Chapter 36: The King of Clubs at the God-cademy (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36: The King of Clubs at the God-cademy (End)
Lee Yu-na, by nature, had no interest in anyone other than Lilac and didn’t care about anything else.
Yu-na was well aware of this fact herself and had no particular intention of changing it. However, occasionally, Lilac would worry that she had no friends other than him and would suggest she try making some. Because of this, she would sometimes go through the motions of befriending others, even though her heart wasn’t in it.
To Yu-na, it felt like a completely meaningless endeavor. But since the option of refusing Lilac’s request didn’t even exist for her, it was always a rather bothersome and awkward problem.
The males were all idiots who pretended to be friendly to her face while being jealous of Lilac and trying to tear him down. The wenches were mostly dirty stray cats trying to steal Lilac away from her.
At least, that was how Yu-na saw it.
Lilac was the only righteous person in the world, and the only one who was truly just without any pretense.
To her, forming relationships with other people was nothing more and nothing less than a source of stress. She only attempted it by putting on an act whenever Lilac expressed his expectations.
However, the person she was trying to get close to this time, while not on Lilac’s level, had some decent qualities.
If everyone else was a “minus” and Lilac was a “plus,” this guy was a “zero.” Neither particularly good nor bad. Should she say he felt like he converged to zero?
The only thing she didn’t like was that he had become too close to Lilac, but at the very least, she didn’t get the feeling he would hurt him like the others.
It was perfect, as Lilac seemed to want the two of them to become friends.
If he didn’t maintain his distance as he had until now and started acting overly friendly for no reason, she might change her mind, but for now, there were no signs of that.
“I’m planning to join too. The Cooking Research Club.”
“Is that so…?”
“Why the formal speech?”
As expected, he had a talent for accurately gauging the proper distance.
And judging by the incidents so far, while not as much as Lilac, he seemed to possess his own sense of justice.
Kang So-hyun. She felt like she might be able to get along with him reasonably well.
* * *
I’ve made up my mind.
I am never joining the cooking club, even if I die.
The excuse? Right, let’s go with a chihuahua allergy.
If I tell Lilac that being around a Pink Chihuahua triggers a fear response so intense I feel like I might get bitten to death, surely even he would take it seriously and understand, right?
Even as I thought it, I knew it was total bullshit.
I didn’t know if she had finally decided to get rid of me because she didn’t like me, or if she was trying to befriend Kim Ga-eul after Lilac asked her to make some friends, but honestly, I didn’t have the slightest desire to get close to Lee Yu-na.
Thanks to my efforts over the past few days, there weren’t many people left in the school who drastically hated Lilac, so her true nature hadn’t been fully revealed yet. But she was the owner of a temper so foul it more than justified her nickname, the “Pink Chihuahua.”
For example, let’s look at a few incidents from the original work.
Lilac, trying to be friendly with Kang Ha-ni, playfully put his arm around her shoulders. As usual, Kang Ha-ni pushed him away, but she used too much strength, and Lilac fell over.
Lee Yu-na watched this silently, then trotted over and kicked Kang Ha-ni in the shin. She even reinforced her leg with mana just to force a superhuman’s sturdy knee to buckle.
The conversation they had went like this:
— What the hell are you doing all of a sudden!?
— Why? Lilac’s knees got dirty, so it’s only fair that you kneel too.
— Are you actually insane?
Lilac had a hell of a time trying to stop the two of them from fighting.
Then there was the time Cheon Yu-hak called Lilac a hypocrite.
— If Lilac is a hypocrite, are you just a brat who lives for his own ego?
— Why is this crazy bitch picking a fight with Yu-hak all of a sudden? Honestly, it’s true that Lilac is just acting nice.
— Shut it, lackey. I’m talking to the narcissist you’re so obsessed with right now. Or is Cheon Yu-hak such a baby that he can’t speak for himself and needs you to do it for him?
She ended up in a catfight with a furious Ju Ri-ra right there in the classroom. When Cheon Yu-hak tried to stop them, saying it was beneath his dignity, he got punched in the face.
There are countless other horror stories, but the point is that she loves Lilac so much that she’s a legendary fighter who will immediately throw hands with anyone if Lilac suffers even the slightest harm.
