The day of election finally came without Mia being able to turn the situation into her favor.
āUh, uh ā¦, what should I do ā¦ā
Mia had exhausted all the measures she can think about. Now, she was desperately trying to make her already floundering brain work. She has been in this state for a few days now. Nothing of her said wisdom seems to stuck any inspiration. Time wasnāt on her side. All that remains now is the final speech before voting.
There seems to be no way she can reverse this.
At this time, Mia noticedā¦
Ahhhā¦ I donāt feel anything coming. Thereās no wind at my back. No wave pushing me forward.
There wasnāt the proverbial wave that seems to pick up Mia everytime she was in trouble.
There is nothingā¦ Absolutely nothing.
Only now did Mia thought that she might be in the biggest pinch she can be since she leapt back in time.
ā
In Saint Noel, elections are considered to be a sacred ritual. Just as there was an opening mass at the beginning, another gathering will happen for todayās voting for the choosing of the new president. Candidates were required to be cleanse their bodies and to be dressed in pure white sacred clothing.
There is a place called the Purification Fountain in the basement of St. Noel Academy. It was paved with white polished stones that adds to the tranquil atmosphere. In the middle of the large chamber was a fountain that emits clear spring water. It is customary for the candidates to cleanse themselves there.
At the entrance, Mia took off all her clothes and walked in. She entered the water, wincing a little at first at its temperature. It wasnāt very cold enough for her to shiver. A bit of hot water was added beforehand. She soon got used to the temperature and started enjoying it.
āPhewā¦ā
Mia exhaled as she lowered into the water. She looked sidewaysā¦
Why is so Rafina so beautiful? This is so infuriatingā¦
ā¦beside her was Rafina bathing as well. Her smooth skin, long beautiful hair that seems to glitter, and perfect body proportionsā¦ even Mia, who is of same sex, has to admit as attractive.
This is so unfair! Not fair at all!
Mia, who has been quite moody these last few days, now also realizes that Rafina also defeats her in terms of appearance.
āOh? What happened? Mia-sanā
Perhaps she noticed Miaās gaze, Rafina tilted her head slightly.
āNo, no, nothing at all. Ohoho.ā Mia laughed to deflect the question.
āI must say, you look very tired, Rafina-sama. It must be hard on youā¦ā
ā¦to be so perfect all the time.
Mia was unusually ironic. Mia has finally evolved from moody Mia to passive-aggressive Mia. But eventhough she had evolved, passive-aggressive Mia was still a coward. So she kept the truth of her comments to herself.
āI can just imagine how it must feel to be in your positionā¦ā
ā¦knowing that youāre smart and pretty and perfect at everything you do. Must be a fun life!
In her mind she spat words like venom while angrily scrubbing her legs with a cloth.
āHeyā¦ Mia-sanā
Suddenly spoken to by Rafina, Mia sank her body to the pool until only her head was above water.
āMia, could you withdraw your candidacy?ā
āRafina-samaā¦ what do you mean by that?ā Mia answers Rafina with a cold gaze. Rafina parries her stare with a polite smile.
āIām sure you are already aware Mia. We donāt even have to count the votes to know that I will win this election.ā
Preliminary surveys show only an estimate voter preference. But for this election, the gap was so big that victory is already confirmed.
āIf you back out now, it will soften the blow, right?ā
No matter what the speculation, the evaluation about Mia is not very good. A selfish princess who doesnāt know herself. At this rate, this will cement her image. However she backs out now, people will at least think of her as someone with enough awareness.
āBecause you are my friend Miaā¦ I donāt want to fight you, nor hurt you. So please understand.ā
For Rafina, this was an act of kindness. She felt it was her duty to offer mercy for someone that is her friend.
Howeverā¦
āIām sorry, Rafina-sama. But I canāt do that.ā Mia shook her head a little. āI canāt afford to lose ā¦ā
To avoid a future of ruin, she has to beat Rafina at all costs. Itās just that she doesnāt know how.
Hearing Miaās reply, Rafina looked sad and disappointed.
āThis is really upsettingā¦ I thought we were friends.ā
āDonāt you meanā¦ weĀ areĀ friends?ā Mia muttered back in a small voice.
For a moment, Mia stares at Rafina with a grudge.
Because we are friendsā¦ I thought that you would go easy on meā¦ well, so much for that.
The election pledges of Rafina covered every important issue of St. Noel. All of them. She didnāt leave a single one for Mia. This means that Miaās pledges became unremarkable due to the similarity. Naturally, such pledges would not bring her any closer to victory.
Itās so unfair! She took all the good issues for herselfā Here I was hoping that she would leave some for me since we are friends, but nope! She wants to beat me down completely! Without any mercy!
Miaās passive-aggressiveness had reached its peak, and she delivered her most indirectly hostile remark yet.
āBut then again, maybe Iām wrongā¦ Since you seem to be perfectly fine with holding onto absolutely everything!ā
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