Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Filthy Club Room
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25
3
I opened the door to the Tea Club room.
And then, unable to believe the sight before me, I closed it again.
Even after checking the nameplate once more, it clearly read "Tea Club."
"...I must have seen wrong?"
-You saw it correctly, though.
"......No way...."
I couldn't believe it.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened the Tea Club door again.
The club room itself was a cozy, spacious area.
If decorated properly, it could make for a charming little hideout.
Of course, that was only if decorated properly. What lay before my eyes now wasn't a Tea Club room—it looked like a storm had swept through it.
Papers covered the tables and sofas.
Unidentified books, writing tools, household items, robes, umbrellas, and all sorts of things were scattered about.
The only intact things were the display shelf against the wall and the neatly arranged tea leaves inside it.
In other words, aside from the display shelf, nothing was intact.
As I stared at the room with no space to even step inside, I found myself clutching the back of my neck without realizing it.
"How the hell does someone make it this messy...?"
No, more than that—didn't the thought to clean ever cross their minds?
I had no idea who the club members were, but I couldn't comprehend it.
I'd planned to search the Tea Club room to figure out why Theo had joined, but...
"I can't even find anything in this state."
One step forward, and it was chaos incarnate.
Searching here would be like looking for a needle in a sand dune.
"Haa...."
No helping it.
I'd sort things as I checked them, setting them aside properly.
First, I found a suitable basket and trash can and dragged them over.
I neatly stacked the obstructing robes and death scythes by the entrance.
Then I rolled up my sleeves.
"Let's do this...!"
The first things that caught my eye were the piles of papers on the desk and sofa.
Upon inspection, most were important documents like supply requests, purchase receipts, and club activity expense records.
At least they were somewhat grouped together, which was a relief.
A few had fallen to the floor, so I gathered them all and put them in the basket.
Naturally, that filled the basket, so I fetched another one.
Less than three minutes in, and dust was already billowing up.
Being on the first basement level with no windows, I turned on the ventilator first.
While at it, I spotted a magitech air purifier shoved in the corner and switched it on immediately.
Finally, the air cleared a bit.
Next, I checked and sorted the items on the floor.
I gathered ownerless robes and activity uniforms in one basket, neatly shelved all the books, and soaked the dusty utensils and dishes in water.
I collected the writing tools on the desk, and placed umbrellas and assorted knickknacks back in their proper spots.
By the time sweat beaded on my forehead, I'd finally cleared the cluttered items.
During that time, I found a broom and mop and gave the floor a light sweep and wipe.
"Whew...."
As I wiped the sweat from my brow, the floor gleamed.
It was a simple cleanup, so there were still plenty of dissatisfying spots, but it was much cleaner overall.
Now to comfortably search for the info I'd wanted...
Bang!
With no warning whatsoever, the club room door flew open. What slipped through the gap was a wide hat brim.
Merrill, gripping the doorknob, widened her bright green eyes peeking through her light brown bangs and stared straight at me.
Why is she here?
Before I could even be surprised, Merrill asked in an excited voice.
"This filthy room overnight...!"
So she knew it was filthy.
Judging by her reaction, Merrill might be in the Tea Club too.
Recalling the setting book... she liked tea, after all.
The Tea Club itself never appeared in the game, so I didn't know the details.
"Did you do this?"
Merrill strode over and asked.
Was I not supposed to clean without permission?
No, her reaction suggested otherwise.
Anyone seeing that disastrous state would clean it—that was only natural.
I nodded confidently.
"Thanks. I'd been planning to clean someday, but for you to help like this...!"
"You knew and didn't clean it?"
"I did clean. Two weeks ago, I sorted everything... but the president messed it up right after."
Hmm, so the root of all evil was this president person.
Whoever they were, I had no desire to meet them.
"Thanks to you, I don't need a full deep clean anymore. Really... Oh, right—what brings you here? After quitting all your clubs."
"Just a whim. It's been a while since I came."
"I thought you'd quit when you didn't say a word for over a month."
"Ahaha...."
Was Theo not really interested in the Tea Club itself?
Still, Merrill's reaction showed activities weren't particularly mandatory.
Given her personality, if there were must-attend events she'd missed, she'd have asked about it every time we met...
So the activities must be completely free-form.
"Want some tea since you're here?"
"Sure, why not. Feels like I'd get quietly dropped if I don't show up for too long."
Anyway, the only thing left after this was checking Easter eggs.
Tea Club activities naturally meant leisurely enjoying tea.
Nothing closer to a peaceful life than this, so I gladly accepted.
"Then have a seat. You cleaned, so I'll brew the tea. Oh, President Cain is running late with work today, so no need to mind."
Merrill, having doffed her robe, headed to the pantry area and said lightly.
Hmm, so the president's name is Cain.
Cain, Cain....
Wait a second.
"Cain...?"
4
"This is the Cassas tea leaves we just got. Blended, so the aroma is nice and stable."