Furthermore, she has a strange yandere streak where she dislikes anyone Lilac shows interest in, fearing they might become closer to him than she is.
I’ve been careful to be considerate so as not to offend her, but since I’ve gotten quite close to Lilac lately, she might be inwardly planning my burial right about now.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The Pink Chihuahua smiled brightly.
Shit.
That definitely didn’t mean anything good.
Of course, she didn’t act like that for no reason; she was a character with her own justifications. There was a reason for her excessive affection for Lilac, and a reason why she had come to hate other people.
But resolving those issues and nurturing her was Lilac’s role. It was Lilac’s job to help her grow and make an effort to form relationships with others.
I had no desire to get caught in the middle and suffer.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Then why have you been using formal speech for a while now?”
“Ah, no, I guess it just slipped out. Right, I’ll think about the Cooking Research Club.”
It wasn’t a lie. I was going to think about it, and after careful consideration, I was going to decide not to join.
“Really? That’s a relief. We’ll be able to get closer then, won’t we?”
What was that? Was that a hint that she’d kill me if I got any closer to Lilac?
Some people might think this: Isn’t he overreacting? Maybe she really just wants to be friends.
I guarantee you, absolutely not. And even if—by some miracle—she did, she would soon grow to hate me.
Because I was the type of person she hated most: “someone who uses Lilac.”
Lee Yu-na smiled brightly.
I smiled back.
I think this level of distance is just right for us. Absolutely.
“Wow! Loser, you’re really joining the cooking club with me!?”
Only Butt, who was incredibly oblivious, was genuinely excited and grinning from ear to ear.
Yeah, I’m not joining.
* * *
As is the case with most novels, Leilan Academy had a truly vast number of clubs.
It was impossible to visit them all in a single day, so we only toured a few that we were interested in and some famous ones, but it was already quite late by the time we finished.
“There were so many places that looked fun. But I think I’ll just join the Volunteer Club and the Travel Club. What about you guys?”
“I’m joining the Volunteer Club and the Travel Club too. And since we agreed earlier, the cooking club? If I find a delicious recipe, I’ll make it for you.”
“Really? I’ll look forward to it. You guys should look forward to it too; Yu-na is a really good cook. She’s been making things for me since we were kids.”
This crazy bastard Lilac was treating the heroine like Brock from Pokémon.
‘She’s always made me meals~’ If you keep up that crap, she’s going to absolutely love it, you idiot.
“Hey, Lilac. It’s obvious she’s saying she’ll make it for you, so why don’t you show a little more consideration?”
“Huh? I just thought it would taste better if we all ate together.”
No, it wouldn’t. You might think so, but Yu-na will probably want to take our heads off if we do.
However, criticizing him for his lack of tact here would be a rookie move.
The Pink Chihuahua was a more extreme Lilac fanatic than one might think, so saying that could make her snap, thinking, ‘How dare someone like you…?’ I needed to change the subject with delicate and fluid eloquence.
“Anyway, you two must have known each other for a long time. Seeing as she’s been cooking for you since way back.”
“Yeah, that’s right. We’re childhood friends, so we’ve been close since we were little.”
To be precise, you weren’t close when you were kids; you were just the one who unilaterally clung to her, man.
Whether my reaction was the right one or not, I could feel the Chihuahua’s anger gauge drop slightly.
“Oh, then is Yu-na your best friend after all?”
But then Ha-ni unintentionally started trolling.
“Hey, there’s no such thing as a ‘best’ friend among friends. It’s better for everyone to just get along well together.”
From a human perspective, that was a perfectly correct statement, but it was not the right answer here.
“But it’s true that you consider her a precious friend, right?”
“Yeah, of course~”
The Chihuahua’s expression, which had briefly darkened, relaxed again.
…Is this what it feels like to be on a bomb disposal squad?
“I’ll have to think a bit more about the Swordsmanship Club and the other places.”
“Don’t be like that, join the Travel Club with us. Ga-eul, you’re joining too, right?”
“Uh, yeah? I guess so, since everyone else is!”
“Ah, I’m not so sure about the Travel Club…”
“Aww~ Han-hee, why are you being like this too? It was hard enough getting So-hyun to stop backing out. Let’s do it together~”
Lilac was trolling especially hard today.
