Free Web NovelChapter 974: Outer Space Trip?
With the final security protocols for the international delegation locked in, the room quieted as Vivian leaned forward, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. "Alright, first-years, you’re up. Show us what the student body is begging for this year. Brenda, Hanako, the floor is yours."
Brenda, the Chief of Justice, stood up with a posture so rigidly straight it looked genuinely painful. She adjusted her glasses with a sharp flick of her finger, clutching a thick, perfectly bound stack of papers as if she were presenting a supreme court brief. Beside her, Hanako, the Public Representative, bounced slightly on her stylishly patterned socks, holding a tablet adorned with colorful, sparkling stickers.
"Thank you, President," Brenda began, her tone crisp and seriousl. "Per your executive directive, Hanako and I spent the past week collecting, verifying, and auditing the student destination surveys. Out of the entire enrolled student body, we achieved a response rate of exactly ninety-eight percent."
"Who constitutes the missing two percent?" Carolla asked instantly, her eyes narrowing into slits. "If they failed to submit their forms, they forfeit their right to voice an opinion on how we allocate their student activity fees."
"Senior wing," Umaru supplied with a sympathetic, full-body wince. "They probably collapsed face-first into their mock examination booklets. Let them sleep, Carolla. Have mercy."
Hanako stepped up next to Brenda, tapping her tablet to sync the interface with the room’s main screen. "We processed the raw data into a visual pie chart! And, well... the results are definitely... diverse!"
The display screen flashed to life, projecting a pie chart that resembled less of a statistical breakdown and more of a rainbow shattered into a million chaotic, neon fragments.
"What in the world...?" Vivian muttered, squinting and leaning so close to the screen her nose almost touched the glass. "Why is there a slice labeled ’Outer Space’ that commands three percent of the total vote?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"That would be the Astronomy Club, President," Brenda explained, allowing a rare, small smile to crack through her stoic demeanor. "They attached a fifteen-page manifesto arguing that an orbital trip to the stratosphere falls technically within the school’s liability insurance policy. Rest assured, I have already drafted a comprehensive legal denial."
"Excellent initiative, Brenda," Aurora laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "What about the grounded, realistic options? What is our actual winning slice?"
Hanako pinched the tablet screen to zoom in on the largest sections of the chart. "In third place, capturing fifteen percent of the vote, we have a return to Sakura City. That initiative is pushed mostly by the first-years who are dying to visit the Elvenland Amusement Parks. In second place, holding a solid thirty percent, is the Sapphire Coast Beach Resort."
"Oh, a beach trip!" Umaru cheered, tossing her hands in the air and executing a celebratory spin in her swivel chair. "Sun, sand, and absolutely zero thoughts about student council filings for five glorious days! Carolla, please tell me the treasury can accommodate the beach!"
Carolla aggressively punched a series of numbers into her calculator, her stressed expression softening just a fraction. "The Sapphire Coast is fully accessible by rail. We wouldn’t need to book commercial flights; we could just charter a few private train carriages. From a financial standpoint, it’s actually highly economical."
"Do not celebrate prematurely," Brenda interrupted, offering a sharp, theatrical cough into her hand to clear her throat. "Because the first-place option, dominating the poll with a staggering thirty-seven percent of the total student vote, is... Mystoria Theme Park and Alpine Lodge."
The room plunged into dead silence. Even Umaru slammed her feet down to stop her chair from spinning.
"Mystoria?" Vivian squeaked, her pitch climbing a terrified octave. "The mountain theme park? The one located all the way over in Lucaris, on the Vytral Continent?"
"The very one!" Hanako beamed, completely oblivious to the sudden, suffocating tension drop in the room. "The student forums are calling it ’The Ultimate Post-Exam Stress Relief.’ Apparently, because of that new fantasy anime that just finished airing, the park has become the number-one trending tourist destination on the internet!"
"An intercontinental flight..." Carolla groaned, completely defeated as she slammed her forehead onto her open ledger with a dull thud. "I am painfully aware of that trend. I actually researched the rates out of curiosity, and Mystoria’s peak-season pricing is astronomical. They practically levy a tax just for breathing the mountain air!"
