried back to give her space, though a few brave souls hung around the edges, whispering questions.

"Don't just stand there daydreaming," Ji Niang called out to the remaining girls. "If you want to fly like that, you need to pass your flight certification first. Don't think buying a broom makes you a pilot. But she’s right—the Academy is massive. If you have the drive, get your license. It’ll save you a lot of walking."

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