I knew he was oblivious, but this is professional-level stuff, Lilac!
If there were a certification for being tactless, you’d be Grade 1!
“Hey, Lilac, does the Volunteer Club give points?”
“Huh? Yeah. I think they give them based on volunteer hours. Why? Are you interested, So-hyun!?”
“No, just asking. You never know, right?”
“Right, think it over. You feel surprisingly good after doing volunteer work, you know?”
Lilac, now in a better mood, laughed and patted my shoulder.
Yeah, laugh it up. I’m suffering like this because of you, you bastard.
You really need to treat me well.
When I stopped Lilac from committing the atrocity of trying to put a girl in disguise into a club that basically goes on overnight trips, Yu-na suddenly let out a very small laugh.
“Yu-na? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
“No reason.”
Giggling softly, she looked at me with eyes that were a darker shade of pink than her hair.
“It’s just interesting.”
…You don’t mean I’m interesting, right? You just mean the situation is funny, right?
When she said something was “interesting,” it usually didn’t mean anything good, so honestly, I was a bit scared.
For the record, Yu-na is officially classified as a healer, but her combat abilities are also exceptionally high.
Meaning, she’s an opponent I couldn’t beat even if I tried.
* * *
Nothing much happened after that.
The Fitness Club tried to scout me, saying that steady will is more important than immediate strength. I helped a pretty senior who was flirting with Lilac and almost got bitten by the Chihuahua. And I was surprised by how flashy the demonstration at the Kendo Club was.
It sounds like there were some pretty entertaining episodes for me to say “nothing much happened,” but anyway, nothing major occurred.
“I guess even for things related to swordsmanship, it really depends on your talent.”
Unlike other clubs that just gave explanations, the Swordsmanship Club gave a live demonstration, so Ha-ni was the most excited among us.
It wasn’t obvious because of her naturally cool-looking face, but Ha-ni was actually quite easily moved.
“But what’s the benefit of a sword technique smelling like plum blossoms?”
Ah, for the record, at the “World’s Greatest Sword” club, we got to see the Plum Blossom Sword Technique that I’d seen so often in novels.
It was flashy and pretty, which was nice, but honestly, I did have my doubts.
I’ve seen it in novels where plum blossoms blooming and the scent appearing meant a high level of mastery, but honestly, I didn’t really see the point of a flower-scented sword other than looking cool.
“Look at this rookie showing his ignorance again. The fact that you can produce a scent with a sword means you’ve already dominated at least one of your opponent’s senses. The sword technique itself is a type of illusion. Do you think you can fight properly when your senses aren’t listening to you?”
Oh, as expected of the eldest daughter of a swordsmanship family (17-year-old cross-dresser). Now that I hear it, it sounds quite plausible.
“And it’s not just a flashy, scented sword; it’s also a ‘Fast Sword’ that emphasizes speed. When you’ve lost your senses to an illusion and every single scattered petal comes at you as a slash, it’s definitely a powerful technique.”
After hearing Lilac’s supplementary explanation, it started to seem truly impressive.
Of course, not all settings are the same, but there’s a reason why so many Wuxia fusion protagonists are from the Mount Hua Sect.
“Then are you guys going to learn that too?”
“No?”
“Maybe a little.”
These bastards…?
“It’s not that the Plum Blossom Sword Technique is weak. It’s just that I have a sword technique I’ve been learning for a long time, so it doesn’t really suit me.”
“I also prefer a style that involves silent, steady swings rather than flashy techniques like that.”
This is why the kids who rank first in the whole school are a problem.
They give other people weird workbooks while they have their own secret study methods organized separately.
My heart, which had briefly dreamed of becoming a Plum Blossom Sword Master, cooled down instantly.
“Why, So-hyun? Are you going to learn that? It’ll be harder than it looks.”
“No, I’m not.”
I just thought it looked cool for a second.
It was just a momentary lapse in judgment. You know, the kind of thing anyone who ends up in a novel thinks about for a moment.
“It doesn’t suit you. The training for that is much harder than it looks.”
I said I’m not learning it…!
“Why? So-hyun, if you work hard, you might be able to do it!”
Receiving such useless comfort from Lilac, our club exploration came to an end.