After a while, the lively chatter in the room began to fade. The wine-soaked atmosphere left most of the partygoers slumped over with flushed cheeks and lazy smiles.
Rayleigh and Matt had long since succumbed to drowsiness, their snores blending into the ambient hum of crystal-powered lights.
"Huff..." Ico, full and drowsy, sat curled up on the plush cushions, her pink hair tousled from the evening's festivities.
"Are you sleepy already?" Zack asked softly.
"Hmph... what do you take me for?" she muttered, stubbornly wiping her eyes. "I could still eat..."
Her words trailed off as sleep overtook her. With a sigh, Zack gently lifted her light frame into his arms and laid her on the bed, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. Her breathing slowed, peaceful and quiet.
But something was off.
Rayleigh and Matt, normally the last to bed, were down far too early. And Matt, proud to a fault, would never allow himself to doze off in public. Zack leaned in and noticed the redness on their cheeks.
"Roderika... what's in this bottle, exactly?"
Roderika examined it casually. "Muscat juice. Very popular in Alethia. Why?"
"...Juice?" Zack raised an eyebrow, glancing at the label, which clearly suggested something stronger.
He gave a wry smile. Of course. It was a party, after all. Let it slide.
The real concern was how Roderika, despite draining several glasses, didn't show even a hint of intoxication. She remained the picture of grace and poise.
"Hey! You simpleton!"
A slap on the back caught him off guard.
He turned to find Silva, red-faced, eyes glassy, and glaring daggers at him. Her elegant dress was in disarray, riding high on her thighs and exposing long, smooth legs. The curve of her cleavage peeked from beneath the loosened neckline, and her voice trembled with drunken frustration.
"You. I've hated you from the very start!"
"W-What?"
"Why the hell can you ride other people's Pars? Who even ARE you!? 'The boy who can ride any dragon'? You're a violation of nature!"
"I... I don't know why it works..." Zack cast a desperate glance toward Roderika, but she and Shanon were deep in discussion, completely ignoring him.
"Don't you DARE look away while I'm talking to you! That's against my family's code!" She crawled toward him, arms wobbling, breasts swaying with each motion.
Zack backed up against the couch, face burning.
"With talent like yours, you should be working twice as hard! Do you even realize how frustrating it is, watching someone waste their gifts!?"
"You're... not wrong..."
Silva tilted her head back and downed another full glass, then continued, slurring now. "And the worst part... why do I even care about a problem child like you?"
"...Wait, what?"
"You could never compare to him..."
"Him? Who?"
The room quieted. All eyes turned to her.
"How fascinating... Our dear princess has a secret flame? Come now, who is the lucky boy?" Roderika teased with a devilish grin.
Silva stammered, her blush deepening. "I-It was nothing! Just forget it!"
"Oh? But you had the face of a girl in love just now~"
"L-Lies! I don't make faces like that!"
"Please. No one escapes this lady's eyes. Come, the night is young. Share it with us."
Shanon closed in, flanking Silva from the side. The poor princess was now surrounded.
"I-It was a long time ago... That's all."
"Alright, alright." Roderika finally let her off the hook and raised her glass. "Let me share why I truly gathered everyone here."
The mood shifted. She stood tall, her voice steady.
"After what happened during the Necromancia incident, I realized just how short-handed the student council is. Including myself, we have only four members. Which is why, tonight, I'd like to officially invite the two of you to join."
Zack blinked. The second invitation.
Silva was the first to respond.
"Lancelot and I will accept. I won't sit by and be powerless again. During that fight... I couldn't do anything."
"Excuse me!? You did plenty! It was me who was useless!" Zack shot back.
"Shut up! You don't understand at all! You're always one step ahead... You even summoned an Ark, even if it was just a mimic!"
"So... that's how you feel..."
"Don't you DARE act clueless!"
"Ahem!" Roderika cut in. "So, Princess, your answer is yes?"
Silva took a deep breath. "Yes. But... please call me Silva. At least in the council. I don't want to be treated like royalty."
"Very well. And you, Zack?"
He felt Silva's eyes pierce into him. There was no way he could refuse now.
"I-I accept."
Roderika beamed. "Then let the ceremony begin."
"Wait, ceremony?"
She stepped close, leaned in, and placed a soft kiss on Zack's cheek. Warm. Out of nowhere. His brain stalled.
"P-President!?"
"You call that manly? Tch!"
"You traitorous mutt! Getting cozy with all these girls!" Ico had risen like a pink-haired tempest, eyes ablaze with jealousy. Beside her, Silva bristled, equally incensed.
"Oh dear," Roderika said, amused. "Jealousy suits you both."
"I-I'm not jealous!"
"Jealousy is for dumb humans!"
Their flustered denials made Roderika giggle wickedly. She kissed them both on the cheek, rendering them speechless. "Welcome to the student council."
"P-President..."
Matt had groggily sat up, looking betrayed. "Why didn't I get a ceremony... ouch!"
A wineglass bounced off his forehead. He dropped like a rock.
Zack shivered.
Roderika smiled sweetly, glass in hand. "Now, now. You both know Matt from the accounting team. I'll introduce the vice president and secretary soon. Though... they're a bit intense."
Zack didn't like the sound of that. If they were worse than Roderika, then...
"Cheers!" Shanon called cheerfully, filling glasses with golden liquor.
"Thanks," Zack muttered.
But his eyes widened when the final glass went to—
"Clarisse!? When did you get here!?"
The cold-eyed researcher gave him a thin smile. "You and Ico are valuable specimens. If I can't dissect, I can at least observe."
She downed her drink and flushed prettily, though the glint in her eyes never softened. It was the look of someone who could take you apart without a scalpel.
Zack gulped.
"Pervert!"
"Shameless dog!"
Silva and Ico screamed in unison.
"Cut the noise!" Roderika raised her voice.
She stood, radiant and commanding, glass held high.
"To our newest council members... Cheers!"
The night was just getting started.