Chapter 105: Valentine's Day

Lucca pov

The first week of school, the Babel Tower Society held a general meeting. Simon, the president, showed up only after the meeting had ended. He left a few mid-level officers to hold a small meeting.

Ethan wasn't present because the Student Council meeting was scheduled at the same time, and I couldn't handle both.

"Is this the first time I've officially introduced Lucca?" Simon sat behind a long table, and a PowerPoint presentation on the screen began displaying my resume. "She has just passed her 'probationary period' and is our new event planner."

"Is she taking over Ethan's work?" Most people still had more trust in Ethan.

They started discussing among themselves.

Simon snapped his fingers to quiet everyone down.

"She's only taking over some of Ethan's work. For other tasks, I will assign them specifically to each of you. If you have any complaints, please contact me via email after the meeting."

He glanced around the room. "Now, let's talk about this year's society development plan..."

After the meeting, I took copious notes. There were several major events this year that needed planning.

The nearest one was the "Victory over Violence" campaign for Valentine's Day, as per tradition, which involved rehearsing a play, "The Vagina Monologues."

Some people were responsible for collecting scripts and actors from the society members. Others handled the venue, set design, and costumes.

I was in charge of publicity, including both pre-event promotion targeting both the community and the school, as well as post-event news coverage.

Simon, the president, didn't accept any interviews and preferred that any media coverage of The Vagina Monologues only used the press releases provided by the society.

So, I had a lot of communication work to do.

Time was running out, and I was busy without a break, and before I knew it, it was the weekend.

Vincent had arrived early, hoping to have a heart-to-heart conversation with me before Alice came.

He quietly pushed open the bedroom door, and I was wearing headphones while reciting lines.

"Hearts have the capacity for sacrifice, vaginas are like that too; hearts can forgive and repair, they can change shape to accommodate us, they can expand to let us in, vaginas are like that too..."

Vincent endured until I finished and asked, "Are you reading some R-rated novel or something?"

I was startled by his voice and took off my headphones. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I listened to you finish that."

"It's not 'that' or 'this.' It's a play, The Vagina Monologues. I'm responsible for publicity and reciting the closing poem."

Vincent seemed quite repulsed. "That's the one you were just reciting?"

"It's not 'that' or 'this.' The whole point of the campaign is to give people the courage to say the word 'vagina' and not be ashamed of it. When you keep saying 'that' or 'this,' it makes it all quite ironic."

Vincent was clearly out of touch with the current college environment.

Rino was underground rocking out abroad, and I was openly reciting such shameless poems in the country. Was Raffle the only one who turned out to be a normal kid?

"Did you say this is a play?" Vincent seemed to be pondering something. "Will people actually go see it?"

Anger flashed in my eyes as I stood up.

"Of course, people will see it! This is one of our society's major events, and the performances are sold out every year. The entire auditorium and even the aisles will be filled with people, and there will be many standing outside to listen."

"..." Vincent was taken aback.

The entire auditorium, with the aisles filled as well. Probably... around 2000 people. Not to mention the TV and online broadcasts.

"You're going to recite this in front of 2000 people?"

"It's not 'this,' it's the closing poem 'I Was There in the Room.' Don't worry, I'll be sitting backstage when I recite it, and they will only see a silhouette."

"...That's not the point. The point is..."

I have to recite this in front of two thousand people??

Vincent felt like the Conservative Party would drop dead on the spot if they saw it. He was starting to have trouble breathing.

"What? Don't you support the movement against violence against women?" I frowned. I closed the script, and the clip made a crisp sound.

"No..." Vincent gritted his teeth, maintaining political correctness, and reluctantly agreed, "I think... it's good. When is the performance?"

"On Valentine's Day," I answered quickly. "So, I'll be busy that day."

Vincent took a moment to regain his composure and then spoke calmly, "I want to talk about the incident from last time."

His expression darkened somewhat, but his tone remained steady as he asked, "Yes……"

"Rino is deeply sorry for the whole situation. He has decided to do 1000 hours of community service as a gesture of his commitment to make amends."

"Alright... 1000 hours of community service." It was more like labor reform than serving time in prison. Rino might end up changing diapers for the elderly, cleaning up foul-smelling garbage, or even caring for children.

This young Lycan was likely having a miserable time.

Vincent, however, showed little reaction to this news.

I calmly asked, "May I ask you a question?"

"Please."

"Why do you insist on racialism? You don't seem to dislike me, which suggests that you are capable of accepting other rogues as well."

The atmosphere in the room grew colder.

He had wanted to have an open conversation with me, but he didn't anticipate me asking such a pointed question.

"It's a political stance," he could only tell me, "like patriotism or nationalism, it's an exclusionary force used to inwardly unite a group."

However, racialism was even more damaging.

That only proved its greater power.

He needed it to serve in times of war.

I didn't press further.

He knew he had missed another opportunity.

Outside, the sound of a car parking signaled Luna Nataly's arrival with Alice.

Vincent slipped away quickly after the performance. We didn't meet again until February 14th, Valentine's Day, although it wasn't precisely a "meeting."

He had secretly attended our performance, sitting in an upper box overlooking the auditorium. It was only then that he truly paid attention to the content of the play, which was a powerful indictment of violence against women, particularly sexual violence, as a consequence of war. Interestingly, the audience below included not only women but also men of various ages.

The actors poured their hearts into their roles, and the script was laden with raw, bleeding emotions.

As the final act concluded, a single spotlight converged on a figure, casting a shadow against a white backdrop.

The background music for the closing poem began.

My voice, soft and captivating like my presence, carried an extraordinary sense of inclusiveness and vitality.

"Hearts have the power to sacrifice, so does the Vagina; hearts can forgive and heal, they can change their shape to accommodate us, they can expand to let us through, so can the Vagina; hearts can ache for us, stretch for us, die for us, they bleed, and they bleed to bring us into this challenging, wondrous world, so can the Vagina; I have been in that room. I remember."

Silence.

The lights went out, and the applause roared like thunder.