Chapter 35: The King of Clubs at the God-cademy (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: The King of Clubs at the God-cademy (2)
The designated meeting spot wasn’t anywhere strange; it was just an ordinary cafe.
I’d sent a text saying what time I’d arrive, so we wouldn’t miss each other, but since I didn’t know who the culprit was, I had no idea which table to sit at.
“Ah, So-hyun, over here!”
Fortunately, my worries were for naught.
The culprit wasn’t hiding her face, and she was someone I actually knew—at least vaguely.
Waving at me as if we’d actually planned a friendly hangout was a girl I’d briefly met during the entrance ceremony.
She was pretty enough, I suppose, but in this world full of stunning men and women, her face didn’t particularly stand out. She was a girl with a gentle impression, her long hair tied into two neat pigtails.
If I recalled correctly, her name was Chae Yu-jin.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Well, if it weren’t for you, I think today would have been a much more productive and enjoyable day.”
Now that I knew who the culprit was, I decided to take a firm stance.
It’s practically a rule of the universe that these gentle-looking characters act tough only toward people they look down on.
“Oh? Are you angry?”
“Of course I am. Do you think you wouldn’t be angry if someone blackmailed you?”
“Are you really angry?”
She showed me her smartphone screen.
The Holy Sword Class group chat was open, and with a single tap of her finger, she could send that photo.
That’s right.
I’d forgotten for a moment, but despite her looks, this girl was quite the piece of work.
“I’ll ask one last time. Are you really angry at me?”
“Er, no. How could I possibly be?”
It was pathetic, but even if it were just me, I didn’t want to drag Professor Cathy into a scandal.
“That’s a relief. I was worried you might be mad since I called you here a bit forcefully.”
What is she, a psychopath?
Maybe I’d accidentally unleashed a seed of evil upon the world that should have died that day.
“I don’t like that look on your face.”
For now, I decided to follow her lead and gave her a bright smile.
“Mm, that’s better. Don’t go around scowling. You’re actually quite decent-looking, but that fierce expression makes you look ugly.”
“You really… have quite the personality, don’t you?”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that as a compliment. Anyway, since you showed up at the meeting place, I can assume you’re willing to grant my request unconditionally, right?”
“Do you even know what the word ‘socialization’ means?”
“My hand has been feeling a bit slippery lately.”
“Your communication skills are truly top-notch. Do I even have a choice in the first place?”
“Of course. As long as you’re prepared to handle the consequences of refusing.”
Her way of speaking—relentlessly battering someone just because she had the upper hand—was truly unpleasant, but I was the one whose weakness had been caught.
“Oh, and it’s no use trying to catch me now. I’ve already backed up the photo.”
“Fine, let’s hear it. What is this request? If it’s money, depending on the amount, I’ll pay you after I’ve made it big, so can you cut me some slack?”
“Who do you take me for, some common thug? I have no intention of shaking you down for money—yet.”
“So you do plan to eventually…?”
“Who knows what might happen in this world?”
She was out of her mind.
No, how could an extra who didn’t even appear in the original work move like this?
“First, you have to answer some questions. As I told you before, I can’t stand it when I’m curious about something.”
“Fine. The ‘first’ part bothers me, but I’ll answer as best I can.”
“Are you dating Professor Cathy?”
“Haha. If the male students heard that, I’d be in the perfect position to get shanked on the street. It’s absolutely not true, so don’t go around saying things like that.”
“But I have evidence?”
“She only linked arms with me for exactly three seconds because she was playing a prank, and we only watched the movie because she helped me with the Point Shop and I wanted to pay her back.”
In reality, I only paid for the popcorn, but whatever. How would she know?
“In the real world, when a man and a woman do that, it’s called a date. Are you going to keep playing dumb?”
“Hey now, how can you say such things about a teacher and a student!”
She did treat me like a younger brother, but that’s something that can happen between a teacher and a student, right?
“Ah, then it shouldn’t be a problem if I spread this photo, right? Since you’re innocent.”
“But sometimes, the truth loses its power in the face of incitement.”
“You call me shameless, but do you realize your own skin is just as thick as mine?”
She stared at me for a moment as if she were speechless, but the fact remained that we weren’t dating.
“Look, we’re really not dating. I just got close to Professor Cathy because of a certain incident. Is she the type of person to date a cadet?”
“…I suppose you’re right. She isn’t that type of person.”
It felt a bit weird for her to agree so easily.
Professor Cathy was popular and well-regarded among the cadets, but shouldn’t a character like this hate cheerful people and talk behind their backs?
“You know her well.”
Of course, I didn’t say that out loud.
“You were just thinking something weird, weren’t you?”
“No? Do you have proof?”
“…Well, whatever. That part is fine. Next is the main point: start a club with me.”
“…What?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Oh, it’s fine if you’re just a ghost member. You just need to join. It’s not a difficult task, is it?”
True, it wasn’t difficult.
It was so easy, in fact, that there was absolutely no need to go through all this blackmailing nonsense.
That’s why I was suspicious.
“What kind of club are you making? Aren’t there already clubs for reading or writing?”
“I can see what kind of image you have of me, but you’re wrong.”
“Then what is it?”
“Does it matter? You can’t refuse anyway. Just say you’ll join, and then join later.”
“Oh, then why are you pretending to give me a choice I don’t even have?”
She hesitated for a moment as if she were at a loss for words, but eventually, she spoke.
“An Observation Club.”
“…An Observation Club? Observing what?”
“Just various things. Observing monsters, looking up information on heroes… and occasionally watching the lives of the cadets.”
“Ah, so you want to stalk people but want an official excuse for it?”
“Who said that! I said occasionally!”
In every novel I’ve read, the thing people like you mention last is usually the real goal.
