I play the role of the Villain in order to be my own Hero.

While Masao was thinking about his students, the aforementioned students were having their lunch. Eva, Reina, and Ryuji sat together and shared a table. The cafeteria was spacious, and the food was quite delicious. Ryuji and Reina were currently talking about something, and Eva listened quietly, munching on her sandwich.

"Hey, Eva, are you okay? You look troubled," Reina asked, noticing her friend's silence.

Eva blinked, snapping out of her trance. "Uhh... sorry, what were you guys talking about?"

Reina giggles and repeats her question. "I was asking if you're alright, Eva. You look distracted," She said.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the student council stuff," Eva lied. She can't really tell Reina and Ryuji that she's worrying about 'the Iniator' thing. She had already told Haruto and his men to lay low for the time being, but it still bothered her when she was still not fully in control. Eva shakes her head and decides to change the subject. "So, what do you guys think of our classmates?" She asked.

"A lot of them were nice, but... there's also some arrogant people," Reina answered, grimacing slightly.

"We all have to get along sooner or later, but I suppose it can't be helped," Eva said, sighing slightly. "What do you think, Ryuji?"

"Hmmm, let's see... There are some good kids, and there are some idiots. Nothing new," Ryuji replies casually.

"Sometimes I wonder how you manage to keep a straight face when insulting someone," Eva muttered, amused.

"Years of practice, young miss. Years of practice," Ryuji answers proudly.

"Wasted years, if you ask me," Eva teased, smirking. "And also, please stop calling me young miss here. I already got a few weird looks this morning," She added.

"No can do, young miss. I'm a professional butler. Calling you as such is a form of respect," Ryuji replies, his voice full of pride.

"Ryuji..." Eva narrows her eyes, glaring at him.

"Fine, Eva. But outside, I will call you young miss," Ryuji finally relented, knowing when to quit.

"Good," Eva smiles triumphantly.

They chatted a bit more and then returned to their class. But as soon as they got there, their peaceful moment was cut short. A classmate of them is screaming at the lethargic boy, Keji Takami. Catching the attention of everyone around them.

"...just because you're an S-Rank astral user doesn't mean you're better than me, asshole!" The classmate screamed furiously.

"I never said I'm better than you," Keji replied, yawning. "But I can crush you without breaking a sweat," He added lazily.

"Why, you-!" The classmate was enraged and wanted to punch Keji. But a loud tap of a cane echoed across the class, silencing the whole room. Everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound, and their gaze fell upon Eva Lawrence, who was standing in the doorway.

"It's the first day, and you guys are already fighting. What a disgrace," Eva said, looking disappointed.

"And who are you to stop me, rich kid?!" The classmate retorts, irritated. "I don't need a cripple telling me what to do," he sneered mockingly.

Hearing his young miss called a cripple, Ryuji's calm expression cracked. His eyes darkened, and he took a step forward, ready to teach this bastard a lesson. Eva stops him by raising her hand, signaling him to stay put.

"You, what's your name?" Eva asked, ignoring his insult.

"What does it have anything to-"

"What's. Your. Name," Eva repeated, this time, her tone cold and demanding.

The classmate shivered for a second, and he complied with her demand. "Goro Takahashi," He said nervously.

"I see... I'll remember that," Eva nods, smiling innocently. Goro shivered, not knowing why, but he felt a chill run down his spine. Why does it feel like he just signed his death warrant?

"Anyway, the teacher will be back soon, so I suggest you two break it up and sit," Eva continued, her tone returning to normal. "Otherwise, you'll get in trouble, and we don't want that, right?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

Goro hesitates for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. He gave Keji one last glare and walked away, grumbling under his breath. Eva sighs and looks at Keji. "What are you doing, Keji Takami? Making enemies on the first day won't end well," She said.

Keji, who was still leaning on his chair, shrugged. "I'm not even doing anything. That guy was just angry that my Astral power rank is higher than his and told him that I would make a better class rep." He replied nonchalantly.

Eva almost facepalms herself upon hearing Keji's reply. An overly honest person with a careless attitude met with an egoistic, prideful person. This is bound to happen.

"Is that what they are fighting for?" Reina asked. She had been silently giving Goro a deadly stare during the whole ordeal. But honestly, she was impressed by how Eva handled the situation. She didn't expect her friend to be so... authoritative.

"Apparently," Eva replied, sighing slightly.

Masao returned shortly after the commotion died down, and little did they know. He was watching from afar to see how they would handle this kind of situation. He was dissapointed and decided to take control of the situation. "Alright, listen up. I'll revoke your freedom to choose your own class rep," He announces, catching everyone's attention. "I have decided that Eva Lawrence will be the class representative." Masao continued, ignoring the protests and dissatisfied comments.

"Huh?! What are you talking about, teach?!" Goro, who was the one protesting the most, shouted, enraged. He stood up, pointing a finger at Eva accusingly. "That bitch is a crippled! How can a cripple lead this class? She can't even fight!" He roared angrily.

"If you insult my friend again, you'll regret it," Reina, who had been silent before, threatened, her voice cold as ice. She clenched her fist and stared at Goro darkly. Eva put her hand on Reina's shoulder, stopping her.

"You dare talk back to me, huh?! You're her lapdog, aren't you?!" Goro sneers mockingly. "Well, let's see how far your loyalty will go if-"

"Enough," Masao said, cutting him off. He massages his temple, trying to alleviate his incoming headache. This class is a pain in the ass, Masao thought tiredly. "All of you sit down and let me finish," Masao orders, his voice laced with annoyance. Goro was about to argue, but a sharp glare from Masao stopped him, and he reluctantly obeyed.