Merrill placed a fancy teacup in front of me.
I carefully lifted it and sniffed. An indescribably rich black tea fragrance wafted up.
Lighter than the Lore tea leaves Edmund had given me before, but punchier for it.
This would be enjoyable in its own relaxed way.
"Nice aroma."
"Right? Took some effort to get them. Seeing you enjoy tea puts my mind at ease."
Merrill sat at the table and savored her own black tea.
For a moment, only the tea's fragrance filled the air.
"Oh, speaking of which, I have some tea leaves too—should I bring them next time?"
"That'd be great. What kind?"
"Lore."
The stuff I'd half-forced from Edmund.
I'd stashed it in the dorm, but... I wasn't really into tea, so I couldn't bring myself to touch it.
Better to leave it with the Tea Club.
Just looking at Merrill, she was way more into tea than me—she'd put it to good use.
"L-Lore tea leaves...."
I knew they were high-end.
But apparently even higher-end than I thought—Merrill glitched like a broken robot.
Anyway, I'd bring them next time.
Of course, that wasn't the issue.
Of all things, the Tea Club president being Cain...
What kind of nonsense was this? Theo Agrit was an extra who didn't even appear in the main story before exiting, yet he wielded a demon sword, set a record of zero across all subjects, and was even acquainted with Cain.
Never imagined I'd hear that name here.
And Cain was...
"...You listening?"
"Ah, sorry. Was lost in thought for a sec."
"Honestly...."
What had she said while I was thinking?
Merrill paused, took a sip of her black tea.
After a moment, she added unexpectedly.
"You've changed a bit?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, hard to pin down exactly, but you have."
Of course I had.
I'm not Theo Agrit.
I knew next to nothing about what kind of person Theo Agrit was to begin with.
Maybe that's why.
I reflexively replied.
"How so?"
"Hmm... At the start of the semester, you gave off this huge 'don't talk to me' vibe. Barely responded if others spoke, never initiated. So I was secretly surprised when you answered about the assignment."
So back then, Merrill was just shocked that I responded at all.
No, more than that—what kind of life did Theo live that a simple reply surprised people?
"Was I like that...?"
"You joined the club and never showed once, so I never imagined we'd be sitting here enjoying tea together."
I glossed over it appropriately, and Merrill responded lightly.
Still, I could somewhat empathize with her feelings.
Even I never imagined having such an everyday chat with Merrill.
Theo Agrit was an extra who exited without properly appearing in the main story.
Merrill was a background extra with no real role even if she appeared.
For either of us, facing each other like this was unimaginable.
Yet here we were, savoring tea leisurely... the sentiment was novel.
"I feel the same."
"I won't pry about what changed your mindset."
"Thanks."
I couldn't answer even if she asked!
Who'd believe someone changed completely because their insides did?
Anyway, grateful for Merrill's consideration.
We enjoyed the tea aroma a bit more, pairing it with snacks I'd found while cleaning.
As we relaxed... memories of the past naturally surfaced.
All because of the original Theo.
I still had no clue about his personality, but Merrill's account gave a rough picture.
He avoided people, deliberately sabotaged things.
That sounded a lot like my past self... so inevitably, old memories crept up.
Pushing away those who tried to stay despite saying I didn't need pity, tanking grades out of spite that only I was suffering, rolling in the dirt for ages before finally becoming a decent person.
Ugh, thinking about it sours my stomach.
Let's wash that black history away with black tea....
"By the way, feels late to ask now, but... how'd the letter go?"
"Delivered it fine."
Leon’s letter that Merrill had.
At the time, I wondered why she had a letter from the academy, but that cleared it up.
"That letter—was it a favor from Senior Cain?"
"Yep. I bluffed it came from the academy, but Cain just handed it off and vanished."
So typical of him.
"You saved me. I was swamped that day."
"No biggie—we help each other out. By the way, Senior Cain seems really interested in Leon."
"Yeah, I figured. Probably because he's her..."
Bang!
For the second time today, the club room door burst open without warning.
The newcomer was a tall female student with fiery red hair tied in a single ponytail.
"Ah, sorry sorry. I'm late!"
Her hearty voice even evoked flames somehow.
With her robe casually tied around her waist, she entered nonchalantly, looked around, and marveled.
"Whoa! Merrill, you cleaned?"
"Not me. President, Theo did it all."
"Theo, Theo... Ah! The ghost member! What brings you out?"
The president, Cain, strode over and stood before me.
Her red eyes, matching her hair, bored into me.
Without avoiding her gaze, I greeted her lightly.
"Just felt like showing up. Long time no see, Hilfenberg Senior."
"No need for formalities. Just call me Cain Senior!"
That said, there was an odd sense of distance.
Cain and Hilfenberg—put together, Cain Hilfenberg.
Yes, the Tea Club president, this woman before me...
Was Leon Hilfenberg’s half-sister, unrelated by blood.