Taming The Villainesses

(EP-199.2) Things #3

199 – Student Things #3

I asked.

“Can’t you just say no?”

“I wish! I would’ve done so if it wasn’t for the consequences…”

“Consequences?”

“It wasn’t like this a few years ago. Nowadays, everyone’s tiptoeing around the nymphs. If we’re labeled as a nymph-hating shop, we’re out of business….”

‘I see.’

From the investigation, it was found that the nymphs, who held positions in various clubs and departments, were buying snacks and treats.

That was right.

The nymphs, who were parachuted into key positions in each organization through the nymph quota system, were working together to sway public opinion in their own interests.

It was no wonder their candidate, Empress Serazade, won an overwhelming majority of the votes.

Above all, nymphs had the audacity to hold not just one but two votes each under the pretext of promoting nymph rights…!

“Aira-nim, it seems that our most urgent priority is to reduce their useless budgets and reduce their power.”

After all, power came from money.

If support to them got cut off, they would inevitably lose influence as they withered away without resources. Consequently, the votes on Empress Serazade, whom they supported, would wane.

“Taking away the nymphs’ candy, isn’t that too harsh…?”

Aira tilted her head at me as if her heart had softened. But I was a half-fairy, I knew better than anyone how disheartening it was to derive nymphs of their treat.

* * *

“Hieek…! My chocolate cake…! This is very nymphophobic…! You’d better not think you can mess with our Nymph Newspaper Department and get away with it…!”

“Anchor Noia, our hard-earned dessert café coupons are burning…! Just a few more stamps and we could have gotten a large ganache cake, but they’re burning…!”

“Hieek…! Are you the owner of the imps…!?”

Being caught illegally using the budget led to a fierce resistance from nymphs, as their private gains were confiscated.

However, nymphs lacked combativeness to a despairing extent. Well, I knew that all too well.

All they could do was bark like dogs, no bite.

“This, the world will not tolerate this…! These nymphophobic acts will be condemned for generations to come…!”

“Um….”

Nymphs were a protected species.

I wondered what would happen if the world indeed pointed at us for taking away their rights.

━Did you hear? The Nymph Newspaper Department got shut down this time. The budget they’ve been embezzling all this time was huge!

━Our Security Department had no budget and had to reject equipment purchases every time. But it wasn’t that there was no budget; there were just too many thieves.

━They didn’t even realize how fortunate they were to be treated as a protected species. If you even slightly criticize them, they label you as a nymphophobe!

Surprisingly, however, the response wasn’t too bad.

It was probably because everyone has suffered a lot from nymphs.

Furthermore, the formation of such public opinion also included the influence of growing favor towards other races.

━Isn’t it better to have hardworking and reliable imps than nymphs who don’t do anything work at all?

━I think so too, I just hired an imp part-timer. They work well and greets the guests nicely!

The dynamic between the imps and nymphs was slowly reversing. The imps’ hard work was finally being rewarded.

━I, I am not a nymph, I am a tailless imp…! So you can’t take this wonderful candy box from me…!

There were even cases where nymphs pretended to be tailless imps to avoid negative opinions.

After a few days of this happening.

In the next round of preliminary voting, Aira’s vote count dramatically surged, not far behind Serazade.

“The increase in visibility and support in just a few days is remarkable. It’s clear that taking away the two-vote privilege from the nymphs has made a significant impact.”

“But, doesn’t Serazade has slightly more votes?”

Aira seemed upset that Serazade still had a slight edge over her.

“It’s astonishing how many foolish people there are. It’s truly lamentable. Theo, do you think there’s a possibility that the voting, counting, or even the survey itself has been tampered with?”

“No, there isn’t. The journalists of this department are from Angmar, so they are rather favorable towards us. In fact, the likability ratings might even be lower.”

“Hmm….”

Aira seemed deeply lost in thought.

If things continue like this, she might end up losing to Serazade. Aira might be slowly drawing an unstable future in her mind.

“Theo, I already know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. What do you think I should do?”

“…….”

It felt like lightning had struck right in front of me. My vision went dark after a momentary flash.

Finally, Aira was starting to listen to me again. I confidently laid out the ideas I had been pondering for the past few days, not wanting to miss this opportunity.

“Perhaps the ignorant novices don’t truly understand Aira-nim’s essence. How about Aira-nim show them by setting an example?”

“An example, you say-.”

Aira gazed out the window.

Soon, a gentle breeze brushed by, swaying her jet-black hair.

It was such a picturesque scene that if others were to witness it, Aira becoming the July Queen wouldn’t be just a dream. If everyone could see this fluttering petal….

Yet, at the same time, I had the desire to keep this sight forever for myself, a secret hidden from the world.

Caught between these conflicting emotions, I found myself lost in murky thoughts like a lost child on a dimly lit path.

Edited by: faker