"Thank you," Masao said and continued his explanation. "As I was saying, Eva Lawrence will be the class rep," He repeated, ignoring Goro's protests. "It's not because I'm biased or anything. I did it because she has shown leadership qualities earlier, and she handled the situation very well," Masao explains, glancing at Eva gratefully. "Moreover, I can't say the same for the rest of you, considering you guys are arguing like a bunch of kids," He added, looking at them disapprovingly.

Retracting his word would probably cause a lot of protest and instability at first, but rather than some random brat leading the class, Masao would rather choose someone competent. Eva was the best candidate for the position, and he had already seen it first-hand. And it's not like this is the last opportunity either to train your leadership and receive rewards. There will be a lot of chances in the future.

Masao coughs and turns his attention back to the class. "Of course, if Eva disagrees with the decision, then I'm open for another candidate," He said. "But let me warn you, whoever becomes the class rep will have a lot of responsibility, and the reward won't be given automatically either. It has to be earned," He added.

"If I may?" Eva spoke up, raising her hand. Masao nodded, and she continued, "Personally, I disagree with the way you handled the situation, sir," She said.

"Are you rejecting the class rep position?" Masao asks, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm just saying that it's unfair to choose a class rep without the consent of the students," Eva replied.

"I see..." Masao nods in understanding and turns to the rest of the class. "Is there any candidate who would challenge Eva Lawrence for the class representative position?" He asks, raising his voice. Now, he really wanted Eva to be the class rep. Her statement earlier showed that she was willing to put the interest of others before herself, a quality required to be a good leader.

But in reality, Eva just saying this so she didn't have to deal with the responsibility and burden of being a class rep. She already has a lot of agenda to establish the student council while also organizing a terrorist group as a side gig. Eva doesn't need one more thing to add to the list. But of course, she couldn't just reject it outright to maintain her image. She was fine with that side gig since it was fun, but managing a class full of brats is not very fun.

"I am," Keji raises his hand lazily, surprising everyone.

"Me too," Goro follows suit, glaring daggers at Eva and Keji.

"Anyone else?" Masao asks, specifically looking at Reina, an S-Rank astral user. He expected she would be another arrogant student, but apparently, she wasn't. Reina shook her head, much to his surprise. Masao looked around the classroom, and nobody else raised their hands, probably because they were intimidated by the candidates and the incident earlier.

Masao claps his hands twice and smiles slightly. "Alright, we will start the election process now," He declares. "This will also serve as a teamwork exercise for all of you, and I'm expecting every one of you to participate," Masao continued, his voice firm. "Any objections?"

Silence. Masao nodded and proceeded to explain the procedure. "It's simple, each of you will be given a vote. The one with the highest amount of votes will become the class representative," He said, holding up a wooden ballot box.

"Oh, you can vote up to two candidates," Masao adds. "This way, if you're fine with both candidates, you can vote for both. But if you're only fine with one, then vote for that one. Any questions?"

Nobody answers. Masao nods again and makes an online form for the voting. He had already registered the students in the academy database, so it was easy enough. "Here, use these devices to vote," He said, handing each of the students a tablet. Masao made sure the voting was anonymous and that there wouldn't be fraudulence or hacking.

"Remember, no fighting and arguing afterward, got it?" Masao warns, glancing at Goro and Keji. Goro clicks his tongue and looks away, and Keji yawns, looking bored. Satisfied, Masao moves toward his desk and takes a seat.

Meanwhile, Eva was praying that she would lose the election. She didn't care if someone other than her became the class rep. Let them handle and organize the class. Eva didn't want the extra baggage. While the students are voting, she glances at Reina, and in turn, she gives her a thumbs up. Eva smiles awkwardly and nods in return. Reina is definitely voting for her.

She sighs and shakes her head. Hopefully, Keji wins the election, and the class will have a lazy, sleepyhead class rep leading a bunch of hot-headed and arrogant brats. Eva chuckles amusedly at the thought. She would pay a lot just to see that.

After 10 minutes, the voting is done, and Masao collects the tablets. He then starts counting the votes.

Even though Eva knows and is confident that she is the one with the highest chance of winning due to her display earlier, she still hopes that she will lose. Unfortunately, her hope was shattered into pieces when Masao announced the winner.

"The class rep for class 1-A is Eva Lawrence," Masao declares, causing the class to erupt into cheers and applause.

Eva sighs and smiles wryly. Looks like she has more things to do on her plate.

***

After the announcement of the class representative, Masao decided that it was enough excitement for the day and let the students leave since it was almost the end of school anyway. He also had some stuff to do. Meanwhile, the students were chatting amongst themselves. Most of them congratulated Eva for becoming the class rep. Others were praising her handling of the earlier situation. Eva, being the graceful young lady that she was, thanked and accepted their goodwill.

Keji also congratulated Eva for her victory and jokingly told her to work hard. Eva replies with a smile, telling him not to slack off. Goro didn't approach her, thankfully, and left the classroom without a word.

"Hey Eva, where are you going?" Reina asked as Eva and Ryuji were leaving.

"Oh, I'm going to the student council office to prepare for the council recruitment," Eva replies, smiling.

"You got your own office? That's amazing," Reina impressed.

"Uh, sure, let's go," Eva agreed, nodding.

"Should I accompany you, miss?" Ryuji, who had been listening nearby, offers.

"Hmm... bring me some tea. I'll be there for a while," Eva requests. Ryuji bows and leaves, disappearing into the hallway.