A heavy, contemplative silence descended upon the briefing room as the six girls ruminated on the dilemma before them. On the projector screen, the shattered rainbow of the pie chart seemed to mock their limited funds, the massive forty-two percent wedge for Mystoria glowing like a beautiful, unaffordable dream.
After a few tense moments, Aurora leaned forward, breaking the quiet with her characteristic calm logic. "Let’s look at this objectively. While the Mystoria option is clearly the majority’s desire, its actual statistical advantage over second place is only seven percent. If we pivot and choose the Sapphire Coast instead, it won’t be an entirely controversial decision. Thirty percent of the school is already actively begging for the beach anyway."
The girls nodded slowly, a collective wave of understanding washing over the table. They were completely in one mind on this.
Everyone in the room was acutely aware that if they capitulated to the trending anime hype and chose the international flight to Lucaris, they wouldn’t just stretch their financial limits—they would completely obliterate their budget for the entire academic year. The council had already compromised its treasury on several major, non-negotiable projects. Most notably, the high-profile events they were planning for the Top-3 winning factions of the Club Festival were already slated to swallow a notable, untouchable chunk of their second-semester budget. Canceling those wasn’t an option as they were campaign promises that allowed them to win the student council election.
Vivian nodded and said calmly. "Aurora is right. A beach trip is a classic crowd-pleaser, and it keeps us locally grounded."
"Then, do all of us agree?" Carolla asked, her fingers hovering over her calculator like a dual-wielding gunslinger waiting for the signal to stand down. "It is officially the Sapphire Coast, right?"
One by one, the girls nodded their heads in unanimous agreement, Hanako and Umaru adjusting their tablets to log the executive decision.
Carolla let out a long, theatrical sigh of relief, dropping her head back against the cushion of her chair. "Thank goddess. Honestly, if we went with Mystoria, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the ungodly amount of administrative alchemy I would have to perform to make an intercontinental trip fit into our budget. Frankly, I’m not even sure it was mathematically possible without selling off the Student Council Building itself."
"And I happen to like this building," Umaru chimed in cheerfully, already swapping out the alpine-themed folders for a bright, ocean-blue binder. "Besides, think of the aesthetic! Sunhats, volleyball tournaments, and fresh seafood. I can already see the promotional posters."
"Girls, hold on a second," Aurora suddenly chimed in. Her voice had a distinct, playful lilt to it, and a mischievous spark danced in her eyes. "Although we decided on the beach trip, due to the sheer efficiency and ease of rail transportation, we actually have a bit of a financial surplus left over... right, Carolla?"
Carolla blinked, shifting her gaze back down to her tablet to review the glowing columns of their spreadsheet. "Well, yes," she admitted, tapping the screen to verify the figures. "Chartering a few private train carriages is actually incredibly cheap, especially since we can leverage the school’s connections with the rail network. We aren’t just saving money; we’re well under our projected transit ceiling."
Aurora’s eyes shone with absolute brilliance the moment she heard that confirmation. She slammed her palms lightly on the podium, leaning forward with an infectious grin. "Perfect! In that case, we shouldn’t just pocket the difference or let it sit idly in the treasury. We should invest every single leftover credit right back into the trip. Let’s elevate this beach getaway into an absolute spectacle—something so incredible that the student body will never forget it. I want them talking about this the exact same way alumni still whisper about the legendary trip to Shenzhen!"
The mention of Shenzhen—the mythical, ultimate benchmark of past school trips—instantly sent a wave of intrigue rippling through the room.
Umaru leaned across the table, her eyes practically sparkling. "Wait, a Shenzhen-level trip? Aurora, you can’t just drop a tease like that and leave us hanging!"
Vivian crossed her arms, a knowing, amused smile playing on her lips as she looked at her second-in-command. "Alright, Vice-President. You clearly have a master plan brewing in that head of yours. Don’t keep the council in suspense."
The entire room went entirely still, all eyes locked onto Aurora as they eagerly asked, "What’s your idea?"
Aurora’s smile only widened, pulling a fresh, unmarked document onto the main projector. "Two words, girls: Private. Island." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The girls were immediately taken by surprise with these words.
