Chapter 47: Disciplinary Committee Loki
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Disciplinary Committee Loki
"We can settle on the club's name later."
Professor Idra shook her head as she spoke. Was 'Clown Union Club' really that strange?
"What about the members? You know you need to recruit at least five more, right?"
"Hehe, of course I know that."
When I answered with such confidence, Professor Idra clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up. "Wait, have you already found all five?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh, come on," Professor Idra sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Do you at least have anyone in mind?"
"Yes! I plan to recruit every single student in the Special Class into my club!"
Upon hearing my declaration, Professor Idra’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped in genuine shock. "The... the entire Special Class?"
"Yes! Every last one of them!" I declared, throwing my arms wide for emphasis.
I had a very specific reason for wanting to bring them all under my wing. No matter which club they joined, students with their level of talent would inevitably grow strong. However, if I utilized my knowledge of the game, they could grow significantly faster. And the stronger they became, the sooner we could wipe out those corpse-loving bastards.
Ending everything within a year—that was my goal. No, it was my mission.
"Is there even a single student in the Special Class who has actually agreed to join?"
"Yes! Exactly one!"
Professor Idra let out a deep, weary sigh. "Sigh... I don't know whether to be sad that there's only one... or happy that you managed to win over even a single person..." She paused, then looked at me curiously. "So, who is this one person?"
I pointed a finger at my own chest. "It’s me!"
"..................."
Technically, I was part of the Special Class too, wasn't I? So, I wasn't lying.
"...I wonder if the professors who taught me felt this way. No, surely I wasn't as hopeless as Student Loki..." Professor Idra muttered to herself, head bowed in defeat. Then, she suddenly snapped her head up. "How do you even plan on bringing the other Special Class students over?"
The answer was obvious. "I’ll have to charm them."
Professor Idra beat her chest as if she were about to have a heart attack from frustration. "I mean! By what method!"
Method, huh...
"Hmm... with my handsome face?"
Professor Idra let out a groan of pure irritation. "Student Loki, do you have any idea what people are calling this year's freshmen?"
Of course I knew. "Loki's Generation?"
"Miracles! It's the Generation of Miracles! Honestly!" Professor Idra grabbed the cup of cold water on her desk and chugged it, desperate to cool her head. The water vanished in an instant.
"Professor, if you drink cold water that fast, you'll get a stomachache."
"My head hurts more right now because of you!" Perhaps because of the brain freeze, Professor Idra began rubbing her temples. "The Academy evaluates clubs based on performance, scale, and membership to determine activity funds. One of the biggest criteria is 'Future Potential.' Essentially, how much will this club grow?"
She leaned forward, her expression turning sharp. "In other words, every major club is going to try their hardest to recruit the Special Class students—the stars of the Generation of Miracles—just to secure more funding."
"Heh—is that so?"
When I gave such a nonchalant response, Professor Idra raised her voice. "The Spear Techniques Club, the Magic Research Club, the Economics Club, the Spirit Club, the Merchant Club, the Swordsmanship Club." She rattled off the names like a litany. "The clubs I just mentioned are the largest ones currently targeting the Special Class. They aren't even doing it for the money; they want the prestige of having Special Class students in their ranks."
"Hmm... that's more than I thought."
"At least this many clubs are aiming for them. Since they're all prominent organizations, they'll likely offer the Special Class students massive support. Can you make an offer as radical as theirs? Surely you aren't planning to just beg them based on friendship?"
Professor Idra was speaking with a rare, serious expression. It meant she was actually taking my ambitions seriously.
"How could I use such a pathetic method when it might disappoint you, Professor?"
Even at my flattery, Professor Idra didn't crack a smile. She asked earnestly, "Then what do you plan to do?"
"It's simple. I just have to give them an offer far more attractive, grand, and enticing than anything those other clubs can provide."
"....And what is that offer?"
"That's a sec—" I was about to say it was a secret, but I stopped. I didn't want to play games with Professor Idra when she was looking at me with such sincerity. "Professor, there are currently eight students in the Special Class, including myself."
