The incident, which had sent countless students to the infirmary, was quietly swept under the rug and was treated as nonexistent.
This was because Mia belonged to Nobility, and thanks to her prowess, they had a certain degree of influence comparable to members of High Nobility.
Also, the students she attacked were all of lower nobility, making them powerless to the aristocratic system and politics of the Institute.
Ciara knew she could have pulled her High Nobility card, which far outstripped Mia's influence, but she decided not to.
She wanted nothing more to do with Mia, and she didn't want to reveal her status publicly.
She was also a bit afraid that her new friends, who were of low nobility would treat her differently if they found out, or even avoid her entirely... not that she would blame them if they did that.
It was the habit of higher nobles to trample on lower ones, and lower ones lashed out at the ones who could be found lower than them.
Ultimately, the ones at the very bottom of the nobility chain took it out on the commoners, who suffered the major brunt of the harsh treatments.
Ciara hadn't been too concerned about these things in the past. Even though she knew they were happening, she felt it was not in any way related to her.
In fact, she couldn't care less.
But, everything changed after Noir saved her from her entirely hopeless situation. For the first time she felt weak, she felt powerless...
Through that, she was finally able to understand, to a certain extent, how commoners felt. The pathetic weakness that was ever so numbing and frustrating.
Ciara didn't like the feeling, and so she found herself growing more concerned and giving more thoughts about others.
Lorna and Galand were good examples. She began to relate with them more casually, and eventually became their friends.
She heard many stories from Lorna and Galand, and not all of them were pretty. After finally experiencing the whole Mia saga, she had made up her mind, she wasn't going to ignore the injustices around her anymore.
Just as Noir saved her, she would take it upon herself to help whoever was in need. She considered how it seemed like she was acting self-righteous and all savior-like, but that wasn't the case.
She just wanted to help... And she was going to, as the Class Representative.
"I just hope, that by understanding and working together, by supporting and coexisting, no matter the status we possess, the amount of power we can muster, we can ensure a better life for ourselves in this institute," Ciara said, finishing her speech, as a Class Representative aspirant.
Right in front of her was the class she aimed to lead, and she boldly made her declaration in front of them.
'I wanted Serah to run for the position, but...'
"Na! It's too much trouble. Why don't you do it instead?" Serah had said to her.
Ciara, who wasn't really interested in the title, knew that the position would give her a better advantage in her goal of helping those around her.
This wasn't about her alone... It was about her friends as well, and even the entire class.
She would ensure that they all had a wonderful time together and become the best they could be.
"Thank you." She finally said, descending from the stage and having her seat where the aspirants were supposed to wait.
Ciara wanted to win, but that didn't mean she didn't want others to participate.
Ever since she defeated Mia, even though it wasn't made entirely public, all the injured parties and everyone involved were told to keep the incident secret.
Mia was still suspended from the Institute indefinitely, meaning she couldn't participate in the election.
This fact made quite a few students come forward, and out of 41 students in her class, about 9 students wanted to be Class Representatives.
Of course, Ciara was feeling nervous because of her number of competitors.
Not only had these other students been in the Institute long before she had, but they also had friends and acquaintances.
They also had quite a bit of experience within the Institute.
Even though it wasn't a rule that she couldn't participate in the election, it was evident that everyone didn't really know her. They also didn't like her, especially since she was known to be with Mia.
As Ciara listened to the speech of the other students she grew even more nervous and intimidated.
It wasn't like their speeches were more impressive than hers. In fact, her fluency in the communication arts was top-notch, one of the perks of her education since she was little.
But... Ciara still thought her speech to be a bit too idealistic and childish.
'I hope for a class where everyone can cooperate with one another... really, Ciara?' Even though she truly desired that, it still made her cringe.
Unlike her, the other candidates spoke with a more realistic mindset.
Even though their words weren't as smooth as hers, and some even fumbled on their lines, Ciara already knew within her...
'I don't think I'm going to win.'
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[A/N]
Apologies for the declining length of the chapters. I promise to work on that soon. Thank you for reading.