She probably wanted to suck up some points by producing results through club activities while she was at it.
“Anyway, you’ll do it, right?”
She seemed to take it for granted that I would agree, and seeing her act so selfishly made me a bit spiteful.
“But I refuse.”
“Okay, then right away… Huh?”
“One of the things I, Kang So-hyun, love most is to say ‘no’ to someone who thinks they have the absolute upper hand!”
When I threw out a modified version of a famous line from a certain manga, Chae Yu-jin’s expression soured instantly.
“That’s a good manga, but I guess you don’t understand the situation?”
Wait, she knows that meme…? No, before that, does that manga even exist here?
“I understand perfectly. I don’t negotiate with terrorists. Isn’t that the basic rule?”
“Why are you treating me like a terrorist? It’s just a simple request.”
“Right. A simple request. But your attitude is all wrong.”
“What is?”
“If you were going to make a simple request, you shouldn’t have blackmailed me with a photo you took secretly like a creep; you should have just asked. Why should I accept you trying to hold a weakness over me and act however you want?”
“Well, that’s because…”
“Because what? Because you have dirt on me? Spread it if you want. But you’ll have to deal with the fallout too. The students who like Professor Cathy will obviously try to crush me, but they’ll also go after you for slandering her.”
“Ah…”
“You really have no social skills, do you? Showing me your face while blackmailing me… didn’t you think about the consequences?”
“But So-hyun, you wouldn’t have listened even if I asked normally.”
“How would you know that?”
“When I asked to just ask one question, you told me to get lost because you didn’t want to.”
Aha. Now that I think about it, I can’t really blame her for thinking I’m that kind of person.
It seemed Chae Yu-jin had her own reasons.
But I don’t regret it.
Just looking at her actions now, she is the annoying girl I thought she was back then.
And above all…
“Why me in the first place? Don’t you have friends?”
If she really didn’t have any, I would have landed a low blow, but fortunately, she glared at me and denied it.
“I have friends too!”
I can’t believe someone with that personality has friends. I wonder how much she pays them?
“Then do it with them.”
“They’re going to join too. But I still need your help.”
“I’m asking why.”
“You’re friends with the Freshman Representatives.”
“…Huh? Lilac? Or Cheon Yu-hak?”
“Both.”
I don’t know about that… I guess I could call Lilac a friend, but it’s a bit much to call Cheon Yu-hak my friend, isn’t it?
“To observe those two, I figured I’d need to at least be an acquaintance.”
“…So you’re asking me to introduce you?”
“Yes.”
I wondered what it was, but in the end, she was just another poor supporting female character caught in the trap set by the protagonists.
“…I think you’re thinking something weird right now.”
“Not really? I just understand now.”
“Understand what?”
“Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak are both handsome. I understand why you’d want to stalk them.”
“What are you…? Seriously, what do you take me for…?”
“A stalker who blackmails people with photos.”
“And you’re a ruffian who speaks rudely even to someone you’ve just met!”
“Anyway, I’m not going to give in to that kind of blackmail. Ask properly or find someone else.”
“Ugh.”
“What do you mean, ‘ugh’? It didn’t seem like you hated Professor Cathy earlier, so that bluff was pointless.”
“Then if I ask, will you introduce me?”
“Depends on how you ask.”
“…Please. I have my reasons, and I really need to observe those two up close.”
As if her previous attitude had been a lie, she obediently bowed her head and asked.
Moved by her polite attitude, I smiled brightly and answered her.
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
“What…!?”
It’s a no, you brat. I’ve already got my hands full with the people around those guys.
I don’t need any new faces yet.
…And this girl strangely reminds me of my friend, so I kind of want to tease her.
* * *
In the end, after she clung to me begging to at least put my name on the roster, we reached a compromise: I’d join the club, but I wouldn’t introduce her.
Well, whether she tried to get close to them using my name or not was none of my business now.
“So, which clubs are you actually going to join?”
After school, our morning assembly group, joined by the Pink Chihuahua Lee Yu-na, was going around checking out the various clubs.
“Swordsmanship and Travel. And I should probably put my name down for the Hunting club Cheon Yu-hak is starting.”
All three were clubs connected to relatively important events.
“Oh, you’re doing swordsmanship? That’s a relief.”
“Huh…? Loser, what about the cooking club…?”
Butt looked at me with a face that said, Why… only me…? but it didn’t really mean much.
I’d completely forgotten that Kim Ga-eul had asked me to join the cooking club since I’d only planned on those three.
Wait, is she even good at cooking? There was nothing about that in the original work.
“I’ll make you lots of delicious things, so let’s do it together~”
“Yeah, So-hyun, join her. It’d be even better if you joined the Volunteer Club instead of Travel.”
“Do you really want to see me on the weekends too…?”
“Yeah, of course. You’re the first friend I made after coming to the Academy.”
“You creep. Stay at least a meter away from me when you walk.”
“Hey, it hurts when you say it like that.”
Leaving Lilac behind as he chuckled and said creepy things, I looked at Kim Ga-eul, who was still on the verge of tears.
Is she a bully or a loser? I can’t tell…
Actually, I guess I could join the cooking club with her.
The problem was that there was a gag-type villain mixed into the cooking club, so I really didn’t want to go.
“Why don’t you just join?”
As I stood there blankly, an unexpected person chimed in.
“…Huh?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Well, it’s because it’s rare for you to talk to anyone other than Lilac.
To be precise, it was surprising to see the Pink Chihuahua helping Butt.
But her shocking statement didn’t end there.
“I’m joining too.”
“What?”
“The cooking club.”
Lilac nodded with a smile.
…You never joined something like a cooking club in the original, did you?
I had a feeling the protagonist had done something unnecessary again.