"................"
It was a bit sudden, but Professor Idra listened quietly.
"This is what I will propose to them. And they will accept, because no other club can offer what I can." I looked her straight in the eye. "If you join my club, I will ensure every single one of you enters the Top 10 rankings within a year."
"The Special Class students are already in the Top 10 of the first-year rankings..."
I cut Professor Idra off. She was fundamentally misunderstanding the scale of my ambition.
"The rankings I'm talking about aren't the first-year rankings."
"...Wait, surely you don't mean?"
"The third years. The ranking I'm talking about is the overall Academy ranking—including the seniors."
* * *
[Hehe~ So that's why you were training so hard after you got home, Brother.]
I was talking to Yerika through the communication device again tonight. The topic changed every day, but right now, we were discussing the exam from this morning.
[Heehee... fufu.]
Yerika’s light laughter drifted through the device. She had been giggling like that throughout our entire conversation.
"Yerika, did something good happen today?"
[Brother came home after the Academy and brought me a gift. I like it so much that I can't help but smile just looking at it.]
A gift that makes her smile just by looking at it... nothing immediately came to mind.
"What kind of gift is it?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
[Heehee, that's a secret.]
Yerika wouldn't budge. She even deftly changed the subject.
[More importantly, when did you make a doll like that during the exam?]
"I didn't make it during the exam; I made it a while ago when I was bored. That's why it has so many flaws."
Wait, did I mention the doll?
".........."
Lucas must have told her. It wasn't a big deal, so I decided not to worry about it.
[Oh, right! Mr. Clown, I don't think I can talk tomorrow.]
"What?!"
The words escaped me before I could stop them. It was rude to shout so suddenly, but Yerika actually laughed at my reaction.
[Fufu, is the thought of not being able to talk to me that sad?]
"...Yes, it's very sad."
[Hueh?]
Yerika let out a strange, startled sound and hurriedly cut the connection.
"............"
Since I had talked to Yerika every single day since arriving at the Academy, I hadn't even considered the possibility of a day without her. No, I had intentionally avoided thinking about it.
How am I supposed to sleep tomorrow...?
* * *
I was currently walking through the city with Johanna.
"Look over there, it's the Academy uniform."
"Looking at the emblem on the arm, that's the Disciplinary Committee!"
"I've never seen the guy next to her before."
People whispered as they caught sight of our uniforms. While students were a common sight inside the Academy, we were currently outside the gates. I had a Disciplinary Committee armband pinned to my sleeve. Today marked the start of the club experience period.
"I was originally planning to do dress code inspections..." Johanna, walking beside me, muttered in a low voice.
As she said, we were supposed to be checking uniforms at the school gate, but the other committee members had suggested it would be better for the two of us to patrol the surrounding area. So here we were.
Stop.
Johanna, who had been walking perfectly fine, suddenly halted.
"Senior?"
"......It's nothing."
I followed Johanna’s gaze. There, a bald, middle-aged man was selling grilled skewers. They were being cooked to a delicious, glistening golden brown, the aroma wafting through the air.
"Senior, shall we buy a skewer and eat while we walk?"
"We shouldn't eat while on patrol," Johanna spoke firmly, but her eyes remained glued to the meat.
"Isn't it also the Disciplinary Committee's duty to check if there's anything wrong with the food by tasting it?" Even I thought what I said was ridiculous.
"B-but..."
However, the logic—flawed as it was—worked on Johanna. Just how much did she want to eat them?
"If there's something wrong with the skewers, it could cause a major public health problem. I think it's a good idea for us to test them beforehand as a precaution. Don't you agree, Senior?"
Nod, nod.
Johanna nodded silently. In the end, the two of us continued our patrol, each holding a steaming skewer.
"It's the Clown Mister and the pretty lady!"
Just then, someone called out to us. It wasn't a familiar voice, but it wasn't the first time I'd heard it either. The little girl who had been with Johanna when I first met her came running toward us, her face beaming.